Municipal News & Jobs

In the Manhattan city limits, the county’s new regulations on fireworks will not apply. On Monday, Riley County officials proposed an updated resolution that would extend the sale of fireworks by a couple days and increase the fee for a fireworks’ sales permit. The updates follow Senate Bill 199, which passed in April. It permits the year-round sale of fireworks for permanent retailers and extends the sale for seasonal vendors. However, counties retain the authority to regulate when to sell and discharge fireworks, and Riley County’s commissioners discussed Monday that the county will just extend the firework sales window by a couple days, starting June 28, instead of allowing year-round sales. 
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

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.

If approved, the district would build two new elementary schools, renovate Oak Street Elementary into a learning center to provide pre-K options, and improve the fine arts and athletic facilities. The bond would also invest in safety, security, and infrastructure districtwide.
Source: KSN-TV

Avery Moore will serve as the next assistant city manager, according to a press release from the City of Topeka. Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a master’s degree in management and is a Ph.D. candidate in leadership at Liberty University. Prior to joining the City of Topeka, Moore worked as a chief of police in Washington State.
Source: KSNT 27 News

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.

Panasonic announced Friday that it would make major cuts to its global workforce. But local officials said they continue to ramp up to begin EV battery production at the company’s new plant in De Soto. During an investor call Friday, the Japanese company announced it would cut 10,000 jobs globally, representing roughly 4% of its total workforce. Panasonic plans to cut about 5,000 jobs in Japan and 5,000 jobs internationally by end of the company’s fiscal year, which ends in 2026.
Source: Kansas City Business News – Local Kansas City News | Kansas City Business Journal

Wichita City Council members vocalized support toward securing sustainable funding for the city’s Affordable Housing Fund Thursday night at the second annual Nehemiah Assembly. The Sedgwick County Commission Chair also committed his support to expanding the city’s municipal ID program to all county residents.  The assembly, hosted by Justice Together, a grassroots coalition of interfaith communities, announces the organization’s policy pursuits. Last year, the group asked officials to commit to the municipal ID program – which launched this spring – and work on sustainable funding for the multi-agency center, Wichita’s year-round homeless services center known as the MAC. The ID program provides homeless residents with photo identification that they can use to secure a job or assistance. The MAC is an effort to ensure that homeless residents have a year-round place to shelter and access resources. 
Source: KLC Journal

Advocates for a countywide recycling program will address Iola City Council members Monday to share their vision of how a joint city-county venture can succeed in Allen County. The group has tried in recent years to get a system in place, but has yet to find traction with either the city or county governing bodies. Monday’s discussion will include information from Todd Bemis of Coffey County, who will be on hand to explain how that system works.
Source: The Iola Register

With children’s shouts echoing off of playground equipment, the Logan Manor doesn’t look or sound like your typical nursing home. That’s because it’s also a school. This rural farm town, with a population of 436, recently welcomed nursing home residents and students into its new intergenerational facility, called the Logan Intergenerational Family Education Center. By bringing different age groups together under the same roof, LIFE Center administrators are hoping to foster connection and learning across generations.
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

Despite the controversial opinions of the USD 402 bond issue, the $55 million no-levy increase was passed unofficially this week. The bond passed with 1,745 total Augusta voters casting their ballot. Of those unofficial votes, 1,174 were yes and 571 were no. The post-election ballot audit, which is required by Kansas Statute 25-3009, was held on Thursday evening in the Butler County Commissioner’s room. The three-person team audited 1% of precincts that included Ward 1 and Ward 4.
Source: Butler County Times-Gazette

Sedgwick County recently announced that its new 2026 budget simulator has gone live as of May 6. Available at the county website, the simulator is a hands-on tool intended to get citizens to explore and influence how property tax-supported funds are allocated. The interactive simulation is part of the county’s commitment to transparency, civic education and inclusive public participation.
Source: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news,news/* of type article

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 Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its key interest rate unchanged as it awaits fluctuations in trade policy and the direction of a sputtering economy. In a move that carried little suspense given the wave of uncertainty sweeping the political and economic landscape, the Federal Open Market Committee held its benchmark overnight borrowing rate in a range between 4.25%-4.5%, where it has been since December. The post-meeting statement noted the volatility and how that is factoring into policy decisions.
Source: Bonds

County Commissioners began discussions to restructure those departments within the county that the commission is over. They also ordered a safety study for the Elm Creek Lake Dam. Commissioner Mika Milburn talked about the need for an interim reference addendum to the county’s 2002 policy book as the commission revisits and revises it. She suggested assigning reference numbers to the forms and procedures as they make or revise them for easy reference during revision and in the final product. County Clerk Susan Walker has started adding reference numbers to forms as they are being amended. She has also requested an administrative procedure book separate from the original policy and procedure book. Commissioner David Beerbower agreed.
Source: Fort Scott Biz

It tore through the landscape, buildings and people like a fire does through a forest. But it wasn’t a fire. It was a different kind of gift from Mother Nature—an F5 (now called an EF5) tornado, and it caused damage and fatalities in Harvey, Sedgwick and Marion counties on May 25, 1917. It was part of one of the most intense and longest continuous tornado outbreak sequences on record, said Kris Schmucker, curator and archivist with the Harvey County Historical Museum and Archives in Newton. The outbreak killed at least 382 people, Schmucker said.
Source: Harvey County Now

Johnson County voters will decide this November whether the special public safety sales tax that paid for the new courthouse and medical examiner facility should be continued for another 10 years. County commissioners voted Thursday to put the Public Safety III quarter-cent tax on the ballot, saying it is a way to maintain vital county services at a time when inflation and ebbing revenues are straining the budget. The sales tax was originally approved in 2016 and is set to expire in March of 2027 unless voters extend it.
Source: Johnson County Post

Preserving Leawood’s original City Hall building for some unspecified future use remains on the table as the city council gets closer to finalizing a master plan for the building as well as an old fire station at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard. On Monday, the council hired Kansas City-based BBN Architects for $39,000 to come up with costs and use options for both buildings, which were constructed in the 1950s and are now largely vacant.
Source: Johnson County Post

In 2018, the Hen House in Merriam abruptly closed, and the northeastern Johnson County suburb of more than 10,500 people didn’t have its own grocery. Now, city leaders and a local developer think they have a winning project plan to bring a grocery store back within Merriam city limits. Overland Park-based Drake Development is proposing a two-block redevelopment on the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road, which is currently home to the old Antioch Library building, as well as a Caribou Coffee and a gas station next door. Dubbed Merriam Grand Marketplace, the redevelopment envisions a 12,000-square-foot grocery store, 4,000 square feet of restaurant space to the west of that and a new apartment building.
Source: Johnson County Post

Governor Laura Kelly and Merck Animal Health announced an $895 million expansion at Merck’s De Soto, Kansas, facility—the second-largest private investment in Kansas history and Merck Animal Health’s largest to date. The project includes $860 million for manufacturing and $35 million for R&D, creating over 200 permanent jobs. The 200,000-square-foot expansion will increase production of large molecule vaccines and biologic products, with the site serving as a Center of Excellence within Merck’s global manufacturing network. Construction planning begins immediately, generating 2,500 temporary jobs, with commercial operations expected in 2030. Since 2017, Merck has invested more than $12 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research and plans to invest $9 billion more over the next four years.
Source: KCLY Radio

Dodge City pet owners, take note: Fido and Fluffy will soon need a tiny piece of tech to stay street legal. At Monday night’s City Commission meeting, officials approved an ordinance requiring all cats and dogs registered within city limits to be microchipped. The goal? To help reunite lost pets with their owners and promote responsible pet ownership across the community. Microchipping is a simple procedure where a chip about the size of a grain of rice is inserted under a pet’s skin, typically between the shoulder blades. The chip contains the owner’s contact information and can be scanned by animal shelters and vets, but it’s not a GPS tracker.
Source: KSN-TV