Municipal News & Jobs

As dozens of local officials and advocates recently took a peek at Maura Heft’s new three-bedroom home, she proudly showed off her spacious kitchen with dark wood cabinets and joyfully explained that the home came with a finished basement. Heft and her 6-year-old daughter were moving into their first home that they own. They are the first tenants to move into a new type of affordable housing constructed by Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City on the southern edge of Olathe in Johnson County. It’s a 14-home neighborhood built on a community land trust. That’s a real estate tool that allows the organization to sell the homes at a reduced price — and keep them affordable in the future. Habitat for Humanity sold the home to Heft for about $250,000, less than half of the average home price in the county. Heft said moving into the new home is a life-changing moment for her and her daughter — who have been homeless for five years while staying with family or living in transitional housing — despite Heft working a full-time job.
Read more: KLC Journal

The Leawood City Council has approved a new ordinance requiring minors to wear helmets on ‘motorized’ devices. The ordinance, passed Monday night, requires anyone under age 18 to wear a secured helmet while operating or riding as a passenger on electric-assisted bikes, scooters, skateboards, mopeds, and similar devices. City officials said the change follows concerns raised by police about the increasing use of e-bikes and e-scooters by juveniles, often without helmets. Violations of the ordinance can result in a warning or a citation carrying a $25 fine. Police have said enforcement will focus first on education and voluntary compliance as residents adjust to the new rule.
Read more: KMBC

Across Kansas, more judges are becoming attuned to the mental health struggles of those who step into their courtrooms. In Ellis County, 23rd Judicial District Chief Judge Curtis Brown has witnessed the revolving door of people who are battling addiction and untreated mental illness while simultaneously dealing with the court system. “I really like to try to help people out,” Brown says. “You’ve just got to bring in a human element and help these folks.” More than 250 miles to the east, Johnson County District Judge Robert Wonnell has grown more aware of the behavioral health challenges some people face through his work presiding over Division 6 of the 10th Judicial District. Wonnell gained a new perspective in 2019 when he attended a regional conference hosted by the National Judicial Task Force to examine state courts’ responses to mental illness.
Read more: KLC Journal

Thursday, Wyandotte County commissioners will decide whether they’ll give back a portion of new sales tax revenue to pay off a domed stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs. The development would go west of 118th Street, between State Avenue and Parallel Parkway, east of 126th Street. All 10 commissioners get to vote on this issue Thursday. Christian Ramirez is the Commissioner for the southeastern portion of the county. The stadium would go in the far western portion. “I don’t, no,” Ramirez said when asked if he knew how he was going to vote Thursday. “I still am reviewing all our comments. We’re taking all comments from yesterday. Right now, I’m just listening.” About 45 people spoke Tuesday night at a public hearing. Only a couple of them supported the way that the potential deal is drawn for Wyandotte County.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County Fire announced on Saturday via Facebook that it now has a new tool that helps firefighters locate people underwater. The AquaEye Pro is a handheld sonar system designed to help first responders quickly locate drowning victims. According to the company’s website, the tool cuts the average search time by 90%. It can also scan up to 8,000 square meters of water in five minutes, equivalent to 1½ football fields. The device is currently housed at Fire Station 32 in Park City. Sedgwick County Fire says it’s hoping to get another device to keep at a station in Haysville.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sen. Jerry Moran announced on Wednesday that rural Kansas hospitals and community health centers are getting more than $7 million in federal funding. The money comes from fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills, including the one approved by Congress and signed into law by the president this week. “Access to medical care is often a deciding factor for many Kansans when determining whether they will remain in the rural communities they call home,” Moran said in a news release. “These resources will support rural hospitals and community health centers across our state and help to improve outcomes, invest in new medical capabilities, and bolster the critical work of rural providers in caring for Kansans.”
Read more: KSN-TV

The Pratt Regional Medical Center is delinquent on its rent, the county says. On Tuesday, KSN obtained a letter sent from an attorney representing Pratt County to the hospital. It is labeled “Notice of Default and Intent to Terminate Lease.” The letter, dated Jan. 23, said the hospital owed more than $1.58 million for rent from October 2024 to January. An additional $99,000 in rent was set to come due on Feb. 1. The letter also accuses the hospital of being out of compliance with two requirements in the lease: the debt-to-income ratio and the cash on hand clause that said the hospital should keeping a cash balance of at least 75 days of average operating expenses.
Read more: KSN-TV

Recent political advertisements from a Wichita organization are raising questions from the public about their legality. Wichita Forward, the group that introduced a citywide 1% sales tax proposal that will go before voters next month, is at the center of the controversy. On Tuesday, a complaint was filed alleging that one of the group’s ads may violate election or ethics laws by using a city employee in campaign messaging. The commercial features Wichita firefighters standing at what appears to be a fire station, along with several vehicles moving around the area. It includes a message from a firefighter named Warren, who focuses on how the sales tax could affect the fire department if it passes.
Read more: KSN-TV

The City of Wichita has renewed the Water Conservation Rebate Program for another year. On Monday, the city announced it has allocated $125,000 for rebates for customers who make purchases to help them save water. New this year is the inclusion of drought-tolerant grasses and shrubs.
Read more: KSN-TV

Incorrect information was sent to some Wichita voters, raising concerns about confusion, trust, and turnout ahead of the city-wide 1% sales tax vote. Wichita Forward, the organization that brought the sales tax to the council, circulated a mailer that included an advance ballot application listing the wrong deadline and time to vote. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett held a news conference on Tuesday. On Monday, KSN heard from the League of Women Voters and the Sedgwick County district attorney about why accuracy matters and when a mistake could become a legal issue.
Read more: KSN-TV

Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits including “Joy to the World," “One” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early ’70s, died Monday. He was 83. He died of complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to his publicist Zach Farnum.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

There are important meetings Tuesday night regarding the future home of the Chiefs. Late in December, the team announced they planned to build a new stadium in the western portion of Wyandotte County, near I-70 and I-435. If you want to weigh in on the city giving back some of its future sales tax revenue back to paying off the stadium development, you need to show up to Kansas City, Kansas, City Hall for Tuesday night’s meeting that starts at 5:30 p.m. The commission won’t vote on this issue until Thursday at 5:30 pm, but after talking with Unified Government of Wyandotte County Administrator David Johnston Monday, he wants the state and the local sales tax increment to be a much smaller portion of the county.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

USD 244 Burlington has a new superintendent. Donalyn Biehler was chosen as the district’s new leader last week. She currently leads USD 487 Herington. Biehler replaces Craig Marshall, who is retiring after 10 years leading the district. She officially begins her new duties July 1.
Read more: KVOE

Removing the ban on three dog breeds considered to be aggressive went nowhere at Monday night’s city council meeting. Police Chief Aaron Slater proposed lifting the ban on pit bulls and Rottweilers about a month ago. Council members did not see the need, and since the policy was not changing, no vote was needed.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

After interviewing outside candidates for its new superintendent Renwick USD 267 realized it had the right person at home as the district announced Friday that Assistant Superintendent Lacee Sell will become superintendent of Renwick USD 267 on July 1. Sell joined the school district last summer. She previously served as superintendent of Chapman USD 473 for five years and Clinton County R-IIII School District in Plattsburg, Mo., for three years. She also has been a system alignment and collaboration specialist with Kansas Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Alignment, associate superintendent with Geary County USD 475, and executive director of teaching and learning with Manhattan-Ogden USD 383. “The board is certain in our choice of Mrs. Lacee Sell and confident that, under her leadership, Renwick will continue to be recognized as an exceptionally strong school district for academics as well as extracurricular activities,” Board of Education President Mark McFadden said in the announcement. “Our board is extremely proud of Renwick and the culture, values, and history on which we are built. We believe Lacee will be an excellent steward for Renwick moving forward.”
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Everyone who spoke at Monday’s Yates Center City Council meeting was unanimous in saying they support law enforcement. But paths diverged when discussion turned to how much the city should pay to maintain its own police force. Monday’s 2-hour discussion was the first after a pair of mid-January Council meetings, during the first a split Council voted to greatly downsize the department; and a special meeting one night later to undo that decision. Anticipating a large crowd for follow-up debate, the city moved Monday’s meeting from City Hall to Yates Center Town Hall to accommodate a large crowd. Roughly 70 attended.
Read more: The Iola Register

Iolan Braxton Curry, who graduated from PSU in December with a degree in graphic communications, provided the winning submission in a community billboard contest. Braxton Curry graduated from Pittsburg State University in December, having earned a bachelor of science degree in graphic communications. It didn’t take her long to make her first mark in her post-college career. The Iola native’s design was picked this week by Iola’s Community Involvement Task Force-PRIDE members as the winner in a citywide billboard drawing contest. Curry’s design is a relatively simple one, with the word “IOLA” written in thick block letters, with each letter illustrating various community attractions, including imagery of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, the courthouse clock, Iola’s trails and the downtown business district.
Read more: The Iola Register

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. For the first time, the groundwater management district is proposing potentially significant water cuts, reducing water pumping by 5% each year for the next 20 years. Farmers are ready to do the work, but these kinds of changes are not going to come easy, and there is still a lot of pushback.
Read more: The Iola Register

Iola’s newly established land bank is open for business. This bank is not a financial institution in a traditional sense. You can’t go in and ask for a loan, or even make a deposit. In fact, its only “assets” will be vacant lots, with the intention of filling them with new homes or businesses. The City of Iola Land Bank announced last week it is now accepting residential properties for donation. There are a few notable stipulations, said Matt Rehder, city administrator. For one, the land must be vacant with no structures, and at least 50 feet by 100 feet. The current owners must have a clear title, and must be up to date on property taxes. Secondly, the land must be donated. The city has no such thing as a “land bank” budget, Rehder noted, and thus will not be able to pay for any pieces of land. Similarly, the city would donate the property to prospective developers.
Read more: The Iola Register

The Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board has advanced new clarifications on Riley County’s short-term rental regulations, aiming to make enforcement more consistent and less subjective. The decision attempts to clarify vague wording with how county staff interpret when a 500-foot separation distance between units can be waived, so that decisions are based on clear standards and not arbitrary in nature. Short-term rental regulations have been in place since Riley County adopted its updated land-development regulations in 2022. County counselor Jacob Hansen told the planning board Monday that staff didn’t have any clear direction on when and how to interpret when a waiver should be granted.
Read more: themercury.com

Synopsis: K.S.A. 2-611 mandates that county residents elect the members of county extension councils. Because this statute concerns elections, counties may not invoke their home rule authority to exempt themselves from it.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2026-3

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.

The Kansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a long-running dispute over an amended planned unit development application by the Riley County Commission, which Prairiewood Holdings LLC has appealed. The dispute centers on whether a protest petition from neighboring landowners has met the legal threshold under state law. The county board initially ruled the protest petition did not apply because the project was only a PUD and not a rezoning. The Court of Appeals disagreed, holding that because the amendment increased building square footage by more than 1% county regulations required the same process as a rezoning, including allowing protest petitions.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The organizer of a petition against an agreement between the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said this week more than 200 people had signed the petition and that she hoped to speak with Sheriff David Falletti about the issue. “That’s all I want is a conversation that will hopefully lead to change,” Kaitlin Hicks said. “Sheriff Falletti has done a lot of really great things for our county and I have a lot of respect for him. Do I deeply, deeply disagree with the action the Sheriff’s department has made regarding this issue? Yes. Do I think it’s harmful to our county? Yes. However, I still respect him and I am thankful for his years of service.” The sheriff’s department signed an agreement with ICE in March that authorizes it to serve 48-hour detainers on behalf of ICE for people held in the Cowley County Jail, although Falletti said this week the jail had not implemented the practice because it had not yet received training to do so.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

County officials say they are ready to take legal enforcement action against several property owners who have not complied with sanitation code regulations of wastewater lagoons. During the Jan. 29 County Commission meeting, Lyon County Counselor Molly Priest said that after having given notices to a number of property owners in the county, four or five had taken “little to no steps” towards compliance — mainly to do with fencing and vegetation issues — and could face Class C misdemeanor cases.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

The Olathe City Council is set to vote on a plan to use tax pledges to repay STAR bonds for the construction of a new Kansas City Chiefs team headquarters and practice facility, estimated to cost around $300 million.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

We could know as early as next week the exact location of a new Chiefs domed stadium in Wyandotte County. The Unified Government (UG) said a public hearing on the project will be held in the near future, but the date for that has not been set. The public hearing comes before the UG Commission must vote to approve allowing incremental sales tax growth in the stadium and surrounding district to be used to help pay off the Sales Tax and Revenue or STAR Bonds. The commission must vote by Feb. 20.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

The only thing missing was fateful “spaghetti western” music blaring from the sky. An impromptu snowball fight broke out on Jan. 28 between kids and members of the Newton Police Department in Military Park which resulted in heavy casualties for Newton PD. According to Chief Craig Dunlavy, the kids challenged members of the police department to the frozen water war in the afternoon and the department immediately accepted. “Who can resist a good snowball fight?” Dunlavy said. “Some of us in the office just went out, ‘let’s go have a little fun,’ we haven’t had snow in a while. We underestimated them, though.”
Read more: Harvey County Now

All through 2025, Halstead’s new industrial park speculative building sat empty. Mayor Gary Faelber wants to get someone into it by bringing in the assistance of a realtor. He told the council he was looking for a consensus to list the building with a realtor at the council’s meeting on January 28. The council discussed that possibility and agreed to meet with a realtor at a future date. City Manager Ethan Reimer confirmed that the building had been shown and that it’s available to all realtors through the LOIS (LocationOne) system, which is specific to commercial and industrial properties.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Individual retail investors (including their separately managed accounts), and their mutual fund proxies hold about 70% of outstanding municipal bonds according to MSRB data (MSRB-Muni-Facts.pdf).  ETFs, representing 4% of the market, comprise the fastest growing segment. Banks (including credit unions), held about 9% of outstanding municipal securities through Q3 2025, a 19% decline since 2022. Although insurance companies hold 9% of outstanding municipal bonds, their portfolio allocations to the asset class have been declining.
Read more: Bond Buyer

The report is called the Douglas County EV Readiness Report. It was produced by the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and the city and county sustainability departments, and its goal is to support future planning for EV infrastructure as more electric cars get on the road.
Read more: LJWorld

A neighborhood squawk over chickens may be scratched — for now. The owner of eight hens and two roosters have rehomed the animals, but still faces a Valley Center Municipal Court hearing for potentially violating city ordinance. Meanwhile, others in the neighborhood around 63rd North and Sullivan on the south side of the city may have chickens or roosters that are disturbing the peace.
Read more: Ark Valley News

Fearing rising utility costs, job losses and privacy violations, residents have blocked or delayed data-center projects around the country.
Read more: Wall Street Journal

A Kansas native, Stiles has served in city governments in his home state for nearly 20 years, and is excited about the opportunity to take on this new challenge at the county level.
Read more: Salina Journal

Synopsis: K.S.A. 12-16,140 and 12-16,141 obligate state and local law enforcement officers to cooperate with federal immigration officials and to honor ICE detainer requests on the basis of such cooperation. State and local law enforcement officers are also authorized to arrest illegal aliens in cooperation with federal immigration officials.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2026-2

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.

Lawrence has already fallen short of its 2025 goal for fully powering municipal operations with renewable energy, and city staff say this, along with other targets, is unrealistic and lacks a clear path on how to achieve them. Now, staff want to recommend repealing an ordinance passed in 2020 outlining all of these goals.
Read more: LJWorld.com

Why is Hillsboro Industries in Newton? Housing, for one. Last week, local elected officials, city staff, business owners and others involved in economic development heard from and asked questions to a panel including GAF VP Tommy Richardson and Hillsboro Industries CEO Michael Gerkin. Both individuals answered the question about what made Newton attractive to their companies. “Newton had a strategic plan, and Newton’s doing housing,” he said. Gerkin said the lack of available housing made them begin to look outside of Hillsboro, where the company began. As part of their search, they traveled up and down I-135, considering a location.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Panasonic is exploring a potential shift at its De Soto battery plant as electric-vehicle sales slow and artificial intelligence data centers create new energy storage opportunities.
Read more: Kansas City Business Journal

On Tuesday, the House Elections Committee held hearings on House Bill 2452, a proposal to increase accountability in local government by moving all Kansas elections to even-numbered years. Currently, most local elections are held in odd-numbered years, often seeing voter turnout below 20 percent and even falling into the single digits in many communities. The bill aims to boost participation and ensure elected officials are accountable to a broader electorate. Chairman Pat Proctor noted that a previous effort to move local elections from spring to November in odd years failed to increase turnout, with some areas still seeing fewer than 10 percent of voters participating. Proctor also said he believes the measure could help address one of Kansas’s biggest challenges- rapidly rising property taxes- by giving more voters a say in local government decisions.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Organizers released the route map for this year’s Biking Across Kansas on Saturday. The annual group bike ride from one end of the state to the other will take place in June. This year’s route will travel from the Colorado border to the Missouri border on a southern path. The route mainly travels along U.S. Highway 160 Highway, with some deviations onto U.S. 56, U.S. 400 and other highways along the way.
Read more: KSN-TV

City of Lawrence staff will make recommendations to commissioners to repeal a 2020 renewable energy ordinance and instate a new resolution aiming to attain climate neutrality by 2050, which would be tied to a countywide climate plan. Kathy Richardson, the city’s sustainability director, said that climate neutrality is defined by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding greenhouse gas use in government operations and throughout the community. This would mean Lawrence has a net-zero emission level. The resolution hasn’t been drafted yet, as staff members want to first gauge commissioners’ interest in pursuing a revised project while sunsetting the ordinance. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Six viral diseases — including COVID-19, the flu and norovirus — have been found at high concentrations in Lawrence wastewater as Kansas communities face peak flu season. COVID-19, influenza A and B, RSV, human metapneumovirus, and norovirus have all been detected at high concentrations in Lawrence wastewater within the last three weeks. Wastewater data indicates trends of illnesses spreading within a community but does not correlate to exact case numbers, with doctors saying it’s normal to see high concentrations of respiratory illness during flu season. “Wastewater data does not measure individual cases, but it provides a reliable picture of how much virus is circulating in a community,” said Veronica White, preparedness and epidemiology coordinator for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. “This data captures viral genetic material shed by everyone using the sewer system. One factor that may be contributing to the higher concentrations of respiratory viruses seen in Lawrence’s wastewater is its larger population.”
Read more: The Lawrence Times