Municipal News & Jobs

As a regional librarian for the Johnson County Library, it’s Chris Koppenhaver’s job to be around books inside. As a dad of two boys, it’s been Koppenhaver’s joy to be around books outside. Koppenhaver and his sons have been among the countless patrons of the library system’s Walk and Read — a program that takes storytelling outside a library building. Walk and Read posts pages from children’s books on a series of real estate signs placed along walkways. This fall, Walk and Reads will be offered in seven parks and the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.
Read more: Homepage

Iola City Council members discussed Monday a proposal to handle requests if someone wishes to have a person’s remains moved from either of the city’s two cemeteries. Iola will likely soon have an ordinance in place to follow in case the city receives a request to have a person’s remains removed from either Highland or Iola Cemetery. The discussion is both proactive and reactive, Parks and Cemetery Superintendent Robby Droessler said at Monday’s City Council meeting. He relayed a discussion he had with an individual in June who had inquired about having a relative’s urn removed from a cemetery plot in Iola.
Read more: The Iola Register

The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the microschool movement across the country, as families sought alternatives during shutdowns and remote schooling. The trend has continued post-pandemic, as part of a broader desire for educational choice. Last summer, the district reached out to several families who had planned to pull their kids out of Wichita schools. Some were headed to private or religious schools, others to homeschool. They changed their minds and instead enrolled at Creative Minds Academy.
Read more: The Iola Register

A grant that was initially meant to establish one more free Narcan vending machine will now support eight machines around Lawrence, and the first three were installed this week. Lawrence’s Homeless Solutions Division received $200,000 in grant funding from Kansas Fights Addiction to set up one Narcan vending machine. A partnership with Schmidt Vending allowed the city to repurpose used machines rather than purchasing brand new, meaning the money will stretch to cover eight machines. Narcan or naloxone, the FDA-approved, over-the-counter nasal treatment, blocks the effects of opiates on the brain and restores breathing. It’s effective against all opiates and opioids — heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and similar prescription and street drugs — although some overdoses may take multiple doses to reverse.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The City of Lawrence is seeking community feedback on a draft policy that details how the city will invest in affordable housing projects and what criteria developers must meet. The 54-page draft policy lays out details such as definitions of affordability; requirements that proposals must meet; various types of incentives the city will consider providing for projects; how long housing units must remain affordable and much more. The policy is a piece of larger city and county initiatives intended to increase housing availability in Lawrence, particularly for financially stressed households, and to reduce homelessness.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

How is it that a political candidate is simultaneously in the running for two local boards? And, can a public utilities board member also snag Wyandotte County’s top leadership role? In Lisa Walker-Yeager’s and Rose Mulvany Henry’s cases, government ethics and elections officials say the distinction between whether someone can put their hat in the ring for multiple spots — which they can — and whether they can actually serve in those roles is subject to legal interpretation. In other words, it’s not immediately clear if someone who runs for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas’s commission and the Board of Public Utilities can win and keep both positions.
Read more: Homepage

A portion of Route 66 in southeast Kansas has a new feature. It’s a Centennial Arch on Front Street in Galena. In case you’re unaware, The Mother Road turns 100 years old next year. And, the idea for this project has been brewing for quite some time. Former mayor, and self-described Route 66 roadie, Dale Oglesby came up with it in 2011.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Carolyn Caiharr is running unopposed for re-election as mayor of Edwardsville in November. In September, her Wyandotte County constituency will grow about five times larger. Caiharr faced no challengers earlier this month when local Republican precinct committee members chose her to replace outgoing Rep. Mike Thompson, who is retiring from politics to care for his ailing wife. House District 33 includes Edwardsville, much of Bonner Springs, the southwest corner of Kansas City, Kansas, and the northernmost tip of Lake Quivira.
Read more: Homepage

The Newton City Commission approved an incentive package aimed at making Newton an easier and nicer place for travelers to stay. Community Development Director Zach McHatton discussed the plan at the city’s Aug. 26 meeting. “Over the past several months, staff have reviewed best practices from peer communities and evaluated Newton’s current economic development policy to determine how hotel-specific incentives can be structured effectively,” he stated in materials presented at the meeting.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Emergency personnel are dealing with a gas leak in the new Fox Ridge subdivision in Newton. Lee Miller, assistant director for Harvey County Emergency Management, requested and received a disaster declaration from the county commissioners on Tuesday morning, formalizing the verbal declaration he previously made. According to the City of Newton, the Kansas Gas Service discovered the emission last Friday as it conducted a site survey near Southeast 10th and Logan. Since investigating, Kansas Gas states that the gas is not coming from its lines.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Newton Fire and EMS used their ladder truck to help lower a person in handcuffs from a roof early Friday morning. The event occurred around 5 a.m. on August 22, at the apartment building on the corner of Fifth and Main Street in Newton. According to Deputy Police Chief Scott Powell, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance where two roommates were arguing.
Read more: Harvey County Now

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.

There’s a certain comfort that communities take in being able to pick up the phone, dial 911 and get help on possibly the worst day of their lives. Elijah Robinson of Newton is one of those people at the other end of the call who rush to help, and he’s doing that as an EMT with Hesston Fire/EMS.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A new $3.1 billion large-scale data center campus will be built near the new Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto starting next year. On Thursday, the De Soto City Council approved the proposed 290-acre development backed by industrial revenue bonds, with little opposition voiced from the public. Data centers house computer servers and networking equipment and provide the infrastructure the storage and processing of large amounts data.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The City of Shawnee has launched a new wayfinding plan for downtown to help residents and visitors navigate the area, find parking and enjoy sightseeing. On Thursday at its monthly Moonlight Market event, the city launched the Downtown Shawnee Wayfinding Plan, a feedback gathering initiative where residents voice their opinion on parking and accessibility downtown, as well as places and landmarks people should visit, which all reflect the spirit of downtown. From there, permanent signs will be created to highlight the feedback they received.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The city flag of Overland Park has long been considered among the worst in the nation. A new flag set to be adopted next month, with its tree motif and green and white color palette, is much more effective, according to the North American Vexillological Association.
Read more: Up To Date

A 26-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Police officer was hit and killed early Tuesday by a fleeing suspect in a stolen car, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said, exactly one month to the day after a Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputy was killed. Officer Hunter Simoncic, 26, was intentionally struck while throwing stop sticks in the 7200 block of State Avenue after 12:40 a.m. while officers were attempting to apprehend a man, the KBI’s Dustin Wallace said. Dennis Mitchell III, 31, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a firearm, and aggravated failure to appear.
Read more: News

Plentiful wind and finite water shape life on the Plains. Audrey Rupp, a lifelong resident of western Kansas, knows the region well. These days, she manages a 1,660-acre recreational park in Hodgeman County that surrounds HorseThief Reservoir, a refreshing anomaly that long existed only in the imagination.   “It’s crazy to me that people started talking about building a reservoir out here back in the 1930s,” she says with a grin. HorseThief Reservoir glimmers among rugged bluffs made verdant by summer rains. This is Rupp’s fourth year serving as park manager. The native of Tribune, a community of about 750 people in northwest Kansas, didn’t follow any of the local discussions about creating the reservoir while she was in high school. She graduated in 2009 and then took classes at Garden City Community College and Fort Hays State University.
Read more: KLC Journal

City leaders from Hays and Russell met Wednesday to review progress on their joint R9 Regional Water Supply Project, a decades-long effort to secure a sustainable water source for both communities. The two cities have been working together for years to develop a property they own in Edwards County into a long-term supply. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty said the project has been in the regulatory process for a decade. “Hays and Russell are jointly developing a property they own in Edwards County as a long-term water supply,” Dougherty said. “We are nearing the end of the process, but we have been following it for 10 years now.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Another Kansas community is exploring the creation of a common consumption area. Dodge City is looking at creating common consumption areas. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the city commission will be taking public comment on creating common consumption areas where visitors can openly transport alcoholic beverages between bars and restaurants in certain portions of the city.
Read more: KSN-TV