Municipal News & Jobs

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.

HB 2304 requires local governments to report certain local economic development incentive program information to the Secretary of Commerce. The Kansas Department of Commerce recently hosted a webinar related to the implementation and compliance with the law. Some helpful links:
Webinar Powerpoint
Template to submit information

Browse the Kansas Transparency Database Explorer

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.

Iola City Council members will discuss Monday whether to move to a five-member governing body. When Iolans go to the polls in November, only those living in the southwest quadrant of town will have a choice to make, at least when it pertains to local governance. That’s because of Iola’s voting ward makeup, which has been in place since since the eight-member city council was established in 2011. Councilwoman Kim Peterson would like to change that. At Peterson’s request, City Council members will consider Monday whether to implement changes in how Iolans choose their elected leaders, and how many would be seated. Peterson has asked the city to reduce its size to five members, from the current eight, and to do away entirely with voting wards, making all of the elected officials at-large representatives.
Read more: The Iola Register

Locals eager to share their thoughts and concerns about Savonburg will gather for a community conversation at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The annual get-together is once again hosted by Thrive Allen County, and will be held in the Savonburg Community Building, where they’ll discuss the city’s strengths and immediate and long-term challenges.
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 Neodesha Promise Scholarship Program, which provides an opportunity for Neodesha High School graduates to afford college, has reached quite a milestone. With 36 NHS students receiving promise scholarships in 2025, the program has awarded more than 550 scholarships to 184 graduates since its inception in 2019. The program provides scholarships to eligible Neodesha High graduates covering tuition and mandatory fees at Pell Grant-approved institutions. Neodesha students receiving Promise Scholarships have attended more than 40 different institutions across seven states.
Read more: The Iola Register

It was a full house on Friday at the county commission meeting as Josh Albins presented the results of the comprehensive survey to the county commissioners. Of 30,199 residents aged 18-and-over, only 2,303 responded to the survey despite mailers, newspaper ads and billboards encouraging people to participate. According to Albins, 96% of the respondents were permanent residents of the county; 86% have lived in Crawford for 10-plus years. The majority were property owners from the rural parts of the county. The two big issues that drew the crowd were zoning and windmills.
Read more: – Morning Sun

Approved agreements on Wednesday night will now allow the development process for the recently purchased 40 acres to begin. The two agreements include a development agreement with Lange Real Estate and a services agreement with Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A. (PEC). The agreement was to contract with PEC for the survey, concept planning, and platting services for the residential development located at the corner of NW 96th and Hoover. City Administrator Kyle Nordick stated that PEC will commence work within 14 days and anticipates completing an application for a preliminary plat within 60 days.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Wall Street thinks interest rates are poised to come down faster than the Federal Reserve does—a wager that is already boosting the economy and markets by making it cheaper for Americans to borrow. Bets in the futures market show investors expect that the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate will fall just below 3% by the end of next year, from slightly above 4% now, according to LSEG data. That marks a sizable shift from May, when investors thought that rates would fall only to around 3.5% at the end of 2026. It is also below what most Fed officials are forecasting. Their latest “dot plot” showed a median expectation that rates end next year at 3.4%—the equivalent of two fewer quarter-point rate cuts than investors are anticipating.
Read more: WSJ.com: Markets

According to the Ark Valley news, in response to a new state law — and on the advice of its attorney — the Valley Center school board recently took action to stop livestreaming its meetings on YouTube and delete all previous recordings. Per the new law, if a school board fails to stream the entirety of a meeting (except for executive sessions), it could be subject to a Kansas Open Meetings Act violation. A board member misspeaking or failing to be heard clearly could also constitute a violation. Given the gray areas and to avoid potential risks, the school board followed counsel’s recommendation to end livestreaming practices. The Valley Center school board has been livestreaming meetings since 2020.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

The Fort Scott City Commission on Tuesday debated proposed changes to an ordinance that would require food trucks to obtain a license. Commissioners agreed to have the city manager and city attorney draft an addendum to the city’s solicitors, canvassers and peddler’s ordinance to address food trucks, then discuss the issue again in October.
Read more: Fort Scott Tribune Headlines

After its meeting on Wednesday evening, the Sedgwick city council held a workshop to discuss creating a quiet zone in the City to remove train horns. City administrative assistant Izaiah Chapman said that in years past, the topic had been discussed but never brought to a conclusion. In short, a quiet zone means trains coming through town could no longer blow their horns. The project would require the city to put medians at the two intersections in town to alert motorists of the train crossing, which will cost between $21,878.64 and $97,252.73, depending on whether they use plastic or concrete. The city would also have to pay up to $30,000 for a quiet zone calculator.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Just about where a visitor first sets foot inside the Chase County Courthouse a letter was found in 1950, when workmen were replacing the hardwood floor in the main hallway. The message was slipped into a crack between the boards the last time the floor was replaced, in 1924. “This beautiful bright February day Mr. Levi Chandler, the county treasurer, and the janitor, Harry Hudson, are laying a hardwood floor in the courthouse hall,” the letter began. “Mr. Chandler is doing the work for nothing if the commissioners will let the county pay for the material.” The letter was written by the treasurer’s wife, Carrie Breese Chandler. I’ve written about Chase County back in 2021, when I questioned the morality of the county running a for-profit detention center. In May of this year I revisited the topic, as the 148-bed lockup was the last and largest ICE-contracted jail facility in Kansas. The detention center is separate from the courthouse, five or six blocks to the southeast on Kansas Highway 177. If there are tours of that facility, they aren’t advertised. But that is another matter. On Monday, I was in Chase County to observe government at its most fundamental level. Oh, I asked the questions most journalists would ask, the how manys and whens — and I was curious about Wilson, the treasurer who had resigned — but mostly I was looking for clues to an unasked question. Who are we in 2025?
Read more: Kansas Reflector

The Weir City Council has approved a new ordinance setting regulations for mobile homes, manufactured homes, modular homes, tiny houses, and other “live-in” dwellings within city limits. Ordinance No. 1670, adopted September 8, establishes requirements for the placement, utility connections, foundations, and spacing of these structures, which city officials say are needed to promote safety, orderly development, and good civic design. Under the new rules, all dwellings must have a minimum of 320 square feet of living area and be situated on a permanent concrete foundation or piers. Skirting approved by the mayor and council is required for trailers, tiny houses, or other nontraditional structures. Each dwelling must also have its own dedicated city water and sewer connection, activated within 30 days of installation.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

Ellis County Communications is launching an alert program for at-risk residents. The Creating Awareness, Responding Effectively (CARE) alert program is a voluntary initiative that allows families, caregivers, and individuals with special care needs to share essential details with emergency services. The program is available to individuals with unique communication needs, medical conditions, or disabilities affecting their development, intellect, or physical abilities.
Read more: KSN-TV

A longtime postal substation inside Leeker’s Family Foods will stay open after the store and the U.S. Postal Service reached a last-minute deal. The Park City grocery store has operated a contract postal unit since 1985, but this summer, owner Chris Steindler said he received a 120-day notice that the location would be shut down. That sparked frustration among residents and concern from local leaders, since Park City has no brick-and-mortar post office of its own.
Read more: KSN-TV

First responders from across Southeast Kansas spent the day preparing for the next disaster. That training involved this scene, staged to re-create what they might find in the event of a tornado. Firefighters from St. Paul, Girard, Baker Township and Kansas Task Force 4 in Chanute used the scene to practice rescues, using only the tools they carry in their trucks. The training showed them how to rescue someone from inside a home through the roof, getting them on the ground safely, and how to build a foundation from wood and nails to hold the house up from the inside.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

It has a number of murals and more are in the works, or at least, will be soon. “This is for artists and it’s also for businesses in the downtown district that may want to beautify a wall on their exterior,” said Sarah Runyon, Pittsburg Community Development Specialist. A grant that gives residents of Pittsburg the chance to showcase their art for all in the city to see, is back this year. Applicants can receive up to fifteen hundred dollars with clearance from the city, to create a mural promoting their business, or expressing themselves.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The City Commission will consider a proposal Monday that could eventually make the city’s own website the official newspaper. The Lawrence Journal-World has been the designated newspaper for public notices since 2010. If the proposal is approved, most public notices would only need to be posted on the city’s website and not in an independent newspaper. The site cityofeudoraks.gov would be designated to act as Eudora’s official newspaper for publishing city business. City staff argue the move would save money. Within the first eight months of 2025, the city has incurred over $7,900 in publication costs, according to the meeting agenda.
Read more: The Eudora Times