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Municipal News & Jobs

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

Kansas Municipal News

With record COVID-19, these Johnson County school districts send older students online

In what might be a sign of what’s to come in Johnson County, the Spring Hill school district plans to transition middle and high school students back to online-only classes later this month in the face of skyrocketing new COVID-19 cases. In this district at the southern edge of the county, much of it rural, the school board voted 5-2 on Monday to move older students to remote learning on Nov. 30, unless new case numbers start to drop by Nov. 25. Middle and high schoolers have been learning in person, full time, since last month — unlike in other Johnson County districts, where secondary students are back in classrooms for only part of the week. With Johnson County in the “red” zone per its school criteria, local districts are reevaluating whether all students should be in school buildings. Spring Hill is the first to carve out a path for older students to return to fully online classes after learning in person.
Source: Joco 913 News

Growing up in inner-city Detroit, Lawrence’s first director of equity and inclusion started on his path with one simple question

City Manager Craig Owens announced last month that Muhammad would be Lawrence’s first director of equity and inclusion. Muhammad made the move to Lawrence over the weekend and will start his position this week. Regarding why he wanted to come to Lawrence, Muhammad said a lot of the research that he focused on in graduate school centered on Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling stemming from a Topeka case that struck down racial segregation in schools. He said the region’s long journey toward being a progressive area resonated with him. And in Lawrence, he said he saw a city that was taking initiative to address equity issues.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Overland Park looks to parking and the rules that govern it

As Overland Park strives to be more livable and conducive to walking, biking and transit, officials plan to look at an issue that hasn’t been comprehensively examined in 30 years: Parking and the rules that govern it. Those regulations include the number of spaces required for apartments, offices, stores and other developments, as well as lighting, screening and landscaping in parking areas.
Source: Joco 913 News

Wichita BOE reverses decision, middle and high schools will stick with online classes

Students in Wichita middle and high schools will no longer be going back to school in-person in a hybrid model after the Board of Education reversed an earlier decision amid skyrocketing coronavirus indicators. Wichita Public Schools will stick with the current learning model for the rest of the semester, keeping all older students online only while elementary students are in-person or remote, depending on the enrollment choice at the start of the academic year. The school board did not make any specific decisions regarding winter sports. Practices are set to start next week with the first competitions in less than a month.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Sparking passion for firefighting

With only two days for planning, the Hutchinson Fire Department set up a hands-on, real-life basic fire skills training at a house on East 6th Ave. Hutchinson Fire Department Division Chief of Training and Safety Jesse Martin said that they wanted to thank Steve Petermann of Salt City Brewing Company for allowing them the use of this property for training. Using a real structure greatly enhances the realism for training. Petermann said that he plans to demolish the building to build a parking lot. The training coincided with the department’s recruit academy with four recruits slated to graduate at the end of November. Martin said, “We brought our recruits and our on-duty fire fighters here and they are going through basic fireman skills in a real residence.”
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

License plate readers in high-crime areas of Wichita will take photos of your vehicle

Wichita police might take a photo of your vehicle using an automatic license plate reader if you drive through high-crime areas. The pilot program is targeted at reducing violent crime in the city, which has had a 111% increase in drive-by shootings in one year, said Lt. Casey Slaughter. “It’s huge, it’s astounding,” Slaughter said of the increase in violent crime. “It’s one of those things where we feel as a department we’re obligated, certainly, to do something. And this is just one tool among many in the bag that we’re going to try to see if this will be something that will help us out and help us identify suspect vehicles and ultimately suspects in these violent crimes.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Wichita Councilman tests positive for COVID-19, Mayor and others in quarantine

Starting Saturday, Mayor Brandon Whipple, members of the Wichita City Council, and some City staff will be quarantined for two weeks after Council member Brandon Johnson tested positive for COVID-19. City officials say exposed personnel will not be able to return to City Hall until approximately November 18. Council meetings will continue via an online software until Council can meet in person.
Source: KSN-TV

Reno County health officials call current COVID-19 situation ‘grim’ as cases skyrocket

“There’s a 10 day incubation period in there that we were hoping maybe if we could get in front of some of these infections and spread it out” Welch tells KAKE News. Hammersmith is pleading with people to get back to those basic Covid precautions. She says that if people do not double down on their efforts to prevent the coronavirus, like practicing good hygiene, wearing a mask, social distancing, and most importantly with the holidays coming up, avoiding crowds larger than 10 people, things will get a lot worse before they get better. “Our next phase is really shutting down our communities. And nobody wants to do that. It doesn’t help with our economy,” Hammersmith tells KAKE News.
Source: KAKE – News

Topeka committee continues discussion on police reform

Anyone who has problems with a Topeka police officer needs to report that to the police department, City Councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz said Monday. “If it doesn’t get reported, he cannot get disciplined for it,” Ortiz said at Monday’s meeting of the council’s police and community committee, which is discussing topics related to police reform. Topeka police Capt. Jamey Haltom responded by noting that a page on the police department website is devoted entirely to compliments and complaints. “The department takes your comments, compliments and complaints seriously,” says that page. It includes a link people can use to provide input.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal

Sedgwick County positive test rate is 23%, COVID case rate is 6 times above red zone

By every measure available, the coronavirus pandemic is worse than it has ever been in the Wichita area, according to the latest data provided by local and state government. The number of people in Wichita hospitals with COVID-19 has nearly doubled in two weeks. During that time, nearly one in four people who were tested had the disease. The coronavirus hospital situation in Wichita has worsened one week after a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations caused the city’s two major hospitals to hit their capacities for intensive care unit patients.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Convention centers, museums become classrooms amid pandemic

In ordinary times, the airy convention center on a 61-acre site in Hesston, Kansas, hosts weddings, corporate retreats and church events. During the pandemic, it has become a schoolhouse for the district’s seventh- and eighth-graders. Megan Kohlman teaches literature and writing inside one of the rooms, separated from a math teacher’s space by only a plastic sheet. It’s hardly ideal, but for her it’s an upgrade from distance learning in the spring, when she juggled instruction with care of her own young children. “Everyone just really believes in the power of having kids with us as much as we can,” Kohlman said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Overland Park committee tables discussion on backyard hens

Dreams of backyard hens in northern Overland Park didn’t completely die at last week’s Community Development Committee meeting. But changes that would open up the possibility of keeping chickens for people living on less than a three-acre lot may be a longer time coming, if at all. The city council committee members became deadlocked on whether to move forward with legal changes that could allow more chickens in the northern part of the city, where properties are smaller and interest is higher. The issue was lot size. The city currently regulates hens through its planning department. As it now stands, people can have hens if they have at least three acres of land. Those on less than three acres have to go through a cumbersome process of appearing before the city planning commission to get a special use permit.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Sabetha sees increased sales tax distributions

Sabetha’s sales tax distributions are above last year’s distributions for October. This is according to the October County/City Local Sales Tax Distribution Report released by the Kansas Department of Revenue. The state issues these distributions two months after collection, so the October distribution is a reflection of August sales. Sabetha saw increased sales tax distributions in the month of October alone — with distributions of $46,321.74, a 12.2 percent increase from the $41,297.87 distributed in October 2019. Sabetha’s local sales tax rate is 1 percent.
Source: Sabetha Herald

Independence announces Park and Zoo leadership changes

Independence City Manager Kelly Passauer has announced staffing changes in the City’s Park, Zoo and Cemetery Department, in light of the pending retirement of Director Barb Beurskens. Angela Anthony has been named Park and Zoo Director and will join the City staff on November 16. Katie Southworth has been promoted to the role of Assistant Park and Zoo Director, under the City’s new reorganization plan. Anthony is currently employed as a high school science teacher in Copan, Oklahoma, but brings previous experience working as a park ranger and manager of visitor and volunteer services with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service at Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge near Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Source: Independence, KS

Smoky Valley Distillery hidden gem of small-town pride

Decades ago, Bud Von Strohe and his good friend, Dewey Grooms, would drive in a Cadillac down Washington Street in Marquette, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. Half a century later, Bud’s grandson, Stan Von Stohe, in remembrance of his grandfather, is cooking up a batch of Bud & Dewey’s Premium Straight Whiskey in his new business, Smoky Valley Distillery in Marquette. Although Stan grew up in Denver, he spent his summers helping out on his great aunt’s farm in Marquette. It was then he vowed someday he would return to this central Kansas town and buy the century-old grocery store on the town’s main street.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

More teachers are coming to Kansas than leaving it, data shows

Despite a common belief that Kansas loses more of its teachers every year, the state actually imports more teachers than it loses to other states. According to a report from the Kansas Department of Education’s Teacher Vacancy and Supply Committee, licensure data from last school year shows that with 562 new educators coming from out of state compared to 313 teachers who reported leaving the state to find work, Kansas imported 249 teachers.
Source: Leavenworth Times

Humboldt PD hit by COVID

Three of the five-member police force have tested positive or are awaiting results. Other departments are being asked to help cover the city. “We’re falling like flies,” said Shannon Moore, police chief of Humboldt. Of Humboldt’s five-member police force, two have tested positive for COVID-19 and Chief Moore, who is displaying symptoms, was awaiting her test results Friday afternoon. Moore said she has contacted the Allen County Sheriff’s Department as well as the Kansas Highway Patrol requesting backup. Cole Herder, city administrator, assured residents “We’ll have someone on staff 24 hours a day.”
Source: The Iola Register

Size of internet providers factors into Kansas’ rural broadband divide

Lauren Clary gets a sinking feeling when someone asks her if she’s watched a popular show on Netflix. “I tell them, ‘Nope, I don’t have the internet at home,’” said Clary, who lives on a rural property near Lake Afton with her husband and young child. “It’s amazing how many people are shocked when you tell them that.” But the Clarys are far from alone in having no or minimal internet access at home. About 95,000 Kansas households have no access to the internet or lack what has been defined as the bare minimum of internet access, said state Rep. Mark Schreiber, an Emporia Republican and a member of the Statewide Broadband Expansion Planning Task Force. Fast internet is so crucial to daily life that Kansans are finding creative workarounds, from turning their phones into hotspots to finding someplace nearby where they can access Wi-Fi.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

City, zoo inching closer to governance decision as city council resumes discussion

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommended the Topeka Zoo consider a different governing structure in 2011, and nine years later, the Topeka City Council is approaching a decision on whether to allow nonprofit group Friends of the Topeka Zoo to take over daily operations. “I love the freedom for them, I love the concept and the potential, and everyone loves the zoo,” city council member Karen Hiller said. “I will have some questions, but I think this is about ready to go.” City council has discussed a governance transition before, but Fred Patton, vice president and incoming president of FOTZ, said the city is pushing for the agreement now more than it has before. Patton said past negotiations were stalled after city staff, like city managers, would leave office and the two sides would have to start over with new staff.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal

Small-town dairy successfully sells milk throughout Kansas

While many small dairies across the country are failing, a small Kansas dairy with slightly more than 130 cows is thriving. Although it is still hard work, and the margins remain small, the dairy has remained in the black throughout the pandemic. For Hildebrand Farms, a family-owned business in Junction City, cows make up their livelihood. That’s why they treat the little ladies to home-produced grains and fields where they can romp around all day.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Doctors share sobering view of COVID in Reno County; challenge community to respond

In a somber and graphic online “Town Hall” Thursday night, several Hutchinson medical professionals talked about what they are now experiencing as the novel coronavirus surges in Reno County and threatens to overwhelm local hospital resources. “We are staring down the barrel of a disease that has killed 19 people in our community,” said family physician Dr. Scott Pauly. “In none of our lifetimes has influenza killed 19 people in a single year. You have to add up many years, maybe decades to get 19.” And more than half of those have occurred in just the last three weeks.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Analysts bolster Kansas revenue projections, envision less dire budget outlook

TOPEKA — Kansas’ official revenue forecasters say economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic will be far less severe than previously projected for the state’s bottom line. Next year’s budget shortfall now is expected to be $152 million, a considerable upgrade from the $1.4 billion deficit anticipated earlier this year. The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, composed of state analysts and university economists, released revised figures on Friday that include an increase of $477.2 million in revenue for the 2021 fiscal year, which ends in June. J.G. Scott, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, said positive economic factors include job gains between April and September, improved trade with China, farm revenue bolstered by federal subsidies and a rise in commodity prices, and recovery of oil and gas sectors.Source: Kansas Reflector

Conservation project aims to restore Ogallala Aquifer through naturally occurring landforms

The future of water availability in western Kansas is receiving support from a multimillion-dollar project aimed at using existing land formations to recharge a major underground water source. Final details of the Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Project, or GRASP, are being worked out within the offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Earlier this year the project received an injection of $1.4 million from NRCS, and another $1.5 million from multiple partnering conservation organizations, including the Playa Lakes Joint Venture and Ducks Unlimited. The plan calls for the restoration and enhancement of playas — natural wetlands that dot the state. There are more than 22,000 playa lakes in Kansas, with 85% of that playa acreage in cropland. The remaining 15% are part of natural grasslands, with the average size of a playa being 3.7 acres.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Hays welcomes new ice skating rink

Three men were hard at work Wednesday morning in downtown Hays piecing together half-inch-thick plastic polymer pieces to form what would soon become an ice skating rink made of artificial ice.That outdoor rink is downtown Hays’ newest attraction. It sits beneath the Downtown Pavilion at 10th and Main Street, and the artificial ice allows it to withstand whatever weather conditions a Kansas fall or winter might throw at it.
Source: Leavenworth Times

McLouth, KS boasts unusual road attraction

When the town was being laid out, the boulder couldn’t be moved, so they simply built the city street—aptly named Granite Street—around it. After years of resurfacing, it sticks out of the ground over two feet, with just enough room to drive around it. But what you see in street is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. “It’s said to be at least 30 feet in diameter underground,” said Meador. “It was probably six or seven feet higher than it is now. That’s how much we’ve built the area up.”
Source: KCTV.

City of Russell Launches 10-day Community Challenge to Slow COVID-19

The City of Russell is launching a 10-day community challenge in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. The STOMP COVID 10-day Community Challenge begins November 7 and ends November 16. This challenge is in partnership with Russell Regional Hospital and USD 407. “We are experiencing an alarming increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the Russell area”, said Mayor Curt Mader In the latest report from the Russell County Health Department, we now have 242 cases, with 54 people currently in quarantine. There have been 25 hospitalizations and five deaths. Our current positivity rate is 23.7 percent. At the November 3 city council meeting, Russell County Health Officer Paula Bitter and Dr. Tyrel Somers encouraged more mask use in the community. The Russell City Council discussed a mask mandate but would prefer leaving the option of wearing a mask to individuals. “Russell has come together many times, said Mayor Mader. We need your help to curb the spread of COVID-19, prevent our hospital from being overwhelmed, and protect our neighbors from critical illness!” Residents are asked to take the STOMP COVID 10-day community challenge. When in public or group settings, wear a mask. We are ONE Russell, and together…let’s Stomp COVID.

Garden City to consider mask mandate

The Garden City Commission considered a petition put forth by Lindsay Byrnes to implement a citywide mask mandate at Tuesday’s regular board meeting. No action was taken at the meeting. However, the commission will hold a special session at 10 a.m. Nov. 11 to consider putting an ordinance in place requiring the wearing of masks. Byrnes is the Finney County medical director, but said she put forth the petition neither as an employee of the county health department nor is she speaking on behalf of the county. She did so as a physician and someone who’s invested in the community.
Source: News – The Garden City Telegram

Younger generation steps up to public service

Bryce Garner, 26, will be sworn in Jan. 13, 2021, as the youngest Stafford County commissioner on record when he assumes office representing District 3 following the 2020 general election. “I’ll be wearing a smile, that’s for sure,” Garner said. “It’s not that I wanted to set a record, but I am pleased that my generation will have a voice in decisions that will impact their futures. “I’m a fifth-generation Stafford County resident and that makes me dedicated to wanting to assure a good future for all Stafford County residents.” With family ties that trace back nearly a century, Garner is following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather Victor “Vic” Garner, who served as 3rd District county commissioner from 1969-1976.
Source: News – The Garden City Telegram

Wichita mayor urges caution; small hospitals under strain

The mayor of Kansas’ largest city is warning the public to take the coronavirus “seriously” as case numbers soar and rural hospitals struggle to find larger facilities with room for their patients. Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple blamed a rise in cases on a “perfect storm” of people becoming fatigued over prevention measures, longing to see their families, and moving events indoors as the weather grows colder.
Source: KAKE – News

Fed holds interest rates steady near zero, says economy is still well below pre-pandemic levels

The Federal Reserve held short-term borrowing rates near zero in a decision Thursday that characterized the economy as growing but not near where it was before the coronavirus pandemic hit. As markets widely expected, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate anchored in a range between 0%-0.25%, where it has been since an emergency cut seven months ago in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. …The Fed’s decision to hold steady comes amid concerns over the direction of the economy as Covid-19 cases accelerate and public officials contemplate restrictions on activities that could hamper growth. As it has done multiple times before, the Fed emphasized that the growth trajectory is largely dependent on the path of the coronavirus.
Source: CNBC

STAR bond projects structured to fund themselves

From a financial standpoint, the state’s Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bond projects are set up to essentially pay for their own development. The tool allows Kansas municipalities to issue bonds “to finance the development of major commercial, entertainment and tourism projects,” which are then paid off through the sales tax revenue generated by the development. … While there are a few more wrinkles, once a STAR bond district is established (like Derby did in 2015), such bonds can then be issued to make payments for development of tourism attractions, infrastructure improvements, etc. … In metropolitan areas, those bonds can only be used for projects with an anticipated capital investment of at least $50 million. In rural areas, though, there is no specific financial threshold on STAR bond projects – just the mere requirement bonds be issued for a project of major regional or statewide significance.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Sedgwick County health officer says more intervention needed to slow COVID-19

Sedgwick County’s chief health officer is calling for more interventions in the community to limit the spread of COVID-19, as the county and the state of Kansas continue to see more new cases. Dr. Garold Minns made the comments during a special meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission on Thursday.  Dr. Minns said there is no precise answer why cases are going up, but he suggested several factors.   He said the reopening of schools may have been a component, along with sports and activities that are leading to more human contact.  He said he is not criticizing the schools because they have done a good job in limiting the spread of the virus.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Overlay project awarded for K-96 in Reno, Sedgwick counties

A Wichita contractor won the bid this week to overlay nearly 33 miles of K-96 and K-14 highways in Reno and Sedgwick counties. Cornejo & Sons LLC won the project with a low bid of $7.862 million. The contract includes an overlay of K-96 from the K-14 junction in Reno County east to Maize Road, and K14, from the K96 junction east to the east US-50. Officials did not indicate when the project was scheduled to begin. The bid was one of 26 awarded around the state from an Oct. 21 bid letting in Topeka, including a signing project in Reno County and four other projects in South Central Kansas. KDOT also announced the award of a short bicycle path project in Finney County from the September bid opening.

Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Lenexa approves CID sales tax to help finance mixed-use Ten Ridge project

The Lenexa City Council on Tuesday voted 6-0 to approve a public financing agreement for a new mixed-use development along a southern part of the city. The developer, West Star Development, plans to build Vista Ridge, a $43 million mixed-use project at the northeast corner of K-10 Highway and Ridgeview Road. A portion of the site is now approved as a Community Improvement District, on which the developer can be reimbursed up to $3.5 million in eligible costs associated with the project.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Fed holds interest rates steady near zero, says economy is still well below pre-pandemic levels

The Federal Reserve held short-term borrowing rates near zero in a decision Thursday that characterized the economy as growing but not near where it was before the coronavirus pandemic hit. As markets widely expected, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate anchored in a range between 0%-0.25%, where it has been since an emergency cut seven months ago in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. There were few language changes in the post-meeting statement from the Federal Open Market Committee, though the panel did note that the economy continues to struggle.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

How Lenexa trains police officers

Whether they’re new to law enforcement or transferring from another agency, Lenexa police officers go through extensive training to prepare them for solo patrol. All recruits start with pre-academy training and orientation instructed by Lenexa officers. This establishes baseline skills to benefit the recruit going into the police academy, including geography of Lenexa, physical conditioning, and basic firearms. Recruits are also issued uniforms and equipment during this time.
Source: City of Lenexa

There is something remarkable happening in tiny Humboldt, Kansas

Just a little over 100 miles southwest of Kansas City, Humboldt is like a lot of other rural Kansas towns, except that Humboldt is now undergoing a major transformation from typical Kansas small town to a town with more cool stuff going on than many of our dense urban neighborhoods. In recent years, the Works family, a local family that owns a very successful trailer hitch manufacturing company, has been embarking on an unusual and exciting redevelopment of Humboldt’s downtown area. They have purchased several century-old buildings in the town square, and have been planning and working on an “experiment” that could very well lead to something of a renaissance for itty bitty Humboldt. Currently under construction: a music venue, a small boutique hotel, bars, and even a maker space. The town already boasts a solid coffee shop and mercantile, as well as a pretty great old-school fried chicken restaurant named Opie’s.
Source: The Pitch.

Louisburg USD 416 bond passes

The Paola and Louisburg City Councils will have some new faces, and Louisburg USD 416 voters narrowly approved a $24 million bond proposal. The incumbents in the state Senate and House races will retain their seats in Topeka. Miami County voters turned out in record numbers for the 2020 presidential election. The county recorded 17,740 ballots, for a 71.64 percent turnout, compared to a 68.81 percent turnout for the 2016 presidential election. The county has 24,764 voters. It appears there will be a new member on the Paola City Council.
Source: Hiawatha World Online

Repeal of liquor law in JoCo creates win for businesses

Johnson County voters have repealed Kansas’ liquor-by-the-drink law that put stipulations on food sales for businesses serving alcohol. Per the law, 30% of an establishment’s sales had to come from food. The requirement created challenges for places such as bars and breweries, where patrons aren’t always craving food. “People are stopping here after work to have a beer with their buddies,” Emily Mobley, co-owner of Limitless Brewing in Lenexa, told FOX4. “They’re stopping on a Friday night on their way home from work. They’re just stopping in here to relax and have a beer. They’re not coming in here to eat a meal.”
Source: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals

Saline County voters pass sales tax hike for new jail

Voters in Saline County passed a 1% sales tax hike. The money will be used to build a new jail and sheriff’s office. “Since 2009, we have had more inmates than we have had beds,” Sheriff Roger Soldan told KSN News on Monday. “We have to house outside between 70 and 100 inmates a day, and we have spent more than $7 million to date.” On a $100 purchase, you will pay 50 cents extra. The increase will generate about $6 million each year.
Source: KSN-TV

Newton High School is now a COVID-19 cluster, Harvey County health officials say

Harvey County health officials have identified an outbreak of the coronavirus at a Newton public school. The cluster includes five active COVID-19 cases at Newton High School, county officials announced Wednesday in a news release. The local health department is investigating to determine the source of exposure. “We take this very seriously,” USD 373 Superintendent Fred Van Ranken said in a statement. “We work with the Health Department to conduct contact tracing, and will continue to implement plans to keep our students and staff safe.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

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