Kansas Municipal News
Olpe accumulates $2.5 million in fundraising in Phase One for new fitness park
Olpe has accumulated $2.5 million in fundraising for Phase One of a three phase project intended to create state-of-the-art fitness facilities and parks for the enjoyment of the community. Phase One will fund the creation of a football field and track on the school grounds of USD 252, while Phase Two and Three will create a splash pad, a park, and softball and baseball fields.
Source: Emporia Gazette
County commission approves redistricting plan
A plan to redistrict the county by adding two additional county commission districts was approved by Bourbon County Commissioners Monday night. Commissioners reviewed three maps presented by Surveying and Mapping LLC (SAM), a company that was contracted to assist the county in the redistricting process. The boundaries for the districts are based on the county’s population.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
Hoisington’s Conrad honored for city service
With 44 years in city service, Cecelia Conrad has experienced several firsts in her career. A retirement reception was held Friday morning at the Hoisington City Auditorium in her honor, recognizing her latest service as City Clerk from 2019.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
For the third time in four years, USD 439 searches for a superintendent.
The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is once again managing the search. They opened the search around Thanksgiving and closed it a few weeks later. USD 439 BOE president Travis Francis said the board spent the last two weeks discussing candidates and comparing them to the priorities set by meeting with faculty and the community.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick hopes to decrease the number of stray cats in town
Sedgwick’s City Council took action Wednesday evening to slow the growth of the population in the city during 2025—the population of stray cats. The council unanimously approved a contract with Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton for their Trap, Neuter, and Release program for 2025 for $3,000.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick EMS off and running calls
When the newly formed Sedgwick EMS went live on the first of the year, it was a few days later before it fielded its first call on Jan. 4. Since the first call, the department has ran several others and EMS Chief Jaime Anderson couldn’t be happier.
Source: Harvey County Now
Olathe OKs amusement park STAR bond district plan — and makes room for gas station
Details for a planned $320 million “ultra-accessible” sports and entertainment district in Olathe backed by state STAR bonds have started coming together. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council unanimously approved a zoning amendment and a preliminary site development plan that paves the way for the first part of the development within the boundaries of a special incentive district at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard.
Source: Johnson County Post
What Kansas City, Kansas, residents want the nation to know about their community
Over several weeks in the fall, reporters from those 10 NPR stations hosted small groups of three to six people who had something in common and were comfortable sharing their stories — in Orlando, Fla., western Colorado, Kansas City, Kan., and many more communities, big and small. We asked every group the same set of open-ended questions: about their sense of community, what they thought people from other communities did not understand about them and what they wanted to learn about other people.
Source: KCUR News
Wichita to begin stronger enforcement of illegal camping law despite concerns from some
Some Wichita City Council members made a last-ditch effort Tuesday to prevent a revised ordinance for stronger enforcement against illegal camping from going into effect. The ordinance passed on its second reading along the same lines of its first vote. Council members Mike Hoheisel, Maggie Ballard and Johnson voted no. The new limits, which go into effect this month, allow for rapid removal of reported encampments by law enforcement, city workers and contractors by eliminating the need to post notices to vacate. A particular focal point will be locations that “pose health and safety concerns” such as doorways, sidewalks, areas near bridges, bus shelters, playground and the multi-agency center campus.
Source: KLC Journal
Pittsburg Police offering sign-on bonus to bolster its force
The Pittsburg Police Department is looking to add to its force. Officials say they haven’t been fully staffed for almost a decade — despite seeing an increase in interested applicants. The department has had to get help from other agencies — but continues to recruit through high school and college visits. The department is offering a sign-on bonus for new officers — as well as incentives for current ones who help in the recruitment process.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Fort Scott Schools partner with solar farm company
The Fort Scott School District makes an agreement with an anticipated solar farm in the county, hoping to help bring in more funds for local schools. USD 234, or the Fort Scott Board of Education, signed an agreement with KingBird Solar Energy LLC. This comes after the solar farm company reached out to the school district to contribute an annual amount back into the school district.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Prefiled bill would release millions in school bond funds from Kansas attorney general’s grasp
Two Kansas legislators prefiled a bill that would deliver millions in voter-approved school bonds that were blocked earlier this year because of a strict ruling from the Kansas attorney general. Voters in the Greeley County school district approved in May a $4.6 million school bond that was to be used for upgrades and renovations, but because the county — the smallest in Kansas with a population of just less than 1,200 — doesn’t have an elections website, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office refused to release the funds. The Attorney General’s Office, which is responsible for validating every bond election in the state, decided the bond election didn’t meet legal standards. County officials didn’t adhere to a recent law requiring them to publish notice of a bond election three weeks in advance on a county elections website, in addition to a traditional newspaper notice, the office said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Scannell Properties sues for fraud after city bans truck traffic
One of the area’s most-active developers is suing the city of Edwardsville and its mayor for fraud after the passage of an ordinance to ban truck traffic on an avenue fronting its under-construction project. At issue is an Edwardsville ordinance passed in September banning truck traffic on 110th Street between Riverview Avenue and Kansas Avenue. Such a move would cut off truck traffic along the industrial park’s eastern border.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for January 9, 2025
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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 8, 2025
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.
State shares big wins: Top 2024 economic development projects
In another year of significant economic development news for Kansas, the biggest projects span from the Kansas City metro to Salina and western Kansas.
Source: CJonline
Following contest, City of Lawrence selects name for snowplow: Taylor Drift
From more than 650 submissions received in the span of just a week, the City of Lawrence has chosen the winner of the 2024 snowplow naming contest: Taylor Drift. “This creative, punny name captured the hearts of our judging panel and will soon grace one of the hardworking snow plows that keep our streets clear and safe during winter weather,” the city announced in a news release …
Source: The Lawrence Times
Kansas faces ‘constitutional crisis’ with rural attorney shortage, Supreme Court justice says
Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said … the state is “approaching a constitutional crisis” with a shortage of attorneys in rural areas, and that “equity and justice” are at stake. Wall spoke at a news conference in Concordia as a committee tasked with studying the crisis over the past two years unveiled a report that offers recommendations for attracting more attorneys to practice in rural areas. The report also presents stark data: Outside of the state’s five most-populous counties, just 21% of active attorneys serve 45% of the state’s population. One-third of the attorneys in those 100 rural counties are over the age of 60.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Sedgwick prepares to launch EMS service in 2025
Thanks to incredible effort from Sedgwick EMS Director Jaime Anderson and her people, the service will go live and be ready to serve the public on Jan. 1, 2025. The EMS cleared the most major hurdle on Dec. 23 as it passed the state inspection with flying colors after long hours of preparation.
Source: Harvey County Now
Esau keeps Walton informed on town happenings
Walton folks call Claudette Esau the town Google because she knows what’s going on in the town of 218 people. Esau has lived in Walton for most of her life and is great at knowing who is related to who in the area and telling various stories about the history of the town. Even one day, a man went into the local restaurant where Esau and her husband were decorating for Christmas and asked her about something going on in Walton.
Source: Harvey County Now