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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2026-08-07T10:07:18-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Learning to live with toxic algal blooms in Kansas

Toxic blue-green algae threaten cattle and have collectively robbed Kansans of thousands of hours of recreation. They drain millions from lake-based economies when outbreaks close lakes to public access. Drinking water is susceptible to the toxin, too, rendering it smelly and foul-tasting. Although there are efforts to combat them, cyanobacteria aren’t going away. As with so many other environmental and health challenges of the 21st century, Kansans will have to continue to adapt and find a way to live with them.
Source: KLC Journal

City of Lawrence gives update on homeless camp after discovery of deceased woman

The City of Lawrence has given an update on its controversial homeless camp following the discovery of a deceased woman. A social media post from the City of Lawrence on Tuesday gave an update on the future of a homeless camp established in the North Lawrence area following the recent discovery of a deceased woman. The City reports that there are no plans to close the temporary support site but will reevaluate it once the Winter Emergency Shelter opens on Dec. 1. A total of 60 people currently reside at the temporary support site and 75 beds will be available once the Winter Emergency Shelter opens for overnight stays. The City anticipates that those staying at the temporary support site will move to the Winter Emergency Shelter once it opens but will won’t come to a decision on the future of the site until later this year.
Source: KSNT 27 News

City manager announces new feature for Emporia’s CodeRed notification system

Since it went live just over two weeks ago, the City of Emporia’s new mass notification system has been put to use with significant frequency, and now more residents are able to receive those notifications. During a recent installment of KVOE’s Talk of Emporia, City Manager Trey Cocking announced the CodeRed notification system is now available in Spanish. Cocking says it makes sense to have the feature given the large Spanish-speaking population within Emporia. When it comes to additional languages being added to the notification system in the future, Cocking says that will be dependent on demand.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

Emporia work, local connection leads to city receiving federal Rural Placemaking grant

Emporia’s partnership with Atlas Community Studios has led to grant funding from the federal government as part of its Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge. The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and several of its partner agencies — the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, Ignite Emporia and Visit Emporia — are working with Atlas to develop an action plan for guiding public and private investments for now and later. Regional Development Association President Chuck Scott says conversations began late this summer.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

As Lenexa’s Schreck prepares to retire, he looks ahead to Johnson County development

During the past 40 years, Blake Schreck watched downtown Kansas City grow from boarded-up storefronts and chained-up doors into the city we know today. He remembers the regional concerns about whether Kansas City would rise to the likes of other successful Midwest cities in the 1980s. But back then, Johnson County fueled the metro’s growth and often kept the region afloat, which “caused some friction” with Kansas City, he said. “Johnson County has stayed true to what it had: the quality of life, education, infrastructure and safe neighborhoods,” Schreck said. “And it still does.”
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Remodeled downtown park to tell the story of Wichita sit-in, which sparked a movement

For three weeks in the summer of 1958, young protesters sat defiantly at the lunch counter of Wichita’s Dockum Drug Store, waiting to be served. “As far as we were concerned, it was the right thing to do,” said Galyn Vesey, now 85. “All we wanted was to purchase food and drink just like anybody else.” Wichita’s NAACP Youth Council staged the first successful student-led sit-in of the civil rights movement, leading the drug store chain to desegregate all of its Kansas lunch counters 19 months before the better known Woolworth’s sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Rail strike again looms, putting chlorine shipments at risk

After averting a strike between railroad operators and labor union representatives in September, another potential strike is again threatening to put water utility supply chains at risk. According to the unions, a strike could begin as early as Dec. 9. Prior to the agreement in September, leading water sector organizations urged Congress to intervene in the strike, noting that chlorine shipments via rail could be affected. As NACWA noted in September, however, that as long as a possibility of a strike remains, chlorine would likely not be shipped by rail.
Source: Water Finance & Management

WPD collecting donations for local shelters

Wichita police are collecting donations to provide gifts for kids staying at local domestic violence shelters. Toys and other gift items can be dropped off on December 5, at the Patrol West station, at 5803 W Central. That is on Central just west of I-235. Gift idea include arts and crafts supplies, dolls or action figures, pajamas, and remote control toys. Gift items for teens are also needed, including things like earbuds and gift cards.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Coin toss determines Grant Township clerk race in Riley County

A coin flip was held at Monday’s Riley County Commission meeting to break a tie in the election of the Grant Township Clerk. Travis Shanahan, the current clerk finished with 19 votes in the Nov. 8 election. So did Riley County resident Larry Noble. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo explains that a coin toss, while rare in local elections, has happened before. Vargo pulled out a large coin, tossed it into the air, as Shanahan called it.
Source: 1350 KMAN

Overland Park single-family development could add 1,170 homes on city’s southern edge

Overland Park will consider a smaller — but still huge — development at the city’s southern edge that could add 1,169 single-family houses on 506 acres. Originally, in 2012, an affiliate of a Philadelphia-based company proposed 1,808 homes on about 570 acres, plus 7,000 square feet of retail. That plan never came to fruition, but the single-family zoning for the acreage stuck. Southern Meadows LLC, an affiliate of Overland Park-based Lambie Homes LLC, now plans to develop the area near 191st Street and State Line Road.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Former Halstead Hospital up for auction

The former Halstead Hospital and other attached parcels of land and property are on the auction block. The hospital itself closed in 2002, with numerous attempts to reopen its doors over the years. … Since 2005, nine hospitals in Kansas, many of them serving rural, poor communities, have closed or have converted to no longer offer inpatient services. Several still operate clinics or offer emergency services. The auction includes Halstead Hospital, the former Halstead Motel, an apartment complex, and a residential home.
Source: KSN-TV

Overland Park weighs more public financing for Mission Farms West apartments

Developers of Mission Farms West want the city to increase public financing for the next phase of construction for the mixed-use development near Mission Road and Interstate 435. The Overland Park Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee has already voted to recommend issuing $27 million worth of economic development revenue bonds – tripling the original $9 million previously approved by the city. The bonds are a financing measure that will allow the developer, Mission Farms West Development LLC, to claim sales tax exemptions on construction materials, equipment, labor and furnishings for the project.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Panasonic rolls out plans for $4 billion EV plant in De Soto, Kansas

City leaders in De Soto are getting a glimpse at what Panasonic’s $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant may look like. Tentative plans for the new facility show a two-story, U-shaped building to be constructed near the southwest corner of West 103rd Street and Dual Drive. Alison Hoagland, principal at Mackenzie, said once completed, raw materials will enter the facility through a central point with production lines filling both wings of the building.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Fed officials see smaller rate hikes coming ‘soon,’ minutes show

Federal Reserve officials earlier this month agreed that smaller interest rate increases should happen soon as they evaluate the impact policy is having on the economy, meeting minutes released Wednesday indicated. Reflecting statements that multiple officials have made over the past several weeks, the meeting summary pointed to small rate hikes coming. Markets widely expect the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee to step down to a 0.5 percentage point increase in December, following four straight 0.75 percentage point hikes. Though hinting that smaller moves were ahead, officials said they still see little signs of inflation abating. However, some committee members expressed concern about risks to the financial system should the Fed continue to press forward at the same aggressive pace.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

City leaders consider adding new Kansas Turnpike interchange

Topeka City leaders are are moving forward with plans to give Topeka commuters more options on the Kansas Turnpike. Topeka City Council is pairing up with the Kansas Turnpike Authority to create a concept study to add an interchange to the turnpike near 29th and California Ave. This project is estimated to cost around $20 million. At their last meeting, Topeka City Council approved paying $125,000 to the Kansas Turnpike Authority to help fund the study. This would be one of two interchanges proposed for the Topeka area.
Source: KSNT 27 News

More Prairie Village residents could get city property tax relief

More Prairie Village residents may soon be eligible for property tax relief offered by the city. Catch up quick: The City Council Committee of the Whole on Monday unanimously approved raising income thresholds connected to the city’s property tax rebate program, making households with higher incomes potentially eligible. The program reimburses residents for the city’s portion of their property tax bill, which amounts to about 16% of residents’ annual bill in Prairie Village.
Source: Prairie Village Post

An inside look at the North Lawrence camp for people experiencing homelessness

As the Lawrence community considers different strategies for a citywide response to the homelessness crisis, residents of a temporary campsite are living through the reality of the situation day to day. Lawrence city leaders have been getting heat from community members ranging from business owners to housing advocates to local residents, both housed and unhoused, sharing numerous concerns about safety issues within and surrounding the camp. Some are advocating for more resources to be put into the camp’s management, to help support Jenn Wolsey, homeless programs coordinator for the city’s Homeless Initiatives Division, who has been running the site. Others believe the city should be putting the funding for the temporary campsite toward a more permanent housing solution altogether. Wolsey said in a recent interview that the ultimate goal is to help those experiencing homelessness to find housing, but it could take years for the city to have enough affordable housing stock in place. “So in the short term, we do have to focus on the emergency service part just to keep people alive to get to that point,” she said.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Home ownership program fills slate of applications

All 10 requests have been filled for the Washington County Home Ownership Pilot Loan/ Grant Program. The final spot was filled Nov. 3 with a home in Clifton. Because all 10 spots will have loans that will be closed by the Dec. 31 deadline, there will not be a queue established in Washington. Washington County received $125,000 to be split among 10 homes purchased in the county this year. The first two homes received their $12,500 allocation on June 20.
Source: www.backroadsnews.com/rss.xml

County administrator search continues

The Unified Government continues to move ahead with a search for a county administrator. According to Bill Johnson, Board of Public Utilities manager, who is co-chair of the UG search task force, meetings were held last week with a new search firm, gv HR. The other task force chair is Bonner Springs Mayor Jeff Harrington. Johnson spoke at the UG Commission meeting Nov. 17. Cheryl Harrison-Lee was appointed the interim UG county administrator after former UG administrator Doug Bach retired Jan. 6. Bach had served as administrator since 2014 and was deputy county administrator from 2003 to 2014.
Source: Wyandotte Daily

Panasonic gives De Soto first look at site plan for $4B electric-vehicle battery plant

With site selection, incentives and more streamlined zoning lined up for its $4 billion electric-vehicle battery plant, Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd. soon will ask De Soto to approve a doozy of a development plan, one piece at a time. The company anticipates submitting its first of three phased pieces — a preliminary site and mass-grading plan — for the city’s Planning Commission to review in late December. The factory’s architectural elevations then could follow in January, culminating with final plans for grading, landscaping, signage and lighting in April.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals

Topeka Metro set to launch on-demand transportation

The Topeka Metro is gearing up to launch a new microtransit on-demand service in the southeast area of Topeka early next year. The new service is called “Metro On-Demand.” MOD will let customers request curb-to-curb transportation in specific areas. Passengers will also be able to request a ride that would arrive in 15 minutes. “As we continue to look for new ways to improve, we believe the more personalized nature of microtransit will be a great addition to our service,” said Bob Nugent, Topeka Metro general manager. “Microtransit has been around for a while and has proven to be a more expedient and cost-effective way for folks to travel to where they need to go.”
Source: KSNT 27 News

County to move forward on sales tax direction

Since voters approved a measure to lower the countywide 1 cent sales to .75 percent to fund solid waste and joint communications, county leaders took action to clarify and ensure a solid path forward. Vice Chairman Casey Quinn brought the issue to the forefront Nov. 22 when she told fellow commissioner she thought it best to repeal Resolution 2014-1390 sooner than later in preparation the new sales tax rate becomes effective April 1, 2023. goes into effect. Quinn expressed her concern the document currently in effect would only be one be replaced by a new one without thought and communication with the public.
Source: Atchison Globe Now

Area eco devo agency staying busy for city

In an update to the Great Bend City Council Monday night, Bob Wetmore, co-director of Dodge City-based Great Plains Development Inc., said his agency continues to work for the community as he outlined the services GPD provides. This is a non-profit economic development agency that works with cities and counties by helping with loans to them as well as entrepreneurs.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Speaker tells of historic preservation efforts

Randy Greeves, a recently appointed Historic Preservation Officer for the Unified Government, was the speaker at the annual meeting of the Wyandotte County Historical Society Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Wyandotte County Museum. About 40 persons attended. Greeves explained that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 sets federal policy for the preservation of our heritage. The law allows federal, state and local governments to operate and cooperate in historic preservation efforts.
Source: Wyandotte Daily

City Manager Mitchell finds home in Hoisington

… As City Manager, Mitchell understands that being in charge doesn’t mean backing away from a project. “Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing,” he said. … Mitchell got his first taste of community service when the United Way director asked him to be her intern. After graduation, he attended Kansas State University with a major in public relations, “because that was what she went to school for,” Mitchell recalled. Later as he was interning at United Way, he was approached by the Junction City city manager who asked what he thought about working with him. “I didn’t think that sounded that cool,” he said. “But I realized how much of a difference you can make working for the city.” He worked in the Junction City city office for four years, then followed up with his master’s degree in public administration “because that was what the city manager there had.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Democracy, Civility, and Rural America: An ICMA blog post by Russell city manager Jon Quinday

While often referred to as flyover states, rural America can be the calm and example for “of the people, by the people, for the people.” … We often hear of rural decline, which is true in some areas but not all in the rural Midwest. Listen to the conversations; some folks believe that rural decline is inevitable, with the belief that as older generations age and pass on, the younger generations are moving to big cities. In some instances, this is true. Take a closer look, and you see the younger generations returning to rural Kansas. Whatever their reason, it is a spark. Something or someone has drawn them back home, back to where their values and beliefs were formed, and are still alive and well today. So rather than talking about everything wrong with the community, rural life, or Kansas, let’s celebrate the progress our community and rural communities across Kansas have made despite being viewed as a relic of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Read the full post at ICMA.

Saline County signs mental health responders program into action

A new program will go into effect after final county approval Tuesday, allowing for mental health co-responders to assist local law enforcement on calls which involve or potentially involve subjects in need of mental health services. The move comes at a time where similar programs are gaining popularity nationwide, and as policing methods adapt to those trends. … “Saline County has been looking at this program for a while and when the ARPA funding became available, this is one of the things that we wanted to target,” County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said.
Source: Salina Journal

Fixed cameras that read license plates are coming to Salina

Nearly two dozen cameras with the ability to scan license plates will soon be installed across the city after the Salina City Commission approved a request from the police department. The unanimous action by the commission means that the city will enter into a three-year agreement with Flock Safety for the installation and leasing of 22 fixed automatic license plate readers (ALPR). Sean Morton, interim chief for the Salina Police Department, said ALPRs, which can alert law enforcement to vehicles of interest, are not a new technology for the department, which bought two mobile readers in 2015.
Source: Salina Journal

Hidden History: Superior townsite fades away with founder’s Kansas dreams

The very first attempt at a settlement in what is now Osage County was called Council City. But Council City had a problem. The settlement company that funded and planned it was disorganized, and no one could quite decide where the best location should be – or even if it should be called Council City! After multiple attempts at establishing a location, in an area that covered nearly half a township between Switzler and Dragoon creeks, principal settlement seemed to find a resting place at approximately where Burlingame is today. At the head of the Council City enterprise in the earliest days was James Winchell.
Source: Osage County News

Andover tornado recovery drags on amid supply chain, labor issues

Supply chain delays and labor shortages have dragged out recovery in Andover after an EF-3 tornado tore through the area on April 29. “It was about the worst time in terms of lead times,” said Justin Smith of Smith Builders, who’s in the process of rebuilding 11 homes in the Reflection Lakes neighborhood. On the ground for 21 minutes, the tornado damaged roughly 300 to 400 structures in portions of Sedgwick and Butler counties and injured four people, officials have said. But recent headwinds in the construction industry have posed challenges for homeowners and businesses wanting to rebuild.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Douglas County invites community to discuss process to move to 5 commission districts

Douglas County leaders will hold a community meeting to discuss the process of moving to five commissioner districts. Voters in the Nov. 8 election voted roughly 61% to 39% to add two additional commissioner districts to the current three. During the meeting, “County Clerk Jamie Shew will provide an overview of the process for moving to five districts. There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the districts during roundtable discussions at the meeting,” according to information from the county. “The Board of County Commissioners will adopt a resolution outlining the new districts before or on Jan. 1, 2023. All of the districts need to be contiguous and have the same population size.” … What happens after the resolution is adopted will be determined by Gov. Laura Kelly, according to the county. Kelly — with advice from the county commission — will either declare election for new districts at the next general election, which will be in November 2024, or call for a special election to be held between 75 and 90 days from the date of the board resolution, according to the county.
Source: The Lawrence Times

City of Lawrence reveals new logo as part of brand update process

he City of Lawrence has revealed its new logo as part of an ongoing update to the city’s brand and marketing strategies. The logo continues to use a symbol that represents both a flame and a phoenix, a reference to the city’s abolitionist roots and struggles against pro-slavery factions leading up to the Civil War, but with some updates. City spokesperson Maureen Brady said that public input sessions showed that the community had a strong connection to the flame and phoenix logo, so the design was refreshed rather than created anew.
Source: LJWorld

Fed’s Mester wants more progress on inflation before ending interest rate hikes

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Monday inflation will need to show more signs of progress before she’s ready to stop advocating for interest rate increases. While acknowledging that recent data has been encouraging, the central bank official told CNBC that the progress is only a start. “We’re going to have more work to do, because we need to see inflation really on a sustainable downward path back to 2%,” she said in a live “Closing Bell” interview with Sara Eisen. “We’ve had some good news on the inflation front, but we need to see more good news and sustained good news to make sure that we are returning to price stability as soon as we can.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Former Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay Announces Intention to Sue the City of Wichita

Former Wichita Police Dept. Chief Gordon Ramsay is intending to sue the City of Wichita. A notice was released on Monday, November 21st from Wichita Attorney James Thompson in which Ramsay accuses city leaders of undermining him in police investigations and discipline, as well as defamation and corruption. Wichita City Manager Robert Layton and City of Wichita Human Resources Director Chris Bezruki were directly named in the notice. Ramsay alleges an “inappropriate relationship” between Bezruki and the Fraternal Order of Police. Also alleged is that both Layton and Bezruki covered up misconduct and lied about their knowledge of incidents involving several investigations stemming from inappropriate text messages shared between WPD officers.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Sedgwick is looking for alternatives to the current internet service

Sedgwick council member Brenda DeHaven said she had Cox Communications service outage update placed on last week’s agenda so people know it’s an issue the council is aware of and that they’re trying to think of solutions. She said that everyone’s Cox service that she knows is having issues. “It’s spotty. It’ll go out. Sometimes we have to reboot,” DeHaven said. “It’s been for months. And they always say we are aware there’s an issue in your area. That’s their excuse you get every time.” She asked about City Hall’s service and City Clerk Janise Enterkin said the phones have been in and out for the last several months.
Source: Harvey County Now

Keeping rural restaurants alive saves more than supper

A central Kansas bar’s struggle to survive is indicative of broader challenges facing many small-town eateries. For those that make it, a willingness to adapt and community support often prove crucial. Residents often aren’t just keeping open a place to eat, they’re keeping a vital part of the community fabric from unraveling. Here are the stories of survivors, both those waiting things out and restaurants that have returned from the brink.
Source: KLC Journal

New website launched for Century II

Wichita’s Century II on Monday launched an updated website at century2.com. The previous site was century2.org, but the old address will redirect to the newly updated site. According to ASM, the new website is designed to drive ticket sales and showcase the venue for the fans and the community. Visitors will see upcoming events featured on the home page. “We’re thrilled to launch a completely reimagined website which marks another step forward in modernizing the look and feel of the Century II brand and identity on not only a local, but a national level,” said Christine Pileckas, director of booking and marketing. “As we continue to make strides towards an enhanced guest experience, this all-new website will set the tone, allowing fans to seamlessly navigate through upcoming event information, venue policies and more.”
Source: KSN-TV

NLC and the Local Infrastructure Hub Launch New Series of ‘Bootcamps’ to Help Small, Mid-Sized Cities and Towns Apply for Federal Infrastructure Grants

Building on the successes of bootcamps underway, the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Local Infrastructure Hub have expanded their offerings and are launching five new bootcamps starting in January. These training courses are designed to help cities, towns, and villages develop competitive funding applications for federal grants made available to cities as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This next round of support will focus on five grant opportunities that address energy efficiency and conservation, EV and charging infrastructure, roadway safety planning, roadway safety implementation, and brownfields activities.
Source: nlc.org

Emporia selected to participate in USDA Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced that the agency is awarding $4 million in cooperative agreements to 17 organizations under its Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge program. RPIC provides planning support, technical assistance, and training to encourage placemaking activities in rural communities. Funds can be used to help build capacity for broadband access, preserve cultural and historic structures, and support the development of transportation, housing, and recreational spaces.
Source: Emporia Gazette

New tech could mean faster traffic stops in Shawnee County

Topeka-area drivers could soon have a faster ticketing experience when pulled over by a Shawnee County sheriff’s deputy. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office plans to pay $159,000 for e-ticketing from vendor Tyler Technologies, Lt. Justin Vest told the Shawnee County Commission on Thursday. Commissioners asked if it’s going to make more work for officers inputting information. “Actually, it’s going to create less work,” Vest said. “And so it’s going to improve officer safety because officers will just scan the driver’s license …”
Source: CJonline

Washburn collaborating with GO Topeka on local business development

It really has been a chicken-and-egg type of situation for GO Topeka and the Washburn University School of Business. For years, the economic development organization had supported the business school’s endeavors, including financial support for the annual pitch competition for budding, entrepreneurial business students. It’s all been part of a goal of growing the local economy by developing and promoting young talent, especially that at Washburn. But the challenge, representatives from the two organizations have often found, is that the very same young people who can create economic opportunities often leave Topeka because they haven’t found it here.
Source: CJonline

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