Kansas Municipal News
Shook retires as clerk for Arkansas City
Lesley Shook has officially retired as City Clerk after more than two decades of service to the City of Arkansas City. Shook’s final day with the city was March 27. She was honored with a reception at City Hall. Shook began her career with the city in 1995 as an administrative secretary. Lesley was introduced as the City Clerk in 2008. Retirement plans include gardening and travel. A New Jersey native, Shook looks forward to more visits with her east coast family. Shook also plans to spend time with her granddaughter, Olivia, who lives with Shook’s son, Zach, and his wife, Abby, in Wilmington, N.C.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
The status of new cybersecurity laws proposed in Kansas
As employers in the private and public sectors adjust to the advent of flexible work over the last two years, they’re simultaneously trying to protect their organizations from attackers looking to steal and sell data. 2021 was a year defined by significant cyberattacks that crippled infrastructure and shut down hospitals, schools, and municipal governments. It’s the same year the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies gasoline to millions living in the Northeast U.S., was hobbled by a ransomware attack that triggered a gas panic and elevated prices for consumers.
Source: Wichita Eagle
A new museum in Amelia Earhart’s Kansas hometown honors her pioneering legacy in flight
Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart spent part of her childhood in Atchison, Kansas. Now her hometown is celebrating her life and adventures with a new museum that opens this weekend. The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum showcases 14 interactive science and technology exhibits, celebrates the trailblazing aviator and features a Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft named Muriel. Earhart flew an identical plane when she and her navigator, Fred Noonan disappeared on her doomed, final flight around the world in 1937. Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. As crowds gathered outside the museum Friday, Karen Seaberg, founder and president of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation spoke to a small crowd of donors. “I want you to raise your glass and give a toast to Amelia and Muriel,” Seaberg said.
Source: KCUR News
Johnson County Library is ditching late fees and wiping out all overdue book fines. Here’s why
Johnson County Library patrons were liberated Thursday from fines that build up for keeping books and other materials past their due dates. The Johnson County Library Board voted unanimously — and with applause — to discontinue charging 30 cents for each day an item is overdue. The library also will forgive overdue fines that were already on the books. By Friday morning, patrons with JoCo Library’s mobile app were able to see $0.00 under the “Fees due” tab. Board members said the embarrassment of the fines had been discouraging people from ever returning items or coming back to use the library.
Source: KCUR News
‘We want development.’ KCK approves new downtown project with hopes of revitalization
A long-delayed plan to redevelop a key property in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, has been given another opportunity — though it might be the last. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday unanimously approved a development agreement with Willie Lanier Jr., who plans to demolish the now-closed Jack Reardon Convention Center. In its place, he aims at building a new apartment complex with ground-floor retail space and a small meeting space.
Source: Kansas City Star
LaHarpe talks strengths, struggles
For all of the good in town — neighbors helping neighbors, infrastructure upgrades, etc. — LaHarpe still has plenty of issues that, if not addressed, will eventually threaten the community’s future. So said a small group of residents who gathered this week for a community conversation, hosted by Thrive Allen County. The hour-plus powwow tackled the town’s strengths and struggles, with plenty to boast about, but often with a blunt assessment on what needs help. First the good news. A small but ambitious set of volunteers has helped with several improvements in recent years, from LaHarpe PRIDE handling annual clean-up day projects, helping install several additions to the city park, including a zipline and playground apparatus; and the LaHarpe Days Committee becoming more active on a regular basis in order to fund the summer festival.
Source: The Iola Register
Tech center in LaHarpe offers open house
Anyone who’s curious about the Regional Rural Technical Center in LaHarpe will have a chance to see the facility and equipment at an open house on Tuesday. The tech center will be open from 1 to 3 p.m. for prospective students, and from 3 to 6:30 p.m. for the community. Representatives from participating colleges will be available to explain programs and answer enrollment questions. High school juniors and seniors, and adults can take courses at RRTC earning certificates in a variety of areas. Next year, the center will offer CNA, phlebotomy, wind, automotive, welding, and construction programs.
Source: The Iola Register
Learn about Lawrence’s new housing discrimination protections at upcoming meetings
Landlords, tenants and anyone who’s interested can learn more about the City of Lawrence’s new protections for people using housing vouchers during three upcoming meetings. The Lawrence City Commission on Feb. 14 voted to approve an ordinance change that bars landlords from discriminating against prospective tenants and denying them housing based solely on their source of income. Landlords will also be prohibited from discriminating based on people’s immigration status, and against people who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and/or stalking.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Derby looks at new policy on pet ownership
Based on recent updates to its priority list, the City Council reviewed some new options for policy on pet ownership in Derby during its April 11 meeting. Currently, per city policy, a maximum of four dogs and four cats (6 months or older) are allowed in residential homes in Derby. Hannah Chegwidden, assistant to the city manager, researched the policies and processes of other communities to bring back to the council for feedback during its most recent meeting. Reviewing the policies of other first class cities, staff reported that all have some sort of limitation on pet ownership – with Derby being on the higher end of the spectrum. The most dogs allowed by any city is four (in line with Derby’s current policy), though Chegwidden said a majority have lower limits of two to three dogs per household. Of the new options presented, one would be to change the ownership limit to six total pets – with no limitations on cats versus dogs.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Amelia Earhart museum looks to make dreams take flight
Hundreds visited the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, Kansas, on its opening day to learn about her life in a creative way. The $17 million project allows patrons to have an interactive experience with various parts of Earhart’s life through state-of-the-art technology. Many companies assisted in making this project a reality, including Dimensional Innovations, which helps make the museum experience hands-on. It also allows patrons to participate in a virtual reality flight.
Source: www.atchisonglobenow.com
Altamont to try new water meters as part of a pilot study
The Altamont City Council on Thursday heard that the city is going to try to pilot a new water meter program. When the city completed a water line replacement project in 2015, the water meters did not get changed out, Altamont City Administrator LeaAnn Myers said. The water meters in place now have moving parts. “Now they have ultrasonic water meters. They don’t have any moving parts, stuff doesn’t slow down. They are supposed to catch low-flow water usage through there. Along with that they offer an AMI, an automated reading system that we could pull the readings into the city office, versus our guys having to go out … and get those readings,” Myers said. “With that program, it also offers a customer portal. You can track your water usage yourself.”
Source: Parsons Sun
Wichita asking for help conserving water as drought continues affecting Cheney Lake
“We need rain! Up north needs rain, and it needs to come down the Ninnescah into Cheney. Desperately,” said campers Don & Lynn Weilert. The Weilerts have been coming to Cheney Lake for nearly forty years. Their favorite thing to do is take the boat out and spend hours on the water. But this year, there’s a problem. “We’ve already ran over some stuff and tore up our pontoon,” said the Weilerts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this bad.” Megan Lovely with the City of Wichita says the good news is it’s not actually as bad as it looks. “We are actually 80% full in Cheney. That was an increase of 0.2% in March,” said Lovely. However, since Wichita’s water does come from Cheney lake, Lovely says the city is asking residents to follow some minor water conservation practices until the levels are back up again.
Source: KAKE – News
‘Hiding in plain sight’: The endearing, endangered tiny jails scattered across Kansas
About 20 years ago, Gerald Swart spotted his town jail sitting in a neighbor’s iron pile. It was just a big cage, really: a square box with iron lattice and a couple of chains hanging off a side door. A black sign with amateurish lettering said “GOFF CITY JAIL.” “It used to be right north of the bank in Goff when I was growing up,” Swart, 82, said of the jail. “They’d lock up drunks and keep ‘em in there overnight. But that ended sometime around the ‘50s.” Swart bought the jail from the neighbor for $11 and hauled it over to his property. It sits there to this day, not far from a building he calls Skeezix’s Toy Museum, where Swart houses his collection of vintage toy trucks, tractors and other farm implements. “I’ve tried to research its history,” Swart said of the jail, “but all the reports from those days, they’re all lost.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Municipal Bond Trends for April 14, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Are residents coming or going? U.S. Census, Kansas figures show different trends
Local residents were heartened to hear last February that a Kansas Division of the Budget report said Shawnee County’s population had risen significantly over a one-year period. But the information in that report conflicts with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which suggests the county’s population is instead dropping. A spokeswoman for the state suggests the Census Bureau figures are more accurate.
Source: CJonline
Shawnee county looks to become the model of mental health help in jails
Mental health is a growing concern both in our community and in our jails. Now, Shawnee County is working to become a model for treatment and rehabilitation. With a growing number of people living with mental illness in our community and our jails, it is becoming increasingly difficult to properly house many people. On average 35 percent of inmates in Shawnee County are considered severely mentally ill. Jail officials say it’s partially due to an increase in mental health conditions in the community, new and more severe illicit drugs on the market and a higher population in general. Now, the county is looking into building a new mental health unit within the Shawnee County Detention Center. In 2022, the county put aside $10,000,000 for this project with a goal of making inmates not feel like they’re incarcerated.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Topeka introduces land bank program to repurpose properties for affordable housing
Topeka City leaders are weighing a new proposal to transform many of the city’s vacant and blighted properties into livable housing. District 8 Councilman Spencer Duncan introduced a plan to implement a land bank program to rehabilitate residential properties. A land bank’s sole purpose would be to acquire and repurpose foreclosed, vacant and abandoned properties – and turn them into affordable housing. A recent city housing study found Topeka needs to add more than 400 units in the next five years to meet the current housing demand.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Mission weighs adding license plate readers at 10 intersections
Mission is poised to become the latest northeast Johnson County city to install license plate readers at some of its busiest intersections. The push to install readers in the city started last year. The devices have been pitched in other neighboring cities as a way to help police investigate crimes and identify suspect vehicles that may pass through multiple jurisdictions. Mission is one of the few cities in the area that has yet to put any up. Police Chief Dan Madden said it’s about time the city install license plate readers of its own.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Emporia hires Alaska administrator as assistant city manager
The City of Emporia announced Thursday the selection of Mark Detter as its next assistant city manager. He fills the position left vacant by Lane Massey, who accepted a position in Spring Hill last year. Detter begins his position on May 30, 2023, where he will support and direct aspects of city operations and lead pivotal strategic plan initiatives for the community. Detter told The Gazette that he grew up in Seattle, Wa., but both of his parents were from Kansas and he spent many summers traveling to the Midwest to visit family. He came back to Kansas for college, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, both from Southwestern College as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Wichita State University.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Hillsboro votes to allow chickens
In the March 21 Hillsboro City Council meeting, the council heard from S. Lincoln resident Ronald Wilkins who recently moved to Hillsboro. “My wife and I would like to have chickens, but in asking around we found out they were not allowed in town limits. We would like to ask the council to change that.” Wilkins presented a well-planned out and lengthy slideshow including research he had done in the county regarding other towns’ rules for chickens. Based on the information he presented, the council agreed to have an ordinance drawn up for them to vote on in the April 4 meeting. “I just don’t think we should allow roosters,” said Council Member Byron McCarty. Other members agreed.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press