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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2026-08-07T10:07:18-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Lawrence school board approves settlement over winter energy bill spike, but district says details are ‘confidential’ and will not be shared with public

A dispute over the cost of natural gas during a major freeze in Kansas last winter between the Lawrence school district and its energy provider has been resolved through a legal settlement. However, the details of that settlement have not been publicly released, and it’s unclear how much public funding is being spent on the district’s gas bill for that time period. Additionally, as part of the settlement the district is switching natural gas providers, which will lead to a rise in the district’s annual gas spending.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Douglas County leaders approve new animal control rules for rural areas, including rules against allowing dogs to run loose or ‘put a person in fear’

Douglas County leaders have approved changes to the animal control code that aim to improve how the county handles issues such as dogs running loose, displaying threatening behavior or harming people or other animals. As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission voted unanimously to approve revisions to the county’s animal control code for unincorporated or rural areas, including provisions related to nuisance animals, vicious animals and reckless pet owners. The code changes come as the county prepares to transition the handling of animal control from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to the Lawrence Humane Society, and Commission Chair Shannon Portillo said she thought the updates to the code and enforcement method would make the county more responsive to concerns.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Johnson County now sports a new fire station, thanks to this school district

Overland Park has opened a new fire station that resulted from the city’s partnership with the Blue Valley School District. The station, at 12301 W. 175th St. near Blue Valley Southwest High School, sits on land that was donated by the school district. In return, the district is able to offer a district-wide fire science program using Overland Park training facilities and instructors from the fire department. City and school officials gathered Nov. 29 to dedicate the new Station 48.
Source: Joco 913 News

McAnarney sits in on last official meeting

Outgoing city manager Mark McAnarney sat in on his last meeting with the Emporia City Commission Wednesday. At least in an official capacity. McAnarney announced his retirement in June and the city commission hired Trey Cocking as his replacement on Oct. 20. Cocking will officially take over the role Dec. 7. “This is going to be Mark McAnarney’s last formal meeting with the city commission before we transition to our new hire next week, so on behalf of myself and commissioners you’ve worked with over 30 years, 31 years, 32 years — you’ve provided so much to the city of Emporia,” said Mayor Rob Gilligan. “Your leadership and dedication has been recognized by many and we certainly appreciate that.”
Source: Emporia Gazette

Huron City Council now complete

The table for Huron City Council leadership has come full circle for all the respective 4-year terms of elected officials. After votes were counted as the result of the 2021 local cities and schools Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 2, there was a three-way tie between write-in candidates … Undecided was who will fill the open two seats for Huron City Council due to a three-way tie between three write-in potentials … County Clerk Michelle Phillips, the county’s chief election officer, directed the canvassers to randomly pull two names from a cup to determine who’ll fill the vacant posts.
Source: News | atchisonglobenow.com

County OKs franchise fee for Great Plains

Great Plains Industrial Park may soon benefit from a 3% franchise fee collected on electricity used within park boundaries. The park staff will use the money, estimated to be about $9,600 a year, for park infrastructure improvements. Labette County commissioners on Tuesday approved two resolutions related to the franchise fee to be collected by Evergy, the utility providing electricity to the 36 meters within park boundaries. … The Kansas Legislature gave former federal enclaves — Great Plains is on the land formerly occupied by the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant — the ability to collect franchise fees.
Source: Parsons Sun

Bond Investors Bet on Low Peak Interest Rates

Yields indicate the central bank won’t raise short-term rates above 2%, suggesting to some investors either economic weakness or market complacency. … the yield on the seven-year Treasury note has climbed this year from 0.643% to 1.353% as of Wednesday. But that is still very low, given investors now expect the Fed to raise rates in just six months or so. The implication from bond yields generally is that the Fed won’t ultimately lift rates higher than about 1.5% to 2%, according to analysts. By comparison, Fed officials have indicated they believe the fed-funds rate, the rate at which banks can lend excess reserves to each other overnight, will reach 2.5% over the longer run—the same as the so-called terminal rate reached in 2018 at the end of the central bank’s last cycle of rate increases.
Source: Wall Street Journal.

Recently released novel set in Newton

A home built in the Italianate architecture style on Ambleside Lane in Newton is one many probably haven’t seen, let alone known of its existence. Built in 1883, it contains the figurative spirits of the past, written about in the book “We, the House,” in the form of history, as well as period décor. Several people have resided in the home, which supplies the setting for the book, written by New York residents Warren Ashworth and Susan Kander, and published in print Oct. 7, 2021, and Oct. 13 on Kindle.
Source: Harvey County Now

Wichita Public Library announces new streaming service and 28 day internet bundle access checkouts

The Wichita Public Library announced new services this week. On Wednesday, the library announced that residents with a Wichita Public Library card now can stream movies, documentaries, foreign films and TV series with Kanopy. Kanopy is a video streaming platform dedicated to thoughtful and thought-provoking films. Each month, customers can check out seven films, access two courses from The Great Courses, and watch content on Kanopy Kids. This is a free service only accessible through the library.
Source: KSN-TV

Officials discuss options to fix county’s radio coverage gap

County officials are reviewing options to correct a 800 MHz radio system coverage gap in the northeast corner of the county. The $8.3 million radio system from Motorola became fully operational in early July and is to be used by first responders with all the agencies in the county. Law enforcement and emergency management officials reported Nov. 17 there is a 12-square-mile section of “dead space” in the northeast, as well as some possible coverage lapses in the southwest and west-central parts of the county. It appears that missing data from the radio testing period could be responsible for some of problem, officials said.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Importance of ‘ruralpreneurs’ touted

Rural Kansans tend to overlook the benefits of their small communities, said Ron Wilson, who has spent recent decades focused on how to build them up. “I think we under-appreciate the good things about where we live in the rural heartland,” Wilson said. With COVID-19 causing a shift of employees to remote work, rural Kansas can take advantage of that by drawing more people to live and work via computer link from its rural communities. “We believe it’s a window of opportunity,” said Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Wilson spoke at the Marysville City Building recently at the last in a fall lecture series funded by Kansas Humanities.
Source: The Marysville Advocate

Pottawatomie County to pay 3% cost of living increase, $600 bonus

Pottawatomie County government employees will receive a 3% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2022. Along with the COLA, those employees still on staff who worked during the COVID-19 shutdown will receive a $600 one-time bonus. The decision came Monday after a long discussion that spanned several Pottawatomie County Commission meetings. The adjustment will come from the general fund while the one-time bonus comes from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Commissioners had considerable debate on how much should be funded in each area – or even if the bonus should be funded at all.
Source: themercury.com

Public weighs in on planned tourist attraction in Derby

The City of Derby heard public feedback Tuesday night on a project developers say would bring a quarter of a million people to town each year. The project is called “Crystal Lagoons,” a tourist attraction with a public beach, aquatic sports, hotels and more. The plans come with a hefty price tag, about $130 million. Last month, the Derby City Council voted to expand its STAR bond district to fund the Crystal Lagoons project planned for acreage near Rock Road and Patriot Avenue. The proposal for the project comes from the same developers behind the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. “This developer is proposing a public/private partnership to bring in a new attraction, a public-access lagoon where people can do watersports, plus Marriot Suites hotels connected to an indoor waterpark,” Derby City Manager Kathy Sexton said.
Source: KWCH.

Kansas has many older houses and too few workers in skilled trades, statewide survey says

Older housing stock, limited options for low-and-middle-income residents and a lack of workers in the skilled trades are among the problems plaguing the state’s housing supply, according to interim findings from a statewide housing survey. The survey, the first of its kind in 30 years, is set to be released in full later this year. But representatives from the consulting firm that handled the report kicked off a statewide tour to unveil a snapshot of the results Monday in Topeka, with no shortage of areas for lawmakers to address. Improving housing access has been a common theme in urban and rural areas alike and economists have pointed to it as a key element in strengthening Kansas’ economy moving forward.
Source: Salina Journal.

Augusta lights up with historic theatre lights

The Augusta Historic Theatre’s marquee has been dark for over a decade due to storm damage, but with help from the community tonight they are shining bright. Young and old gathered in awe as the marquee neon sign above the Augusta Historic Theatre glimmered bright. “It’s awesome. Actually, I kind of forgot what it looked like. It’s kind of a staple for the downtown area,” said parent Tanner Lee. The theater, which was built in 1935 had been without lights on the marquee for 11 years after a storm damaged it in 2010.
But with help from the community the town was able to restore it.Source: KAKE – News

Fort Scott residents celebrate life of Gordon Parks on his birthday

The last day of November means something every year to the people in and around Fort Scott. November 30th is Gordon Parks’ birthday. He would’ve been 109-years old today. And the museum that bears his name held a special celebration. “Gordon Parks is an internationally known photographer, film maker, writer, musician, poet, you name it – he’s done it. He’s a renaissance man,” said Kirk Sharp, Executive Director of the Gordon Parks Museum. The Gordon Parks Musuem located at Fort Scott Community College is celebrating the trailblazer.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Visit Wichita study calls for new convention center to replace Century II

A consulting firm hired by Visit Wichita says it’s time for the city to replace the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center with a new facility, even as the national convention industry remains mired in a COVID-19 funk. Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, which also recommended replacing Century II in a 2013 study, has produced a second feasibility study saying that the historic facility has outlived its usefulness as a convention center and that the Wichita market could support a new facility. The study makes no explicit recommendation on what should happen to Century II’s existing facilities, including its iconic blue dome. It mentions that a “new” convention center could mean either a brand new facility or the redevelopment and expansion of Bob Brown Expo Hall, which was added to Century II in 1986.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Natives of a small Kansas town just opened a brewery, and Wichitans are making the trip

A small Kansas town not too far from Wichita has just added a craft brewery, owned by two women who grew up there. And so far, the response to Ladybird Brewing — which officially opened on Nov. 13 in an old gas station building in downtown Winfield — has been more enthusiastic than the owners anticipated. In fact, their Thanksgiving Saturday traffic, which saw people lined up for seats long before the doors opened, has them thinking they may need to expand their staff.
Source: Dining With Denise Neil |

Thunderbirds to headline 2022 McConnell air show

McConnell Air Force Base recently announced the return of air shows to the base, with Frontiers in Flight 2022 scheduled for Sept. 24-25, 2022.This event marks McConnell’s first air show in four years. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline the free event, along with a wide variety of civilian and military static aircraft – including the KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46A Pegasus – throughout the two-day show. The open house and air show is expected to host more than 150,000 visitors over the two-day event and generate upwards of $6 million of economic stimulus for the local and surrounding communities.
Source: Derby Informer | News

KS housing survey: despite population growth JoCo, WyCo not meeting community needs

The Kansas City Metro area is the fastest growing region in Kansas but, like the rest of the state, it struggles to fill the housing needs of its community. Preliminary results of a statewide survey, the first of its kind in 30 years, found that 30% of homes in Kansas were built before 1960 and that the state lacks diverse housing options for middle income buyers and renters. Full results of the housing needs assessment, conducted over the past year by the Office of Rural Prosperity and Kansas Housing Resource Corporation, will be released in December or January. Before that, researchers are touring the state holding public presentations on regional findings.
Source: KC Star Local News

Hillsboro golf course superintendent to retire after 32 years

Almost anyone who has golfed in Hillsboro anytime in the past 30 years or so knows who Gary Andrews is, because he is always around the golf course and always friendly. “Gary has done amazing things for the Hillsboro Golf Course,” Hillsboro City Administrator Matt Stiles said. “Gary works as hard as anyone I’ve ever known and has devoted himself to making sure Hillsboro has a superb golf course. Gary is also the first one to offer a hand or advice on other projects around the city. Expertise and work ethic like that don’t come around very often, and the city has been lucky to have Gary all these years.” Andrews has been the superintendent at the Hillsboro GolfCourse for almost 32 years. He is retiring at the beginning of the year, although he is basically done now and taking vacation time for the rest of the year.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press

Take a look at recent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The United States Department of Education recently announced sweeping (and welcome) changes to the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. These changes make it easier for government and nonprofit workers to gain tax-free forgiveness on their federal student loans when working for a qualified employer. This is welcome news for public servants. Forgiveness has no cap and could reach into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for qualified individuals. PSLF in its original form requires four criteria to achieve forgiveness…
Source: Joco 913 News

Crazy home prices hit rural Kansas and Missouri

All across the United States, the pandemic has sparked high housing prices in places long insulated from them, even rural Kansas and Missouri towns with historically low real estate values. As KCUR’S Frank Morris reports, a surge of interest in some of these markets is squeezing out long-time residents.
Source: KCUR News (Audio Report)

Prairie Village measured its city’s carbon footprint — here is what the report said

The city of Prairie Village emitted more than 227,000 metric tons of green gas emissions in 2020, according to the city’s first-ever study of its overall carbon footprint. Last year, Prairie Village entered an agreement with Kansas City-based Dynamhex to track the city’s greenhouse gas emissions — with the goal of ultimately using that data to come up with ways to reduce emissions. Prairie Village along with Roeland Park are the only Johnson County cities so far to get such an emissions report.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Wichita Public Library now has 250 internet bundles, hoping to bridge digital divide for residents

“One of our library pillars of operation is digital inclusion, making sure people have access to adequate digital resources, so internet, computers, printing, faxing, that sort of thing. We hope that with the internet bundles, people with low or no internet connectivity, who need access to the internet the most, whether to do school work or find jobs or for leisure activities, can utilize these bundles and connect and finish the work that they need to get done,” Jones shared. All you need to borrow one of these internet bundles is a library card in good standing. If you do not have one, you can visit one of Wichita Public Library’s 7 locations to register.
Source: KAKE – News

Sedgwick County mulls doubling fine for hobby shooters whose stray bullets menace neighbors

A month after passing a $500 fine for recreational shooters whose bullets stray onto neighboring properties, Sedgwick County is aiming to pass two measures that together could raise the penalty to $1,000. The companion proposals on the Dec. 1 County Commission agenda are a follow-up to the Nov. 3 passage of a law requiring backyard target shooters to confine flying lead to their own property. During debate on that measure, Commissioner Lacey Cruse argued that the $500 fine was not enough to deter unsafe shooting and may not generate enough money to pay for the law’s enforcement.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Rural setting is backdrop for unique cemetery in Sedgwick County

A unique cemetery will soon offer a peaceful place to rest that at times looks and sounds like it did when wagons rolled across the vast Kansas prairie. Prairie Home Scattering Garden, in a rural part of Sedgwick County between Derby and Rose Hill, opens soon with the aim of offering an affordable and remote place for people wanting to bury their loved ones. The cemetery and almost all of the contiguous land around it were gifted in 2003 to two nonprofits by Raymond Fleming Jr., an oil and gas investor who died in 2015. One of the non-profits, Sunflower Land Trust, specializes in land conservation. The other, Breakthrough — Episcopal Social Services, aims to help people in poverty and suffering with mental illnesses.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Governor appoints new KDHE secretary

Governor Laura Kelly has appointed a former Topeka hospital executive as the new secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Janet Stanek has most recently been director of the state employee health benefits program. She replaces Dr. Lee Norman, who announced his resignation Nov. 19. He’d been the health department’s top administrator since Kelly took office in January 2019. Kelly’s office said in a Monday news release that Stanek has held healthcare leadership positions in Pennsylvania, New York and Kansas. Stanek spent 21 years at Stormont Vail Health Topeka, where she last was chief operating officer and senior vice president. Stanek will serve as acting secretary until the Senate confirms her appointment.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Riley County approves contract for company to archive social media communication

Riley County commissioners on Monday approved a contract with Archive Social to keep records of the government’s social media interactions. Archive Social, a company based in Durham, North Carolina, will have access to the county government’s social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, to archive communication between the public and the government. The company will archive the communication for public record and archival purposes or if a legal matter arises. The annual cost of $2,988 will be prorated for 2021. Without this service, officials said Riley County might not have access to all conversations with the public through social media.
Source: themercury.com

Pandemic Assistance Drinking Water and Wastewater Funding Available

  • The Emergency Water Assistance Program (EWAP) provides payments to restore or prevent disconnection of drinking water and wastewater services
  • Eligible Kansas households are those with a combined gross income equal to or less than 150 percent of Federal Poverty Level
  • Funding available: $9 million
  • DCF, not the water vendor, will accept applications from households beginning Dec. 1

Learn more at http://www.dcf.ks.gov/EWAP

USDA Begins Accepting Applications for $1.15 Billion in Loans and Grants to Help People Living in Rural Communities Get Access to High-Speed Internet

USDA is making $1.15 billion in funding available through the ReConnect Program starting today. Eligible applicants are state, local or territory governments; corporations; Native American Tribes; limited liability companies and cooperative organizations. This funding, which does not include the nearly $2 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is available for projects that serve rural areas where at least 90 percent of the households lack broadband service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). USDA will give funding priority to projects that will serve people in low-density rural areas and areas lacking internet access services at speeds of at least 25 Mbps (download) and 3 Mbps (upload). Applicants must commit to building facilities capable of providing broadband service at speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in a proposed service area at the same time. In making funding decisions, USDA will also consider the economic needs of the community to be served; the extent to which a provider will offer affordable service options; a project’s commitment to strong labor standards; and whether a project is serving Tribal lands or is submitted by a local government, Tribal government, non-profit or cooperative.
Applications for funding must be submitted through USDA Rural Development’s online application system on the ReConnect webpage. For additional information, see the Oct. 25, 2021, Federal Register.

Sexton, Mangus prepare for looming Derby city manager transition

The proverbial clock is ticking at Derby City Hall. As December approaches, staff are preparing for a shift in management as Deputy City Manager Kiel Mangus gets ready to take over for current City Manager Kathy Sexton. Sexton’s last day working for the city (Dec. 10) is less than a month away, leaving not much time to impart any last bits of wisdom to Mangus as he prepares to take over for his predecessor. Mangus took on a new position within Derby as deputy city manager when he was hired three years ago. While that allowed for the shuffling of some city manager duties, both he and Sexton realize there is still quite a bit to glean about the role (especially over the last month) before the transfer of responsibilities. “We’re a big small city, so the city manager does a lot of different things. I want to make sure I understand how she handles those day-to-day items and those key relationships that I may not know…”
Source: Derby Informer | News

Derby recognizes neighborly manner with new awards

Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor? Hearing those lyrics from the children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” would not have been out of place at the Nov. 9 Derby City Council meeting, as Derby’s Melvin Robinson and the Hamilton Estates HOA were presented with the inaugural Neighbor and Neighborhood of the Year awards. And the efforts they were honored for would have made Fred Rogers proud. “This award program was launched early this year to highlight and recognize contributions by individuals and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life and feel of community in their neighborhoods and in Derby as a whole,” said Derby HOA liaison Judy Morris.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Iola changes holding policy for animals

Animals taken to the shelter by city employees can be held for five business days before ACARF officials can put the dogs or cats up for adoption. The city’s previous contract allowed for 10 days. The hope is to reduce overcrowding.
Source: The Iola Register

Miami County’s new radio system has coverage gap

The new 800 MHz radio system designed to blanket the county with 95 percent coverage has a 12-square-mile hole in it. The $8.3 million radio system from Motorola became fully operational in early July and is to be used by first responders with all the agencies in the county. Officials with the Miami County Sheriff’s Office reported to county commissioners at their Nov. 17 study session there is a gap in coverage in the northeast corner of the county. “We have some area up there, 12 square miles, of dead space where we can’t reach our communications at the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Frank Kelly said.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Lawrence neighborhood’s road barriers aim to cut traffic but frustrate some residents

Those heading home to Old West Lawrence for the holiday might need to ask for directions. The routes that residents have taken for years are now obstructed by temporary road barriers. It’s an experimental effort to prevent speeding and excess traffic through neighborhood streets, instead pushing drivers out to arterial roads and collector streets. Some residents of the neighborhood have concerns about the barriers’ consequences — both intended and unintended. Maren Bradley, vice president of the OWL neighborhood association, said that during an annual meeting in January, residents’ concerns about speeding, unsafe drivers and the potential dangers for kids, pedestrians and bicyclists “came to a fever pitch.” Speed bumps and speed tables in the neighborhood had not achieved the desired effects, and cut-through traffic to get to the nearby University of Kansas campus has remained a concern for many.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Sedgwick County looks to San Antonio for inspiration on helping those who are homeless

Every weekday at San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters, people line up at windows to report crimes, seek advice, maybe challenge a parking ticket. But not everyone is here to conduct typical police business. Some are unsheltered and have heard the police can help them get or recover an ID, removing a huge barrier to receiving services. The ID program is the brainchild of the police department’s homeless outreach team, and it represents one piece of a puzzle that San Antonio and Bexar County (population 2 million) have been putting together since the early 2000s. Its purpose: to reduce the number of people living on the streets and to try to help those with mental illness and addiction issues who often end up in courts and jails.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Boot Hill Casino, DraftKings set groundwork for sports wagering

Managers of Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City entered an agreement with a mobile sports gambling company in anticipation the state of Kansas would eventually adopt legislation and regulations to legalize that form of wagering. DraftKings reached a deal with BHCMC, a subsidiary of Butler National Corp. that operates Boot Hill Casino, to eventually bring an online sportsbook to that western Kansas casino. “DraftKings is a leader in this fast growing industry and will bring a trusted, experienced mobile sports betting application to sports fans in Kansas when the law allows,” said Clark Stewart, chief executive officer at Boot Hill Casino.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Chase County internet gets faster by choice, construction

The novel coronavirus may have slowed your life in some ways but it may have increased your speed of internet service. An October report by the WhistleOut website showed internet download speeds in Kansas have accelerated 60.3% this year. In Cottonwood Falls, it was planned that way. “Because we were recipients of CARES broadband infrastructure grants, we were able to pass about 13,000 premises during the last quarter of 2020,” said Jade Piros de Carvalho, IdeaTek Director of Industry and Community Relations. IdeaTek’s lines cover a large area of central and southwest Kansas. But she noted Chase County was one of the company’s target locations for money allocated last year by Gov. Laura Kelly. The company spent around $4.5 million there.
Source: Emporia Gazette

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