Municipal News & Jobs

In 1978, Hutchinson had a Sister City relationship with Tainan, Taiwan, but over the years that relationship fizzled out with little fanfare or notice. Last year, City of Hutchinson officials were part of a delegation that visited Japan, and now city officials hope to develop a new Sister City relationship with Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Representatives from the Greater Wichita Partnership, the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas State Department of Commerce, and Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas were part of that group. “We met with Japanese business representatives, and basically said, ‘Why not come to Kansas? Here’s everything that we have to offer,’” Villegas said, adding that the delegation also met with the chief executive officer of Takako, which has its U.S. location in Hutchinson. A similar trip in the past resulted in manufacturing company Takako opening a plant in Hutchinson, he said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Allen County officials have begun shaping plans for a recycling venture with the City of Iola, Commissioner David Lee announced this week. “We’re not ready to announce it at this time,” County Commissioner David Lee announced at Tuesday’s weekly meeting. “But something is forthcoming.” Lee said the plan should be ready sometime in the next 30 to 45 days. Mitch Garner, director of public works, has had preliminary talks with Iola Mayor Steve French. Those conversations will continue, Lee said. “We may not talk about it publicly over the next two, three or four meetings,” Lee said. “We’re working through some things. We ask those who are enthusiastic about it to please be patient.” County commissioners and Iola City Council members have heard frequently in recent weeks from Allen County Recycling members Dan Davis and Steve Strickler, both of whom have been critical of the city and county’s delay in getting a joint program in place.
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.

Century II lost money 22 of the last 27 years, and that didn’t have to be the case, the city’s records show. Money from Wichita’s transient guest tax — a 6% tax levied on hotel rooms — is supposed to make up for operating deficits at Century II. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard Instead, some of it first has been going to Visit Wichita, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, which has criticized Century II and has funded studies aimed at expanding the city’s convention center offerings.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Inside the private room of a Country Club Plaza steakhouse, top officials from the England national team contemplated their World Cup future. Or, more specifically, their future home. Still several months shy of the FIFA tournament’s draw, they’d made a half-dozen stops in Kansas City, touring practice facilities, hotel venues, even off-day entertainment.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Herington’s City Manager will become the new City of Ottawa City Manager. The city commission, in a unanimous vote Wednesday, selected Thatcher Moddie from an initial group of 40 candidates to replace Brian Silcott. He will start working for the city next month. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the community as city manager,” Moddie said. “I appreciate the city commission and staff for trusting in me to help lead this organization. My family and I are excited to call Ottawa home. I look forward to engaging with citizens and working with staff and the governing body to move Ottawa forward.” The city manager position operates as the chief executive officer, works directly with the city commission and is responsible for Ottawa’s government operations and activities.
Read more: The Ottawa Herald

City Commissioners were impressed with the low-income housing options at the February 7th Commission Retreat in Lawrence. Mayor Mason Ruder, Vice Mayor Alaina Cunningham and fellow Commissioners Shaun Musil and David Vilaysing all used their personal time last week to comment on the retreat’s focus and speakers.
Read more: Hays Daily News

A Kansas House committee offered bipartisan support for legislation authorizing a protest-petition option for taxpayers eager to block city or county property tax increases that pushed revenue more than 3% above the previous year’s total. A key amendment approved Monday by the House Taxation Committee deleted from House Bill 2745 provisions for relying on special public votes — an idea sharply opposed by cities — to resolve objections to property tax growth above the threshold. In the bill sent to the full House, the election option was replaced by a protest-petition process for contesting property tax revenue growth over the artificial cap. The bill would require petition signatures from 10% of those voting in the previous presidential election to prevent local property tax revenue growth from exceeding 3%, excluding revenue collections tied to new construction or building improvements.
Read more: The Iola Register

It’s time to bite the bullet and address the city’s outdated water and wastewater plants, Chanute City Manager Todd Newman told Chanute Commissioners last week.  “We have no choice. We’re lucky they’re still standing,” The Chanute Tribune reported Newman saying.  The projects have been delayed since 2010, Newman told commissioners. By now the wastewater plant no longer meets regulatory requirements. Estimated costs are $26 million for water plant improvements and $36 million for wastewater upgrades, The Tribune reported.
Read more: The Iola Register

A Kansas property owner wants to impose a restriction across the entire state because of one city’s rules. Stan Weber, CEO and president of Tower Properties, was one of several housing industry professionals who pushed for twin pieces of legislation Feb. 5 during back-to-back hearings, which centered on whether landlords should be required to accept federal rental assistance payments. House Bill 2504 and Senate Bill 391 seek to overturn a city of Lawrence ordinance that outlawed the practice of turning away renters solely based on their source of income, which allows people participating in federal rental assistance programs to be equally considered for housing.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the launch of two new grant opportunities through the Kansas Community Empowerment (KCE) program. KCE, which is housed within the Quality Places Division at the Department of Commerce, supports locally driven projects that strengthen quality of place, volunteer engagement and long-term community vibrancy across Kansas. Applications for the KCE Kickstart Grant and Impact Grant are now being accepted. For the first round of funding, the Kickstart Grant will have $40,000 available and the Impact Grant will have $30,000. “While we bring opportunities and prosperity to all parts of our state, these new grants will specifically target rural and smaller communities across Kansas,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Whether it’s helping a small volunteer-led initiative or funding a transformational placemaking project — these grants are designed to meet the needs of the communities while building their pride, momentum and lasting impact.” The Kickstart Grant is designed to provide funding for smaller, community-driven projects that build capacity, engagement and momentum.
Read more: Press Releases Archives – Kansas Department of Commerce

By many measures, one could argue the Kelly-Toland years have been the biggest economic boon the state has ever seen. Pick any measure…$30 billion of private sector investment (most per capita in nation), almost 80,000 new or retained jobs that pay 7.7% more than the average private sector wage in Kansas, highest ever Kansas exports, four consecutive Golden Shovel awards, a recent $3 billion budget surplus, or the coup de grace…securing the biggest economic win in state history, luring the Chiefs from Missouri. Just don’t pick population growth. At least on its face.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

The city of Shawnee will increase its transient guest tax ahead of the World Cup and the expected boost in tourism this summer. Shawnee’s increase takes effect on April 1, raising the city’s transient guest tax from 8% to 9%. The tax applies to hotel rooms and short-term rentals. “So on an annual basis, the transient guest tax develops about $950,000 for the city in total. We expect this additional 1% over the course of a full year to bring in an additional $100,000 for the City of Shawnee,” said Doug Donahoo, the Communications Director for the city of Shawnee. Shawnee uses its guest tax for tourism and economic development purposes.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

Southwest Kansas might take a big step toward water conservation in ways previously thought to be impossible. Groundwater Management District 3, headquartered in Garden City, is looking for feedback from local farmers on its plan to use less water for crop irrigation in the region. A discussion on proposed water cuts recently attracted farmers from counties across the southwest part of the state, who filled a small community building. Trevor Ahring, civil engineer for the district, told the sea of Kansas State University baseball caps and flannel shirts the details of the plan – all with the objective of easing the strain on the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from South Dakota to Texas. “Our goals are to stabilize the aquifer over the course of 20 years; that’s a 27.7% reduction in use in this area,” Ahring said.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Near Ashland, along the state line south of Dodge City, flames and heavy smoke pushed closer to town. For one small business owner, it meant abandoning her dream home and storefront. Just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Tammy Lawrence took a video of the smoky sky and texted her husband, “Do we need to start packing?” At first, they decided to stay put, but then Ashland Hospital began evacuating patients, the school cleared out, and the fire jumped Highway 283. Soon after, Highway 160 and the main road out of Ashland were shut down.
Read more: KSN-TV

Fire crews in Garden City will be working through Tuesday night to contain a wildfire in northeastern Finney County. The Garden City Fire Department said the fire stretches roughly 11 miles long and 1½ wide in some spots. The fire is currently at zero percent containment and has destroyed one shed. “No commercial structures. It’s sort of in a rural populated area of our county, so houses are pretty spaced out, so I think that’s what aided in not being able to lose any structures today,” Chris Talmadge, Windland Operations for the GCFD, said. Firefighting aircraft were grounded on Tuesday due to extreme winds. Talmadge said he hopes they will be able to use them on Wednesday to get to hard-to-reach areas.
Read more: KSN-TV

Liberal secured its third straight victory against Olney, England, on Tuesday in the 77th Annual International Pancake Day Race. Hannah McCarter crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 1:03.75, beating Olney’s top runner time by two minutes. Since the tradition began in the 1950’s, Liberal has won 43 times, Olney has won 31 times and three times there was no contest.
Read more: KSN-TV

A popular firefighting tool among Kansas firefighters can be found on their smartphones. The Barton County Fire District 2 chief said his team relies on the Active 911 app, especially during extreme wildfire weather. Chief Jerry Strickler said it provides accurate information straight to firefighters’ phones, connecting information from dispatch to deploying first responders and those already in the field. “This app can tell us where the fire’s at, exact location, hydrant locations within the city, mile markers,” he said. “Just about anything you would need to get to the scene.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Seward County is operating an evacuation center at the county’s activity center in Liberal for people fleeing fires in the area. Lynda Johnson, the center’s director, said the space had to be rapidly cleaned up and prepared to receive evacuees Tuesday after the city held its annual Pancake Run that morning. When Johnson spoke with KSN just before 5 p.m., the shelter was empty. But calls had started to come in from those wanting to know where to go or if there was shelter space for their animals. Capt. Jeff Wade with the Liberal Police Department said people were complying with the evacuations in the area. He urged curious residents not to go out and try to see what’s happening for the sake of their own health and safety.
Read more: KSN-TV

Three people were hospitalized after a house fire Tuesday in Holcomb, according to the Garden City Fire Department. It happened on Redford Drive around 7:15 a.m. Holcomb is just a few miles west of Garden City. Garden City firefighters, along with the Holcomb Fire Department, arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the home. Crews found two people who had escaped with minor injuries. Another person was heard yelling from inside the home and was rescued by firefighters.
Read more: KSN-TV

City officials are considering changing the zoning code to provide more flexibility on developing multi-family residential projects. The Topeka City Council voted to approve the ordinance introduced by City Manager Robert Perez on Feb. 17. It will provide greater flexibility for the development of duplex and multi-family housing in commercial, downtown and mixed-use zoning districts in Topeka. Current zoning code allows for residential units above ground level floors and in basements, but housing on the ground level is restricted based on special use requirements. These requirements include being located near non-residential zones and being located in a building meant for housing.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Haven’s recreation department board no longer exists. During the Haven City Council’s special meeting on Feb. 17, City Council Member Nicole Sander introduced a discussion item regarding the city’s recreation department board. She said that, in her research, she had not found a formal ordinance authorizing the creation of the board. Scrutiny towards the rec board from city council was spurred by what City Council Member Corey Brock described as Haven residents’ discontent with the rec’s customer service and a general lack of communication between the rec board and city council. This led to discussion about potentially disbanding the board and reforming it via ordinance to be directly under the city.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Residents in a small, southwest Kansas town were ordered to evacuate Tuesday afternoon as a large fire from Oklahoma closed in on the town, officials said. The western half of Kansas is under a red flag warning for fire danger because of the high winds. Officials closed I-70 in both directions between Colby and Wakeeny “due to vehicle crashes blocking the roadway and reduced visibility from blowing dust,” a Kansas Department of Transportation news release said.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

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.

Topeka led the way for Kansas’ permanent common consumption areas. Now over 30 cities offer outdoor drinking districts.
Read more: CJonline

The previous goal set a target of having all city facilities powered by renewable energy by 2025 and having 100% of residential and commercial businesses citywide powered by renewable energy by 2035. However, the city has not come close to meeting those goals. It missed the 2025 goal, and only about 3% of its facilities are currently powered by clean energy. Because of this, city sustainability staff suggested repealing the old goal and setting a new goal of climate neutrality.
Read more: LJWorld

The city is making temporary changes to its short-term rental rules from May 25 to July 26 ahead of the influx of visitors for the six World Cup matches set to take place in Kansas City. But even with the relaxed rules, code compliance manager Treni Westcott said that renting out a room for any period less than 30 days would require a short-term rental license.
Read more: LJWorld

Cyndra Kastens, former city administrator in Anthony, is in her third full week in Valley Center. She was hired in January to replace Brent Clark. “The first two weeks were great,” Kastens said. “My priority goal was to meet with all the city directors as well as engineering teams to start getting up to speed on department activities and Valley Center projects.” Kastens said the city is prepared to face its challenges.
Read more: AV News

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced two Kansas Main Street communities have been awarded funding through the Residential Opportunities On Main Street (ROOMS) program. Projects in El Dorado and Seneca will receive $50,000 each to create a total of 18 new residential units in the upper floors of downtown buildings. “As we continue expanding the state economy by bringing more businesses and workforce opportunities to rural communities, the need for quality and affordable housing also continues to grow,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Through the ROOMS program, we are preserving the history of our downtown districts while creating more livable spaces for current and future residents.” Last summer, five communities were awarded ROOMS grants, resulting in 29 new upper-floor housing units in downtown communities and generating nearly $9 million in private investment.  
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

We’re excited to share a new opportunity for our downtown business community — and we want to make sure this information reaches as many business owners as possible. The Kansas Department of Commerce has released the SIGNS Grant, which helps fund new or upgraded storefront signage for downtown businesses. The City of Coffeyville is preparing an application and is currently identifying interested downtown businesses who would like to participate.
Read more: Coffeyville, KS – News Flash

On Monday, the Iola City Council gave final approval to revisions to the transient vendor ordinance. The changes, which were suggested by Council member Joelle Shallah last year, clarify what is considered a local resident for fee purposes. A local resident is defined as a person living in the city limits of Iola and having any trailers or such registered in Allen County with an Iola mailing address. The revisions also include an increase in application fees from $10 to $30 reflecting what the city has to pay the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for background checks required for applicants. This is part of the overall license fee.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Is Kansas the middle of nowhere? A place with nothing to attract people to come, live, work and play? Today we’ll meet a man who was born and raised in the western United States. As he transitioned to work remotely in his career, he has found he can do his work from virtually anywhere — and has chosen to live in rural Kansas.  Mike Ball is a software developer working remotely from Kingman, Kansas. He grew up in Oregon, studied economics at Oregon State, and took training on software programming. He worked in Las Vegas and then Arizona. Ball worked as an independent software development consultant for 11 years. Then one of his clients asked him to come on board full-time with the company. When the Covid pandemic began, everyone in that company transitioned to work remotely. While in Arizona, he and a friend had come to Kansas to visit his friend’s sister who had moved to Kingman. “I really liked Kingman,” Ball said. When his company transitioned to remote work, Ball opted to make the move to Kansas.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Several dozen people turned out Friday afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new fire/EMS station in Sedgwick. The groundbreaking comes nine years after the city relinquished its EMS services because it couldn’t staff the department. In March, 2017, Halstead EMS agreed to cover Sedgwick and did so until January 2025, when Sedgwick revived its dead service. Not only did City Administrator Kyle Nordick get the program off the ground, he promoted Fire Chief Zane Hansen last summer to also serve as the EMS director and found a Community Development Block Grant for $650,000 in January of last year to help pay for the new station.
Read more: Harvey County Now

As zoning demands continue to rise in Jackson County, commissioners have agreed to hire a separate zoning administrator to keep up with the workload. The decision came after county appraiser and zoning officer Kate Immenschuh previously told commissioners that an increase in zoning duties has strained her staff and caused them to fall behind on appraisal duties. During the commissioners’ meeting on Monday, they unanimously agreed to advertise for a full-time county zoning administrator. The top responsibility of the new position will be to administer and enforce zoning regulations in the county’s comprehensive plan, as well as serve as a liaison to the planning commission and board of zoning appeals.
Read more: The Holton Recorder

Helmets will become a requirement for anyone under 18 riding an electric-powered scooter, bicycle or other device in Leawood, the city council has decided. The Leawood City Council last week approved the new rule, which will go into effect after its legal publication. Although the vote was 5-3, every councilmember went on record backing helmets for juvenile riders. The disagreement was over whether the helmet rule should also apply to non-electric bikes, scooters, skateboards or other wheeled devices. The new rule does not specify the type of helmet, but says it must be designed to prevent injury and be properly fitted and secured to the head. It applies to passengers as well as operators, riding on streets, sidewalks, trails and public rights-of-way within the city.
Read more: Johnson County Post

After years of declining enrollment, Olathe Public Schools will be closing more schools — and is gearing up to decide which ones. At the Feb. 5 board of education meeting, district leaders shared a multi-phase plan to determine how many and which schools will close. Once those determinations are made, the district will redraw boundaries and consolidate schools. According to the district, enrollment peaked at 30,216 students in 2019. The district now has 28,140 students. Projections show enrollment dropping to just under 26,000 students over the next 15 years — a decrease of about 4,000 students from its peak. Officials have pointed to slowed birth rates, rising housing costs and an aging population as key factors in the decline.
Read more: Johnson County Post

On February 3rd, Clay Center City Council approved an ordinance to allow utility vehicles within city limits. Work-site vehicles, golf carts, and micro utility trucks will be eligible for in-town use. Drivers must register their vehicles and display their registration sticker clearly on the left side of the vehicle. In addition, an affixed flag needs to be displayed six feet off the ground. City Attorney Dusty Mullin, said the flag needs to be visible while the vehicle is in motion.  The ordinance goes into effect April 1st. 
Read more: KCLY Radio

The McPherson Fire Department gave the public a chance to see its two newest trucks on Thursday. The trucks — also called brush trucks or wildland attack units — give firefighters a faster, more agile vehicle that can more easily maneuver rough terrain compared with traditional fire engines, making them ideal for battling wildfires. They each hold 600 gallons of water. “It does improve efficiency,” Fire Chief Chad Mayberry said. “It allows us to stack the two trucks on the fire line potentially.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Help is on the way for rural Kansas communities in need of housing. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) announced nearly $14 million in funding for development across the state, targeted at medium-income households. The funding comes through two programs operated by the KHRC: the Moderate-Income Housing (MIH) program and the Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credits (KHITCs). According to the KHRC, the Kansas Legislature created the MIH in 2012 to serve those people who have high enough salaries to not be eligible for public housing but don’t earn adequate money to comfortably navigate the housing market.
Read more: KSN-TV

No official date was mentioned and there are still some things to finalize, but the main decision has been made. The Americus City Council voted 4-0 to discontinue the town’s police department Tuesday. Mirroring a conversation KVOE News had with City Council President Nicky Nuessen last week, City Council member Bill Harmon says the board did all it could — but it had to make a tough choice.
Read more: KVOE

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County has approved what could be a $450 million incentive package to help finance a new stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are building a 65,000-seat, $3 billion domed stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2031 season. The stadium and an adjacent $325 million entertainment district are expected to take up about 235 acres near the Kansas Speedway. In Johnson County, the Olathe City Council approved another Chiefs-related development earlier this week. The team headquarters and training facility would take over a 165-acre development costing around $400 million, KCUR reported.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Reno County Commissioners were critical Wednesday, Feb. 11, of legislation introduced last week in Topeka that would limit local governments’ authority regarding land use and taxation. Commission Chairman Ron Hirst said it was important enough that he brought it up before business items on the commission’s meeting agenda, citing two specific bills: House Bill 2728 and House Bill 2745. H.B. 2728 was introduced Feb. 5 by District 97 Rep. Nick Hoheisel on behalf of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a lobbying group whose members include Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell USA. H.B. 2728 would forbid counties, cities, and townships from adopting moratoriums on any energy facility development—including electricity generation and battery storage—longer than 30 days without approval of the Kansas Corporation Commission, and such moratoriums would require additional approval from the KCC to extend beyond 120 days. It was referred to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications. No hearing was set as of Wednesday.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

How Hutchinson’s combined sales tax rate compares to other cities in the region will depend, in part, on whether voters approve a March 3 referendum for a 0.75% sales tax, although some nearby cities will have higher rates regardless of the election’s outcome. Hutchinson City Council set a March 3 special election on whether to institute a new 0.75% sales tax, which would increase the combined sales tax rate in the city from 8.25% to 9% on non-food items. If voters approve the referendum, the new 9% rate would still be lower than McPherson, whose tax rate is increasing from 9% to 9.5% on April 1, and Salina, whose combined sales tax rate is 9.25%. Looking further afield, it would also be lower than the rate in Manhattan, which is either 9.15% or 9.45%, depending on whether one is shopping in Riley or Pottawatomie County, respectively.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune