Municipal News & Jobs

President Donald Trump took the first step Thursday to reclassify marijuana, but the move won’t affect Kansans unless the state changes its laws, a law enforcement professional said. Trump signed an executive order to drop marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act to a Schedule III drug. In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended the change, indicating marijuana has medical use. The change doesn’t take immediate effect on the federal level, but it will not affect Kansans unless laws are changed, said Ed Klumpp, a retired Topeka police chief and a lobbyist for the Kansas Peace Officers Association.
Read more: The Iola Register

School board officials for USD 247 agreed to close Southeast Elementary School in Weir at the end of the 2025-26 school year, according to the Pittsburg Morning Sun. A dropping enrollment coupled with projected renovations in excess of $750,000 to the 109-year-old school, prompted the decision. A public hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue was held at the district’s high school in Cherokee. Ten attended. The population of Weir, which is southwest of Pittsburg, is about 560.
Read more: The Iola Register

High winds whipping across Kansas quickly spread grass fires in areas across the state Thursday and forced the evacuation of a Buhler elementary school and an area in Reno County. Buhler USD 313 said on Facebook around 1:45 p.m. that Plum Creek Elementary was being evacuated because of a nearby grass fire.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Crawford County commissioners extended a moratorium on certain energy development projects in Crawford County through 2026. The Commission voted Dec. 12 to prohibit solar and wind development for a year, while commissioners develop a new comprehensive plan, the Pittsburg Morning Sun reported. The moratorium was amended to include digital mining centers for such things as cryptocurrency, the newspaper reported, while a second moratorium is in the works to address nuclear energy.
Read more: The Iola Register

Synopsis: County election officers’ duty to destroy ballots pursuant to K.S.A. 25-2708(b) is directory and not mandatory, and such duty must give way to a search warrant or subpoena compelling the production or preservation of such ballots pursuant to a criminal prosecution or investigation. However, mere notice of a pending criminal investigation is likely not enough to forestall the directive to destroy ballots. Cited herein: K.S.A. 25-2708.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Synopsis: K.S.A. 79-2988(b)’s use of the word “shall” is mandatory. K.S.A. 79-2988(b)(2) states a governing body seeking to exceed the revenue neutral rate shall notify the county clerk about the date, time, and location of the public hearing on or before July 20. Because the Sedan City Clerk notified the Chautauqua County Clerk of a new hearing date less than 10 days before September 2, 2025, this statutory requirement was not met. Thus, the county clerk lacked statutory authority to send out a second notice. But, in a situation where a public hearing is rescheduled and the governing body notifies the county clerk on or before July 20, nothing prevents the county clerk from sending out a notice with the new hearing date. Cited herein: K.S.A. 79-2988.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

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.

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.

Prior to joining the PPMC in 2024, she worked as Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Derby and as the Real Property Section Manager, managing affordable housing unit programs for the City of Wichita, and was honored with the Kansas Association of City/County Management’s Early Career Excellence Award in 2022. Sarah has a Master of Public Administration from WSU and a BA in Communications from Baker University.
Source: City of Towanda

While the appeal is under review, The Cozy Inn will be allowed to finish the mural, with the understanding that changes may be required.
Read more: KSN-TV

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.

As promised, the county commissioned on Friday extended the moratorium on wind and solar development in the county until December 31, 2026, while the commission uses that time to develop a new comprehensive plan. Included in this round is not only solar and wind development, but also digital mining centers such as data mining and crypto currency. Commissioner Carl Wood asked for an amendment to include a moratorium on developing nuclear power, too. According to what Commissioner Carl Wood heard at a recent meeting in Wichita, nuclear power is on its way to Crawford County.
Read more: – Morning Sun

The City of Coffeyville is proud to announce that City Manager Ben Brubaker was honored last week with the Early Career Excellence Award at the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM) Conference. Established in 2013, the Early Career Excellence Award is a prestigious statewide recognition presented to early career local government professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and strong promise to positively impact the profession.
Read more: Coffeyville, KS

City Manager Enrico Villegas has been named a recipient of the Early Career Excellence Award by the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM), an honor presented by his peers recognizing leadership and impact in local government early in his career. During the awards presentation at KACM’s annual conference last week, Villegas was recognized for the significant progress achieved in just over one year with the City of Hutchinson. In remarks shared during the ceremony, KACM highlighted his efforts to strengthen relationships between City staff and the governing body, as well as his focus on improving communication and collaboration across City departments.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Leawood, KS, mayor expressed concerns about the potential impacts of a Kansas City Royals Stadium being built at the Overland Park Aspiria campus.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

The City of Halstead has a $10 million annual budget and 26 full-time and 40-plus part-time and seasonal employees or volunteers, per City Manager Ethan Reimer. The city runs its gas, water, wastewater and stormwater utilities. Covering 1.31 square miles and an island golf course (Wedgewood), Halstead’s population at the last census was 2,179. Reimer led a presentation Monday evening for the newly elected officials, Gary Faebler (mayor) and Roger Keating (city council). Current council members Denise Klassen, Shawna Will, Jim VanSchaick and George Torres also attended. The city’s department heads also provided information regarding their areas.
Read more: Harvey County Now

It’s a chance to promote tourism in Hesston. The Hesston Chamber of Commerce was awarded a Kansas Department of Tourism Marketing grant from the Kansas Depart of Tourism in the amount of $4,780 to help fund a first-time program that can bring travel writers to Hesston. “These grants are awarded for first-time marketing projects, encouraging tourism organizations to try something new,” Chamber Director Andrea Braker said. “Our project, which was approved, was hosting a series of travel writers. We’re investing in a catalogue of travel writers.”
Read more: Harvey County Now

Opposition to a potential Royals baseball stadium at Overland Park’s Aspiria campus has been so strong among Leawood residents and businesses that the Leawood City Council released a letter Monday night opposing it in no uncertain terms. Councilmembers and Mayor Marc Elkins said they have been flooded with letters from the public against a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals at Aspiria, on the former Sprint campus at 119th and Nall Avenue. The location would put the stadium directly across the street from Leawood. For more than a year now, the Royals have been hunting for a new location for a future ballpark, and the Aspiria campus is one of multiple locations that have been mentioned since Jackson County, Missouri, voters last year rejected a proposal to fund a downtown stadium. The team’s owners have not named a preferred location, but the Overland Park site has officially been in the running since a Royal’s affiliate acquired the mortgage on it in spring 2025. Leawood letter cites concerns of noise, lighting, public safety, transparency, etc.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The city of Prairie Village recently became the second Johnson County city to voice support for an effort to make statewide Spanish language voting materials available at the polls. On Monday, the Prairie Village City Council voted 8-2 to approve a resolution — brought forth by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas — that calls on the Secretary of State and the Johnson County Election Office to translate voting materials into Spanish.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Olathe City Manager Michael Wilkes will retire at the end of January, despite a last-minute vote by city council last week to keep him in his role. Wilkes shared the news over the weekend in an email to city officials obtained by the Post, saying he will retire on schedule because the city council was divided over whether to extend his contract. The reversal comes just days after a contentious closed-door special meeting on Friday, during which the Olathe City Council voted 4-3 to delay his retirement and halt the nearly complete search for his replacement. Wilkes announced his retirement in July after almost 27 years with the city. In a letter to the city, he noted his retirement will be effective in the first quarter of 2026 “as is appropriate with the hiring of a new City Manager.”
Read more: Johnson County Post