(316) 264-3400|info@ransonfinancial.com
FacebookXLinkedIn

Municipal News & Jobs

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

Kansas Municipal News

Following study, changes to Lawrence stoplight timings aim to improve traffic flow on main corridors

Upcoming changes to traffic signals along some of the city’s main corridors will aim to decrease the time motorists spend sitting behind red lights and improve traffic flow throughout the city. Olsson, an engineering and design firm hired by the city, is making adjustments to the timing and function of traffic signals following an approximately yearlong study of traffic patterns. The changes will be made to 23rd Street/Clinton Parkway and Iowa Street and will be implemented over the next two weeks beginning on Tuesday.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Overland Park Convention Center on track to lose $2.6 million due to COVID-19 cancellations

Because of coronavirus-related cancellations, the Overland Park Convention Center is on target to lose $2.6 million to $2.7 million this year, said Brett Mitchell, the center’s general manager. Mitchell presented a grim semi-annual report to the city council’s Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee last week, saying canceled shows and the center’s complete closure from April to June have meant the center will only be bringing in a small fraction of its normal revenue. The center could typically expect a net annual income of about $500,000, and was on track towards that target before the pandemic hit the Kansas City metro in March, Mitchell said. Normally, convention center officials plan for $13 million in annual revenue, but the center has only generated $3.5 million so far, he said.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Lenexa’s inaugural pickleball tournament raises $5,000

Lenexa’s inaugural Swingin’ for a Scholarship Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser earlier this month raised $5,010 and drew in nearly 200 pickleball players to participate. Logan Wagler, deputy director of parks and recreation, said that in total, 96 teams and 192 participants joined in the tournament, which took place at the Lenexa Rec Center due to inclement weather. “The turnout was amazing and some great pickleball was on display,” Wagler said.
Source: Prairie Village Post

All in plein sight: Overland Park-based art competition went wide open this year

Painting outside seems like a perfect social distancing pursuit, but the Stems Plein Air Paint is usually anything but solitary. The annual Overland Park-based art competition went ahead this year — but with some major modifications. The competition started about 12 years ago as part of the Stems: A Garden Soirée fundraiser held by the non-profit Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park. The event supported the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead and the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, as well as various city art installations. In the past, artists have had to create their works outside, either at the Farmstead or the Arboretum during a two-week time period. When the amount of activity at the farmstead made it a more difficult painting area, the event was opened up to all of Overland Park.
Source: Joco 913 News

Riley County Law Board approves early purchase of new RCPD vehicles

Rather than waiting until January to purchase vehicles for its fleet, the Riley County Law Board is allowing RCPD to do so now to ensure they can fulfill their request. The Law Board gave the police department early permission to use funds from its 2021 budget to purchase seven 2021 Dodge Durango SUVs totaling about $292,000. RCPD Director Dennis Butler says they had to submit a request now, due to the manufacturer shutting down production for an extended period this year. “It delayed just everything and so the guidance we received from them was that if we wanted to receive vehicles in a timely manner for next year, we need to order them now,” he said.
Source: 1350 KMAN

JoCo firefighter, girlfriend recognized by Board of County Commissioners for rescuing three people on Kansas River

Andrew Eccles and his girlfriend, Breanna Shannon, were fishing on the Kansas River on Aug. 22 when they saw several people in need of help. Eccles, an off-duty Johnson County firefighter, and Shannon ended up saving three lives that day. The Board of County Commissioners last week recognized the couple for their heroism with medals of courage and honor during the commission meeting. Eccles said he’s glad he was there, but he still mourns for the family he helped. While Eccles and Shannon were able to help rescue two children and an adult, a fourth family member, 11-year-old Rebecca drowned.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Governor voices concerns about increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases

Kansas governor Laura Kelly said Monday she is concerned about the state’s ability to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and she’s concerned about the rise in cases and deaths over the past few weeks. The governor held her weekly news briefing after the state reported an increase of over 1,600 cases from the weekend, bringing the state’s total to almost 54,000 cases with 600 deaths.   She said the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate. Kelly said because of certain legislative leaders, Kansas has been left with a patchwork of local mask mandates, instead of a statewide policy like 34 other states have. 
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Buhler school suspending in-person classes because of coronavirus

Because of several positive COVID-19 cases, the Buhler Grade School is closing to in-person classes and will remain closed through September 29th. Reno County health officials said five cases were identified within the school and there are classrooms that need to quarantine.  It was decided to close in-person classes through the 29th if no further cases are confirmed.   All Buhler Grade School students will be going to a Flex Learning program during the closure. 
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Revenue continues to rebound at Kansas Star

Revenue at the Kansas Star Casino grew again last month, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth for the casino following a shutdown in part of March and through the entirety of April. Gambling revenue was more than $14.1 million in August, the casino’s highest since the shutdown. But the revenue still hasn’t met pre-pandemic numbers. For the entirety of 2020, Mulvane’s 1 percent share of the casino revenue has totaled $863,272.
Source: Derby Informer | Area

Shawnee County reports drop in revenue, expenses in 2020 budget update

Shawnee County is still “financially healthy” despite the economic damage that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Betty Greiner, the county’s director of administrative services, provided an optimistic budget update to Shawnee County commissioners during their Monday meeting at 701 N. Kansas Ave., saying revenue and expenses are both below projections. Revenue is $3.8 million under previous estimates, while expenses are $3.5 million under budget, according to Greiner. The drop in revenue was offset by the additional money saved from departments spending wisely, she said.
Source: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

After Decision Upholding FCC’s 5G Rules, Cities Now Weighing Appeal

Dozens of cities and counties were on the losing end of a federal court decision last month that largely upheld Federal Communications Commission rules restricting their ability to regulate technology for 5G infrastructure. Local governments that objected to the rules now have until Sept. 28 to file an appeal for a new hearing before the entire 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—a step at least some are considering. “We are speaking with our clients right now about whether or not to do that,” said Gerry Lederer, an attorney with Best, Best and Krieger, who represents the National League of Cities and a coalition of cities and counties in the litigation.
Source: Route Fifty – All Content

Shawnee County to consider restricting unregulated signage on county property

Placing unregulated signs on Shawnee County property could soon be illegal. “Unregulated signage on county property has direct and secondary effects that are harmful to the safety and general welfare of the county as a whole and to its individual citizens,” read a resolution introduced recently by Shawnee County Commission chairman Bill Riphahn. … Commissioners will hear public comment on the resolution, and Riphahn said there is a chance commissioners will vote on it Monday. His proposal limits the size and design of signs and indicates signs can only be single- or double-sided, and not inflatable or “air-activated.”
Source: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Violators of large gathering ban in Lawrence face max fine of $500, month in jail

The Lawrence city commission in a special meeting Thursday passed an ordinance cracking down people who violate COVID-19 health orders banning mass gatherings, the city announced in a release. City commissioners took up the issue to address community health concerns after recent videos showed crowded parties on weekends near the University of Kansas in violation of the emergency order issued earlier this month. That order, an attempt to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, in part banned gatherings of more than 45 individuals. Those guilty of violating the order will face a fine of $500 and up to a month in jail. Cases will be prosecuted in municipal court.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ellis County to expand landfill

Ellis County is preparing for expansion of the county landfill, including with the purchase of 180 acres of land adjacent to its existing landfill. The new acreage will make room for the growing amount of construction and demolition trash brought to the landfill just northwest of Hays at 1515 W. 55th St., according to county public works director Bill Ring. The county struck a deal a year ago to buy the rocky pasture from John and Susan Karlin for $380,000 or $2,111 an acre. They wanted to sell the entire pasture, or not at all, Ring said. “We’re doing a buy-out on it, paying him over the course of a few years. That’s how he wanted to be paid,” Ring said, noting the county just made the first residual payment.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette

Petition is expected to kill a plan to tax businesses along major Wichita street

A plan to tax businesses along Wichita’s most important downtown street appears to be doomed after eight months of controversy and a chaotic petition process. Opponents of a Business Improvement District for the Douglas Design District are within two validated signatures of overturning a City Council decision to levy a special tax on all businesses in the area to pay for promoting the commercial avenue from Washington to Oliver. They’re expected to get confirmation of the signatures they need sometime before an Oct. 15 deadline, when the Planning Department plans to wrap up a process of verifying that the people who signed the protest petition against the tax district are either the business owners or the authorized representatives of owners.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

City of Sedgwick and AT&T differ on cell tower location

The city council wants to encourage AT&T in their desire to build a cell tower in Sedgwick, but they have concerns regarding the company’s choice of locations. City Administrator Joe Turner told the council at their meeting on Sep. 8 that he preferred to keep the tower on city owned land and proposed to AT&T the following potential locations: waste water and retention dam, industrial park and parcel north of industrial park, and the land near the east water tower. Their engineers said the east water tower location is the one that will work for them, that the Industrial Park is too far south.” Turner told the council.
Source: Harvey County Now

Rural hospitals see funding, testing strategy among biggest pandemic hurdles

Amid a pandemic that has drastically impacted the way rural hospitals provide services, telehealth has provided patients and staff at Smith County Memorial Hospital desperately needed services and support. Allen Van Driel, CEO of the northern Kansas hospital, said medical professionals been able to connect with specialists from distant sites to provide services to their local patient base. The added hands were especially critical at the beginning of the pandemic when patients were scared to come in, he said. “Telehealth has been especially effective in providing access to providers in the emergency department,” Van Driel said. “We now have a backup system in place of distant-site ER physicians available, so it greatly enhances our ability to deliver services.” Van Driel was among half a dozen rural hospital administrators from across Kansas who joined Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday to discuss the unique health care challenges faced in remote areas of the state, and what has and can be done to overcome them.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Leavenworth’s mayor addresses concerns about Uniform Public Offense Code

Leavenworth’s mayor said the city will not be granting additional authority to the county health officer by approving a provision in the 2020 Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities. “The city of Leavenworth has no authority to grant power to the county health officer,” Mayor Mike Griswold said. … Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens reviewed changes to the UPOC with commissioners last week. He noted that the 2020 version includes language he said clarifies a law enforcement officer’s authority to enforce a public health order…. Griswold also mentioned sections of the Uniform Public Offense Code that the police chief has recommended not be adopted.
Source: Leavenworth Times

Erie moves closer to buying grocery store

The owners of a grocery store will get another look at a proposed contract for the sale of their business to the city of Erie. Slight changes were made to the agreement for the city to buy Stub’s Market after input from the Erie City Council. The contract was ready for approval at the council’s Monday evening meeting, but City Attorney Seth Jones told the council that David “Stub” and Shirlene Mahurin should look at the changes before the council votes on the agreement. City Clerk Cindy Lero said Jones wanted to make sure the Mahurins didn’t want to suggest any other changes to the contract. Lero said the council could vote on the contract during the next regular meeting on Sept. 28.
Source: Parsons Sun

Lawrence City Commission approves ordinance to make violating pandemic health orders a municipal offense

City leaders have voted to approve an ordinance that gives Lawrence police more power to enforce local health orders put in place to deter the spread of COVID-19. As part of a special meeting Thursday, the Lawrence City Commission voted 4-1, with Mayor Jennifer Ananda opposing, to approve an ordinance that makes endangering the public health, safety, or welfare against municipal code. The ordinance uses existing state public nuisance law to give Lawrence police the authority to issue up to a $500 ticket to those who violate health orders, which include limits on public gatherings.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Johnson County extends COVID-19 mask mandate, following pleas from school leaders

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners narrowly voted on Thursday to continue requiring face masks in public, after leaders of all six county school districts urged them in a letter to keep the order in place. The 4-3 decision was made after a marathon, over-three-hour discussion where more than 50 residents spoke both for and against the mandate. Several residents, many of whom were not wearing masks, crowded outside of the room. Whether to require masks — which health experts emphasize are proven to help mitigate spread of COVID-19 — has been a contentious debate since before they were first mandated in Johnson County in July.
Source: Joco 913 News

New 911 tech comes to Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County is unveiling new technology they say will make it easier to contact 911 in an emergency. “So one of those is the ability for 911 dispatchers to send out a text versus only being able to respond to text so previously if you texted in and that text is just to 911 those three digits, very simple. We could respond back but we couldn’t initiate that text conversation,” said Elora Forshee, Emergency Communications Director. The county has used text to 9-1-1 but just recently had the ability to initiate contact with people.
Source: KAKE – News

Coronavirus remains plague on Kansas’ tourism, entertainment and winery industries

Damage to the Kansas tourism economy during the COVID-19 pandemic can be illustrated by impact of closing the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. The largest attraction in Abilene has been closed for months, blocking access to the $9 million exhibit space opened in August 2019 after an eight-month renovation. Nearly 150,000 people visited the museum last year. That was expected to double in 2020, said Kelly Peetoom, president of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas. “The 2020 travel season was predicted to be Abilene’s best year in a long time. In contrast, it is Abilene’s tourism industry’s worst,” Peetoom said.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Rethink your recycling: Shawnee County partners with Ripple Glass to keep glass out of landfills

If every Shawnee County resident changed the way they recycle glass, they could keep more recycling out of landfills and save the Shawnee County Solid Waste Department up to $5,500 a month. Bill Sutton, director of Shawnee County Solid Waste, cited the statistic when he talked about starting his position last August. Recycling glass more efficiently has been his priority, prompting him to partner with Ripple Glass, a glass recycling company based in Kansas City, Mo. …
Source: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Sedgwick County health officer eases curfew after bars openly ignored it

Responding to a weekend of late-night and early-morning revelry across the Wichita area, Sedgwick County health officer Dr. Garold Minns eased the county curfew on bars and nightclubs aimed at fighting the spread of COVID-19. Minns moved the curfew from 11 p.m. to midnight at the recommendation of the Sedgwick County commissioners, who voted unanimously Wednesday to request the change. On a call with a small group of bar and club owners Thursday afternoon, there was broad consensus by commissioners that they want to do away with the curfew entirely and as soon as possible, as early as next week if COVID-19 numbers continues to improve.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Eisenhower Memorial in D.C. opens Friday, highlights Kansas roots

A new memorial opening Friday should be of high interest to Kansans. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is finally opening after a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic; it was supposed to in May to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Allies’ defeat of Nazi Germany. The memorial, meant to honor his legacy as the supreme allied commander in World War II and the 34th U.S. president, has actually been more than 20 years in the making since Congress commissioned it in 1999. A dedication happened Thursday before the memorial opens to the public.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette

Shawnee will spend $216,000 to buy new tasers for police department

The Shawnee City Council on Monday unanimously agreed to replace the taser equipment for the city’s police department. The city will enter a five-year lease agreement with Axon for the purchase of 86 new X2 Tasers for the Shawnee Police Department. The upgrade will cost about $216,000. Deputy Police Chief Ben Mendoza reported that the current tasers have reached the end of their useful life and are no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Johnson County leaders sued over alleged censorship of magazines at jail

The Human Rights Defense Center, a Florida-based nonprofit that focuses on prisoner rights, is suing the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and the Johnson County sheriff, claiming they’re withholding magazines and other publications from jail inmates. The nonprofit says the staff at the New Century Adult Detention Center has refused to deliver dozens of the organization’s mailings to inmates, in violation of their First Amendment rights.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Auditor: Topeka officer violated no policies in use of force incident involving Black woman

Edward Collazo, the city of Topeka’s independent police auditor, has concluded Topeka police officer Kevin Schulz violated none of the department’s policies Aug. 23 when he used force on Tamiko Mitchell, a Black woman stopped for a traffic violation. Collazo decided that after thoroughly reviewing officer statements, witness statements and seven police body camera videos, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator, in a news release late Thursday afternoon. Collazo shared his findings in a 17-page report, she said.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal

Lawrence City Commission finalizes ordinance that provides protections for undocumented immigrants, requires notification of certain ICE activity

City leaders have finalized a nondiscrimination ordinance regarding undocumented immigrants, including the addition of two provisions meant to create transparency regarding how police interact with those populations. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance on second reading with two additions. The additions require public notification when the police department is aware of certain federal immigration activities in Lawrence as well as notification should the department make changes to its policy that generally limits police cooperation with federal immigration agents for noncriminal matters.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Hutchinson looks to part-time patrols to address park issues

A majority of the Hutchinson City Council agreed Tuesday to have part-time police service aides begin to patrol the city’s parks at night, particularly focusing on Orchard Park, to address concerns from the public about vandalism and loud after-hour activities in the park. Police Chief Jeff Hooper said the effort would cost about $20,000 to $25,000 a year if it were year-round, but he could manage it in his current budget with money from unfilled officer positions.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Water services set for Derby with new agreement

For the past couple of years, Derby has been in negotiations with the city of Wichita for a new wholesale water services agreement – with the original contract (set in 2001) coming up on its expiration. While there have been holdups along the way – stemming from Wichita’s focus on its own facility upgrades, the current pandemic, etc. – City Manager Kathy Sexton presented the Derby City Council with a new proposed agreement at its most recent meeting on Sept. 8. The renewed agreement would look very similar to the original agreement, according to Sexton, and include no immediate changes for Derby customers. One large caveat of the new agreement, though, would allow for Derby to take on some of its water services (as the city looks into constructing its own water treatment facility).
Source: Derby Informer | News

Lyon County adjusts gathering limits with new public health order

Lyon County commissioners approved an updated public health order prioritizing “flexibility” and “individual responsibility” Thursday after weeks of community input and discussion with local leaders. Set to begin Friday and run through Nov. 12, the new order maintains the same language on recommendations for travelers, high-risk individuals, long-term care centers and area businesses, again “highly encouraging” the use of masks in favor of mandating them. The majority of changes come in the category of mass gathering limits, which will be raised significantly moving forward.
Source: Emporia Gazette

City of Emporia extends mask mandate through Oct. 21

A citywide mask mandate will remain in effect through Oct. 21 following a decision by Emporia City Commissioners Wednesday night. City Attorney Christina Montgomery said no changes had been made to the language of the mandate, other than its expiration date. The mandate, which was passed unanimously, requires a mask or other face covering that covers both the nose and mouth to be worn in indoor and outdoor public spaces when social distancing is not possible. It applies to all businesses, organizations and non-profits located within city limits, including all employees, visitors, customers, members and non-members.
Source: Emporia Gazette

City of Emporia sees increase in sales tax revenue amid pandemic

Like other cities around the state, Emporia saw a surprising increase in sales tax revenues for June and started the 2021 fiscal year with a 2.9% increase over the previous year, despite the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. According to the Kansas Department of Revenue’s August report, which reflects mostly revenues from June, the City of Emporia brought in $395,463.23 in August — a 9.3% increase over Aug. 2019. The city ended the 2020 fiscal year, which ran from July 2018 – Aug. 2019, with $746,474.57. The 2021 fiscal year ended with $768,258.48 — 2.9% increase over 2019. So far, the city is seeing an overall increase in sales tax revenues for the year, with numbers comparatively higher in most business sectors than 2019 — $1,567,767.68 in Aug. 2020 compared to $1,561,657.32 in Aug. 2019.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Eudora lands deal for new railway manufacturer

Modern Manufacturing announced Thursday that it had indeed selected Eudora for the project. Leaders from the city of Eudora, Douglas County and the Kansas Department of Commerce all gathered in downtown Eudora to celebrate the announcement, and the ceremony even included one unexpected visitor — a noisy freight train rumbling through the north edge of downtown, interrupting the speech of Modern Manufacturing’s president. “Ah, there is the sound of money,” Russ Taylor, president of Modern Manufacturing, told the crowd. “That’s great.” Indeed, Eudora leaders are hopeful trains end up equating to big money for the town of about 6,300 people just east of Lawrence. Modern Manufacturing makes a variety of products for the railway industry. Those include the light systems used at crossings, while a big product is the steel “bungalows” that are located alongside the tracks to house electronic equipment for railways.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Survey says build new library for Newton

Things have been quiet at the Newton Public Library. While that is expected on a literal level, at this time it isn’t really expected on the figurative level. The community is in the middle of a multi-phase plan to build a new facility. Already complete are site selection — the new facility will be in Military Park, to the east of the current library location — and a feasibility review by WDM architects. The library project is now wrapping up Phase 3, public campaign. And that’s what has been relatively quiet, although that has been by design.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette

Learning hubs for virtual education grow in popularity in northern Johnson County, but traditional childcare providers raise concerns

With the start of an unprecedented school year that has tens of thousands of students across Johnson County learning remotely for at least a few days each week, many working families have started to look for educational alternatives for their children. Shawnee Mission’s roughly 27,000 students are all learning remotely for the time being, while other public school districts in Johnson County have many students in hybrid learning mode, splitting time between home and school. As a result, some parents have begun forming “learning pods” with other parents to have their children learn in small groups at home. Meanwhile, some nonprofits, churches, entertainment companies and Johnson County itself, have all launched their own learning hubs in recent weeks to support kids and families still enrolled in traditional schools.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Human rights group sues Johnson County leaders, says jail withheld COVID-19 info

A national nonprofit is suing Johnson County leaders for allegedly withholding mail, some of which contained information on the new coronavirus, from jail detainees. The Human Rights Defense Center filed a lawsuit Friday against the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Calvin Hayden, accusing them of censorship and of violating free speech rights. Since July, staff at the Johnson County New Century Adult Detention Center have “refused” to deliver at least 58 pieces of mail from the nonprofit, including magazines, handbooks and brochures informing inmates of their legal and civil rights, the lawsuit said.
Source: KC Star Local News

Iola woos window manufacturer

Council approves incentives that would help Peerless Products acquire the old Haldex Brake facility. The Fort Scott-based company wants the facility to focus on a new line of commercial windows. Iola has taken a “big” step forward in attracting a window manufacturer to town. Iola City Council members approved Monday a series of incentives that would assist Peerless Products in acquiring the old Haldex Brake facility on North State Street.
Source: The Iola Register

Toggle Sliding Bar Area
Go to Top