Kansas Municipal News
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
Kansas governor signs bills dealing with wind turbine lighting, Evergy charges
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has signed a bill meant to reduce the appearance of blinking red lights on wind turbines. The law requires the installation of wind turbine light systems that are still visible to pilots but don’t ruin the night sky for Kansans living next to wind farms. There are about 4,000 wind turbines in the state. The House passed Senate Bill 49 118-6 in late March, after the Senate passed the bill 39-1 in February. The lights are meant to prevent low-flying aircraft from flying into wind turbines, but several lawmakers have said the lighting is an unnecessary nuisance. Starting in July of this year, new wind turbine developers need to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for lighting system mitigation installations. … Kelly also announced Thursday she had signed three other bills into law.
Source: Kansas Reflector
City of Atchison vs. Atchison County Sheriff
The sheriff or the keeper of the jail in any county of the state shall receive all prisoners committed to the sheriff’s or jailer’s custody by the authority of the United States or by the authority of any city located in such county and shall keep them safely in the same manner as prisoners of the county until discharged in accordance with law. … K.S.A. 19-1930(a) requires a county sheriff to accept detainees without exceptions. This court cannot rewrite the provision to include an exception where the sheriff of a county believes a detainee requires medical attention prior to being booked into the jail. It is solely within the bailiwick of the Legislature to amend the statute should it see fit to include such an exception.
Source: Kansas Court of Appeals
Groundwater supply looks different across Kansas, a critical source during the drought
A lack of rain across the state means more reliance on groundwater. That resource is now critical for farms and homes across Kansas. Experts say the amount of groundwater is completely different depending on where you are in Kansas. Some advancements have made irrigation more efficient. Mark Rude, the Executive Director of Groundwater Management District 3 in southwest Kansas, says less water from the sky means taking more from the ground, especially in western Kansas, where they rely heavily on groundwater.
Source: KSN-TV
Belle Plaine officially recognizes Quiet Zones with ribbon cutting… 50-plus train horns have now been silenced
It was nearly a decade-long effort to create the federally regulated Quiet Zone, but as of April 5, the trains are a muted sound from the distant crossings outside the city. The 98-decibel horns are silenced as they travel through the three crossings impacting the community’s west side and Belle Plaine Township. The effort to create the quiet zone began with a joint effort of the Bartlett Arboretum and the City of Belle Plaine. The committee was fortunate to have the assistance of Mike McKay, a retired civil engineer whose entire career centered on noise and zoning on both the local and federal levels. McKay is a rural community resident and a frequent visitor at the Bartlett Arboretum. The group worked on options and began educating the community on the process.
Source: Sumner NewsCow
Overland Park gets $1.35M to make College and Metcalf area more walkable
Overland Park’s plan to eventually make the area around College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue more pedestrian-friendly has received its first major shot of funding. The city announced earlier this month that the Mid-America Regional Council approved $1.35 million in federal funds to go towards making the highly trafficked area around the Overland Park Convention Center more walkable for residents, workers and visitors who come there for events and conferences.
Source: Prairie Village Post