Kansas Municipal News
Wichita considers raising fees to improve golf courses
As the City of Wichita displayed an improvement to one of the City’s public golf courses Thursday, it said other improvements are needed. The improvement the City pointed to on Thursday involves the MacDonald Golf Course’s driving range not being near the clubhouse like at other golf courses. “It creates a big challenge for not only customers, staff, First Tee with their programming, having to figure out to transport the balls from the clubhouse to here. It’s a big issue,” Jesse Coffman, the City’s golf director, said.
Source: KSN-TV
Paola turns dispatch duties over to county
A staffing shortage has forced the city of Paola to turn its dispatch duties over to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office beginning May 1. Paola City Council members, during their March 14 meeting, agreed to make a reduction in force and transition to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office to provide dispatch services for the city of Paola beginning May 1. Paola City Council member Dave Smail, who is a former Paola police chief, abstained from voting. Miami County commissioners, during their March 29 meeting, voted 5-0 to take over dispatch services for the city of Paola, effective May 1.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Riley County agrees to enter opioid lawsuit settlement
The Riley County Commission on Monday unanimous authorized participating in a nationwide settlement agreement in an opioid lawsuit. Five companies, Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, agreed late last year to provide settlement funds to the cities and counties who opt into the settlement by the April 18 deadline. While the exact payout for each entities hasn’t been determined, the total settlement is estimated to be several billion dollars, Clancy Holeman, Riley County counselor, said during the meeting. By participating in this settlement, Riley County will have to waive its ability to sue these five companies on their own.
Source: themercury.com
Study analyzes land ownership by location
Experts expect nearly 40% of American agricultural land will transition ownership in the next 15 years. As Kansas farmers retire and land is either sold or inherited by farming or non-farming heirs, the makeup and location of the new owners of that land has been changing over time, reports Kansas State University agricultural economist Robin Reid. Reid worked with the Kansas Property Valuation Division of the Department of Revenue to analyze agricultural land ownership by location. The researchers used data from 2015, the last most complete year of data available. The results, reported in January, show that 84.5% of acres in the study are owned by individuals or entities residing in Kansas. Of those, 54.6% live in the same county as their parcel.
Source: Pratt Tribune
Abilene home to World’s Largest Belt Buckle
Whether on a cross-state road trip or just looking for a unique stop in central Kansas, the small town of Abilene has a new roadside activity to make your list. Last December, Abilene unveiled its latest addition to artwork to honor its cowboy history. Its latest piece is now known as the World’s Largest Belt Buckle. “It’s just something that makes people smile,” said Julie Roller Weeks, director of the Abilene Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “It’s been so fun to see people’s reactions.” The World’s Largest Belt Buckle was designed by an Abilene local artist Jason Lahr with Fuller’s Creek Metal Works. Each artistic facet of the belt buckle works to honor local heritage and traditions in the town of Abilene. The buckle features artistic odes to Dwight Eisenhower, Wild Bill Hickok, Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad, the historic Seelye Mansion, C.W. Parker Carousel Horse, C.L. Brown Telephone, a racing greyhound and a Chisholm Trail Longhorn inlaid with blue quartz.
Source: Hutch News
Kansas could have new state park featuring clear lake, miles of trails
Rural southeast Kansas could soon be home to a new state park if lawmakers approve a gift of former industrial land that has been redeveloped into a lake and trail hub. The proposed Lehigh Portland State Park would be on the site of a former cement plant and quarry near Iola, known locally as Elks Lake. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks currently maintains 28 state parks, and the agency supports Lehigh Portland becoming the 29th. The property’s nearly 360 acres contain a 138-acre lake, 300-foot-long cave, woodlands, native prairie and more than 2.5 miles of wide gravel trails and 12 miles of natural surface trails for mountain biking, trail running and nature hikes trails. Thrive Allen County, a rural health advocacy organization, has been constructing the trails, which connect to the Southwind Rail Trail and Prairie Spirit State Park. House Bill 2331 passed the Kansas House 101-21 earlier this month and has had a Senate committee hearing, but has not advanced to the full chamber.
Source: Hutch News
CCMFOA Clerk of the Year is Jami Downing (Stafford)
Jami Downing, City Clerk, City of Stafford, Kansas, was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Mildred Vance City Clerk/Finance Officer of the Year for the State of Kansas. In October, Downing will again be recognized for this award at the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM) Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas.
Past resolution would allow farm animals at Newton schools
According to a city memo to be discussed at the April 10 Newton City Commission meeting, the Newton School District would be able to host an agricultural-based program, similar to the one at Walton Rural Life Center, within the City of Newton. The memo follows Board Member Luke Edwards asking the city if it would be able to change its animal ordinances in the future, in case the district would want to start a program with livestock at one of its schools located in the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
Harvey County planning commission leaning toward an outright ban
The Harvey County Planning Commission began the process of documenting reasons why wind turbines were not a good fit for the county at its meeting Tuesday. After planning commissioners and Planning and Zoning Director Karen Rothe disclosed what research they had done since the Board of Harvey County Commissioners adopted a six-month moratorium on renewable energy projects, Vice Chairwoman Lynne Vigil listed four distinct reasons for banning wind turbines: groundwater; airports and weather radar; setback distances; and search and rescue flights by emergency crews.
Source: Harvey County Now
These small Kansas towns are rising again by tapping a new market: Craft beer
One might also assume that Courtland, with just 294 residents, is the smallest town in Kansas that can boast its own brewery. But Sylvan Grove, about 45 minutes west, is smaller and is home to Plainsmen Brewing Co., which operates inside the popular Fly Boy restaurant. And an hour north, in Washington (population: 1,065), Kansas Territory Brewing Co. is home to a taproom and high-tech production facility that will likely soon be the largest in the state. As it turns out, the thirst for craft beer isn’t confined to city drinkers: Seven breweries in Kansas are open, or are soon to open, in communities of less than 2,500 people. As the brewers behind these operations have discovered, a brewery is rarely just a brewery — particularly out on the remote prairie plains.
Source: Kansas City Star
De Soto plans ahead for 3,000-acre solar farm near Panasonic construction
Nearly a third of the 9,035-acre Astra Enterprise Park could become De Soto’s first utility solar farm. De Soto has worked with Savion LLC, a Kansas City-based solar developer, since late 2021 to evaluate and assess a prospective project. Back then, officials said utility solar wouldn’t be in the cards for at least five years because of regulatory approvals. However, they anticipated that a solar project would generate significant electric franchise fees and local property taxes.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Kansas Senate says yes to state park in Iola
A proposal to create a new state park in Iola took another big step forward Thursday when Kansas senators voted overwhelmingly in favor of what would become Lehigh Portland State Park. The Senate’s passage means the bill goes back to the Kansas House of Representatives — perhaps as early as Thursday evening — for a final vote before the measure would go to Gov. Laura Kelly. The Senate’s bill differed slightly from a similar bill approved previously by the House in that it was combined with another bill granting free permanent hunting and fishing licenses to disabled veterans. Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, was among those who voted with the majority in the 35-5 tally.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas Legislature packages new flat tax rate with quicker end to food tax
Kansas lawmakers passed a tax cut package in the early Friday morning hours that fuses a flat tax rate for individual income with an accelerated reduction in the state sales tax on food, corporate tax breaks and residential property tax relief. The policies assembled into Senate Bill 169 add up to $1.3 billion in decreased state tax collections over the next three years, with more than half of the cost associated with the flat tax. The bill eliminates the sales tax on food at the start of next year. “To me, it’s always a priority to get it back to taxpayers instead of growing government, and that’s that this bill does, and it does it very nicely,” said Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican who chairs the Senate tax committee. “It considers everybody, from low income tax to everybody.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
Progress continues on Justice Center in Great Bend
The City of Great Bend’s new Justice Center slated for completion in August and the long-standing Expo I and II buildings that were just transferred to city ownership by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce are on the forefront for city officials. As for the Justice Center at 12th and Baker, it is starting to take shape, both inside and out, Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. The brickwork around the entrance area is underway and window installation will start Monday.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Property taxes climb 3.6% across U.S. to $339.8 billion
Property taxes levied on single-family homes in the United States increased 3.6% to $339.8 billion in 2022, according to a new report from a real estate data firm. That’s up from $328 billion in 2021. The 2022 increase was more than double the 1.6% growth in 2021, but smaller than the 5.4% increase in 2020, according to the report from ATTOM, a property data provider. The report also shows that the average tax on single-family homes in the U.S. increased 3% in 2022, to $3,901, after rising 1.8% in 2021. The latest average tax resulted in an effective tax rate nationwide of 0.83%. That was down slightly from 0.86% in 2021 to the lowest point since at least 2016.
Source: Derby Informer | News
With the Ogallala Aquifer drying up, Kansas considers limits to crop irrigation
The Ogallala Aquifer has a visibility problem. It’s easy to see when drought, farm irrigation and city taps drain the great reservoirs of the Southwest. Bathtub rings paint the red rock walls surrounding Lake Powell as it shrinks, sounding alarm bells loud and clear. What about a body of water that’s locked away in a subterranean labyrinth of gravel and rock reaching more than 300 feet underground? The Ogallala may hold as much water as Lake Huron, but we can’t see it. And, problematically, that means we can’t see it disappear.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Leawood proposes using federal funds to build pickleball courts
Leawood is considering whether to use federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for more pickleball courts for public use. The Leawood City Council in a Monday work session reviewed multiple city projects — including installation of new pickleball courts — for which the city wants to pay with funds earmarked for its use from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Prairie Village is 2nd JoCo city to adopt antisemitism measure
Prairie Village is now the second Johnson County city to adopt a resolution formally defining antisemitism in response to an ongoing uptick in reported instances of antisemitic hate both nationally and around the Kansas City region. Leawood is the only other Johnson County city currently with such a resolution on the books, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a means for guiding public response to any potential acts of hate.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Meet Doug Gerber, Shawnee’s new city manager
Doug Gerber, a long-time municipal government administrator with Kansas roots, is Shawnee’s new city manager. Gerber, whose hiring was approved in February by an unanimous city council vote, was formally sworn in last week. His path to becoming a city manager wasn’t always a clear one. As a junior at Kansas State University, he was a chemistry major. Each day, he went to labs, and Gerber found he actually hated it. On a whim, he decided to take an introduction to public administration course, discovering a new path.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Prairie Village adds money to property tax rebate program
A few more Prairie Village residents could get some relief on their city property taxes. The Prairie Village City Council last week approved adding $5,000 more to its property tax rebate program fund, bringing the 2023 funding total to just over $30,000. The program, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to ease the burden on the most cash-strapped property owners, reimburses eligible residents for 100% of the Prairie Village portion of their annual property tax bill.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post