Municipal News & Jobs

The Geary County Food Pantry officially opened its new facility to the public on Thursday, May 29th, welcoming a long line of guests eager to access food resources. Located in Junction City, the new 3,800-square-foot building, built by Hutton Construction, more than doubles the size of the previous location.
Source: KCLY Radio

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced that nearly $4 million in EPA Brownfields Grants have been awarded to support environmental cleanup and redevelopment efforts in Kansas. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the announcement alongside EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek, and Mitchell County Economic Development Director Emily Benedick.
Source: KCLY Radio

Coffey County Commissioners were told that their application for $1.9 billion in Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) grant funds was denied; throwing the construction of a proposed Burlington computer chip factory into question. On May 19, commissioners heard from County Counselor Wade Bowie, II, about CHIPS funding. According to Bowie, the transition between the Biden and Trump administrations likely resulted in the denial.
Source: KSN-TV

An area fire department provides hands-on training, giving recruits a chance to prepare for what they’ll see in emergencies. Pittsburg Fire Department recruits entered a live house burn as part of the department’s new training initiative. Surrounding fire departments also came to observe and learn. The simulation included smoke, sirens, and fire, designed to reflect real-life situations. This approach helps trainees practice and learn under pressure, which in turn will help them become firefighters.
Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

A local renter-led advocacy group plans to present the Douglas County Commission an ordinance to guarantee tenants legal representation in eviction cases.  Lawrence Tenants hope for the ordinance to be on the commission’s agenda for consideration by August. The proposed TRTC ordinance would cover every tenant regardless of their income; cover any legal proceeding where a tenant could lose their housing or housing subsidy; provide legal representation; and require that the county contract with nonprofit legal providers for the service, according to Sprague’s presentation. 
Source: The Lawrence Times

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.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that in partnership with the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation and Sunflower Foundation, the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $298,825 in Towns Grant funding to support 32 small-scale projects across Kansas. The funded projects are quality-of-place investments that create quick, meaningful results in rural communities across the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Kansas law allows a school district board of education to expend funds to improve leased property. General obligation bonds may fund improvements to leased properties that are necessary for school district purposes. However, capital outlay funds may not be used to improve leased properties.
Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that nearly $600,000 has been awarded in the latest round of Tourism Attraction Development Grant funding, bringing the total awarded this fiscal year to more than $1 million. The new grants will support 32 communities through 21 projects aimed at developing new or enhancing existing tourism attractions across the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Iola City Council members will decide soon whether to allow extended fireworks sales now that they’re allowed by the state. The Iola City Council will decide at its June 9 meeting whether to allow extended fireworks sales, although prospects look iffy. Currently, fireworks sales are allowed in Iola from outside the current eight-day window, from June 27 through July 5. State lawmakers extended the sales dates from June 20 through July 7 from temporary facilities, or year-round sales from permanent structures.
Source: The Iola Register

The City of Garden City is thrilled to announce the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bob Halloran Community Park, a new recreational space designed to promote inclusivity and community engagement.
Source: Garden City, KS – News Flash

Recent rainy weather has led to water levels at Cheney Reservoir rising more than a foot since a low point in mid-May, but more precipitation is needed to ease drought restrictions in Wichita heading into summer. Even with the U.S. Drought Monitor removing Wichita from its drought distinction, the watering restrictions in the city will remain in place for the foreseeable future due to still-low levels at the reservoir, which is the source of Wichita’s water.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Cheery chatbots offering help with property valuation appeals or tax bills won’t be popping up on the Johnson County website any time soon. But artificial intelligence is beginning to seep into the county’s administration in various other ways — enough so that commissioners and county technology experts recently began crafting a policy for how it will be used and overseen.
Source: Johnson County Post

A pilot program intended to make it easier to build homes in Overland Park from a group of pre-selected designs is nearly ready to launch. Earlier this month, city staff told the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee that preparations for the pilot program were wrapping up and that it could be available in June or July.
Source: Johnson County Post

Over the next few weeks, Wyandotte County commissioners will need to decide whether to freeze property tax revenues for a second consecutive year. And at least one local official said it’s time for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to stop playing games with taxpayers over the matter.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Cheney Lake is now up over a foot since the beginning of May thanks to the abundance of rain. According to the latest data from the National Water Prediction Service, that lake is at 1,414.85 feet as of 7 a.m. Thursday. At the beginning of the month, the lake was at 1413.7 feet. The lake is measuring at 6.75 feet below normal. The City of Wichita remains in Stage 2 of its drought plan. The conservation pool is just around 62.75%. The next drought trigger is when the conservation pool drops to 50% of its capacity.
Source: KSN-TV

It’s been ten days since a tornado tore through the town of Plevna in Reno County. The EF-3 storm left a path of destruction, but the damage does not meet the threshold required for state or federal disaster aid. According to Adam Weishaar, director of Reno County Emergency Management, nine homes were destroyed and about 20 others sustained damage on May 18. Roughly half of the affected homes were uninsured. Despite the devastation, the extent of the damage still falls short of qualifying for assistance.
Source: KSN-TV

The City of Emporia is topping off its new state-of-the-art fire station. The final beam was installed on Wednesday for the new Emporia fire station. Work on this facility has been ongoing for several years, and is a huge upgrade for the city’s fire department. The Emporia Fire Department worked out of the Civic Auditorium basement for the past 85 years. A city commissioner said the long-awaited upgrade will benefit fire crews and Emporia locals alike.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Bikers from around the world are gathering in Emporia for this year’s annual Unbound Gravel race. The Unbound Gravel race officially kicks off on Thursday, May 29 and lasts through to Sunday, June 1. Around 5,000 riders are expected to participate in the various races offered through Unbound, including the 350-mile race.
Source: KSNT 27 News