Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

How do you attract people and businesses to rural Kansas? Communities are trying AI

AI is doing everything from making art to writing computer software, and now community leaders in western Kansas are hoping it can help them crack the code for bringing people and businesses to their areas. The rural communities are turning to AI to identify the businesses, services and housing residents need. That helps them target the types of businesses they should work to attract and where housing is needed to buck long-term trends of rural population loss. It’s an intriguing idea to Shandon Classen. He sips coffee in the corner booth of his coffee shop in downtown Liberal, Kansas. He opened it last year. It’s the only locally owned coffee shop in town, but business has been difficult to maintain. Using AI-powered foot traffic software, officials in Seward, Finney and Ford counties now can track when people come to town and where they shop through anonymous cell phone data That gives them a better idea how to help their own business owners and towns. Businesses like his will soon have access to the tool. “If AI could tell us about our demographics, if it could help us know what people want, that would be a huge help,” Classen said. The goal is finding out what people in a western Kansas town need. Just down the road in Liberal, Mario Loredo is the type of person communities are hoping to learn about. He said his parents own a restaurant and frequently travel over 50 miles to Garden City to shop. “They have to go to Garden, to Sam’s Club because they have to buy a lot of stuff in bulk,” Loredo said. “It’s just stuff you can’t find here.” Loredo is one of many residents who travel to Garden City, the retail center in southwest Kansas. Garden City has seen more success in economic development than neighboring towns, but the hope is the community will continue expanding. Lona Duvall is president of economic development for Finney County, home of Garden City. People like her have been trying to track out-of-town retail shoppers for years, but it hasn’t been easy. They only have a small staff and they’d have to physically look at license plates in shopping centers. “We counted 12 from New Mexico and 15 from Colorado, or whatever the case may be,” Duvall said. This is where AI comes in. Finney County is one of several in western Kansas that purchased a tool called Placer AI. It tracks where people travel through anonymized cell phone data. That data helps them determine why people are coming to town or leaving town. Where they’re shopping and what they need. Then they can use that data to determine what businesses they should try to attract to keep people in the community.
Source: KCUR News

El Dorado announces Assistant City Manager

The City of El Dorado announced the promotion of Tabitha Sharp to Assistant City Manager in November. Sharp has worked for the City of El Dorado since 2009 when she took the position of Intern to the City Manager. She was promoted to City Clerk in April of 2010. Since then, she has fulfilled not only the clerk functions, but also oversaw the Human Resources, Payroll, Tourism and Public Information departments. In 2022, she was promoted to Administration Director for the City. After advertising the new position of Assistant City Manager and doing interviews, Sharp was selected as the best candidate for this position. “Tabitha has demonstrated increasing responsibility within the organization, especially over the last few years while she served as City Clerk and most recently as the Administration Director,” said City Manager David Dillner. Sharp will take on more management responsibilities to assist the City Manager with general oversight of the municipal organization. Her position will continue to oversee Experience El Dorado, Human Resources, Finance, and Public Information functions, although several of the responsibilities currently assigned to her are anticipated to be delegated as a way of providing employees with increasing opportunities. In her new role, Sharp will also have the duties and responsibilities of Finance Director. She will assist the City Manager in overseeing and managing strategic initiatives and will have an increasing role in special projects and assignments. She will also serve in the absence of the City Manager when he is away from the office for an extended period. “I look forward to seeing where this new role for Tabitha will take the city in the future,” Dillner said. “She has a lot of offer the City of El Dorado and this new role will help utilize all of her talents and experience.”
Source: Andover American

Wichita Public Library holds vote for new library card design

The Wichita Public Library would like people to vote on a new design for their library cards. There are three categories, kid, teen and adult, with three designs to choose from in each. The categories break down into kid, teen and adult. The most popular card in each category will be the winner which will be announced in January. Once the winners have been announced, current customers will be able to trade in their old library card for one of the new designs for $2. To vote on which designs you would like the new cards to be, click the link in the source story.
Source: KAKE – News

Shop with a Wichita Cop brings smiles to two little girls who lost their father last year

Tuesday it was time for kids to do a little early Christmas shopping with some folks in blue. Also known as ‘Shop with a Cop.’ We went along as the kids got the chance to make their holiday dreams come true. Jaxyn and her sister Willa got a big treat shopping with a Wichita Police Officer and picking out anything they wanted for a grand total of $100 each. This is the second year the Wichita Police Department had teamed up with Walmart for Shop with a Cop. Children are identified through WPD Random Acts of Kindness submissions. Jaxyn, her sister Willa, and their mom have been trying to deal with a big loss in their family. “We lost my husband last year. So there’s been a lot of changes in our lives and I didn’t realize there were programs out here like this. A lot of changes from a two-parent household to just one. And I am the only one bringing in any money. They don’t typically get pick out for things themselves. Typically we have to budget pretty strictly,” said Jordan Minnis-Forck. Minnis-Forck says she couldn’t believe it when she found out her daughters were picked. “When I got the call to be part of it, honestly I cried for a good while,” said Minnis-Forck. So what did Jaxyn get? “I got a backpack that’s like, makeup in it. And I have a little school set and a little dress. And I have a little doll,” said Jaxyn Forck. A happy night for Jaxyn and more than a dozen other kids like her.
Source: KAKE – News

Potential sites for Sedgwick County psychiatric hospital have been reduced to four

The state of Kansas is about to make big changes to its mental healthcare system, with a new psychiatric hospital located in Sedgwick County. “We see the mental health crisis that’s occurring, we see the homeless crisis that’s occurring, we see it in our front yard, we see it out our back door,” says Historic Midtown Society President Makayla Welch. “So we had a vested interest in where they were planning on putting this hospital that is desperately needed.” Scott Brunner with the state’s Department of Aging and Disability Services unveiled the possible locations at a public meeting in Wichita on Tuesday. “We want to be sure that we provide information about what the project looks like, who the patients are going to be, how people get there, the project funding and the county and state involvement just so they have a good picture of the project,” Brunner said. “So they can make a judgment about those locations.” Of the four locations, the one located on Central and McLean in Wichita, would be the only one utilizing an existing building. Brunner said that there are benefits to both building a new facility, and using the former Riverside Hospital. “If you build the new building, we can corporate newer technology designed factors around natural light and open spaces, good sight lines for our nurses and clinical staff to be able to be safe and, and patients be safe as well in the environment,” Brunner said. “If you go into an existing building, or where there’s already a structure and walls, you’ve got to start figuring out how those things all fit together. And it does make some accommodations about sightlines and number of patients per wings and units.” Welch said that she’s happy this issue of mental health in Wichita is finally being addressed.
Source: KAKE – News

Garden City to break ground on new Fire/EMS station

A new station for the Garden City Fire Department and emergency services is coming soon. Garden City will be breaking ground on the new fire station on Dec. 19. It will be at East Schulman Avenue and North Jennie Barker Road. “This significant event marks a milestone in our community’s commitment to public safety and emergency services,” The Garden City Fire Department said in a news release. When finished, the station will be able to house up to 10 firefighters and six EMS personnel. GCFD said it will serve as a vital hub strategically positioned to respond swiftly to emergencies, ensuring residents’ safety and property protection.
Source: KSN-TV

Wichita to begin anti-violence program

Wichita City Council members have voted to approve an agreement with three agencies to begin the implementation of a violence prevention program in two areas of the city. The city began working with Chicago-based Cure Violence Global in 2022 to develop a violence interrupter program. The purpose is to detect and prevent potentially violent events, provide for behavior change and support to the highest-risk individuals, and change community norms that allow and encourage incidents in chronically violent neighborhoods. The program in Wichita will be focused on socially and economically stressed neighborhoods that have had high rates of gun violence. The city is contracting with the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute in a partnership with Destination Innovation and the Institute of Development. The program will target an area in north Wichita between I-135 and Oliver, from 9th Street to 25th Street. The program will also be put in place in an area of south Wichita, between Broadway and Oliver from Pawnee to Galena and Wassall. Rebecca Johnson with the city manager’s office said the program will begin recruiting and hiring in January with staff training in February. The city is allocating $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the program, which will be directed at the highest-risk youth. City Council member Bryan Frye is urging the community to support this program and “help us get ahead of this, because it’s not getting better.” He said this should be part of the solution, and “we need you to be our eyes and ears as much as we need these violence interrupters.”
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Municipal Bond Trends for December 12, 2023

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.

Municipal Bond Trends for December 11, 2023

Governor Kelly Encourages Kansans to Vote on New License Plate Design

Governor Laura Kelly today shared how Kansans will be able to weigh in on the next State of Kansas license plate. Starting today, Kansans can go to KSPlates.kansas.gov to vote for their favorite plate among five designs created by Mammoth Creative Co., a Kansas-based marketing firm, in partnership with Kansas Tourism. Voting will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 15. … The five options, while continuing to align with Kansas Tourism’s “To the Stars” branding and the already announced guidelines, incorporate previous public feedback such as a lighter blue on the original proposal, a State of Kansas outline, wheat, and sunflowers. The plate proposals were also chosen because they prioritize public safety. Clear, simple designs enable law enforcement officers and traffic systems to quickly and easily read the license plate number.
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas

Going from economic rut to groove in Liberal, Kansas

Is Liberal stuck in a rut? A year and a half ago, José Lara thought so. The U.S. Census showed Liberal and Seward County losing population. There were only about 10 new houses being built each year in town. He wasn’t seeing new businesses open. “Our actual growth at that point was very, very limited. I definitely believe Liberal was in a rut,” he says. “We were not growing at a point that I would be comfortable with.” Lara, 32, an insurance agent who is married with three young kids, decided to get involved in his community. He ran for a seat on the Liberal City Commission, won and is now the first bilingual Latino mayor. … Language gaps such as the one Lara describes are an example of hidden barriers that can hold communities back. It’s hard for many to see them until there’s a crisis or an inadvertent solution comes along – in this case, Spanish-speaking commissioners coming on board – that quickly makes clear how things have advanced. But can community members also make conscious choices together that improve their economies? That’s what Lara and a group of about a dozen Liberal residents have been trying to learn through an effort over the past six months to improve what’s been termed the “entrepreneurial ecosystem.” … Through a three-month pilot program called Heartland Together… Liberal’s trailblazing dozen have been working to strengthen their leadership skills in order to get more people engaged in shaping their entrepreneurial ecosystem for the better. The hope is the training and activities associated with the program will help members of the community more effectively connect their networks and resources.
Source: KLC Journal

Kansas childcare task force calls for ‘one-stop shop’

A panel of early childhood leaders in Kansas is calling on state leaders to reduce “red tape” regarding the childcare system. Kansas Early Childhood Transition Task Force (ECTTF), established by Governor Laura Kelly through the first executive order of her second term, presented its final report for 2023 on Monday. Gov. Kelly responded to questions about what she’d be able to get done on her “wishlist” for early childhood education during next year’s session. “I don’t see it as a wishlist. I see it as a roadmap and a blueprint for how we can rearrange programs that we’re already providing, but do it in a way that makes it easier for families… [so] there’s more of a one-stop shop for early childhood services rather than this maze that they have to go through now,” Kelly said.
Source: KSN-TV and Governor of the State of Kansas.

JoCo Notes: Overland Park residents can weigh in on new parks master plan

Overland Park is revising its citywide parks master plan for the first time in a decade, and the public is being invited to weigh in. The city will host a public open house Monday night from 5-7 p.m. at Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St., in which residents will be able to provide their thoughts on city parks going forward. Residents can also share their feedback through an online survey through the end of December. The master plan revision, dubbed Playbook OP, is billed as way to guide Overland Park’s “efforts to acquire and develop parks and greenways and enhance recreation opportunities” in the future. You can read more about Playbook OP and the current parks master plan on the city’s website.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

City of Hutchinson working to help homeless

The City of Hutchinson is seeing a rise in the homeless population, and community leaders said they want to do what they can to help. People sleeping under bridges is becoming more of a common sight in Hutchinson, but community advocates say this growing issue goes beyond not having a place to stay. “On a larger scale, there’s cuts and budgets with health care and mental health concerns and substance abuse so that directly affect homelessness, and that’s definitely something that we feel the weight and burden of that right now,” Jerome Bernard, the manager at Noel Lodge, said. The United Way of Reno County Director of Community Outreach, Valerie Taylor, said the homelessness crisis is also affecting youth. “We even see people in our high school who are unhoused, so I think that this is definitely something that is deep-rooted and is not singled out to one certain type of person,” Taylor said. The Noel Lodge, which is part of the nonprofit New Beginnings, is a temporary shelter for people to go to and has an occupancy of up to 25. Bernard said it’s a place for people to feel safe and welcome. “There’s so many different scenarios to why people are here,” Bernard said. “We tend to judge a certain group of people, saying this is the only group, but life happens to everybody.”
Source: KSN-TV

Kansas opens up vote on new license plate design

Kansans have less than a week to vote on the state’s new license plate design. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly shared how Kansans will be able to weigh in on Monday. Kansans have until Friday, Dec. 15, to choose from five designs. Residents can go to KSPlates.kansas.gov to vote for their favorite plate. “Kansans have offered their thoughts on our state’s next license plate through social media and elsewhere, even sending potential designs to my office. Many of these designs were beautiful, but we’re moving forward with this voting process to ensure law enforcement can easily read the selected license plate and to get safer plates on the streets as soon as possible,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I encourage Kansans to make their voices heard and am looking forward to announcing the winner next week.” Each design was created by Mammoth Creative Co., a Kansas-based marketing firm, in partnership with Kansas Tourism. According to state officials, the five options continue to align with Kansas Tourism’s “To the Stars” branding and the already announced guidelines. They also incorporate previous public feedback, such as a lighter blue on the original proposal, a State of Kansas outline, wheat, and sunflowers. Officials say the plate proposals were also chosen because they prioritize public safety. Clear, simple designs enable law enforcement officers and traffic systems to quickly and easily read the license plate number. “It is critical that Kansans be able to quickly identify a vehicle by its license plate – whether that be when reporting erratic driving behaviors, crashes, or Amber Alerts to law enforcement,” Captain Candice Breshears, Kansas Highway Patrol, said. “Every second counts in an emergency, which is why we appreciate that the backgrounds of these license plates do not interfere with the plate combinations.”
Source: KSN-TV

Koester named superintendent of USD 413

The USD 413 Board of Education has hired Matt Koester as the superintendent of USD 413 schools. Koester said he is extremely grateful for this opportunity, noting his love for the school district and community of Chanute. “It just means a lot to me to be able to give back to our system and try to create the best system in the state of Kansas for our kids,” Koester said. Koester most recently served as interim superintendent since July. The board selected him as interim superintendent when Kellen Adams announced his resignation this past March. The USD 413 Board of Education made this announcement on Thursday. “We are pleased to announce that we offered Mr. Koester the position of superintendent and he has accepted. Mr. Koester has proved to be ‘all in’ for Chanute, and we are excited to see where he takes the district in the years to come,” said BOE President Heather Guernsey. Born and raised in Chanute, Koester is a 1994 graduate of Chanute High School and has worked in various roles for the previous two decades at USD 413. He previously served as the assistant superintendent, principal and assistant principal of Chanute Elementary School, interim principal of Chanute High School during the 2020-2021 academic year and also as a teacher. “Even when I started the career path of teaching, I would have never placed myself in the position I am in today,” he said. Spending his entire career here, Koester said USD 413 is the only place he wants to be.
Source: The Chanute Tribune

Lansing officials want to turn old section of state prison into a museum

Local authorities are mulling a proposal to turn a portion of the oldest penitentiary in Kansas into a tourist destination. Lansing officials and the Lansing Historical Society have announced a plan to save a large section of the Lansing Correctional Facility and preserve it as an income-generating piece of history. The plan would preserve the old prison, including some inmate cells and the prison auditorium, where music legend Johnny Cash performed for inmates in 1970. Roughly 24 hundred inmates still reside at the prison. The proposal reportedly still needs approval from the Kansas Department of Corrections before it can move forward.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Dodge City named one of the most welcoming towns in Kansas

The iconic western town of Dodge City has been recognized as One of the Most Welcoming Towns in Kansas by World Atlas, a leading global publisher of travel and serving more than 165 million annual readers. Although once known for saloons, gambling halls, and gunfights, Dodge City has transformed into a peaceful, hospitable community that captivates visitors with its rich history and small-town charm. Nestled on the high plains in southwest Kansas, Dodge City offers travelers the opportunity to experience the spirit of the Old West. Must-see stops include the Boot Hill Museum, the Santa Fe Trail Rut Site, the Home of Stone Museum, and the historic downtown district lined with shops, restaurants, and the Trail of Fame. Annual events like Dodge City Days, an Old-Fashioned 4th of July celebration, the Ford County Fair, and Christmas in Dodge City draw visitors from across the country year-round. “We’re proud that Dodge City’s Midwestern charm and our community’s warmth shines through for visitors,” said Megan Welsh, director of Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “In Dodge City, we have embraced and preserved our Cowboy heritage for more than 150 years. We invite all travelers to experience our town’s hospitality and special brand of Western culture.” For more information about planning a trip or relocating to Dodge City, go to www.visitdodgecity.org. Discover why Dodge City tops the list as One of the Most Welcoming Towns in Kansas.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe

Governor Kelly Announces Heartland Flyer Passenger Rail Expansion Moves Forward in Kansas

Governor Laura Kelly today announced the proposed extension of the Heartland Flyer passenger rail corridor is among the projects selected by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for inclusion in the Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program. The Corridor ID Program will provide funding for the development of a Service Development Plan (SDP), which is expected to be completed in spring 2024. In this first cycle of Corridor ID Program awards, $500,000 will go to the development of the Heartland Flyer Corridor SDP. The proposed Corridor would connect Amtrak’s existing Heartland Flyer intercity passenger rail service between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, extending north to Wichita and then Newton. The proposed Corridor would include new station stops in the Oklahoma cities of Edmond, Perry, and Ponca City, as well as Kansas stops in Arkansas City, Wichita, and Newton. “The extension of the Heartland Flyer Passenger Rail would further connect Kansans to Oklahoma City and North Central Texas, unlocking business, educational, and cultural opportunities to Kansans and enabling our neighbors to the south to add to the Kansas economy,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “One of Kansas’ greatest assets is that we are in the center of the country, which is why my administration has supported rail projects like this to build on that strength.” The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) submitted the Corridor ID Program proposal in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Transportation. KDOT has already completed a scope, schedule, cost estimate, and other preliminary staging needed for the Heartland Flyer expansion. This advance work, combined with ongoing support of state and local governments, significantly strengthened the three-state application, and has advanced the Heartland Flyer extension into the FRA funding pipeline.
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas