Municipal News & Jobs

Earlier in April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $30 million in grant funding, as part of the agency’s RealWaterTA Initiative. The new funding will support technical assistance and training to benefit small drinking water and wastewater systems and private well owners. The newly available RealWaterTA funding helps connect small and rural drinking water and wastewater systems with tried-and-true services, such as engineering and design expertise, operational support, workforce development, and financial management. EPA said this funding will benefit Americans nationwide, especially in rural areas where small systems face challenges operating and maintaining vital water infrastructure. 
Read more: Water Finance & Management

With a hearty cheer, a large crowd celebrated the unveiling of the new marquee, marking the first phase of the restoration of the old Iola Theatre in downtown Iola. Throngs of youngsters gather outside the old Iola Theater for the showing of “The Circus Clown” sometime in the 1930s. The ornate marquee has been rebuilt and was turned on for the public Friday. With the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere mixed with the home-town folksiness of a county fair, droves of Iolans turned out for a party Friday. The occasion? Members of the Iola Theatre Association turned on the lights for the building’s marquee, an exact replica of the original from when the movie house first opened its doors in 1931. The crowd was greeted with storybook weather conditions as they were serenaded by both the Iola High School and Allen Community College jazz bands.
Read more: The Iola Register

The Galena Solar Project will generate 260 megawatts and create 198 construction jobs by 2030. Planning commission will consider a conditional use request for the project.
Read more: Wichita Biz Journal

The artificial intelligence boom has driven companies to search nationwide for space to build “hyperscale” data centers – and it turns out, Lawrence is actually a place they could go.
Read more: LJWorld

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 massive site near De Soto was once home to a factory that produced gunpowder for artillery shells in World War II and rocket propellants during the Vietnam War. But bit by bit, parts of the site have been deemed safe by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Almost 400 acres will be allocated to become part of what will be Johnson County’s biggest park.
Read more: KC Star

In Harvey County – which is just north of Wichita – the lack of code language led to a two-year lawsuit with the landowner and the crypto company, which Harvey County eventually won. They’ve now approved a moratorium on all such projects, meaning no such projects can apply to locate in the county until the county finishes writing codes on the matter. Thus far, Douglas County officials are betting they don’t need a moratorium while they work to write language in their codes. The code-writing process though is proving to be a complex one.
Read more: LJWorld

Harvey County Treasurer Amy Perkins told commissioners that her biggest complaint has to do with how the county applies property tax payments when someone gets behind. Perkins explained that a charter resolution in 2019 requires her to apply payments to the most current property tax bill, which means that in order to pay off the most delinquent tax, owners must pay off all of their taxes. If they can’t pay the whole thing, they often decide there’s no benefit in paying any of it off.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Amelia Blackwood has been appointed as City Administrator, where she will manage daily operations, carry out city council policies, and lead efforts to support ongoing community growth and services. In addition, Lindsay Clark has been appointed as City Clerk.
Read more: KCLY Radio

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.

Anna Popp has created 15 murals in Great Bend and surrounding Kansas towns, with at least three more planned for summer 2026. The remarkable works of art have transformed areas throughout the community.
Read more: KU Alumni

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $16.3 million is available to improve broadband infrastructure through the Broadband Acceleration Grant (BAG) program. The program is designed to offset high costs that are required for building networks in places where distance and low population density make private investment difficult to attain. “High-speed internet is an industry standard and should be available for use on a daily basis by individuals and businesses alike,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The BAG program supports the prosperous future we’re building for all Kansas residents which includes having reliable and affordable access to broadband infrastructure, regardless of zip code.” In its sixth year, through the bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), the Broadband Acceleration Grant program aims to provide high-quality, reliable broadband access throughout the state, prioritizing unserved areas, economically distressed communities and areas of compelling need.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday voted 3-1 to move forward with a plan for the Tenant Eviction Defense pilot program they approved in March. Once the program is up and running, a nonprofit legal service provider will attend the weekly answer docket, which is when tenants who have received an eviction notice have a chance to deny claims that a landlord has made in a petition. The provider and project team will work to speak with renters as well as property owners or landlords at the docket. They will hand out paper or online intake forms to tenants to assess their demographic information and “circumstances of eviction to determine whether legal advice or representation is warranted.” With the commission’s approval, county staff members will now issue an informal request for proposals. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Officials from Mulberry, Arma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg met with county officials at Memorial Auditorium in Pittsburg Wednesday morning to check in with each other and brainstorm ideas to support each other.
Read more: – Morning Sun

Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas Interim President Lyle Butler says his reaction to the recent Michelin layoffs, which will impact 100 employees, was the same as many in the community: disappointment. “My first feeling is for the employees and their families, because that forces change,” he said. The RDA was the first to release information last Thursday, announcing it had been notified of Michelin’s decision to restructure its agricultural track and wheel operations, laying off 100 Emporia employees as part of a phase-out expected to continue through the end of 2026. Michelin is the latest of several companies to scale back or cease operations in the city, with other notable examples including Tyson Foods, Thermal Ceramics and, most recently, Hopkins Manufacturing.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Scooters and e-bikes have raised concerns about safety, and another Kansas City suburb is doing something about it. Olathe now has new rules in place. The goal is to keep everyone safe. The City of Olathe is asking all parents and guardians to go over these new rules with their kids. One change includes: Anyone under 18 years old must wear a helmet when riding an electric scooter or e-bike. “We want our children to be safe. We want our parents to be informed about the capabilities in what they’re purchasing in that device,” City of Olathe Public Information Officer Cody Kennedy said. “But we also want to ensure our traveling public are safe, our pedestrians are safe and everybody understands the rules of the road.”
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

The Finney County Commission adopted a Special Use Permit application form for data centers and amendments to the Special Use Permit Base application form at its regular meeting on Monday. Mackenzie Phillips, Finney County Development and Administrative Coordinator, said on Feb. 17 of this year the Commission approved a resolution establishing Article 36 in the county’s Zoning Regulations which deals with Special Use Permits. “Article 36 created a new framework for the review and approval of land uses that may involve unique impacts, operational considerations or broader policy implications and that require approval by the Board of County Commissioners,” Phillips said. Implementation of Article 36 included the establishment of a Special Use Permit application process which includes a base application form that applies to all Special Use requests and separate, supplemental application forms which are tailored to individual use categories, Phillips said.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Six people spoke during the Finney County Commission’s Public Comment period during its regular meeting on Monday. Speakers Jackson Turner, Tucker Turner, Ross Marston, Polly Witt, Rance Schreibvogel and Harold Mai spoke against Data Centers coming to the Finney County area. Jackson Turner said he knew the meeting was not about a specific Data Center coming to the area, but the application form in the event someone approaches about putting in a Data Center but said there’s already a project in the works.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

A proposed two-year moratorium on commercial solar projects in Jackson County failed on a 4-4 vote during the Jackson County Planning Commission meeting last Thursday evening. During the meeting, which drew about 40 people to the Jackson County Courthouse, 15 minutes of comments from both proponents and opponents of a solar moratorium were allowed, with each person allotted one minute to speak. At the end of the discussion, planning commission member Doug Fisher made a motion to approve a two-year moratorium on commercial solar projects in the county. The motion was seconded but did not pass on a 4-4 vote.
Read more: The Holton Recorder

Most people in Johnson County who follow the Royals already knew by Wednesday morning that the former Sprint campus near 119th Street and Nall Avenue was out of the running for a new baseball stadium location. That much had been announced by the team back in January. But the news on Wednesday that the Royals reached a deal with Hallmark Cards to build a downtown stadium near Crown Center — bringing a downtown location that much closer to reality — meant that some of the neighbors who had vigorously opposed it for Johnson County could exhale a little more.
Read more: Johnson County Post