Municipal News & Jobs

The City of Leon is helping teen drivers learn a valuable lesson while avoiding costly fines for speeding. In the first moments of being pulled over on Oct. 1 for going 44 in a 30 mph speed zone, worries immediately rushed to high school junior Kendra Mast’s mind. “I thought I was going to have to get a job,” said Kendra. “Not doing school sports.” “I told her she was going to have to go get a job and pay her own ticket,” added Kendra’s mom, Sheena Mast. Leon offered a unique alternative. She could write an essay on the importance of traffic laws instead.
Read more: KSN-TV

Hundreds of students in Sedgwick County came to Wichita on Tuesday to learn more about careers in public safety and service. Representatives from the Red Cross, law enforcement, prosecutors and other professionals gave presentations to the students. Organizers said the event gives students a realistic look at jobs that will allow them to give back to their communities.
Read more: KSN-TV

The CiCo Ballfields in Manhattan will be renamed following a 10-year naming rights agreement approved by city commissioners. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Parks Director of Parks and Recreation Aaron Stewart talked to city commissioners about a naming rights resolution that was passed last December. According to Stewart, the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Foundation has formed a 10-year $500,000 partnership for the naming rights of the CiCo Ballfields.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

Peabody City Council members completed their mandated hour of training Monday on Kansas Open Meeting Laws. Council members listened intently as Nicole Proux Aiken with the Kansas League of Municipalities presented requirements through video conferencing. Peabody was ordered to undergo one hour of the training for violating the act.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Hotels and motels within Wichita city limits will have to be licensed through the city starting next year in order to operate. The ordinance also prohibits them from charging by the hour. The Wichita City Council passed the ordinance establishing the license Thursday in an effort to crack down on what it deems are nuisance properties, especially along South Broadway.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The miles of rail-to-trail paths east of Wichita are on track to grow with the unveiling of a new bridge along the Redbud Trail on Friday. It marks a decade of work turning abandoned railroad tracks into spaces for walking, biking and hiking and connects two Butler County cities. The Andover section of the Redbud Trail runs six miles from 159th Street East — about a mile west of Andover — and used to dead-end at U.S. 54/400, about four miles east of the city. The trail originates inside Wichita at the I-135 canal route. Combined, the paths stretch nearly 16 miles.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The mayor of a small south-central Kansas town has been charged with committing fraud by voting in elections since 2022 even though he is not a United States citizen, the state’s attorney general and secretary of state said Wednesday. Attorney General Kris Kobach said Joe Ceballos, who garnered nearly 83% of the vote Tuesday for a second term as Coldwater mayor, was charged with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. Both are felony offenses.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Researchers at KU recently created the Kansas Energy Transition Atlas, a GIS-powered site that features regulatory information for every county in the state. The interactive site allows elected officials, developers, landowners and anyone interested in wind energy to easily find information on wind policy, information about the number of turbines in place, transmission lines and much more.
Read more: Univ of Kansas

On the eve of Prairie Village city elections largely defined by whether candidates support or oppose the city’s $30 million municipal complex project, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that had previously stalled the city’s plans to move forward with the plan. Now, city officials say they’re figuring out how to get the project “back on track” even as the city awaits the results of Tuesday’s much-watched city council elections.
Read more: Johnson County Post

In addition to its agenda items, the Arma City Council shared exciting news at the tail end of Monday night’s meeting. Plans to build a Casey’s General Store have been approved within city limits.
Read more: -Morning Sun

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

Yesenia Leon-Tejeda, like many people on the frontier of America’s tech boom, is basking in newfound prosperity. Her hometown in northeast Oregon was not long ago known for a former chemical-weapons depot nearby, a state prison on the city’s outskirts and the strip clubs once dotting its main drag. But a growing fleet of Amazon data centers has turned the region around Umatilla into an unlikely nerve center for one of the most expensive infrastructure build-outs in U.S. history.
Read more: WSJ.com: US Business

Riley County officials invited the public to review and comment on the latest draft of the county’s comprehensive plan, officially titled “Riley County Together 2040.” The plan will replace the county’s existing Vision 2025 plan, outlining land-use goals, growth priorities and ways to implement those strategies through 2040. County planner Amanda Webb told commissioners Monday the draft plan is available for viewing on the county’s website.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The Lyon County Commission approved a premium pay policy for exempt employees who go above and beyond during certain emergencies. The premium pay option requires that an exempt employee, a salaried county employee who typically does not receive overtime pay, work 60 or more hours in a week. This work may include time spent in Lyon County or assisting other counties with emergency response.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Sedgwick’s newest police officer isn’t a typical rookie. At 35 years old, Kyle Woods comes with experience in ballistics lab testing, forensics training, and insight from long-time law enforcement family members. Sedgwick Police Chief Bryan Hall worked with Woods at the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and in the NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) program. Hall said that when he hires officers, he first looks for high integrity and then to see if there is a cultural fit. He said that without a servant’s heart and caring for the community, they won’t be a good fit for the Sedgwick P.D.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Leawood officials are asking the public to weigh in on a more specific plan for the site of its earliest government buildings, now that the city council has decided to raze the original city hall at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard. The public will get a first look at a preliminary site plan for public gathering and green space at an open-house meeting 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at The Wave at 106, 10603 Lee Blvd. The preliminary plan, drawn up by BBN Architects and based on a city council discussion last month, will be a more detailed look at how some of the elements councilmembers suggested for the 3.7-acre home of Leawood’s 1950s-era City Hall and Fire Station could fit together. Both buildings are currently vacant, except for some storage.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Shawnee recently awarded a grant loan to help a local coffee shop bring its business downtown. On Monday, the Shawnee City Council voted 5-3 to approve a $50,000 grant loan to Current State Coffee Roasters to help with renovations at its future location at 11217 Johnson Drive. Councilmembers Tony Gillette, Mike Kemmling and Jacklynn Walters were in dissent. The money comes from the Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development grant program, or SEED, which is a city-run program that provides one-time payments in the form of forgivable loans to businesses as part of the city’s efforts to encourage expansion of existing businesses and attraction of new employers, according to city documents.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Do you have pumpkins from the Halloween Holiday sitting around your house, and you’re not sure what to do with them?  The Clay Center Zoo would be happy to take them off your hands for the zoo animals. Garett Payne, Zoo Curator, said pumpkins are a special treat for most all the animals at the zoo, either for eating or playing with. Donating pumpkins to zoos or farms helps reduce food waste while providing many animals with a nutritious food source at no cost.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Even as electric vehicle sales decrease, the mayor of De Soto, Kansas, says the investment already made in the Panasonic battery plant has already benefited local residents and is helping the town as a whole grow. The plant opened earlier this year and is employing about 1,500 people.
Read more: KCUR

Cherokee County, with a population of about 19,000 people, faces a significant challenge known as a “food desert.” This term refers to areas where access to affordable and nutritious food is limited. In Cherokee County, residents can only find two grocery stores: a Harps in Baxter Springs and an Apple Market in Columbus. According to Hunger Free Kansas, 15.7 percent of the county’s population experience food insecurity, highlighting the severity of the issue. The limited number of grocery stores poses a particular problem for people who rely on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The future of a western Kansas school district is up in the air after years of funding cuts. Mathew Hendricks, superintendent of Dighton Public Schools, said the district has lost about 10% of its budget over the past two years due to declining valuations and enrollment. On top of that, the HVAC system isn’t working properly. While the district continues to make repairs, Hendricks said it would take a bond to fully fix the problem. The district will hold a community forum at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in the Dighton High School auditorium to discuss its financial future.
Read more: KSN-TV

In Ottawa County, residents will soon decide whether to ban certain types of swine facilities. Voters will be asked if corporations, companies, trusts, or partnerships should be allowed to own or lease agricultural land—directly or indirectly—to operate a “swine production facility.” The question stems from a proposed farm about 30 miles north of Salina that would house roughly 45,000 pigs.
Read more: KSN-TV

Topeka city leaders are scheduled to discuss a change to the controversial “readiness to serve” utility charge at an upcoming meeting. The Topeka City Council is set to meet on Nov. 12 and take action on a proposed ordinance regarding the city’s utility rates. Approval of this new ordinance would amend sections of the Topeka Municipal Code, 13.05.020 and 13.05.050, regarding the city’s water and wastewater rate structure, including the readiness to serve charge. Topeka’s readiness to serve charge is a monthly fee for people on all water meters, regardless of whether they are used or not. City councilmembers discussed the charge earlier this year in June with some calling it out for causing mass confusion among local residents.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The city of Lawrence has confirmed that Costco is planning to open a new store in the area. “We can confirm a site plan has been submitted and is currently in review,” a spokesperson for the city told FOX4 Monday in an email. The company submitted its site plan on Oct. 24; the plan number is SP-25-0038. According to the online portal, the plan is 33% completed.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The University of Kansas Health System’s Care Collaborative and Medical Center announced new initiatives to create specialty care delivery networks to increase access in rural communities across the state. The project is supported in part by a $12.1 million grant from The Patterson Family Foundation. This initiative will include: Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center will conduct a statewide assessment of specialty and sub-specialty care, as well as therapies and testing needed to support this care.  
Read more: KSNT 27 News

After more than 25 years as the head of the cemetery ministry at Colwich’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, John Weber is stepping down, but not before leaving a couple of markers to assist people in the search for the final resting place of their loved ones.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The city of Wichita is proposing a license for hotel operators to help regulate properties with health and safety complaints. The Wichita City Council will vote at its Thursday meeting whether to establish the license for lodging establishments that would cost a fee of $200, a city staff report said. The license would set new standards for local hotels and make it unlawful to offer hourly rates or fail to provide clean linens, remove trash or provide adequate pest control.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Arkansas City’s growing diversity has led city officials to request hiring an in-person interpreter for residents who speak Chuukese. During a work session Friday, City Manager Randy Frazer told commissioners that Municipal Court needs someone fluent in Chuukese, a language spoken primarily in the Chuuk State of Micronesia and by communities in Pohnpei and Guam. He said Tisaleen Uremoch is a local individual who can provide that service.Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

After years of wanting and asking, Wichita looks to be getting its long-awaited Cheesecake Factory. A building permit application was filed with the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department for a Cheesecake Factory restaurant at 2020 N. Rock Road at Bradley Fair. The address most recently housed Outback Steakhouse, which closed in April 2022 and has since been demolished.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved its second straight interest rate cut, a widely expected move that came despite little recent visibility on the economy due to the government shutdown. The post-meeting statement did not provide any direction on what the committee’s plans are for December. At the September meeting, officials indicated the likelihood of three total cuts this year. The Fed meets once more in December.
Read more: CNBC

Recently, the city put up the first of five billboards welcoming people to the first cow town in Kansas. The project was spearheaded by Mayor, Kelly Abbott and is meant to spur local tourism. “We’ve got a little logo saying and that’s, ‘all roads lead to Baxter.’ Kelly has been very involved in that tourism committee, making sure that the city is involved as the local citizens are in creating more tourism for the community,” said Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum Director, Mary Billington.
Read more: KSNF/KODE

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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, or Henry Schmidt.

Pottawatomie County Emergency Medical Services was awarded the largest grant in its history — $134,729 from the Patterson Family Foundation. The grant will be used to purchase five new Stryker Power Pro 2 power-assisted ambulance cots. EMS Director Andrew Couchman spoke to the Pottawatomie County Commissioners on Monday saying, “This is an item that gets used every day by every crew. If we have a failure on that cot, we have a significant chance of injury to the crew or patient. Short of the truck that we use every day it is the next piece of equipment.”
Read more: News Radio KMAN

A new era of hospitality begins today in Hutchinson as the Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center officially opens its doors, bringing elevated comfort, convenience, and community-focused amenities to the region. Located at 1715 N. Waldron Street, the newly constructed hotel is a beacon of modern design and warm hospitality, offering 112 beautifully appointed guest rooms and meeting rooms. At the heart of the property is its expansive 14,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including a grand ballroom and five breakout rooms, designed to host everything from corporate conferences to weddings and community celebrations.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

A cash incentive program for homeowners relocating to McPherson was approved by City Commissioners Tuesday. The program provides a cash incentive payment of $5,000 payable to the closing agent on behalf of the successful applicant provided the home and buyers are eligible. Applicants cannot have owned a home in the city limits for at least 36 months prior to application, and be purchasing a single-family owner-occupied home, which can be a stand-alone or part of a condominium as long as an appropriate fee title to the residence is acquired.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

McPherson County Commissioners Monday adopted a moratorium on development of nuclear power projects in unincorporated areas of the county. Over the past couple of weeks there has been discussion about possible nuclear projects, one of which would be in Reno County where local officials are pursuing it. Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Kinsey said the purpose of the moratorium is to allow study of local issues and development of regulations for it. The moratorium will run through Jan. 1, 2028, but could be shortened or extended as needed.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

A new casino and entertainment venue will be opening soon in Park City. Gilley’s is scheduled to open December 15, 10 miles north of Wichita at 1500 E. 77th Street N., in Park City. Customers can experience a wide variety of entertainment including gaming, a dance hall and saloon, sports bar, mechanical bull, an open air arena, loads of eatery options and much more.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

An issue that began in September 2023 and has been the most divisive in Halstead in recent years will be decided, at least in part, at the ballot box on Nov. 4. The City of Halstead entered a lease agreement with Concurrent out of Texas for land in its industrial park on Sept 28, 2023, so both sides could explore the potential of the land housing a battery energy storage system (BESS). Since then, the Halstead Planning Commission held 16 meetings or work sessions (all open to the public) that also included three official public hearings. At over half of these meetings, work sessions, or public hearings, the planning commission took public comment or accepted handouts and submissions from attendees.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Shawnee has passed new rules for children and younger teens who ride motorized devices like scooters and unicycles. On Tuesday, the Shawnee City Council unanimously approved amendments to the municipal code by adding rules for motorized scooters and unicycles to its already-existing regulations for motorized skateboards. The rules cover people operating the devices who are younger than 18, requiring them to wear a helmet, as well as ride only on sidewalks and determining where they can cross the road.
Read more: Johnson County Post