Municipal News & Jobs

You wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but a small well on the northeast corner of Yates Center’s downtown square plays a part in the town’s history. The hand-dug well proved back in the 1800s that if residents wished to locate there, they’d still have a source of water. Wells were dug, at the insistence of landowner Abner Yates, to prove there was sufficient groundwater to put a community smack dab in the middle of Woodson County. It’s why, after a pair of hotly contested elections in the early 1870s between Neosho Falls and Kalida townships, to determine the Woodson County seat, voters opted for Yates’s vision. They voted to call Yates Center the county seat, the only such designation in the state for a town that hadn’t been created yet.
Read more: The Iola Register

Since 2020, Lawrence has gone from staffing three animal control officers to one, and pressure has mounted for the Lawrence Humane Society and the public to fill in the coverage gaps. An attack from a dog in Centennial Park recently hospitalized a 70-year-old woman and resulted in the death of her chihuahua. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. The aggressor dog, unleashed at the time of the attack, was sent to be quarantined at the Lawrence Humane Society. It isn’t entirely clear who the owner is, according to Lawrence Police Department spokesperson Laura McCabe. The incident has fed into broader community concerns regarding the number of stray and at-large animals in Lawrence versus animal control’s reach.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Park City took an important step Tuesday on a project plan for proposed sales tax revenue bond incentives for the $500 million Champtown development. The major project will span 160 acres in Park City showcasing a boardwalk with an aquarium, butterfly pavilion, multi-sport venues, retail and hotel along I-135. It has been in discussions as part of the STAR bond program for the past three years after a previous project proposed for the site, the former Echo Hills golf course, hadn’t seen any forward movement for years. The City Council approved the project plan, also considered a development agreement, during its Tuesday meeting.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal – Local Wichita News

Wichita Transit drivers have been trained on how to use naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Drivers were shown how to recognize signs of an overdose and how to use the medication during training provided by local non-profit Safe Streets at a monthly safety meeting. “Naloxone is here to save lives,” Aonya Kendrick Barnett with Safe Streets said. “It does not encourage drug use.
Read more: Homepage

After months of gathering input, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city’s center has put together a picture of what they say Wichitans want downtown to become: a community-centric space with more housing options, better walkability, a livelier riverfront and a neighborhood that feels like home. Now Downtown Wichita is preparing for a third open house from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at their 501 E. Douglas office. The come-and-go event will be the nonprofit’s final big push for community feedback before it assembles a new Downtown Wichita Action Plan.
Read more: Homepage

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.

Six priorities have been identified to guide future efforts: access to care, behavioral health and substance misuse, food security, transportation, affordable housing and addressing health disparities and community voice.
Read more: Hutch News

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.

Jacob Wood was appointed Salina’s new city manager, dropping the “interim” title. Wood has had several roles within the city of Salina dating back to 2008 as an intern in the finance department before moving into the city manager’s office.
Read more: Salina Journal

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.

Early on, the new USD 460 cell phone or mobile device policy was met with broad skepticism. Detractors were worried about being able to contact their children during the school day. However, a week in to the new school year under the new cell phone policy, students have seemed to adjust quickly to having to deposit their mobile devices into Faraday pouches. The pouches have a Velcro closure but can be accessed in case of an emergency. Students store their devices inside the pouch and have it returned at the end of the school day. If a student has to leave for an appointment or school activity, then they are allowed to take their phones with them.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags be flown at half-staff at the state capitol complex and all court buildings in honor of a longtime Sedgwick County District Court judge who died this week. Judge Bruce Brown, who served as the Division 10 Judge in the 18th Judicial Court District, died Thursday following “an extended illness,” according to news releases from the governor’s office and the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration. He was 64.
Read more: Homepage

Great Bend Police Officer Paul Millard spent much of Aug. 9 sitting on a dunk tank platform, grinning as kids lined up their pitches to dunk him. It’s not uncommon for the school resource officer to participate in community events. But as the day went on, word quietly spread that a hero was sitting atop the dunk tank. The video player is currently playing an ad. Less than 24 hours earlier, Millard had stopped a 17-year-old with a handgun after a shooting in the parking lot at Towne East Square — action that Wichita police credited with saving lives.
Read more: Homepage

The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider implementing esports teams at middle and high schools. Kansas State High School Activities Association board members voted in April to sanction esports as an interscholastic activity beginning in the 2025-26 year. If given approval Monday, the district would begin registering buildings based on student interest and available resources, according to the meeting agenda item. The agenda says the growing sport lends itself to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, and students who aspire to compete in college could be recruited or offered scholarships.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday gave a tepid indication of possible interest rate cuts ahead as he noted a high level of uncertainty that is making the job difficult for monetary policymakers. In his much-anticipated speech at the Fed’s annual conclave in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the central bank leader in prepared remarks cited “sweeping changes” in tax, trade and immigration policies. The result is that “the balance of risks appear to be shifting” between the Fed’s twin goals of full employment and stable prices.
Read more: Bonds

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) today announced that the measles outbreak affecting southwest Kansas has officially ended. Two full incubation periods, for a total of 42 days, have passed since the last confirmed case was reported. As there is not an active outbreak in southwest Kansas, KDHE is no longer recommending the early measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination dose for infants 6-11 months old. Health care providers should now refer to the standard childhood schedule for MMR administration.
Read more: KDHE, KS – News Flash

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced a new round of funding totaling $341,000 is available through the Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program. Now entering its fourth round, the SEED initiative continues to support economic development and quality-of-life improvements in Kansas’ smallest communities.
Read more: Press Releases Archives – Kansas Department of Commerce

Rising electricity demand, in part due to AI needs, along with the increasing cost of alternatives should cushion the impact for green energy. The government delivered a shock to the renewable energy industry when it took away subsidies for solar and wind as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It’s a shock the industry can actually absorb—and maybe even benefit from in the long term.
Read more: WSJ.com: Markets

The Lyon County Commission approved the purchase of a 4-month pilot with Hyper to automate 10 non-emergency call types for a total of $16,200 to be paid from the Dispatch Contractual Services fund. The new program, developed by new San Francisco based startup Hyper, is designed to respond to calls related to utilities, parking, controlled burns, and other non-911 issues. An AI voice, customizable by gender and talking speed, will ask for information and process it, transferring the caller if needed.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

With the Kansas Jayhawks playing their home games in Kansas City last season, Lawrence businesses lost revenue. However, with an upgraded stadium, business owners are ready for the rewards that come with it. It’s been 644 days since KU last played in Lawrence. And just judging by how many people are around town, Jayhawk fans are happy that KU is finally back home.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports