Municipal News & Jobs

Geary County leaders have approved a one-year moratorium on data centers, giving the county more time to develop regulations before any projects move forward. At its meeting on June 22, Geary County GIS/Planning and Zoning Director Troy Livingston presented the commission with the proposal to implement a one-year moratorium on data centers. The planning commission earlier this month voted to recommend the temporary moratorium on any kind of data center development. Livingston said they believe a year will give them time to study impacts like infrastructure, water and power needs, and allow them to make an informed decision.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The first informational meeting of the Douglas County Data Center Watchdogs drew more than 100 attendees to the Lawrence Public Library Tuesday evening. Nancy Thellman said the new group had been meeting for about two months to put together the presentation for the community. She said they want to educate residents about local land-use rights, water demand and tax incentives that could make the area a target for large-scale data center development.  The group said it plans to meet at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month in the library’s meeting rooms, where organizers intend to hold deeper discussions with experts and residents about the issue. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

In one week, the Haus of Clarity therapy clinic will relocate its offices to the highly sought-after Waterfront lifestyle center in northeast Wichita. Maggie Hatfield and Tiffany Pierce, the owners of Haus of Clarity, said their current landlord opted not to renew the company’s lease at an office building located at the northeast corner of Rock and Central. The practice specializes in trauma and seeing military, first responders, victims of violence and childhood trauma.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

This Wichita-area aerospace supplier is betting big on the second space race. Just three years ago, NWI Wichita had no work in the space sector. Today, the space industry comprises about 40% of the tier-two supplier’s revenue. “We have been working very hard over the last two years to diversify our business,” said Philip Allen, NWI Aerostructure’s senior director of business development for North America. The 200,000 square-foot Park City manufacturing site has operated as NWI Wichita since 2022, after Tect Aerospace declared bankruptcy and auctioned off its facilities.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Goddard is attracting major commercial projects including retail centers, apartments and a city park as the Wichita suburb positions itself for rapid growth.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

As healthcare systems in rural Kansas face mounting pressure, Newton Medical Center is teaming up with six other hospitals across the state to combat rising healthcare costs and enhance rural clinical care. The seven rural hospitals have formed a clinically integrated network to push for lower costs for medical equipment and to collectively negotiate rates from health insurance companies to drive lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, the organizations say.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

A brief but powerful tornado killed a 64-year-old man in northern Sedgwick County early Sunday morning, blowing his home off its foundation. The storm touched down for just two minutes and struck without tornado warnings or sirens activating beforehand.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

A lone horse rider carrying letters arrived the City of Horton on Monday evening. The horse hooves clopped on the city street, indicating to a large crowd of people that he was nearby. The scene sounded like it would almost be set in 1860-1861, when the iconic Pony Express would be in operation.
Read more: Hays Daily News

De Soto Mayor Rick Walker says revenue from a planned $3 billion data center campus is an opportunity to grow the city. But one resident is concerned that leaders are moving too fast and not weighing the negative impacts on the community and environment.
Read more: KCUR

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a charter resolution to change the way the treasurer’s department collects back property taxes. A 2019 charter resolution requires Harvey County Treasurer Amy Perkins and her department to apply payments to the most current delinquent 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. The new resolution, which will take effect 60 days from the time it is published two weeks in a row, requires taxpayers to pay the current property tax first and then the most delinquent. This means that if someone has four years of back taxes owed, the new resolution acts like a four-year payment plan. Commissioner Becky Reimer thanked Perkins for thinking creatively.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Strong communities are built on more than businesses alone—they are built on places where people gather, connect, and build relationships. That vision is at the heart of The Zarah Coffee Shop, Great Bend’s newest locally owned coffee destination.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

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.

The NWS preliminary damage survey says the tornado started at 1:14 a.m. in Sedgwick County and lasted for two minutes.
Read more: KSN-TV

A third accident involving a motorist and a bicyclist in Allen County has prompted Iola Police Chief Jared Warner to speak about traffic safety regarding two-wheeled vehicles.
Read more: The Iola Register

The meeting comes after community members urged city commissioners earlier this month to adopt a moratorium on data center development over concerns of large amounts of energy and water consumption, noise pollution, higher utility bills and more. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Bucyrus — population: 168 — is only about 35 miles south of Kansas City, but enough farmland and red barns sit between the last suburban subdivision and the town’s quiet main street that it still feels like country.
Read more: Washington Post

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 Dodge City Commission is being asked to approve a $10 million agreement to purchase thousands of acre-feet of water rights, a proposal city officials say would help secure the community’s water future for decades. According to city documents, the proposed contract would allow Dodge City to purchase 3,732 acre-feet of water rights from JR Farms and Reinert Partnerships. City staff describe the acquisition as a significant investment that could benefit local residents “for generations to come.”
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe