Municipal News & Jobs

It’s an achievement that ought to be recognized: the state of Kansas has been awarded more than $200 million to chart a path to try to stabilize and remake rural health care. And if that goal can be accomplished, the initial success will pale by comparison. At a recent discussion at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas called “The Effects of Federal Health Policy on Kansas,”  panelists discussed what’s happened to get the state to the threshold of change and where the transformation process can go from here.  A large portion of that discussion focused on the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion, five-year plan that was enacted last year after Congress passed and the president signed H.R. 1, aka The Big Beautiful Bill, which made enormous changes in fiscal policy including a sharp turn on health care expenditures. Cuts to Medicaid are estimated at $1 trillion over 10 years. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Jackson County leaders are set to hold a meeting Thursday on a moratorium proposal tied to a major solar project. The Jackson County Planning Commission is set to talk about and possibly recommend a solar moratorium to the county’s board of commissioners during a meeting on April 9 in Holton. Members of the local community will have a chance to offer their comments and recommendations during this sessions.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

City commissioners wrote their own headlines for what they wanted to see happen in Eudora 10 years from now at an extra meeting Saturday. Among the ideas were a new recreation park, waterpark, K-10 commercial center and amphitheatre. Those ideas were just one piece of an hours-long meeting where the City Commission discussed economic development in town. Commissioners discussed how to strengthen downtown, draw in outside spenders from K-10 and drive more local spending. Saturday’s work session was informational only and did not include any action taken by commissioners. They did, however, provide input for city staff that could guide future decisions. City Manager Zack Daniel said the goal of the session was for city staff to understand what economic development the commission was interested in pursuing moving forward. 
Read more: The Eudora Times

“Ryker” has been picked as the name of Topeka’s new police dog by people visiting the Topeka Police Department’s Facebook page. The new canine partner of police Sgt. Joshua Miller was given that name after it received 238 votes in public balloting conducted on the TPD page, the department announced April 9.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Topeka’s city government will try to sell property it owns at 1121 SE Quincy St. — including a huge, iconic, former water tower that’s about 85 years old — in its current “as is/where is” condition. The mayor and council voted 10-0 late April 7 to authorize city manager Robert Perez to engage a real estate broker to help the city try to sell that property, which is also the site of a parking lot the city maintains. The vote came after deputy city manager Braxton Copley said the water tower and an underground storage tank on the property haven’t been part of the city’s water distribution system for more than 26 years.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

The city of Maize is tired of being passed up by retailers for Wichita. Maize, which has seen substantial housing growth, has a lot of available land and vacant pad sites left to be developed, and is wanting a closer look from retailers and other commercial developers. The city has brought on a retail consultant to market Maize to prospective retail and restaurant brands. Some retailers have taken notice, such as Casey’s, which plans to build a new store at 5345 N. Maize Road. But others, like Hawaiian Bros, chose Wichita after initially considering a pad site in Maize.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Sedgwick County has a data center moratorium until mid-June as it works to create regulations for the facilities. Nearby counties are also figuring out how to contend with the centers.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The city is streamlining its zoning code to make it easier to build Portfolio Homes. Portfolio Homes are a free selection of pre-designed and pre-approved, small scale home building plans the city is offering at no cost to a resident or developer.
Read more: KC Star

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

CCR for HB 2043 (formerly Senate Sub for HB 2745) is a comprehensive property tax proposal amended today in Conference Committee by House and Senate leadership. This follows the Governor’s veto of the prior version yesterday. A floor vote is expected in both chambers today…
Source: LKM

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Federal Reserve officials at their March meeting still expected to lower interest rates this year, even with a high level of uncertainty from the Iran war and tariffs, according to minutes released Wednesday. Most of the participants said the war could result in the need for easier monetary policy if rising gas prices hit the labor market and consumer wallets.
Read more: CNBC Bonds

On Monday morning, the Cosmosphere welcomed U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, along with current NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Gerry Griffin. The visit began with a private tour of the Cosmosphere’s campus and ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Hall of Space Museum. President and CEO of the Cosmosphere, Jim Remar, began by pointing out the Apollo 13 spacecraft that sits in the Hall of Space Museum, appreciating the correlation between that module and the positioning of the current Integrity Spacecraft, which is preparing to travel around the dark side of the moon. 
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

At the annual meeting of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, one issue rose above the rest: water. From the declining Ogallala Aquifer to increasing urban demand and emerging technologies, panelists painted a complex—and urgent—picture of agriculture’s future. The discussion brought together farmers, policy experts, and industry leaders to examine how water scarcity is reshaping agriculture across the Midwest and Southwest.
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

The city of Emporia is currently accepting applications for its Civic Leadership Institute Program, which gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of different city departments.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

The City of Emporia announced the departure of Deputy City Manager Mark Detter on Tuesday. Detter will be leaving Emporia to pursue an opportunity as city administrator of Rose Hill, Kansas, a town of approximately 4,185 people located in Butler County, southwest of Wichita. He has served as deputy city manager for the city of Emporia since his hiring in April 2023. “I’ve really appreciated my time in Emporia, and I’m looking forward to my new opportunity in Rose Hill,” Detter said.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

The City of Overland Park voted 11-1 on a motion to amend an ordinance that kick starts an affordable homes project all around the city. Before presenting this to the city council, the planning commission voted on the “Portfolio Homes Development – Pilot Program” 8-2.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

This week, a century ago, The Halstead Independent published a piece about the city’s war against “the yellow peril.” Halstead’s Committee of Child Welfare placed a bounty on this peril and organized a citywide effort to eradicate the dent-de-Lion, the lion’s tooth, the common dandelion. “The slaughtered will be weighed and the price paid in cash,” it stated about the city dandelion bounty. Pickers earned 1 cent per pound of dandelion plants picked. “Now, all together to make Halstead the Town Without a Dandelion,” the article stated. That name never quite took. Despite children scouring the city’s yards and alleys for the weed on April 8 100 years ago, the dandelion remains throughout Halstead today.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Brandon So isn’t a stranger to Sedgwick, having served as a part-time police officer since the beginning of 2025, but there’s a good reason why residents are seeing a lot more of him lately. So joined the Sedgwick Police Department full-time in December. So far, So likes working in Sedgwick. “I’ve met more supportive people here than I ever did in Newton,” So said. “It seems like everyone is very caring about their police department now and the fact that we’ve been able to turn it around so well. It’s very, very positive with the community.”
Read more: Harvey County Now

Hays Deputy City Manager Collin Bielser told City Commissioners last week that he has already directed staff to take a more approach to budgeting for next year in light of current economic uncertainties. “I think Department Heads and employees already do the critically, creative, collaborative approach really well. But depending on what happens with all the economic situations and the uncertainty of property taxes, we will need to be a little more mindful than we have needed to be before,” said Deputy City Manager Bielser. He reminded Commissioners that Hays, unlike nearly any other Kansas municipality is not property tax funded for general operations.
Read more: Hays Daily News