Municipal News & Jobs

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Friday that he continues to support lowering interest rates but said the central bank needs to be careful amid conflicting economic signals. “I’m still in the belief we need to cut rates, but we need to kind of be cautious about it,” Waller said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” On one hand, he said, the U.S. labor market appears to be losing jobs, potentially signaling a broader economic slowdown. On the other, gross domestic product growth remains strong and there remain concerns over inflation, which is still running considerably higher than the Fed’s 2% goal.
Read more: CNBC

McPherson County voters will see a proposal on the November 4 ballot for a ½ cent (0.5%) county-wide sales tax dedicated to funding Emergency Medical Services (EMS). If approved, the tax would begin April 1, 2026. The measure seeks to shift EMS funding from property taxes to a dedicated sales tax, creating the opportunity for county and city officials to reduce property taxes beginning in 2027. Currently, EMS is funded primarily through property tax revenues, which places heavy reliance on local property owners. Under the proposed change, anyone making taxable purchases in McPherson County—including visitors and non-residents—would share the cost, broadening the funding base.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

A new tourism project is moving forward in the Kansas City area. A development agreement was approved on Monday by the Bonner Springs City Council for the Destination KCK Resort at 118th Street and State Avenue. \The city and the developers, EMAP-KC, have been working for months to finalize a development agreement which moves the long-awaited project forward. The project includes Mattel Adventure Park, which will feature Hot Wheel roller coasters, a Barbie rooftop restaurant bar, Thomas & Friends attraction and more.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City

Bel Aire and other cities routinely allow developers to choose the engineer they want to work with on their projects. However, MKEC is one of the contractors Bel Aire is suing over the failed Woodlawn road reconstruction project.
Read more: Ark Valley News

Friends of First Responders Day kicked off in Overland Park on Saturday afternoon. The event gives children with disabilities and their families the opportunity to connect with fire and police personnel in a friendly environment. “It gives us a chance to meet them in a situation where adrenaline isn’t pumping and they’re not in dire need of our services,” said Lieutenant Pat Saysoff. “And they get to experience being a firefighter or police officer for the day.” Kids got to ride in the ladder bucket, operate fire hoses and ride in fire trucks too. They were able to see how police officers take fingerprinting evidence, and how the OPPD bomb squad operates.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City

The Overland Park Police Department announced Friday the launch of a new community-focused program. The police department said the goal of the program is to improve interactions between first responders and community members with developmental disabilities, mental health needs or other similar concerns. It aims to improve communications between first responders and the community by providing practical resources to help officers, firefighters and medical personnel quickly identify and respond appropriately to community members who may require a different approach during an interaction.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City

History enthusiasts gathered at Valley View Cemetery twice nightly on Oct. 9, 10 and 11 for the Finney County Historical Society’s annual Cemetery Walking Tours. The event takes participants through the cemetery on a guided tour by Johnetta Holmes-Hebrlee, Education Coordinator for the Finney County Historical Society and Museum, meeting characters from Garden City and Finney County’s past, at or near their gravesites. Steve Quakenbush, Executive Director of the Finney County Historical Society and Museum, said the event it about celebrating history and helping people learn about history.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

A sales tax question asking voters if they wish to enforce a half-cent sales tax will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The proposed sales tax is aimed at financing the construction of a new Finney County Jail and a major renovation to the Finney County Law Enforcement Center. Gary Meagher, Interim Finney County Administrator, said the LEC has been plagued by costly issues due to its design with the jail on the third floor and the building’s age.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

An ethics hotline that has been available to Johnson County employees, vendors and contractors since 2012 has recently become open to the general public, and will be subject to future improvements to bring it in line with best practices. The reporting platform quietly became visible on the county website July 16, via a link on the maroon field at the bottom of the county website homepage. Clicking on “Ethics Hotline” leads to an outside webpage where anonymous complaints of possible ethical wrongdoing can be made. The site is run by Navex, a company that specializes in ethics and compliance management. The site offers a way to report electronically or by phone.
Read more: Johnson County Post

From a potential new headquarters for Lockton Cos. to an exclusive members-only club, Leawood’s development pipeline is brimming with diverse and ambitious projects. Here’s a look at five real estate projects that could add corporate office space, luxury apartments and specialized housing for seniors in Leawood.
Read more: Kansas City Business Journal

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation seized hundreds of pounds of marijuana and tens of thousands of pre-rolled joints, THC vapes and edibles during raids last week at 18 retail stores across Kansas. KBI director Tony Mattivi and Attorney General Kris Kobach announced the raids while the first wave were in progress during a news conference with reporters in Topeka. They said retailers for too long had gotten away with brazen violations of state law. Marijuana and THC products remain illegal in Kansas, an abstinent island in an ocean of other states that have given the green light to the substance. Mattivi and Kobach said retailers still routinely sell the illegal goods.
Read more: Kansas Reflector

Humboldt, located in southeast Kansas, will host the first Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) Pop Up site for 2026. Organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the one-day event will be held Saturday, May 2, with some activities beginning the day before. Foundation Director Marci Penner announced the news during the opening “Stump” session in Hoxie on October 4, as part of the 2025 Pop Up across Sheridan County. The BKRT Pop Up offers a community open house atmosphere, highlighting local attractions, shops, and eats. Visitors can also enjoy mini-talks and tours featuring unique stories and lesser-known sites.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Clay Center Parks & Recreation and Clay Counts Coalition have partnered together to bring a new program to Clay Center called Girls on the Run. Girls On the Run, a national program, combines physical activity with lessons focused on building confidence, friendships, and life skills to girls in 3rd-5th grade. Because both Parks & Rec and Clay Counts Coalition are committed to creating opportunities that support the health and well-being of kids and families in the community, the program seemed like the perfect partnership.
Read more: KCLY Radio

What began as a friendly visit by Clay Center Fire Chief Johnny Ihnen to a Fire Chiefs meeting in Dickinson County has turned into a newly expanded mutual aid agreement among Clay County Fire Chiefs that will benefit Clay County as a whole. The agreement will help response times around the county in the case of a residential house fire throughout all districts. In many cases, CCFD is able to respond much quicker than the smaller departments, as the smaller stations are run by volunteers who are not at the station at all times.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Wichita State University students earned a record-breaking $39.2 million through applied learning in the 2025 academic year, highlighting the university’s focus on hands-on experience and workforce development. The total marks an 11% increase from last year’s $35.3 million. More students are also participating in these opportunities, with 12,328 applied learning experiences — a 31% jump from last year — through paid work with area businesses, organizations, and on-campus employers, all while continuing their studies.
Read more: KCLY Radio

A new housing initiative is set to launch soon across several counties in North Central Kansas aimed at addressing the issue of dilapidated residential structures. The “Demo to Dirt” program provides financial assistance to help property owners remove unsafe or blighted housing, contributing to safer neighborhoods and enhancing the overall appearance of communities.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Clay County General Public Transportation (CCGPT) is pleased to announce that it has expanded its partnership with Clay County Medical Center (CCMC) to include not just Clay County patients, but patients in parts of the surrounding counties. This partnership will expand CCGPT’s outreach while greatly benefiting patients of CCMC and its area Family Physician Clinics. Don Wright, Public Transportation Director, spoke of this growing partnership.   “We have been working with CCMC about picking up patients and clients to transport to and from appointments. Recently, our surrounding community transportation agencies had asked us if we could expand a little bit to bring patients in since they were unable to.”
Read more: KCLY Radio

A company with a vision of installing “discreet, bespoke,” small, nuclear reactors 1 mile underground for data centers and other electricity-hungry industries plans to put its first reactors in Kansas, Texas and Utah. Deep Fission, which says its technology could meet the “explosive demand for power from artificial intelligence” has signed letters of intent with undisclosed partners in each of those states. In email exchanges, the company said it will not currently disclose the partner and location in Kansas, but would “share more information soon.”
Read more: KCUR News

Silver Lake Schools superintendent Brad Womack announced that he will be retiring in June of 2026, capping off 28 years at the school district. Womack has more than three decades of experience in the Kansas public education system, working his way up from custodian to superintendent. He made the announcement in a letter Thursday, so the Board of Education could begin searching for candidates.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The School Board is trying to recruit nonresident students to the district to increase enrollment and erase disparities between high school and kindergarten class sizes. During Thursday’s board meeting, Superintendent Stu Moeckel said the district will graduate 140 students this year, and the odds that the district is “going to bring 140 kindergartners in are not going to happen.” Moeckel said this is the second year the district has had nonresident enrollment. He said the first year it started, the district had 61 applicants. He said this year the district ended with 101 applicants, and most of them enrolled. He said at least 10% of the student population in total are nonresident students.
Read more: The Eudora Times

The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education approved renewing the district’s license for its virtual school platform, but Superintendent Dawn Johnson said the district may need to shop around in the future after a price increase this year. With the renewal, the per-student cost of the Acellus Gold Spark Program will increase to $790. With a combined 368 students using the platform between virtual school, alternative school, and Reno County Youth Services, that puts the total cost at $290,720. Johnson said base state aid for 368 students amounted to around $2 million.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

LaHarpe volunteer firefighters paid a visit to My Second Home Daycare in LaHarpe Friday to show the youngsters the equipment they use to keep families safe. The youngsters were allowed to hold the fire hose and check out the department’s various vehicles and equipment. They also were allowed to give the siren and horn a quick blast, much to the delight of the other kiddos.
Read more: The Iola Register

The initial log jam grew significantly after additional rain events, extending its length from 350 feet to around 1,000 feet.
Read more: Salina 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 city of Topeka plans to consider a $292,500 settlement for a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a retired fire captain. This would be the fourth discrimination settlement paid by the city since June 2023.
Read more: CJonline

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.

A proposed 45,000 head swine farm 30 miles north of Salina won’t need the approval of the Ottawa County Commission due to its business structure, according to a Sept. 18 opinion from the Kansas Attorney General.
Read more: CJonline

Crews begin replacing 20 miles of water pipe line across the entire city, this coming Tuesday. This is a grant-funded project and it’s goal is to take rusted and corroded steel pipes, and replace them with new PVC pipes that are supposed to last for the next hundred years.
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.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $250,000 is available under the Residential Opportunities on Main Street (ROOMS) grant program to support new upper-floor housing in commercial buildings in Designated Kansas Main Street communities. “Rural downtowns are full of history and character — and many have unused upper-floor spaces that could be utilized for additional housing options,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These funds give our community leaders the resources to turn these historic assets into vibrant, livable spaces — and increase the number of customers within a short walk of downtown restaurants and shops.”
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

The entrepreneurial energy of Central Kansas will take center stage this Thursday at 7:00 PM as the third annual Ignite Rural Business Competition lights up the Crest Theatre in downtown Great Bend. Hosted by Great Bend Economic Development (GBED), Ignite Rural celebrates the innovation and resilience of rural entrepreneurs. This year’s competition features five local finalists vying for $95,000 in total prize funding to help launch or expand their businesses.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Buhler residents gathered Monday morning at the Buhler Adult Community Center to discuss the city’s current housing-related needs and goals for the future. The informational session and forum were hosted by Buhler Community Foundation Coordinator Lauren Meadors on behalf of the Hutchinson Community Foundation. In Hutchinson Community Foundation’s recent “Love Where You Live” survey, the top priority given by Buhler residents was attracting new businesses, and the second ranked priority was removal or renovation of housing blight.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

When Sedgwick’s EMS director position came open last summer, Zane Hansen, the city’s fire chief since 2019, stepped up to fill the role. “Great to see somebody with hometown pride take over,” City Administrator Kyle Nordick said about Hansen’s willingness to take the position. “It seemed like he would be the right fit instead of putting the city through the process of trying to go out and find somebody. We already had somebody in-house that the team was familiar with, and so there’s that level of comfortability, as well.” Hansen, who’s lived in Sedgwick his entire life, not only brings familiarity to the EMS employees but to the community as a whole. He said a lot of people have thanked him for taking on the responsibility of EMS director.
Read more: Harvey County Now

This small town is moving forward with plans for major developments even though Panasonic may delay full production at its new electric vehicle battery plant. The newest developments include plans for hundreds of housing options with apartments, homes and a hotel, in addition to the opening of a data center and an expansion to Merck Animal Health’s facility. De Soto is a town of about 6,500 people, so the planned hiring of 4,000 people at Panasonic, in addition to new housing and other businesses coming to town, means at least an additional 60% of people spending time at local businesses and using roads and other town infrastructure. Some residents are coping with the changes to the town’s character and desire for more information about environmental impacts from new development.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence elected officials and civic professionals speaking during a panel Monday identified trends they say disrupt the public discourse necessary to make progress. Amber Sellers, Lawrence city commissioner; Kelly Jones, Lawrence school board member as well as candidate running for reelection in November; Patrick Kelly, Douglas County Commission chair; and Rich Lockhart, chief of the Lawrence Police Department shared reflections on their roles as public officials. Kyle Velte, University of Kansas School of Law faculty member, added legal perspectives and knowledge. The League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County hosted the panel event, “Bringing Civility Back to Civic Discourse.” Co-Vice President Sonja Czarnecki moderated the discussion, taking questions from the packed audience in addition to prewritten prompts.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Kansas farmers are harvesting millions of acres of corn that power the state’s economy — but as the Ogallala Aquifer shrinks, its future looks uncertain. It’s harvest time in Kansas. Across the state, combines have begun shaving down and chopping up over 6 million acres of corn. Isaac Yara is a truck driver, so he sees almost nothing but those corn fields hauling grain across the high plains. This season is a busy one for him. Why are those signature corn fields so ubiquitous in rural America, including western Kansas where the crop relies on the shrinking Ogallala Aquifer to thrive? That’s because in western Kansas, there is a huge demand for it. The major corn industry is connected to most of the jobs, like truck driving, the cattle industry and farming. But the problem is, corn is not as well suited as other crops to this region. All of the economic infrastructure and pressure makes growing corn a simple choice for now, but in the long term it might not be a sustainable option.
Read more: The Iola Register

Iola officials were notified last week that the city must conduct more tests among its residents whose homes may have lead water lines or fixtures. Iola will test its water more frequently for lead over the next year as part of an edict handed down from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Toby Ross, water plant superintendent, and Mitch Phillips, the city’s water distribution superintendent, spoke about a recent KDHE notification, directing the city to ramp up its testing after three homes tested above the EPA threshold of lead in their drinking water over the summer. The threshold, mind you, is 15 parts of lead per billion units of water, a number infinitesimally small, Ross noted.
Read more: The Iola Register

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released the minutes from its Sept. 16-17 meeting where it voted to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point.
Read more: cnbc.com

McPherson County is commissioning the design of an official county seal that will be displayed at the McPherson County Building at Maple and Marlin when it opens early next year. The County Commission Monday approved a scope of work agreement with BowerComm, carrying a $3,500 budget. The seal is envisioned as an art piece that conveys the county’s identity and values while avoiding the pitfalls of being overly cluttered, cartoonish or confused with a logo. This seal could at some future time become widely adopted across county communications. Concept sketches are expected to be available within three weeks with the final design approval by Nov. 15 to align with building construction.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Activation of warning sirens within the Arkansas City limits is now the responsibility of Cowley County Emergency Management after Ark City commissioners unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding Tuesday transferring that authority to the county. That responsibility had been carried out by the city’s Emergency Management Coordinator, a position cut from the budget next year to save costs. “We’re still responsible for the sirens, the maintenance, all the costs of that,” City Manager Randy Frazer said. “It just the operation of when they are set off is on the county.”
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results

Over the last several years, the Emporia Police Department has adopted the targeted usage of drones in emergency and non-emergency situations. The drones were most recently used during a narcotics investigation on State street, to arrest Christopher Diaz on counts of ​​Distribution of a Controlled Substance and No Drug Tax Stamp.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com/*

Sunshine from the front bay windows of the Peabody Township Public Library brushes the desks and chairs and books inside with a natural warmth no electric light can match. This scene, or something near to it, has repeated itself every afternoon since the library opened in 1914. The bay windows, set beneath patterned stained glass transoms, are on either side of the front door. The wooden chairs are the same chairs the first patrons used all those years ago, although they have since been refinished. Over the circulation desk is a black-and-white photo of Emma Christ, the librarian in charge at the opening. On behalf of a civic committee, Miss Christ wrote to Andrew Carnegie asking him to fund a new library building in this railroad town in east-central Kansas. And he did.
Read more: Homepage

A landfill is more than a final resting place for garbage; it’s a carefully engineered operation guided by environmental science and strict regulations from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Environmental Protection Agency, she said. The sprawling, 89.2-acre permitted waste footprint serves Barton as well as surrounding counties, demonstrating a vital commitment to public health and the environment. “Landfills are very important,” said Hamby, who has been with the Solid Waste Department for 15 years, three as director. “Without landfills, waste would accumulate in unregulated dump sites, ditches and city streets.”
Read more: gbtribune.com

Corporations that see Kansas as flyover country are quick to see opportunities for energy projects – from oil to wind and solar. Even when these projects are successful, they may not be beneficial to Kansas, depending on your point of view.
Read more: gbtribune.com

Hallbrook North — a $765 million development of high-rise office buildings plus a hotel, child care building and apartments proposed near State Line Road and Interstate 435 — got a unanimous thumbs up from the Leawood City Council on Monday night. The development by VanTrust Real Estate is the largest to date proposed for Leawood, said City Administrator Diane Stoddard. It comes with a $125 million ask for a variety of incentives, which councilmembers also appeared to view favorably. As Monday’s meeting ended, councilmembers also unanimously voted to move forward on the incentives by establishing a redevelopment district. Actions and public hearings on the specific incentives will follow in the next couple of months.
Read more: Johnson County Post