Municipal News & Jobs

A real estate company has filed a lawsuit against the City of Lawrence challenging an ordinance that bans discrimination based on where a potential tenant’s rent payments would come from, such as housing vouchers. The case was filed in federal court Thursday by Tower Properties Company, which is based in Overland Park and owns Harper Square Apartments at 2201 Harper St. The company is asking the court for a permanent injunction to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance. The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved the ordinance change, which created a protected class based on renters’ source of income, which could include housing vouchers, settlements, benefits, subsidies, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers and more. It also bans discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status or their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. The ordinance went into effect in June 2023. Tower’s lawsuit is not the first legal challenge the city has faced regarding the ordinance.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Pending finalization of an employment contract, Matthew (Matt) Stiles will be joining Saline County as its new County Administrator, effective April 13. Stiles is currently City Administrator in Hillsboro, and has past experience as City Administrator in South Hutchinson, Assistant City Manager in Bel Aire, and project manager in Wichita State University’s Public Policy and Management Center. He will take over from current County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, who is retiring. Saline County Commission Chair Monte Shadwick said they were fortunate in having an impressive and highly qualified group of applicants, each of whom brought valuable skill and insight. “ Matt, however, stood out for his approachable leadership style, and strong communication skills, along with his past success in advancing economic development efforts, Shadwick said in a statement.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

The new city library in Frontenac was all abuzz with activity on Wednesday as a film crew from “CBS Mornings” shot footage, interviewed patrons, and was given a walking tour by Library Director Seth Nutt. The library is to be featured during a series highlighting unique American stories. Called “USA to Z,” the series is being produced as part of the nation’s 250th birthday. But the library wasn’t just randomly picked out of a hat. Aubrey Gelpieryn, a producer for “CBS Mornings,” has familial ties to the city — her mother grew up here. And her grandmother and aunts still live in Frontenac.
Read more: -Morning Sun

The city of Newton is considering buying the historic Newton Depot for $500,000 with plans to turn the property into a redevelopment opportunity. The train depot at 414 N. Main St. sits at the entrance of downtown Newton and serves as the busiest Amtrak station in Kansas for its line that travels from Chicago to Los Angeles. Built in 1930 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the depot was most recently used for leased offices but has also housed restaurants and lodging, according to the city. Newton’s City Commission approved an agreement at its Tuesday meeting for an option to purchase the depot, which it said is one of the “most important civic landmarks” in Newton.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

The future of the Yates Center Police Department is decidedly murky after City Council members voted Tuesday evening to substantially downsize the department later this year. In a surprise vote, the Council voted 3-2 with one abstention to shrink the force down to a single position held by a police chief who would be on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Law enforcement duties after hours would fall under the Woodson County Sheriff’s Department. The changeover is scheduled for April. However, that change may not come. 
Read more: The Iola Register

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.

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.

In small Kansas towns like Burrton, volunteer departments are often the closest option for people in danger.
Read more: KSN-TV

If Wichita voters approve a 1% city sales tax in March, groceries won’t be exempt. Some supporters of the ballot initiative have pitched excluding transactions on food items from the $850 million plan as a way of reducing its burden on lower-income Wichitans.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen pressed the Kansas Legislature on Tuesday to expand funding for specialty courts tailored to special challenges of defendants and asked lawmakers to collaborate on solutions to the shortage of attorneys in rural Kansas. Rosen, delivering his first State of the Judiciary speech to a joint session of the Legislature, said the state must continue to move forward with initiatives to enhance access to justice, build public confidence in the judiciary and improve efficiency of state court operations. Rosen, with a father and father-in-law who worked at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, said he had a front-row seat in his youth to the Menninger staff’s transformational work on an integrated, multidisciplinary model of treating people with mental illness. As a Shawnee County District Court judge, he became acutely aware of how individuals with mental health conditions or substance abuse disorders too often cycled through courthouses.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

A new initiative announced by the Kansas Department of Commerce could open up possibilities for repurposing vacant and underutilized buildings in Lyon County into new housing. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced Monday that the Department of Commerce is launching an initiative to identify vacant, abandoned, or underutilized buildings suitable for redevelopment into housing units. Local leaders, community organizations, and property owners are encouraged to submit information about buildings in their area that could be considered for conversion.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Tumbleweeds have taken over the High Plains. They thrive so well that they are part of the culture of the West. But this ample supply of blowing weeds can hurt farm yields, wreak havoc on neighborhoods and cause fire dangers. A minor but significant character in old western movies: the tumbleweed. In the midst of the gunslinging, often a lonely tumbleweed will roll across the screen. Today, if you drive across western Kansas on a windy day, you will often see not a lonely tumbleweed, but a swarm of them crossing the highway or congregating along a fence by the road. In western Kansas, it comes with the territory. In fact, ask people in town and they will tell stories with annoyance or amazement of tumbleweeds blocking their driveways or stacked against their homes. People in urban areas may be surprised by just how prominent this plant is on the frontier today. But it wasn’t always like that. In fact, tumbleweeds are a relatively new phenomenon on the Plains where they have claimed a new home. They weren’t even established in the U.S. in the early days of the cowboy.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

The newest Harvey County Drug Court graduate, Zack Walters, has been sober since April 19, 2024 (625 days and counting), which is his longest streak since he started smoking marijuana as a teenager. The county began drug court in October of 2021 as a way to reduce recidivism and celebrated its first graduate in March of 2023. The program takes 12 to 18 months to complete. Walters’s story is slightly different because he went from the county jail to county employee.
Read more: Harvey County Now

While the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan to move its headquarters and training facility to Olathe has been in the works behind closed doors for years, the news came as a surprise to many Johnson County residents when the NFL team announced it at the end of December. Earlier this month, the Post published an informal survey asking readers how they felt about the Chiefs’ decision to move their operations across state lines. The survey asked a question for Olathe residents specifically, about how they feel about potentially hosting the team’s new headquarters and training facility. While not scientific, the survey’s results give insight into how Johnson County residents are feeling about the deal in its early stages — the main question being: do the benefits of the project outweigh the cost?
Read more: Johnson County Post

The city of Prairie Village helped its Ukrainian sister city purchase four drones, medicine and bed linens in 2025. Last spring, the Prairie Village City Council approved a nearly $23,000 donation to its sister city Dolyna for the purpose of “humanitarian goods.” Dolyna is in the western part of Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, or district. In late December 2025, Dolyna Mayor Ivan Dyriv sent an itemized list of the goods purchased with that donation — and thanked the city for its help.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The city of Prairie Village’s residential grant and property tax rebate programs are back in 2026 — all with more funding. Last month, the Prairie Village City Council approved updates to its exterior grant, residential sustainability grant and property tax rebate programs. Here’s a look at how to find out if you qualify for any of the programs and, if so, how to apply.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The proposed Hope Ridge Wind Farm in northeast Dickinson County remains on hold after plaintiffs filed an appeal in their lawsuit challenging the project’s approval. The appeal follows a lower court ruling that upheld the county’s decision to grant Enel Green Power a Conditional Use Permit for the wind farm, which would involve about 150 landowners and span more than 50,000 acres. Opponents argue the county’s approval was unreasonable and failed to meet zoning requirements, claims rejected by Judge Lee Fowler of the Fifth District Court, who ruled the process was transparent, lawful, and supported by substantial public input.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Officials in Clay County, Missouri, and in the Kansas legislature have expressed that they are no longer interested in talks with the Royals on a new stadium deal. Is the team starting to run out of options — and will downtown Kansas City win out by default?
Read more: KCUR

Kansas lawmakers are expected to introduce new legislation Wednesday, aimed at regulating electric scooters across the state. A move that follows the tragic death of a 10-year-old boy in Johnson County late last year. The bill comes just months after Duke Ommert, a fourth grader, was killed while riding an e-scooter in his Leawood neighborhood. In the weeks and months that followed, several municipalities moved quickly to tighten restrictions on e-scooters.
Read more: KSN-TV