Kansas Municipal News
Governor vetoes bill that would limit actions on infectious disease
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a bill from the Legislature that would prohibit governing bodies and public officials from taking certain actions related to infectious diseases, such as mask mandates. The bill also limits the powers of the state health secretary related to the enforcement of a quarantine and requiring student vaccinations. Senate Bill 34 was a response to actions taken by local government to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Rural housing grants available to prepare for future cheese plant boom
New state housing development resources have been made available since Governor Laura Kelly this month signed House Bill 2237 allocating $62 million for, among other rural housing support programs, the state’s Moderate Income Housing Program. This is good news for Dodge City and the surrounding regions where rural communities, like those in Clark, Hodgeman and Meade Counties, hope to meet the housing needs associated with the arrival of the Hilmar Cheese Company plant and the dairies destined to be a part of its supply chain. The plant is scheduled to break ground later this year, and with it as many as 12 new dairies within a 50-mile radius of Dodge City. “There will be up to 1,000 contractors in town at times and ultimately there will be 1,000 new permanent jobs created by this project,” Dodge City/Ford County Economic Development Corp. director Joann Knight said. “I’m concerned about rural housing. There has not been new development in those places in a long time. They need infrastructure development.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe
Andover construction demand stressing already backlogged industry
It’s been exactly two weeks since the devastating Andover Tornado left hundreds of people without homes. Now, as insurance claims get sorted out and finalized, the next step might be a waiting game – trying to find a builder. Andover resident Garrett Owen didn’t know where to start after the tornado flattened his house. “I couldn’t get to the house. There were trees down everywhere,” said Owen. But instead of waiting around, he took matters into his own hands, renting a giant excavator and learning how to use it along the way. “Watching YouTube, and I talked to a couple of people that know how to do it,” said Owen. He’s now almost completely done cleaning up, but it’s the next step he’s worried about.
Source: KAKE – News
Record-setting Wichita housing market making it tough for Andover victims to find somewhere to go
While many areas of the country are reporting improvements in the housing market, it’s the complete opposite here in Wichita. New data from South Central Kansas MLS says the housing supply is lower than it’s ever been, leaving people like Andover Tornado victims who need immediate housing nowhere to turn. “That’s been a huge need. We have some families that have been displaced and have moved on to other family members, but we’ve also seen a lot of families that are temporarily housed in a hotel or motel,” said Dulcy Palnau with The Salvation Army. Palnau has been working with families every day since the Andover tornado, and right now, she says one of the biggest needs is housing.
Source: KAKE – News
Biden Administration Releases $45B for Broadband to States
The Biden administration on Friday made $45 billion in broadband funding from the bipartisan infrastructure act available to the states, emphasizing that they make sure any internet service that’s built is affordable not only to those with low incomes but to the middle class as well. “The internet is absolutely essential to every American’s success,” Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves told reporters on a call. “That’s why it’s unacceptable that in 2022, millions of Americans are still without it.” In addition, the department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration emphasized in its notice of funding opportunity that states should make the dollars available to cities and nonprofits, like farm cooperatives, that want to start a broadband service to compete with private companies.
Source: Route Fifty – All Content
Deputy commerce secretary: Kansas is moving into a new class in competing for companies
Kansas Deputy Commerce Secretary Paul Hughes on Thursday said that Kansas is moving into an entirely new class of competition for attracting big companies to the state. Hughes spoke at the Flint Hills Regional Leaders Retreat, which was Thursday and Friday at the Manhattan Conference Center. The retreat is an event of the Manhattan, Junction City and Wamego chambers of commerce. Hughes’ presentation comes just weeks after Gov. Laura Kelly announced plans for a new $650 million manufacturing plant to come to Manhattan. But the state is looking at new ways to be competitive in attracting even bigger projects.
Source: themercury.com
Shielded for growth: Wichita leaders see promise in cybersecurity
One of the nation’s fastest-growing industries is finding a fast foothold in Wichita. The city in the past year has attracted cybersecurity companies from both coasts, attracted by the cost and availability of talent, and the growth of industry resources locally. And with data security taking on heightened importance in the post-pandemic age of remote work and differentiating resources already in play, local stakeholders see the industry as potentially emerging as one of Wichita’s best opportunities at economic diversification. “I think there has been a lot more awareness around it and intentionality (in attracting the industry),” says Adrienne Korson, director of economic development at the Greater Wichita Partnership. “We are getting better at learning what we have in our backyard.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Lawrence’s police review board approves new task force; conflict between law enforcement and DA’s office not addressed
The Lawrence Community Police Review Board on Thursday advanced a charter to create a new Community-Police Oversight Task Force. The CPRB has long wanted greater authority than the scope that city law currently allows — a scope so narrow that since the board was created in 2018, it has not reviewed a single complaint. The current ordinance only allows CPRB members to review appeals of the police department’s decisions in complaints about bias-based policing. Starting in 2020, at the direction of the Lawrence City Commission, board members began drafting an ordinance that expanded its duties. But an outside consultant’s review of the Lawrence Police Department, completed about a year ago, suggested that the CPRB and police department form a task force to determine the best way to move forward.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Wyandotte County court system still impacted by cyber attack
The cybersecurity threat that’s caused turmoil for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County is nearly a month old. It’s left many offices in Kansas City, Kansas, operating without computer systems — “old school,” so to speak — with no word on when computer access will be restored. County leaders first announced that an attack had taken place on April 16. One courthouse worker described this as “a pain.” Two people involved in this county’s judicial process confirmed trouble with their digital network is ongoing. This concern, which as FOX4 has reported, might be a ransomware attack, has Wyandotte County’s court system locked up for the moment.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Even with elimination of state sales tax, local governments must continue to tax groceries
Even when the state’s 6.5% sales tax on groceries eventually ramps down to zero, Lawrence shoppers will still be paying close to 3% in sales taxes on groceries. The overwhelming majority of Kansas cities and counties — Lawrence and Douglas County included — charge local sales tax in addition to the state sales tax, and state lawmakers ensured that would not change. The recently passed changes not only don’t affect local sales taxes on groceries, but also prohibit local governments from reducing or eliminating their local sales taxes on groceries.
Source: LJworld
It’s easy being green: Library branch in this JoCo city to offer an innovative roof
The new Johnson County Library branch in Merriam will be nothing like the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, but when you go there, you will want to look up. Why? Because the library roof, arguably the building’s most distinguishing feature, will be home to prairie grasses that will help insulate the structure and provide a visual extension of the landscape surrounding the Merriam Community Center, on which the new library is expected to open in early 2024.
Source: Joco 913 News
Kansas legalizes sports betting, then gets sued
Kansas has legalized sports betting. But the state was sued almost immediately Thursday by a state-owned casino operator over an unrelated part of the law designed to revive a long-closed greyhound track in its area. … The lawsuit is from the Kansas Star Casino operated by Boyd Gaming about 15 miles south of Wichita. The casino has a contract with the lottery and says that contract has been breached because the new law allows improper competition from new gambling devices at Wichita Greyhound Park.
Source: KSN-TV
Parsons PD adds a furry-faced officer to the team
The Parsons Police Department is celebrating a new addition. The department gained national attention at the end of last year after the brutal killing of an officer’s dog. “If the community is going to put forth the money to give us these nice things to enhance our performance, I’m going to do everything I can to do that performance as best I can,” said Christian Smith, Parsons Police K9 Handler. Morgan, the black Labrador, is the newest member of the Parsons Police Department. She completed her training earlier this year.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Smaller, rural communities in danger of missing out on infrastructure boom
As federal officials hail a coming infrastructure decade, tens of thousands of mostly smaller, rural communities may miss out because they lack capacity to compete for the funds. That’s according to data from Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research firm focused on community development and land management that developed a rural capacity index to analyze which and how many communities may have a hard time snagging infrastructure funding. “It’s hard to advocate for resources, it’s hard to navigate complicated grant applications and meet compliance requirements, all of that is very difficult for smaller communities, so it’s logical that the communities that are winning the awards tend to be higher capacity, affluent, urban areas,” said Patty Hernandez, co-founder and executive director of Headwaters. Large sections of the country have communities that need investments in staffing, resources and expertise to adequately compete, the firm found.
Source: The Bond Buyer
For assistance with grants and federal funds for your community, please contact our specialists, Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 12, 2022
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Legal sports betting is coming to Kansas
Legal sports gambling is officially coming to Kansas. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed a sports wagering bill into law, setting the stage for fans to place bets on teams like the Chiefs, Royals and Jayhawks as soon as this summer. It will also bring in some money to the state government. The Kansas Lottery estimates taxes on legal sports betting would bring in up to $10 million a year by 2025. … The law comes as dozens of other states had previously made betting on sports legal ever since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 struck down a federal law banning sports gambling in most states. … The law goes into effect on July 1. However, whether casinos will have their sports books up and running by then is unclear.
Source: KCUR News
City of Hillsboro prepares to auction off thousands of museum items
From classic cars to unique samples of taxidermy, roughly 2,500 items will be auctioned off at the Marion County Fairgrounds this Saturday, May 14. It’s all a part to clear out the city’s museums and storage facilities, which city officials say are so full, a number of them have actually become unsafe. “Everything that you see here represents a multiple, in some cases, many multiples of items that we have that are still on display in our museums,” Hillsboro Mayor Lou Thurston said. Dozens of volunteers across multiple city departments helped make this weekend’s auction possible.
Source: KSN-TV
Inman USD-448 bond passes by six votes
Tuesday night, there was no clear winner for the Inman USD-448 bond election. Unofficial results list 377 yes votes and 379 no votes. On Tuesday night, there were still two mail-in ballots that were dropped off at a polling site that needed to be processed and 14 provisional ballots that were investigated before the final count, and results were recorded on Monday, May 9. Mail-in ballots that arrived between May 4 and May 9 and were postmarked by May 3, were counted, bringing the total to 383 yes votes and 380 no votes. … The final vote count listed 387 yes votes and 381 no votes, with the bond passing by a very narrow margin.
Source: McPherson Weekly News
Working for Lenexa: assistant city attorney uses life experience from the farm to find solutions at work
Growing up on a family farm in the outskirts of Independence, Mo., Lenexa Assistant City Attorney Steven Shrout learned how to care for animals, work with his hands and find solutions to problems. Summertime meant spending a lot of time outside doing chores like moving hay bales and scooping manure in the barn. … Watching his dad do the daily chores around the farm ingrained a work ethic that Steven has exercised in other areas of his life. “Having that role model just kind of instills in you that work ethic that maybe some of us might not see or may not experience in the same way,” he said. “I’ve applied that same work ethic into my education and have carried it into my work here at the City.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Overland Park Police respond to recommendations from state commission, local groups
Overland Park police have already accomplished many of the recommendations from a governor’s commission on racial equity and a citizen civil rights group, and are actively working on others, Deputy Chief Eric Houston told the city council’s Public Safety Committee Wednesday. Houston filled in for Police Chief Frank Donchez to give the department’s response on recommendations from the Kansas Commission on Racial Equity and Justice, as well as an update on five priorities of a Johnson County civil rights group seeking better ways to give feedback on police conduct.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Under new sports betting laws, Ruffin poised to reopen Wichita Greyhound Park with historical horse racing
New sports betting legislation that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law Thursday is expected to bring historical horse racing, a new form of electronic gambling, to the long-shuttered Wichita Greyhound Park in Park City. “We’ve been working on it for about a year, and we finally got it done,” said track owner and Las Vegas casino magnate Phil Ruffin.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Fuel prices forcing Lyon County to cut maintenance
Everyone seems to be pinching pennies, or maybe dollar bills, when it comes to fuel prices. Even the Lyon County budget is feeling it. “The amount has almost doubled for gasoline and doubled for diesel fuel,” county commission chair Rollie Martin said Thursday. “I believe the county uses between 8,000-10,000 gallons a month.” Add that to what Martin calls “wage pressures,” and the county budget for 2022 already is looking perilous. “We’ve got to start thinking in different ways, to keep things under control until the end of the year,” Martin said. For instance, the County Commission voted Thursday to chip seal a section of Americus Road between U.S. 50 and Road 180. That half-mile strip will cost $80,000, but it’s not as much as Martin prefers.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Maize School District changes who’s eligible for bus rides because of driver shortage
Students in the Maize school district who live within 2.5 miles of their school will not be eligible to ride the bus next school year. Maize USD 266 said it is because of a bus driver shortage. Transportation Director Kathy Massell said she’s already having to cancel routes three to four times a week this year. “Some of these kids, we’re the only way they can get to school, and as a mom, that, I understand that,” Massell said. “That’s insanely difficult to tell a family that, ‘I’m sorry, we just… we can’t do it anymore.’”
Source: KAKE – News
Newly signed Kansas law transfers $1 billion to cover KPERS outstanding debt
Gov. Laura Kelly signed Thursday legislation transferring more than $1 billion from state coffers to cover historical underfunding of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. These transfers will take place over two installments, totaling $853.9 million in 2022 and two additional payments subject to State Finance Council approval in 2023 of remaining funds. Kelly said the payments would provide immediate and long-term value by reducing debt owed and improving upon historically strong financial footing in the state.
Source: Kansas Reflector
10-year Treasury yield pulls back to 2.84% as investors rotate into bonds for safety
U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday morning, as investors digested hotter-than-expected inflation data, released in the previous session. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dropped 7 basis points to 2.8407% at 4:25 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 4 basis points lower to 2.9942%. April’s consumer price index, released Wednesday, rose 8.3% year-on-year. That was higher than the anticipated 8.1% growth in inflation, but was below March’s 8.5% CPI reading. … The latest inflation reading supports the Federal Reserve’s plans to more aggressively hike interest rates to combat persistent pricing pressures, fueling recession fears.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Inflation barreled ahead at 8.3% in April from a year ago, remaining near 40-year highs
Inflation rose again in April, continuing a climb that has pushed consumers to the brink and is threatening the economic expansion, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad-based measure of prices for goods and services, increased 8.3% from a year ago, higher than the Dow Jones estimate for an 8.1% gain. That represented a slight ease from March’s peak but was still close to the highest level since the summer of 1982.
Source: CNBC
President Biden gives shoutout to Reno County-based IdeaTek for offering free internet
Buhler-based internet provider IdeaTek received a shout-out this week from President Joe Biden during a press conference at the White House on an initiative to bring free or reduced-price internet service to those who struggle to afford it. IdeaTek is one of about 20 providers in the nation participating in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, and the only Kansas-based one. The company has participated in the program since it was started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is expanding the effort further as additional federal funding was authorized, said Jade Piros de Carvalho, the company’s director of industry & community relations. Under the program, the federal government will cover $30 a month for service for those who qualify.
Source: Hutch News
Haven Police Department removes “In God We Trust” from department vehicles
The Haven City Council voted to remove decals stating “In God, We Trust” from Haven Police Department vehicles at the City Council meeting Monday, May 2. Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer described the varied support from the community, some in favor of removing the decals and some against the removal. “(The Haven City Council) brought it up as a motion during council concerns. Within a few minutes, they just voted and seconded that it was a done deal,” Schaffer said.
Source: Hutch News
‘God’ decals to remain on Cowley sheriff’s vehicles
A recent decision in a Reno County town to remove decals with “In God We Trust” from police department vehicles has led to questions about similar items on Cowley County Sheriff’s Office trucks, with local officials saying the decals have mostly been well-received. The Haven City Council voted May 2 to remove “In God We Trust” decals from all police vehicles after a citizen complaint, according to The Wichita Eagle. The motion, which was approved unanimously, also required Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer to remove a post including a scripture quote from the department’s Facebook page.
Source: ctnewsonline
Lenexa improves pay, benefits to attract talent
he key to providing exceptional services is having excellent employees. But like many other organizations, the City of Lenexa has found it difficult to attract and retain staff over the last few years. New enhancements to pay and benefits are designed to bring in great new employees and keep them on the job. At the beginning of 2022, the City had a historic 50 vacant full-time positions. Most of those were in entry-level positions, which are critical to providing day-to-day services like public safety; parks, streets and stormwater maintenance; and pool lifeguards. A pay and benefits study completed in late 2021 revealed that inflation and economic factors had led comparable public organizations in our area to significantly increase their wages since Lenexa’s last pay study in 2018. The new study concluded that employee pay had fallen behind, making it difficult to recruit and retain staff in such a competitive market.
Source: City of Lenexa
Municipal Bond Trends for May 11, 2022
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Riley County to require licenses for Airbnb, Vrbo owners
Residents operating short-term rental properties in unincorporated areas of Riley County now must apply for a license, with yearly renewals, following updated regulations passed by the County Commission May 5th. This applies to Airbnb and Vrbo rentals. Licenses will be granted only once properties are in compliance with a list of requirements in the updated Riley County Land Development Regulations. That includes having working smoke detectors in each bedroom, weekly trash collection and appropriately sized egress windows for the property. Planning and Development Director Amanda Webb says the goal of the new short-term rental license program is to protect the health, life and safety of occupants.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Rural Pottawatomie County residents voice concerns over potential rock quarries, wedding venue requests
Conditional use permits for proposed rock quarries in Pottawatomie County are getting some attention, primarily from local residents uninterested in living too close in proximity. One of them, requested by Mid-State Materials, would be located on Reves Road, south of Wheaton. But the planning commission recently recommended denying approval. The Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners can override that decision with a two-thirds majority on the three seat commission. Resident Travis Ross is a fourth generation farmer in the area and spoke against the Mid-State Materials request at Monday’s meeting. “As a resident we are concerned about the gas line by Wheaton, Blaine and Westmoreland, not to mention the water lines that feed some of these residents. Also, some of our biggest concerns are the natural springs. Everyone out there has a well and relies on these waters. The possibility of pollution that will float downstream. All of this is going to go down Rock Creek as this (proposed) quarry is at the head of Rock Creek,” he said.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Governor signs bill to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a bipartisan bill Wednesday to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries. The governor signed the bill in a ceremony at a grocery store in Olathe. The bill will phase out the sales tax starting this year, and it will be eliminated by 2025. The governor said House Bill 2106 will provide Kansas residents with financial relief, especially as costs continue to rise. Kansans currently pay more for groceries than residents of almost every other state, due to the state’s 6.5 percent tax on groceries.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Local and state leaders focus on safe driving in Sedgwick County
The Kansas Department of Transportation is working with state and local leaders to promote a safe driving campaign in Sedgwick County. Over the past year, Sedgwick County has seen a rise in crashes, several of which have resulted in deaths. This campaign is stressing the importance of seatbelts and other good driving habits. Speakers at a conference Wednesday morning also highlighted the dangers of speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence. In Sedgwick County, more than 23% of fatal crashes involved some kind of impairment. When looking at seatbelt use, 41% of traffic fatalities were found to involve a driver without a seatbelt, highlighting how important seatbelts are.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Crawford County enters new highway pilot program
Keith Browning, a road engineer with the Kansas Association of Counties, spoke Tuesday with the Crawford County Commission about a new pavement management system. Browning, recently retired as the director of Douglas County Public Works with over 25 years of experience, facilitates communication and education between counties and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) on road issues and transportation matters. “I am trying to encourage this around the state,” said Browning. “A lot of money is spent to maintain our roads, and the goal is to have the best pavements possible with the resources available.” According to Browning, his system is simply a spreadsheet program designed to optimize maintenance funds and influence short and long-term budget needs. By breaking up each road into smaller segments determined by its shape, structure, amount and type of usage, county road crews can track the amount of maintenance required for each segment, which can vary in length between a few hundred feet to several miles.
Source: Morning Sun
Pittsburg discusses fund allocation and Section 8 payment standards
The Pittsburg City Commissioners met today to discuss the allocation of Revolving Loan Funds and Section 8 payment standards. Primarily, the commissioners discussed allocating $30,000 from the RLF to support infrastructure improvements to Blue Spoon Properties. Commissioners also voted to raise the Section 8 payment standard as rent prices rise in the area. Quentin Holmes, Director of Community Development and Housing stated: “It’ll really open up opportunities for those who need the program and the landlords in town who had to increase their rent.”
Source: KOAMKOAM
Girard outdoor projects are in the works
City officials in Girard are planning to make it a healthy summer. A number of outdoor projects are in the works. This first is a new disc golf course located between the Crawford Hills Municipal Golf Course and the County Fairgrounds. Also, the city pool, which is set to open Memorial Day Weekend, is getting a new splash pad. And, city crews will soon begin work on resurfacing the tennis courts at the skatepark, which will then be used for pickleball. “I’m glad to see, we want to give people some exercise, basically for health type purposes, get out and get exercise and everything and I believe we’ve shown a pretty good interest in it,” said Mickey Pyle, Mayor of Girard.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Brown County takes steps to protect county as wind energy topic heats up
The Brown County Commissioners took steps to protect the county as the wind energy topic heats up. Clif Heiniger presented the commissioners with a letter signed by 143 residents who were concerned about wind turbines being present in the county. Heiniger told commissioners most of the signees were rural resident and cited everything from visual, noise, electronic interference to reasons they didn’t want the turbines. He also noted that property values would suffer with large wind turbines in the area. A member of the Brown County Glade Watch – as the group of concerned citizens has named themselves – Heiniger told the commission that the group was concerned with the progression of the Pony Express Wind Project, which consists of 320 turbines that will primarily be located in Nemaha County but also encompass an area of Brown County near Fairview.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Brown County takes steps to protect county as wind energy topic heats up
The Brown County Commissioners took steps to protect the county as the wind energy topic heats up. Clif Heiniger presented the commissioners with a letter signed by 143 residents who were concerned about wind turbines being present in the county. Heiniger told commissioners most of the signees were rural resident and cited everything from visual, noise, electronic interference to reasons they didn’t want the turbines. He also noted that property values would suffer with large wind turbines in the area.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Miami County Clerk’s office invites public to attend ‘Election 101’
The public will have the opportunity to learn more about what goes into putting on an election in Miami County during “Election 101” as the 2022 election draws closer. The Miami County Clerk/Election Office is holding the information session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, in the commission chambers at the Miami County Administration Building, located at 201 S. Pearl St. in Paola. County Clerk/Election Officer Janet White said after a short presentation, the public will have the chance to ask questions and cast a fun ballot. Elections, ballot boxes, redistricting and other related topics have been in the news of late at the state and national level.
Source: republic-online.com
JoCo planners rebuff county commission’s urging to make solar farm rules less restrictive
A set of rules that would govern how utility-scale solar farms are planned in Johnson County was bounced back to the county commission Tuesday by planning board members, who insist their tighter regulations – and not the commission’s suggestions for less restrictive measures – are the right way to go. In so doing, the Johnson County Planning Commission rejected most of the county commission’s recommendations made at a public hearing in April. It’s the latest turn in a much-watched back-and-forth that has taken on political overtones as the county considers regulating a growing industry for which it currently has no guidelines.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Shawnee rejects Sundance apartment project after hearing neighbors’ opposition
A 239-unit apartment complex proposal that has drawn the adamant opposition of its nearest neighbors was unanimously denied rezoning Monday night by the Shawnee City Council. The Sundance Shawnee project, at Johnson Drive and Woodland Drive, would have consisted of a mix of one- two- and three- bedroom apartments on 21 acres in a mostly undeveloped field near a former quarry in northwest Shawnee. Its developer, Minnesota-based Timberland Partners, characterized it as designed for young professionals who eventually want to own their own homes. Ryan Sailer, vice president of real estate development with Timberland, said the company took pains to design the project so it would fit in with surrounding single-family homes. His presentation also addressed the many concerns neighbors previously brought up about traffic, water drainage, environmental impact, school crowding and potential for crime.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Allen County health leader reflects on pandemic
Health department officials tackled a lot of extra responsibilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebecca Johnson, director of the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department, told county commissioners on Tuesday. Johnson submitted her department’s annual budget request, asking for $115,000 from Allen County. That’s the same amount received last year. With her request, Johnson also provided an update on the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced her staff to take on numerous additional duties, but the department received state and federal grants to offset much of the costs of that increased workload.
Source: The Iola Register
Allen County community hears placemaking plan
In a small town, everyone always seems to know what’s wrong — and how to fix it. The thousand conversations over coffee, in backyards, or in the grocery store parking lot are all unique but all the same. They’re greeted with head nods, grumbles of frustration. If only everyone else would listen! A thousand kings and queens looking for their subjects. Which is why when several dozen area residents gathered at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center Monday evening to discuss the future of Allen County, the stakes seemed high. Here was a chance to get everyone pulling in the same direction.
Source: The Iola Register