Kansas Municipal News
Pittsburg celebrates annual 620 Day
The City of Pittsburg’s Downtown Advisory Board (DAB) is inviting the community to celebrate 620 Day with an All-Day City-wide Celebration and a Downtown Block Party. The idea of 620 Day (or June 20) comes from Pittsburg’s area code. The purpose of this annual event is to cultivate pride and celebrate the Pittsburg community.
Source: City of Pittsburg
City of Great Bend and Barton County agree to share projects
Members of the Great Bend City Council and the Barton County Commission crowded in the cramped first floor Barton County Courthouse conference room for their third joint session Thursday evening. During what has become an annual event, the elected representatives and other city and county officials shared thoughts and concerns, and brainstormed ideas. They also teased one another while noting the value of this new-found spirit of cooperation between the two entities.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Debate over stone bridges continues
Discussion continues on whether two stone bridges in Cowley County should be preserved or replaced, with a local resident who works near one of the bridges saying there might be more support for replacement. At their May 16 meeting, county commissioners approved applications for two grants through the State of Kansas that, if awarded, would be used to replace the Esch Spur/Pudden Bridge on 232nd Road over Grouse Creek, which was closed in 2016 due to structural failure, and the bridge over Rock Creek, one half-mile north and 1.6 miles east of Rock. If awarded, the grants would be used to replace two closed stone arch bridges with modern structures. Supporters of the bridges have said they should be allowed to stand, possibly with modern bridges built alongside, in the name of historical preservation. However, a resident who works on land adjacent to one of the bridges said he supports replacement because the bridge is in disrepair and adds miles to his daily drive. Jon Johnson, who farms and ranches on either side of the Esch Spur/Pudden Bridge, told the CourierTraveler in an email that there might be more desire to replace the bridges instead of preserve them, especially from people who live and work in the surrounding communities.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
More voters send in ballots than go to polls in Winfield to approve USD 465 construction bond projects
A vote to use property taxes to bankroll a $15 million bond project for Winfield schools passed with 59.5% of the vote. The bond will provide revenue for upgrades to safety and security, air quality and HVAC systems, along with deferred maintenance. USD 465 Board of Education president Ed Trimmer said he was “pleased we have the number of votes to pass the bond. It will help us keep our buildings in shape.” County clerk Karen Madison said she’d prepared for 3,000 voters on Election Day and got 392. In fact, 590 people took part in early voting. The bond issue was a special election, with no other items on the ballot. “People want to vote early now. It’s easier to fill out a ballot and send it back than it is to go to the polls,” Madison said.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
‘It sticks with you,’: WFD Battalion Chief recalls DeBruce Grain elevator explosion
Thursday marked 25 years since the deadly DeBruce Grain elevator, the largest in the world at the time, exploded. For Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Chad Winton, a veteran with 27 years of experience, he remembers responding to the scene as if it were yesterday.
Just before the accident, Winton was two years into his career. He had just tried out for the rescue team and was one of three candidates who were accepted. Little did the then-rookie know just days later, everything he had learned up to that point would be put to the ultimate test. “[I] started getting buckets to move grain, shovels, lumber, cutting lumber, just stuff to shore up holes and keep grain in place so we could start tunneling and trenching in to get to those victims that we thought were still at the bottom of that elevator,” Winton said.
Winton says the teams worked in 12-hour shifts with the help of several county, state, and out-of-state agencies. “We had no firm count of how many were missing, so [there] was a little bit of confusion there and how many were actually working, and how many got out on their own,” Winton said. “They were still trying to get a head count … it all happened really quick.” Tragically, it soon became apparent any hope of finding additional survivors was gone.
Source: KSN-TV
Johnson County commission OKs several housing affordability measures
County commissioners on Thursday okayed a proposal to spend $950,000 in federal pandemic relief money toward a unique Habitat for Humanity development of 20 yet-to-be-built homes in Olathe that will be available to low-income buyers for 99 years and beyond.
It’s one of a slate of new measures the county is trying to enact to chip away at persistent housing affordability concerns. The Habitat Olathe Pathway project at 159th Street and Blackbob Road will allow eligible applicants to own and collect partial equity on their home structures, while the land remains in a trust so that the homes can continue to be offered at below-market rates to future applicants. The project was made possible by the Pathway Community Christian Church’s sale of land at below-market rates.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Overland Park says backyard chicken pilot has been success so far
A two-year test program that allows Overland Park residents with at least a quarter acre of land to keep chickens has so far been a success, according to the city department that oversees it. As the program approaches its ending date December 31, the city animal control department noted there have been no documented complaints on properties with chicken permits since the pilot began in March 2022. City councilmembers now will begin to consider whether to make the chicken rules permanent, as some members of the council’s Community Development Committee proposed at a meeting Wednesday.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Municipal Bond Trends for June 8, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
USD 383 board holds discussion with RCPD leadership regarding future use of SROs
The Manhattan-Ogden School Board held a conversation Wednesday about the role of school resource officers (SRO’s) and the potential for adding officers at each of the two middle schools. Riley County Police Department officials including Director Brian Peete, Captain Greg Steere and resource officer Sonia Gregoire, joined in the conversation. Director Peete noted one of the most important jobs SROs have is building relationships in the schools. RCPD currently employs two resource officers, both at Manhattan High School. Board members have expressed interest in two more officers to be placed at Anthony and Eisenhower Middle Schools.
Source: 1350 KMAN
City Commission sends rezoning request back to Urban Area Planning Board
During their Tuesday meeting, Manhattan City Commissioners voted to return a rezoning request for 407 Pottawatomie Avenue back to the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board for further consideration. The request from Midwest Concrete Materials failed to earn approval from the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board in a three to three vote during their May 25th meeting. MCM Owner Chris Eichman told commissioners the company hopes to rezone the approximately 1.22 acre tract of land for business commercial use and construct a training center.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Cemeteries, the history book of every town
Cemeteries are on my mind a lot lately, due to the time of the year I suppose, although I tend to think about them often. I sometimes watch videos on how to clean headstones and about people who repair headstones that have fallen over, I research people and photograph headstones for others. Before my dad passed, my family would sometimes ask why I spent so much time in our cemetery. It seemed odd to them. The answer is simple. It’s the history. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I have realized that I’m the type of person who will work on projects or jobs I’m passionate about even if my only gain is personal satisfaction.
Source: Gardner News
Short-term rental program approved
The Great Bend City Council Monday night approved a short-term rental ordinance aimed at making it easier for a property owner to operate an Airbnb-type business by creating and implementing a licensing and inspection program. This covers properties rented to transient occupants for periods of less than 30 days so as to “minimize the adverse effects of short-term rental uses on surrounding residential properties and neighborhoods, and to preserve the character, integrity, and stability of residential neighborhoods in which short-term rental properties are located,” Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. This is not intended to regulate hotels, motels, lodging houses or hospitals.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Wichita Fire Department K-9 retiring after 8.5 years
Wichita Fire Department K-9 Buddy is retiring after 8.5 years of service and is also celebrating his 10th birthday. The department said on Facebook that Buddy joined the WFD when he was just 18 months old and has responded to hundreds of fires in the Wichita area and large incidents in other states, including the 2020 riots in Minnesota and a double-homicide investigation on a reservation in Oklahoma. Buddy is a Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Accelerant Detection Canine (ATF ADC) who has trained 365 days a year, WFD’s post says. “Buddy possesses a rare certification that sets him apart in his field – the ability to work off-leash. This skill is not commonly found among professionals in his line of work.”
Source: KAKE – News
Former Hillsboro administrator remembered
Hillsboro council members who worked with longtime city administrator Larry Paine, whose funeral service was today, lauded Paine’s accomplishments during his 12 years at the helm of the city. Paine fought cancer from January 2018 until after he announced his resignation effective June 2020. He was Hillsboro city administrator the final years of a 47-year career in city administration. Mayor Lou Thurston took office two weeks before Paine was found to have cancer after collapsing on the steps of the statehouse.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Sedgwick County looking to build new emergency management building
When disaster hits, the command center for Sedgwick County’s Emergency Management Department becomes the hub for first responder’s response coordination. However there is a problem. While there’s room inside for staff, the department doesn’t really have the space to store their supplies and equipment. Sedgwick County Assistant Manager Rusty Leeds explains, “as we went through the pandemic, and then more recently, we had a tornado and then looking back over the past few years, several years actually, emergency management has not had adequate space to maintain supplies for disaster preparedness and response.”
Source: KAKE – News
Hotel Topeka auction ends, sells to new owner
The online auction for Hotel Topeka has concluded and it has a new owner. Ten-X hosted the online auction which began Monday, June 6 with a starting bid of $2 million. Bidding appeared to end at $7.5 million Wednesday afternoon and ramped up in the final minutes of the auction, before the listing was removed. The City of Topeka’s governing body discussed strategies on how to pay for the hotel at its Tuesday night meeting, after it expressed interest on bidding in late May.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Two Kansas towns make ‘Best Small Towns to Visit in the U.S.’ list
Two historic Kansas towns have landed a spot on the TravelAwaits’ “Best Small Towns to Visit in the U.S.” list. This list is decided by the site’s leaders for the Best of Travel Awards. Coming in at number one on the list, for the third year in a row, is Abilene, Kan. “Located in the heart of the Sunflower State, Abilene is home to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. This may be what pulls hundreds of thousands of visitors off I-70 every year, but the town of about 6,500 is a unique mix of presidential history and western charm,” TravelAwaits said. The city, located in Dickinson County, has won a few impressive titles lately: Best Historic Small Town by USA TODAY, Top 10 True Western Town of the Year by True West Magazine and Destination of the Year by the Midwest Travel Network.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Rural done right: Cafe, food store keep Tampa alive
Little Tampa might not be a shopping mecca, but it does have items its residents need. That’s why county commissioner David Mueller’s work for his home community, once a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, caught the eye of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. Muller was subject of a Kansas Profile article by the center last week. Tampa’s Santa Fe Trail Café, operated for the last six years by Pat Dalke and her daughter, Ashley Thornhill, serves lunch every day except Saturday and offers a chicken fried steak meal on Sundays.
Source: Marion County RECORD
Survey: should the county move to a four day work week
The Riley County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved the launch of two surveys to gauge public and employee interest in new hours of operation and four-day workweek for county departments. The public survey is available at all county customer service locations and on the county’s website at www.rileycountyks.gov until 5 p.m. June 30. County clerk Rich Vargo presented the proposal, which includes suggested hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This would mean all county public offices would be closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This would still be a 40-hour work week but would allow for the public to come in before or after typical work hours.
Source: themercury.com
Overland Park says backyard chicken pilot has been success so far
A two-year test program that allows Overland Park residents with at least a quarter acre of land to keep chickens has so far been a success, according to the city department that oversees it. As the program approaches its ending date December 31, the city animal control department noted there have been no documented complaints on properties with chicken permits since the pilot began in March 2022. City councilmembers now will begin to consider whether to make the chicken rules permanent, as some members of the council’s Community Development Committee proposed at a meeting Wednesday.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post