Municipal News & Jobs

Arkansas City High School this week implemented a new visitor check-in system as part of the district’s ongoing commitment to school safety, district officials said in a written statement. As of Tuesday, Securly Visitor is in place at ACHS’s main entrance. All visitors who plan to enter the building beyond the front office must present a government-issued photo ID at check-in. The system will scan the ID, complete a quick background check, and print a visitor badge that includes the guest’s name, photo, and destination within the school.  Visitors who are only stopping by the front office will not need to check in or receive a printed badge. 
Source: Local – Cowley Post

Facing a deficit of several million dollars in coming years, Wichita elected officials are talking about the possibility of increasing or adding taxes. Options could include a 1% city sales tax or a property tax rate increase, officials said during a recent city workshop. Current estimates show the city expects a $3.8 million deficit in 2026. That increases to $10.8 million the following year. The estimated deficits would be caused mainly by cost increases, including staff wages, as well as expected lower interest earnings.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Wichita school district officials say they don’t have plans now to come back to voters to ask for a smaller bond issue vote. Voters narrowly rejected a $450 million bond issue earlier this year. “We have no plans,” the district’s Chief Financial Officer Addi Lowell said Thursday at the first meeting of a new citizen financial oversight committee. That committee could eventually come back with a recommendation for another public vote on a bond proposal, though. Right after the February election, officials with the district and the Vote Yes campaign had signaled that a smaller bond vote could be a possibility.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The city of Wichita is moving forward with plans to hire a consulting firm to assist in its search for a new city manager. The Wichita City Council approved issuing a request for proposal to hire a search firm Tuesday. The firm will assist in multiple public engagement opportunities as the job description is developed and as final candidates are considered.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

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 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.

Kansas water issues, particularly those relating to irrigation ditches, was the topic of the Finney County Historical Museum’s Evening at the Museum event on Tuesday. Kevin Salter, Inter-state Water Engineer with the Kansas Division of Water Resources, was the presenting speaker. The event was kind of like a Water Rights 101 class, Salter said, specifically looking at Kansas ditch and the development of Kansas Water Law.
Source: Garden City Telegram

The Garden City Commission approved a non-federal match contract with the Kansas Water Office at its regular meeting Tuesday. The contract offers support for the Garden City Water Reuse Project. Mike Muirhead, Garden City Public Works Director, said the idea for the Garden City Water Reuse Project first presented to the Upper Arkansas Advisory Committee, also known as the RAC, asking for funding support in the State Water Plan, which is developed by the Kansas Water Authority and administered by the Kansas Water Office.
Source: Garden City Telegram

More than 500 new housing units will be needed across Cowley County by 2030 in order to meet demand, Winfield City Commissioners learned during a housing study update at their Thursday work session. The updated study, conducted by Hanna:Keelan Associates, Inc. of Lincoln, Neb., helps assess current housing conditions, identify future needs, and outline actions to be taken, according to Winfield City Manager Taggart Wall.
Source: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results

The Kansas City, Kansas Community Identification Act adopted by the Unified Government does not facially violate K.S.A. 21-5432(a)(1). Because the person providing a Community ID card would not necessarily know an applicant’s immigration status, the person would likely lack the mens rea required under K.S.A. 21-5432(a)(1)(A). Additionally, it would be difficult for anyone to violate K.S.A. 21-5432(a)(1)(C) because it is unlikely the person providing the Community ID card as provided in the ordinance would ever know an applicant was being exploited for the financial gain of another. However, it is possible, in particular instances where this information is known, issuance of the card could violate the law. A similar reasoning applies to a person possessing the Community ID card. Because a Community ID card does not purport to establish a person’s legal presence in the United States, and because a Community ID card applicant must give identifying and residence information to a government entity, mere possession of a Community ID card cannot amount to the bearer harboring or concealing oneself. However, the Community ID card program does implicate 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv), which makes it a crime to “encourage[ ] or induce[ ] an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law.” The Unified Government clearly intended to facilitate the continued unlawful presence of illegal aliens when it acted to create the Community ID card program. The program therefore stands as an obstacle to accomplishment of Congress’s objectives and is likely preempted. The ordinance is also subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 77-207 as the ordinance requires the collection of “vital statistics.” Cited herein: K.S.A. 12-16,139; K.S.A. 12-16,140; K.S.A. 12-16,142; K.S.A. 21-5108; K.S.A. 21-5202; K.S.A. 21-5432; K.S.A. 77-207; 8 U.S.C. § 1324.
Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

The Quality Places Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce is encouraging Kansas communities interested in moving local housing initiatives forward to take advantage of a special free event Tuesday, April 29, in Great Bend. Hosted by the Housing Interagency Advisory Committee (HIAC), the event is targeted at communities that have completed a Housing Assessment Tool (HAT) or have a structured housing plan in place. State and federal partners will discuss resources, connections and funding guidance communities will need to address existing housing gaps.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

For most of the Halstead Planning Commission’s discussion of their draft regulations for battery energy storage systems (BESS), they considered suggestions provided by several “No BESS” t-shirt-wearing attendees. Also in attendance for Monday’s P&Z meeting were representatives from Concurrent, the Texas company that’s leasing land in Halstead’s industrial park with plans to build a BESS on the site if things work out for them with Halstead’s P&Z and city council.
Source: Harvey County Now

How many pets should Holton residents be allowed to keep at their homes? That’s the question that mem­bers of the Holton City Commis­sion are looking into now after a member of the commission re­viewed ordinances from other cities in Kansas limiting the num­ber of dogs and/or cats that may be kept in a household inside the city limits. At the present time, Holton city ordinances do not limit the number of dogs and/or cats that may be kept at a residence in the city, but at least two Holton residents voiced concerns over the city limiting the number of dogs, cats and other pets they keep at their homes at the commis­sion’s regular meeting on Monday. After some discussion on the mat­ter, commissioners voted to table it until their next meeting, set for Monday, April 21.
Source: The Holton Recorder

The City of Holton has “a pretty good supply of bricks” on hand to facilitate re­building a block of one of Holton’s brick streets, as Holton Street Su­perintendent Greg Tank­ing told members of the Holton City Com­mission on Monday. This year, however, the city’s annual street improvement pro­gram involves taking one of Holton’s 85 blocks of brick streets — the 200 block of Wisconsin Av­enue — and converting it to con­crete, Tanking told commissioners, who approved the 2025 street pro­gram on a 4-1 vote during the com­mission’s regular meeting that evening.
Source: The Holton Recorder

Thanks to a grant from Variety KC, more youth will be able to enjoy Olathe’s pools this year. The city recently purchased water wheelchairs for all of its pools, as well as for Lake Olathe. “We felt this was a great way to get more people out and about and enjoying the pool and the water,” said Marc Harrell, chief inclusion officer for Variety KC. Variety KC, a local non-profit, focuses on supporting programs and technology that allow children with physical and cognitive disabilities to take part in activities. It has also helped families get necessary medical equipment.
Source: Johnson County KS News & Sports |

The California, Oregon and Santa Fe National Historic Trails span 25 states and 25,000 miles, and they have an extensive history right here in Johnson County. Brown signs mark the places where these three trails crossed through our county, commemorating those who used them for passage and trade between the 1830s and 1860s. Emigrants used the Oregon and California National Historic Trails to find a better life in the west, while merchants established the Santa Fe Trail for commercial purposes. Beginning in Missouri, the trails wound west through Johnson County, splitting off into their three distinct routes. These trails have a legacy in our county – not only in the names of local streets, schools and parks, but also as history you can visit. At numerous locations in the county, you can stand in the exact spot pioneers pursuing a better life did centuries ago.
Source: Johnson County Kansas