Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Judge rejects ‘infamous’ commenter’s assertion that Lawrence’s rules are unconstitutionally vague

Lawrence’s “most infamous” commenter has failed to demonstrate that the City Commission’s rules about comments at public meetings are unconstitutionally vague or that the city engaged in unlawful viewpoint and content discrimination against him. Federal Judge Julie Robinson in an order this week, using Justin Spiehs’ self-identification as “the most infamous and outspoken public speaker,” dismissed those claims from Spiehs’ lawsuit against the city and two of its former mayors, but she has allowed other claims to move forward, including Spiehs’ contention that the city retaliated against him and denied him equal protection.
Source: LJWorld

Municipal Bond Trends for April 2, 2024

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.

Municipal Bond Trends for April 1, 2024

Commerce Celebrates National Community Development Week

The Kansas Department of Commerce is joining other organizations and communities across the state in commemorating National Community Development Week. The annual event, which this year is April 1-5, shines a spotlight on the transformative impact of community development initiatives and collaborative efforts that drive positive local change. National Community Development Week serves as a platform to recognize the invaluable contributions of local leaders, organizations and residents who work tirelessly to enhance the quality of life for all members of their communities. From affordable housing projects to infrastructure improvements, these endeavors represent the collective commitment to building a brighter, more inclusive future for Kansas. For more information about National Community Development Week events and initiatives, click here.

Rural ambulance plan in limbo

At issue is a regulatory requirement that ambulances operate with two medically credentialed attendants, which poses challenges for rural services. “This is a bill that allows ambulances, particularly in rural areas, to move with only one EMT and one certified driver,” Rep. Fred Gardner, R-Garnett, said of Senate Bill 384. “Current regulation requires two EMTs….” … Industry officials said that language appeared to eliminate the two-person requirement entirely, which could leave patients unattended in the back of an ambulance.
Source: Hutch News

Topeka & Shawnee County library to focus on connections, people and joy

The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library enjoys a reputation for excellence, including having been named “2016 Library of the Year” by a respected library journal. But library leaders hope to serve customers even better, and that’s reflected in their recently released five-year strategic plan. That plan calls for the library to offer more chances to learn, explore and connect, said Marie Pyko, the library’s CEO.
Source: CJonline

Victoria to allow two days a week watering

At the Feb. 19, 2024 City of Victoria Council regular session meeting, [members] discussed allowing residents to water two days a week versus just one. The days would include one day on the weekend and one day during the week for north and south of 10th Street. City Attorney Don Hoffman will draft the resident watering days allowance resolution for the Council to formally adopt.
Source: Hays Daily News

Housing key to local economic growth in Hays

Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams focused on Hays’ housing needs as he addressed the local business owners, bankers, lawyers, educators, City Commissioners and City staff gathered on Mar. 5, 2024 at BriefSpace for the nonprofit organization’s quarterly luncheon. Executive Director Williams opened his remarks with a reminder of the crucial role housing plays in rural communities’ attempts to recruit and retain a workforce. “Without housing, we can’t do that [hire and keep workers], so housing is very important to us, And so we wanted to give you all a little bit of an update on what happened in 2023, where we see 2024 going and an update on a few of our projects,” said Executive Director Williams.
Source: Hays Daily News

Municipal Bond Trends for March 28, 2024

Municipal Bond Trends for March 27, 2024

Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) has information and training for local governments across Kansas

Regional Planning Workshops – Join KOBD for engagement and training on using your voice to engage with providers across the state.

- Resources and toolkits on the website.
- View maps of eligible locations and dates/registrations for Workshops.

Permitting Workshop in Salina on April 25 (full day)

- Who: ISPs, local governments, state and federal agencies, ROW owners, co-ops, permitting contractors, and other stakeholders interested in broadband deployment

Informational Webinar for the open-access non-discriminatory Freestate Middle Mile Network on April 19 at 2 p.m.

- Anyone interested in learning more!

Great Bend’s ROW rules updated

The space available in city utility right of ways is limited. Because more utility providers are requiring space in city right of ways, a new ordinance to manage that space was adopted by the Great Bend City Council on March 18. The city’s utility ROWs are becoming occupied by more utility providers and the space is becoming more crowded…
Source: Great Bend Tribune

New tourism coordinator in Newton looks forward to highlighting the town

Newton’s new CVB/Main Street coordinator, Jen Lehman, would like to hear from people about what they want to see in the community. Since she’s still getting her feet wet, Lehman doesn’t have a lot of new plans yet. “I’m trying to come up with things I’d enjoy seeing here in Newton,” she said. That might include things she’s seen in other counties and would like to implement for Newton.
Source: Harvey County Now

Weeks after Lawrence enacts plastic bag ban, Kansas Senate advances bill to block it

Just weeks after Lawrence enacted a ban on single-use, disposable plastic bags, the Kansas Senate advanced a bill that would prohibit cities and counties from regulating the sale of single-use plastic containers. The measure passed 24-16 Wednesday. The bill would prevent cities from regulating the sale of plastic containers such as straws, bags and other single-use plastic containers.
Source: KC Star Local News

After Bird abruptly left, Overland Park to tap scooter rival Lime for new pilot

Overland Park is preparing to tap Lime Micromobility for a new pilot for electric scooters and bikes after another vendor, Bird, left the city abruptly last summer. On Wednesday, the Overland Park City Council Public Works Committee will get a first look at the new pilot agreement during their regularly scheduled meeting.
Source: Johnson County Post

Marysville hires new administrator

Joshua Haverkamp, Marysville’s new city administrator, has been eager to move back to rural Kansas. Professionally, he said, he wants to take the next step to develop his skills as an administrator. “The Marysville position was the best of both worlds for us as a family,” Haverkamp said.
Source: The Marysville Advocate

Shawnee hires veteran KC area official as new city manager

The Shawnee City Council on Monday cleared the way for a veteran Kansas City area municipal official and Johnson County native to become the city’s next permanent city manager. During the city council meeting on Monday night, Mayor Mickey Sandifer formally introduced Paul Kramer as the new city manager. Kramer is currently the city manager in Leavenworth, Kansas, a position he has held for nearly a decade. The Shawnee City Council voted unanimously 8-0 to approve a negotiated contract between the city and Kramer. “Paul is a very qualified individual to come out and hit the ground running with our city,” Sandifer said. “This is what we need at this period in time.” For the past nine years, Kramer has served as the city manager for Leavenworth. According to the Leavenworth city website, before becoming the city manager in Leavenworth, he also served as the assistant city manager and executive director of the Leavenworth Housing Authority. Sandifer said Kramer’s experience made him stand out from the other candidates. “He’s been involved with every facet of the city [of Leavenworth],” he said. “(That’s) very useful for our city.”
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

‘Short Term Rentals’ top of mind for College Hills residents as they discuss improvements to neighborhood

College Hill residents held their first open house meeting Monday night to discuss a plan to improve the lives of its residents. One of the issues top of mind is how the city deals with short-term rentals, through companies like Airbnb. “Short-term rentals have been a concern,’ says city council member Brandon Johnson. “Not because of how great they are access-wise for people. But many of our short-term rentals have been rented out for parties, especially recently, some parents will rent those out for their kids, which shouldn’t be happening.” Some of those parties have ended in violence. Johnson said that a shooting recently near College Hill is proof of problems. And in 2021, at Douglas and Oliver, one person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting at a party at an Airbnb. Because of that violence, the city is cracking down. It’s requiring licenses and rezoning to run a short term rental. “We have to be safer with our young people,” Johnson said. “Today is a different day and age, access to guns is a lot higher than when we were younger. So we’re going to look at that as a council, but definitely always want community input on that.” Johnson said that he expects the council to continue working on short-term rental policy. However, there are already some hoops to jump through to get up and running.
Source: KAKE – News

Douglass fire adds new truck to their fleet

Butler County Fire District #8, (Douglass), has recently got a new truck to add to their fleet. The fire department now has a total of nine apparatus: two engines, three grass trucks, one tanker, one rescue and water rescue, and two support trucks. The biggest obstacle is water,” said Fire Chief Aaron Guyot. That shouldn’t be an obstacle anymore with the new beast of a tanker the fire department received in late January. This truck is made by Fouts Bros out of Georgia with a 515 Horsepower engine and a 4,000 gallon tank that can pump 1,500 gallons per minute. The powerful motor will help add to faster response times for the team. This truck is only suited to hold two firefighters. This truck was not purchased through grants; the department took out a lease and made a down payment using the station’s budget. This truck comes with a price tag of $489,000. The new tanker was ordered on January 5th and was picked up January 31st. When purchasing this truck, the Douglass Fire Department had to retire tank 83, which was sold to Andale Construction. Douglass Fire Department has a crew of 27 volunteers. The team has welcomed 17 new volunteers since the month of December. The current station, located at 108 S Forrest St, was built in 1997.
Source: Andover American

Lawrence school district looks to staffing incentives, other cost-saving ideas as enrollment declines

As enrollment keeps trending downward, Lawrence school board members on Monday heard some additional details about possible ways to cut costs, including hiring specialized positions rather than going through contractors. Executive Director of Finance Cynde Frick gave the board a budget update on Monday, which included data from the district’s annual enrollment headcount, taken every Sept. 20. The district counted 9,820 students enrolled for the 2023-24 year, down 135 from the 9,955 total for 2022-23, according to the presentation. Frick said the district could consider incentives to hire speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, plumbers, carpenters and other professionals as district employees rather than filling those positions through contractors. She said although those positions are already established on salary matrices, the district has struggled to fill them in-house because it doesn’t offer competitive wages, but that it would cost less than using contractors. “We haven’t quantified the trades section of that yet, but I’m expecting it will be millions of dollars,” Frick said. “And so the question is how to make it happen. We will need support and cooperation from our unions to figure this out. But there is money there to be saved.” Enrollment is projected to continue decreasing each year through 2027-28. State funding to schools is on a per-pupil basis, so even as the amount of funding per student increases, the increase could be offset by continuing enrollment declines.
Source: The Lawrence Times