Municipal News & Jobs

Nobody is coming to save us, but we can take the next steps to save ourselves. That was the mantra Neighborhood Evolution’s Vice President Monte Anderson repeated during the launch of their Build Hutch program at Memorial Hall on Feb. 23. The Build Hutch program was paid for by the city and Hutchinson Community Foundation to spur and mentor residents to improve the city through small-scale development and incremental improvements. The program will last through the year. The program includes monthly online coaching sessions and the organization of a building development cohort, which the city is hoping lasts far beyond just this year. The cohort will be open to anyone who is, or would like to be, involved in any stage of building development around town. More details to come as this group gets organized.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The House agreed to an amendment lowering by half the signature threshold on protest petitions used to block a city or county from exceeding the cap. The House also passed an amendment deleting a $60 million state fund to compensate local units of government that held annual growth in property taxes under the cap. The revised bill advanced on a vote of 87-22.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

About 56.4% of the 9,425 voters opted to keep the ban.
Read more: Salina Journal

Synopsis: K.S.A. 19-4607(c) requires non-elected hospital boards to submit a proposed budget … K.S.A. 19-4610(a) directs that a hospital board shall have control over all expenditures, except those raised by revenue bonds. These statutes do not conflict…
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.

The Ranger Road Fire — which started in Beaver County, Oklahoma — has consumed the largest amount of land, burning more than 283,000 acres in Oklahoma and southwest Kansas as of Monday. Five wildfire task forces, from across Kansas, deployed to fight the fires last Tuesday. Four task forces were county-based, with teams coming from Dickinson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Johnson county task forces. The fifth task force was part of the Kansas National Guard.
Read more: KSN-TV

Riley County commissioners are considering a restructure of county leadership that could see the creation of a county administrator position.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The ‘I like Ike Trail’ and the ‘Greyt Trail’ offer bicyclists two different historical rides through Dickinson County, celebrating Abilene’s rich history. Bicyclists can find both routes on the Gravel Kansas website.
Read more: KCLY Radio

City council members heard a presentation Tuesday that urged Hillsboro to join a state program of property cleanup. Toby Kuhn with the Kansas Department of Health Environment said the program does not address not mowing lawns or pulling weeds and instead is focused on other outdoor hazards. KDHE would pick up 75% of the program’s $10,000 cost.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

A new podcast by Hillsboro City Council member Ronald Wilkins is introducing the public to major department heads and what happens behind the scenes. In his first podcast last week, Wilkins
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Under the policy, participating companies are eligible for an incentive of $500 per job added paying at least $15 per hour, $1,000 per job added paying at least $18 per hour, and $1,500 per job added paying at least $21 per hour.
Read more: The Hutchinson 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.

When a large fire breaks out in southwest Kansas, it rarely becomes the responsibility of just one department. Instead, sirens from multiple towns can often be heard responding — a direct result of mutual aid agreements that have become essential to protecting lives and property across the region. Mutual aid agreements allow neighboring fire departments to automatically assist one another during major incidents. In rural areas like southwest Kansas, where communities are spread out and resources can be limited, that cooperation can mean the difference between a contained blaze and a devastating loss. Fire chiefs across the region say no single department has enough manpower or equipment to handle every large-scale emergency alone — especially during wind-driven grass fires, structure fires, or multi-vehicle accidents on highways.
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

Stafford County Economic Development (SCED), in partnership with Network Kansas, is now accepting applications for Pitch Your Porch, a new downtown improvement pitch competition designed to support Main Street businesses across Stafford County. Pitch Your Porch invites downtown businesses to propose exterior improvement projects that enhance curb appeal and strengthen local downtowns. Eligible projects include façade improvements, signage, lighting, outdoor seating, landscaping, and other visible upgrades to the front of a business. A total of $15,000 in prize funding is available, with multiple awards to be granted. Businesses may request up to $5,000 per project and are required to provide a minimum 25% match toward total project costs.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

While their peers are sitting in math class or running around the gymnasium, some Olathe Public School juniors and seniors are practicing emergency response in a fake apartment, grooming dogs or wiring tiny homes. The school district officially celebrated the grand opening of its Innovation Campus on Thursday — though students have been using the building since last month. Located at 450 N. Rogers Road, the Innovation Campus is a central hub for many of the district’s career pathway programs. Students still attend their home high schools for half the day. School district officials and local leaders attended the grand opening.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Starting bright and early Saturday morning, drivers will be able to use the new express toll lanes on U.S. Highway 69 through Overland Park. The expected 8 a.m. opening will mark the formal end of the $572 million, roughly three-year project to add express toll lanes and ease congestion through a highly trafficked area of Johnson County. While the work on US-69 spanned miles and touched several interchanges, the new express toll lanes run between 103rd and 151st streets, on the left-most inside lane, going both north and south. Earlier this week, federal, state and local officials celebrated the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Overland Park. During her remarks, Gov. Laura Kelly called 69Express a “monumental project” as the state’s first express toll lane project, and as it delivers improvements to one of the busiest highways in Kansas.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Six Lenexa residents have filed a lawsuit against the city, declaring that city officials are selling parkland to Habitat for Humanity without giving them proper notice. On Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, the six residents filed the lawsuit that, among other allegations, claims City Manager Beccy Yocham held private meetings with the developer. The lawsuit was filed hours before a marathon meeting during which the Lenexa City Council approved the sale of city-owned land to Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City to build a new neighborhood of 50 single-family homes. Among the allegations in the lawsuit, plaintiffs assert that City Manager Beccy Yocham and city staff held a meeting with developers at a private church in Olathe on July 15, 2025. In an email to the developers quoted in court documents, Yocham said she didn’t expect anyone from the public to attend. Because the lawsuit is pending litigation, the City of Lenexa would not comment on the lawsuit, said city spokesperson Denise Rendina.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Chris Zach has been selected as the new director of Republic County Economic Development following a special meeting of the board of directors last Thursday. The position had been vacant since former director Jenny Russell left in October to pursue private-sector interests. After a 20-minute executive session, board members voted on three candidates identified only as #1, #2, and #3. Zach received six votes, while a Louisiana candidate received two, and a Republic County woman received none. Zach currently serves as creative director for The McBattas Group and The Belleville Telescope, a role he has held since 2020. A Republic County native, he returned six years ago with his wife, Trish, to raise their three daughters. Zach is active in local organizations and will begin his new duties in March in downtown Belleville.
Read more: KCLY Radio

The wind energy industry has slowed across the country, but some Kansas towns want to invest in it for economic growth. We’ll hear about the push for renewable energy in rural Kansas — and the obstacles it faces. Plus: Hear why support for 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline, is stronger in some states than in others. Western Kansas has the potential to capitalize on the region’s high energy demands. There’s plenty of land, wind and sun to be the center of renewable energy production. But skepticism can bring these projects to a halt. Calen Moore with the Kansas News Service reports.
Read more: KCUR News