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Municipal News & Jobs

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

Kansas Municipal News

Incoming Iola city administrator driven to give back

Matthew Rehder figures it was his upbringing that led him to work in the public sector. “I had taken advantage of years of rec programs,” Rehder recalled. “As a kid, I played for city recreation programs, in city parks, all that kind of stuff.” It was a desire to give back to the community that first led Rehder, 42, to join AmeriCorps — the domestic version of the Peace Corps — then pursue a public administration degree in college. Those steps led Rehder to become Iola’s next city administrator.
Source: The Iola Register

Johnson County homeless shelter can’t meet the demand. Can these proposed laws help?

It’s the only place in Kansas’ most affluent county for homeless single adults without children to stay. And it’s temporary, only for the winter. There are no beds for such people the rest of the year in a time when advocates say the county’s homeless population is growing — and when evictions and job loss during the pandemic are expected to displace many more. But for the first time, some major cities in Johnson County are considering whether their laws should clearly allow shelters. Most of the cities lack any written rules stating when or where a shelter is permissible, which has led to heated battles, both between advocates and neighbors, and in court.
Source: KC Star Local News

Save Century II group floats a proposed law to save building

Save Century II efforts now include asking lawmakers to force a binding vote on any moves to take down Century II. “Has some teeth to it,” says Celeste Racette with Save Century II. “Actually makes it binding and makes it where there has to be an election. Has to be put on the ballot.” Wichita city council member Brandon Johnson says council members have moved to have a public vote on the future of Century II. “So the future of Century II will be up to a public vote,” said Johnson this week. Still, Racette says her group is going after a new law to have a public vote on demolition of buildings more than 80-thousand square feet that have been named to a historic registry. Century II would be on that list.
Source: KSN-TV

After going fully remote, Wichita school board may consider bringing its students back

A rise in community COVID-19 cases and staff shortages because of quarantine prompted the Wichita Board of Education to send its students home last month. Now the board may be asked at its Monday meeting to bring them back, according to an email sent to employees by Superintendent Alicia Thompson. The email says that the “administration is considering a recommendation” that would bring elementary school students back on Jan. 13, pre-K students back on Jan. 14 and then a blended model for middle and high school would start Jan. 25. The blended model would have different groups of students learning in person on different days. Middle and high schools have been remote since the start of the school year.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Workers’ compensation law that can have lower rewards upheld by Kansas Supreme Court

Workers injured on the job in Kansas can continue to be evaluated for impairment following medical guidelines that might reduce the amount of their workers’ compensation award, the state Supreme Court ruled. In a decision released Friday, justices reversed a ruling from the Kansas Court of Appeals that favored Howard Johnson, but also avoided the constitutional question Johnson posed. Johnson suffered a serious spinal cord injury while working as a delivery driver for U.S. Food Service. His workers’ compensation award was nearly $47,000 less than what he would have received if the injury had occurred a year earlier.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

New Allen County 911 director dives in

Chelsie Angleton is the new 911 director for Allen County after working at the critical response center for the past seven years. Before that, she served in practically every other role there, including: frontline dispatcher, certified training officer, quality assurance specialist and deputy director. As to what these different positions are responsible for, they involve everything from answering to analyzing calls, coaching dispatchers and mastering technologies. “It’s more than answering the phone and sending help,” Angleton remarked. “But as soon as I started and made it through training, I knew that this is where I wanted my career to go.” “I just found that dispatch was a perfect fit.”
Source: The Iola Register

Save Century II organizer proposes two new pieces of state legislation to support her cause

Celeste Racette, the Wichita woman behind the grassroots Save Century II group, is lobbying local and state lawmakers for support on two pieces of legislation she’s proposing that back her cause. Racette said Friday she was confident her proposals, which have been sent to Wichita’s City Council and the South Central Kansas Legislative Delegation, would receive bipartisan support. “The bill that’s being presented is going to be sponsored by both parties,” she said. “It’s not one party or the other, it’s both parties. It’s everybody. It’s everybody who cares about a beloved building like Century II.”

Source: Wichita Business Journal

Edgerton city council approves tarp ordinance

The Edgerton City Council recently approved new regulations on large trucks. Now any load that has the potential to spill or fly out must be tarped. The goal of the tarp ordinance is to improve safety for motorists, especially motorcyclists, and preserve the quality of streets and the adjacent stormwater system. The regulations only apply to roads within Edgerton city limits. “We expect the sheriff’s office will take an educational stance initially with drivers, but we want everyone to make sure their loads are secure,” says Donald Roberts, mayor. “This is all about making sure our streets are safe for all types of vehicles.”
Source: Gardner News

Prairie Village council to consider tree regulations that would apply to new construction

The Prairie Village City Council will consider adding tree protection regulations to its city code in the near future. Why it matters: The intent behind the proposed regulations is to preserve the city’s existing tree canopy and streetscape for “aesthetic, economic and environmental benefits,” according to city documents. City staff has been working on the ordinance draft since August 2020. A look at the details: The protection ordinance will apply to all right-of-way trees — that is, trees that are in public right-of-ways, typically between a sidewalk and a street — as well as when trees are involved in any residential structure built on a vacant lot, or when an existing home is torn down. City documents state existing trees will be retained and protected, and if a tree is removed, more than one tree would need to be put back in its place.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Johnson County’s new $193 million courthouse opened this week — here’s a look inside

The Kansas 10th Judicial District has just opened the newly built Johnson County Courthouse. Court justices and staff moved in over the past few months and are still unpacking boxes in some offices and courtrooms. The new $193 million courthouse opened Monday, Jan. 4, and is the fourth to serve the Johnson County judicial system. Meanwhile, the previous courthouse next door permanently closed its doors on New Year’s Eve (here are some pictures of the historical building). Hearings are still being largely conducted virtually, as no courtrooms or court offices will be open to the public while health and safety concerns of the global COVID-19 pandemic remain.
Source: Prairie Village Post

U.S. bond yields could keep rising after piercing 1%

U.S. bond yields could be headed still higher after piercing 1% this week, according to analysts and investors who point to a wide gap between the benchmark Treasury yield and the next key support level. Driven by the Democratic victory in Georgia, the 10-year Treasury yield on Thursday hit its highest level since March at 1.088%, breaking out of recent trading ranges. Yields rose on expectations a Democrat controlled Congress would have the clout to pass more fiscal stimulus and spending, bolstering economic activity and debt issuance.
Source: Reuters.

Groundwater levels deplete, drought and demand for irrigation lead to higher rates of decline

The Kansas Geological Survey reports groundwater levels across much of the state have been on the decline for years. Water levels have been tracked dating back to the 40s and since the mid-90s the state of Kansas has been closely monitoring changes and trends in the aquifer. Throughout this past week, the state has had crews out measuring aquifer levels. This year they are reporting a larger decline. The Kansas Geological Survey and the Division of Water Resources annually record groundwater levels across the High Plains Aquifer stretching from Colby to Liberal and east toward Wichita.
Source: KSN-TV

Chanute Land Bank details first property donation

A century-old house may showcase ways the Chanute Land Bank program can improve the city’s housing stock during 2021. The land bank committee met Wednesday and discussed the house at 909 N. Garfield that was the first property donation to the program. Chanute Regional Development Authority program director Kim Ewert said the land bank received the quit claim deed Monday, and they are in the process of clearing it out and cleaning it up. The one-bedroom, one-bath house will be secured and assessed, she said, and might be sold as is.
Source: The Chanute Tribune

Barton County continues vaccine rollout

In mid-December, Barton County hospitals received some of the first allocated doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and began administering them to health-care workers. This week, the Barton County Health Department set up a drive-through vaccination clinic at the Expo Complex west of Great Bend. Approximately 200 people received the vaccine Wednesday and Thursday, according to County Administrator Phil Hathcock. Most of those were administered Wednesday during the county’s biggest drive-through vaccination clinic to date. Hathcock said the county made phone calls to employers who had people in the state’s Phase One group for vaccine eligibility. “The Kansas Department of Health and Environment directed us,” he said.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Manhattan brought in more sales-tax revenue than expected during 2020

The City of Manhattan brought in more revenue in 2020 than officials expected. Sales tax revenue for 2020 was down by about 2.6 percent from 2019, although officials thought sales-tax revenue would drop by 20 to 30 percent. Ron Fehr, Manhattan city manager, says this is partially due to a rise in online sales increasing local income from the Compensating Use Tax by 20 to 25 percent. “That didn’t necessarily help our local businesses,” Fehr said. “Some of them did switch to an online platform. Certainly, as folks were working from home and being home more and more reluctant to get out and engage our retailers, it was very convenient for them to order things online.”
Source: 1350 KMAN

Kansas moves people 65+ up in line for COVID-19 vaccinations

Kansas expects to finish giving COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care residents and health care workers by the end of this month and has moved people aged 65 and older into the next group to receive the shots. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced new details about the order in which her state’s residents will be eligible for inoculations, and making people aged 65 to 74 years an earlier priority was the biggest shift. The state’s previous plan had that age group getting theirs after people in “congregate” living, such as state hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and prisons.
Source: KAKE – News

An 8-foot tall Bigfoot statue named Brian continues to occupy downtown Wichita 

There have been plenty of Bigfoot sightings in Wichita over the past few months, but conspiracy theorists have yet to flock to south central Kansas. More specifically, “Bigfoot Brian” made a home for himself in the window of the former Legacy Antiques building on the southwest corner of Douglas Avenue and Emporia Street since the beginning of the holiday season, and by popular demand will stay in residence until the end of January. “It exceeded everyone’s expectations and has just been wonderful,” said Emily Brookover, director of community development for Downtown Wichita. “It was a really great way to enjoy Brian safely and have a safe activity for families and kids. We’ve had really wonderful feedback from people who want to see him downtown.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Kansas stumbles on coronavirus vaccinations, leaving health officials confused and doses on shelves

For starters, the COVID-19 vaccine doses intended for Ness County in west-central Kansas landed somewhere else. “That was my first clue we had a problem,” said Carolyn Gabel, the county’s public health administrator. Then someone from Dodge City called. Those vials bound for Ness City? They hadn’t been kept as cold as needed. They were no good anymore and needed replacing. Eventually, she had to drive to the next county to the west, pick up a different set of doses, put them in her cooler and dash back across 30-plus miles to her office. “Instead of having the vaccine before Christmas like we should have had,” Gabel said, “we didn’t get it until after Christmas.” In some parts of the state, things have gone a little smoother.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Douglas County Commission adopts new dock regulations for Lone Star Lake

New private docks built on Lone Star Lake will now need to follow specific regulations aimed at preserving the lake and keeping the structures safe. The County Commission on Wednesday approved new regulations related to private structures built in Lone Star Lake Park, a county-owned park in southwest Douglas County. The regulations focus primarily on the boat docks and decks extended from the private properties onto the lake’s surface, but also apply to sidewalks, stairways and retaining walls built on the county’s property, Public Works Director Chad Voigt said.
Source: LJWorld.com.

New OP fire station to combine space for learning with state-of-art safety equipment

When Overland Park officials decided it was time to build a fire station in the growing southwest part of the city, they were hamstrung. Like a homebuyer in a seller’s market, the fire department couldn’t find affordable land in the right location. The answer? A partnership that’s giving birth to both a fire station and a new career program for students in the Blue Valley School District.
Source: KC Star Local News

PV’s next long-term plan with focus on ‘attainable’ housing heads to city council for final approval

Following a public hearing Tuesday evening, the Prairie Village Planning Commission voted to recommend the city council adopt the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan known as Village Vision 2.0. Since fall 2018, Village Vision 2.0 has been discussed and workshopped in the planning commission and city council. Resident input has also been gathered through surveys. The comprehensive plan as it currently stands designates the five following priorities…
Source: Prairie Village Post

Johnson County schools bring more students back to classrooms amid COVID-19

Johnson County districts are better equipped to staff schools despite shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders say, meaning they are ready to bring more students back into classrooms. After Thanksgiving, middle and high school students transitioned back to online-only classes as coronavirus cases reached record highs. Some districts, like Shawnee Mission, reported staffing and substitute teacher shortages, which were made worse by a growing number of employees in quarantine. Administrators worried they wouldn’t be able to keep school doors open. But after a period of remote learning for many students followed by winter break, district leaders say they are more confident that older students can return to classrooms, at least part time.
Source: Joco 913 News

Sedgwick County virtual town hall discuss the COVID-19 vaccine

Sedgwick County health leaders listened and answered dozens of questions from local residents about the COVID-19 vaccines. “My fear was realized when they said, We, just don’t have the data yet,” said Jim Yoder. One active voice in the comment section was that of Yoder who lives near Newton. He had questions about the vaccines because of his family members, his grandson who’s immunocompromised and his daughter who just recovered from cancer.
Source: KAKE – News

Lawrence leaders approve $200,000 to provide cold-weather shelter, but alternatives to problematic hotel program will be sought

City leaders have voted to continue funding a cold-weather shelter for homeless people at a local hotel for now, but because of safety issues and the significant amount of program funds going to repair property damage, they are urging city staff to seek alternatives. Volunteers running the program and some social service professionals who are not involved with it expressed concerns regarding the security and efficiency of the program at the City Commission’s meeting Tuesday night. Commissioners said they shared those concerns.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Sedgwick County extends COVID health orders

Sedgwick County Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns has signed a new local health order that maintains current restrictions.  The new order will run from January 10th through February 6th. Restrictions include limiting gatherings to 25 people,  with people masked and maintaining social distancing. Restaurants are allowed to have dine-in customers at 50 percent of capacity.  Bars and night clubs must close drinking and dining areas by 11 p.m. Those businesses can offer curbside, drive-thru and delivery services until 5:00 a.m. Other facilities such as fitness centers and retail stores must continue to follow the same provisions from the previous order.
Source: KAKE – News

Commissioners approve wind farm site plan

The Irish Creek Wind Project site plan gained approval from Marshall County commissioners Monday. NextEra Energy, Juno Beach, Fla., did not act on requests from landowners for turbines to be moved farther from their residences before the plan was OK’d.

Source: The Marysville Advocate

City of Canton receives grant for playground equipment

Home Telephone Company of Galva is pleased to announce that the City of Canton is a 2020 recipient of The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Community Grant Program. The FRS Community Grant Program is offered annually through The Rural Broadband Association NTCA and member companies of NTCA…
Source: McPherson Weekly News

Louisburg’s FLIP for residences & businesses

FLIP, or Facades of Louisburg Improvement Program, provides matching funds from the city to assist in facade improvements. New for 2021 is a change in the appraised value of a residential home to $197,750 from $175,000. Under FLIP Residential provides residents a one-time reimbursement grant of 50% of the project costs. However, the city’s reimbursable amount shall not exceed $500. For example, if your project costs $500 then the reimbursable amount will be $250; a $750 project will award $375 and a $1,000 project will earn you the full $500 allowed. Eligible projects include concrete work such as a new driveway, stoop or sidewalk or foundation repair, exterior window or door replacement, painting, siding or roofing, landscaping or lighting.
Source: Louisburg, KS-Newsflash

‘We’re waiting on it.’ Vaccine arriving slowly

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is going to be as slow as getting COVID-19 test kits, according to Thomas Langer, City-Cowley County Health Department director. “Remember back in March we couldn’t get enough tests,” Langer said. “Now we have all the tests we need. That’s the way it is with the vaccine.” Cowley County does not have nearly enough vaccine, Langer said. “We’re waiting on it.”
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Relief funds keeping SCKMC in the black

After months of struggling with reduced staff and financial shortages due to COVID-19, South Central Kansas Medical Center is starting to get back on its feet, hospital trustees were told during the December meeting. CFO Debbie Hockenbury reported that the hospital saw a gain of $1.15 million in November, giving it a year-to-date total of $7.9 million more revenue than expenses. Much of the gain was due to a large adjustment in deprecation expenses. Board Chair Dan Jurokovich said Monday that the $7.9 million surplus was largely due to $10,808,496 in funds received through the CARES Act relief money, and Medicare and Medicaid advances. He said without those funds, the year to date loss for 2020 would have been more than $3 million. The medical center broke even in December.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says Sunflower State exceeded goal of 1 million COVID-19 tests in 2020

Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday that Kansas exceeded its goal to conduct 1 million COVID-19 tests in 2020. “In October, we launched our Unified Testing Strategy with a goal of testing one million Kansans by the end of the year, and I’m excited to announce that we exceeded that number,” Kelly said.  “This coordinated partnership between state health officials and local providers, in addition to a majority of counties’ decision to adopt face covering requirements, led to the control of the spread of the virus in Kansas for the first time since the stay-at-home order was lifted in May.” Kansas conducted over 1,001,000 tests in 2020, and as of Monday, it reported that 1,024,129 people have been tested since the start of the outbreak.
Source: KMBC.com

Harvey County Commission extends local mass gathering limit

The Harvey County Commission voted to extend a local health order limiting mass gatherings in Harvey County to 10 individuals. The order remains in effect until rescinded, superseded or amended. The commission, which serves as the local board of health, and in consultation with Public Health Officer Dr. Doyle Detweiler, approved the extension at its Jan. 5 meeting. The order requires gatherings be limited to 10 individuals where six feet of distance cannot be maintained. It does not limit the occupancy allowed in a facility or event if six feet of distance can be maintained between groups at all times.
Source: KSN-TV

Wichita State University releases Wichita and Kansas employment forecasts as coronavirus pandemic continues

The Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research released the 2021 employment forecast for Wichita and Kansas. For Wichita, unemployment spiked in April 2020 to 17.7% due to the coronavirus pandemic. The economy began to recover in the third quarter as unemployment dropped back to 6.8% in October 2020. Recovery is expected to continue in the fourth quarter of 2020 and job growth is expected into 2021. Average employment growth is forecast to be 0.7% in 2021, which would add more than 2,000 jobs back to the Wichita economy.
Source: KSN-TV

U.S. municipal bond sales hit record $451.2 billion in 2020

U.S. states, cities, schools and other issuers sold $451.2 billion of municipal bonds last year, the highest amount on records that date back to 1980, according to Refinitiv data on Monday. With the U.S. Federal Reserve pushing interest rates to historical lows to combat the economic fallout from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, muni bond sales were up 11% compared to 2019.
Source: Reuters.

Back to school means majority in classrooms for Derby USD 260

Back to school means mask up and keep your distance. Derby schools is seeing roughly 75-percent of the kids in class with the rest in remote learning. “We are excited to be back,” said Katie Carlson, Director of Communications for USD 260 Derby Schools. “And optimistic we will be able to remain there. But that’s why we review every couple of weeks.” Gating criteria for in-class learning is reviewed by the Derby Schools gating criteria committee. “To make informed, current decisions with the safety of students and staff at the forefront,” said Carlson. Surveys are going out to parents and families starting Tuesday for decisions about the next nine weeks.
Source: KSN-TV

Wichita council poised to name new library for leader of 1958 desegregation sit-in

Wichita’s newest public library will likely be named after civil rights icon and author Ronald Walters, who as a young man led the Dockum Drugs store sit-in that helped end racial segregation in the city. The City Council is poised to accept a recommendation from the Library Board on Tuesday to name the replacement for the Linwood Branch, which is scheduled to close Jan. 15. It’s being replaced with a new library under construction in a building at 4195 E. Harry that housed the former Karl’s Tire Shop in the former Wichita Mall. Walters, who was born and raised in Wichita before becoming a national-level civil rights icon, came in third in a community vote on what to name the new facility. Naming it for former Mayor Carl Brewer or calling it the Meadowlark branch came in at Nos. 1 and 2, according to a city report.
Source: Wichita Breaking News, Sports & Crime |

The biggest projects in Johnson County in 2021: Sports center, arboretum and more

This past year took its toll on several major development projects in Johnson County. The long-awaited, ill-fated Mission Gateway development stalled, once again. For months, the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for crews across the county, including those working on the Interstate 35 expansion, to finish work due to a shortage of supplies. And when city leaders planned for the financial impacts of the pandemic, several projects were pushed back. But looking ahead to 2021, developers and county leaders are optimistic that this coming year they’ll see significant growth in these Kansas City suburbs. Some projects that have managed to stay on track during 2020, like the new Johnson County Courthouse, are about to reach the finish line. And others that have been in the works for years, such as an expansion at the Overland Park Arboretum and a new sports center, are finally coming to fruition.
Source: KC Star Local News

New lieutenant governor takes office in Kansas

A new Lieutenant Governor took the oath of office in Kansas Monday morning, while the previous lieutenant governor took office as the new state treasurer. David Toland was sworn in at the Statehouse in Topeka as the 52nd Lieutenant Governor for the state. Toland has been the state’s Commerce Secretary, and he will continue to serve in that role while acting as Lieutenant Governor. Toland talked about $2.5 billion in increased investment in Kansas during the past year and he said the state will continue to see aggressive growth in the coming year and beyond. He said “We will continue to work in a bipartisan, collaborative way on Kansas-specific strategies and solutions for the people of Kansas and the future of our state.”
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Kansas and Missouri universities could face tough financial choices in 2021

The pandemic has presented a two-sided coin to the four big public universities in Kansas and Missouri. On one side, the dire enrollment predictions of the summer turned out better — in one case, much better — than expected. But on the flip side, falling revenues are still a problem administrators will have to deal with for the foreseeable future, due largely to the loss of money coming in from big events, student-facing services and state funding. Last spring, university officials fresh from the spring break shutdowns were warily predicting major enrollment drops for fall semester. As summer began, most were still assessing whether students would be willing to attend in person in the fall and devising ways to make campus safe if they did.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

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