Kansas Municipal News
Kansas school administrators question bill adding school board members to district payroll
The hypothetical cost of implementing a Kansas House bill enabling local school districts to pay elected board members $20 per hour for a commitment of less than two hours a week would cost taxpayers $2.8 million annually. Adopting the change would break a 50-year precedent in Kansas law that made local school board members volunteers without a salary… Jim Karleskint, a former state legislator and Holton school superintendent … did raise with the committee a series of concerns. “In many school districts,” he said, “the superintendent is selected as the chief negotiator for the board. In years of limited fiscal resources, the board and the teacher’s association would be even more at odds when board members are receiving pay for serving on the board. We would envision board members would receive pay for days they are on board business. It is our concern this could be taken advantage of and resented by the community.”
Source: Atchison Globe Now
City commission discusses state incentives for additional housing in Salina
With the need for housing in the community not going away anytime soon, Salina continues to look for opportunities to make it easier for developers to build in the area. During its meeting Monday, the Salina City Commission discussed and ultimately decided to lend support for incentives for three housing developments in the community. Lauren Driscoll, the city’s director of community and development services, presented the commission with multiple resolutions to consider on the topic. “As you’re aware, we’ve been very much engaged in dealing how to provide more housing in Salina related to future employees (coming from) corporate expansion of some major employers as well as overall growth in the community,” Driscoll said.
Source: Salina Journal
Prairie Village looks to remake city hall and police HQ
Prairie Village is looking to either renovate or completely rebuild its city hall and also remodel the city’s police department headquarters next door. City staff presented three preliminary project options at a special city council session on Saturday that came with projected price tags for work on both buildings ranging from $29 million to $42 million. This comes as the city is also gauging public opinion on a new community center on the site of the aging Paul Henson YMCA, which sits directly south of the current city hall and police building.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Leawood’s new history book in the works for 75th anniversary
In celebration of Leawood’s 75th anniversary, the city is publishing a new history book later this year. The roughly 100-page book — loosely titled “Leawood — The Journey Continues” — will chronicle the city’s history from 1997 to 2022 from a variety of perspectives, from economic development to arts and public outreach. City staff is slating for a fall publication, after which time the book will be available for purchase.
Source: Prairie Village Post
House bill would repeal 50-year ban on compensating members of local school boards
The hypothetical cost of implementing a Kansas House bill enabling local school districts to pay elected board members $20 per hour for a commitment of less than two hours a week would cost taxpayers $2.8 million annually. Adopting the change would break a 50-year precedent in Kansas law that made local school board members volunteers without a salary, but the idea seemed to make sense to Rep. Kristey Williams, chair of the House K-12 Budget Committee. She said during a Tuesday hearing the legislation could serve as a token of appreciation for board members and affirm the value placed on work to improve education of children in public schools.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Municipal Bond Trends for February 15, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.
Lyon County may use private entity for shelter services
Lyon County may be close to an agreement with a private entity for animal control services, Sheriff Jeff Cope told city and county commissioners Wednesday afternoon during a joint luncheon. Cope said he was not yet able to disclose who the private entity was, but said he expected a contract to come through to the Lyon County Commission in the coming week. “We would be able to address the quarantine issues for animal bites, vicious animals, court orders and things like that,” Cope said.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Uniontown: Improving Community Spaces Grant Available
“The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) is gearing up for a placemaking project in Uniontown,” President and CEO Jody Hoener said. They are seeking Uniontown resident’s input for a grant to improve the small town of almost 300 people in Bourbon County. “We have a survey for community members to fill out,” Hoener said. … “We have already been working on Creative Placemaking projects in Fort Scott: the 3rd Street Park Improvements and the Downtown Arch projects,” Rachel Carpenter, Director of the The Center for Economic Growth at HBCAT, said. … “Some examples would be: park improvements, murals in an alley way, public space for studying or a public art sculpture about the place’s history,” Carpenter said.
Source: Fort Scott Biz
Zoning hurdles could face solar project
With many dangling details remaining, issues surrounding a planned solar farm in central Barton County were the topic of a County Commission study session Wednesday morning. All county officials know for sure is that developer Acciona Energy USA will soon seek zoning permits for the project and hope to be well into construction within six months.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Hesston offers new communication method
The city of Hesston has added a new way to reach residents with information they could find helpful with an app that texts information to those who sign up. City clerk Jason Thrasher said city employees were researching a way to alert residents of timely issues when he came across Text.My.Gov a couple of months ago. Those who sign up for the free app get a text notifying them about anything going out in their neighborhood. “Anything people need to be aware of, this gives us a way to push things out,” Thrasher said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Upcoming regulations will see cities reaching out to homeowners
The Hiawatha City Commission met on Monday evening, and were addressed by Water & Lights Superintendent Brad Scott on upcoming lead and copper pipe regulations. Scott reported that the new clean water initiative will require cities to report on the number of lead and copper pipes in use, and to replace a certain percentage per year based on the percentage of lead or copper pipes running to residences in the city.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Group in hopes of establishing a food corridor in central Kansas
The Kansas Rural Center is in the first of a three-year grant project to develop a cooperative food hub for 12 central Kansas counties along I-135, including Harvey, Sedgwick, Reno and Marion Counties. The project is just getting off the ground. According to Ryan Goertzen-Regier, program and administrative manager for the Kansas Rural Center, they received a grant from the USDA and started during the last quarter of 2022. He said they have funding for staff to work on the project for three years.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Partnership promises better response times in wrecks
A technology partnership between the sheriff’s office, Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, RapidDeploy, and OnStar was demonstrated for emergency responders and county commissioners Thursday. Adding the RapidDeploy mapping and OnStar communications to the enhanced 911 service the county already has will make it easier to get faster help at no additional cost to the county. Crash locations can be pinpointed as soon as a caller notifies dispatchers.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Audit finds western Kansas keeps losing water, despite local efforts
Local agencies in western Kansas have had decades to slow the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, but most areas had less water last year than they did a decade ago, according to an audit released Wednesday. The audit, which evaluated groundwater management districts, or GMDs, was released as a staggering drought and attention from the governor and Legislature bring renewed attention to the near-crisis state of water in western Kansas. Auditors found the agencies had little direction from the state and limited authority. “While they appear to operate within their current expectations, their overall role in addressing the state’s water situation is limited,” the audit says.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Local and regional Kansas airports receive funding for repairs and upkeep
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly today announced that some local and regional airports will receive Kansas Airport Improvement Program funding for repairs and upkeep. Officials with the state say funding is strictly for the planning, constructing, or rehabilitating public-use general aviation airports. “Whether it be airplane manufacturing, a link in the supply chain logistics, or travel, the Kansas aerospace industry is an essential part of our state’s economy,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These grants ensure the safety and longevity of Kansas airports, all while contributing to economic growth and job creation.”
Source: KOAM News
Dogs could come back to Shawnee brewery if bill passes
Dogs could be allowed back inside Transport Brewery in downtown Shawnee if a bill in Topeka backed by a local lawmaker passes. Last summer, state regulators from the Kansas Department of Agriculture prohibited the brewery and others like it from having dogs inside its taproom, deciding the space fits the formal definition of a “food preparation” area. But a bill currently making the rounds in the Kansas House could change that.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Cities defeat efforts to restrict planning outside boundaries
Cities on Wednesday defeated legislative efforts to curb their ability to plan for development just outside their boundaries, an authority they said was important for ensuring orderly growth patterns. The House local government committee turned back a bill repealing the ability of municipalities to impose land-use requirements in a three-mile area just outside the city limits.
Source: Sunflower State Journal
House panel limits cities ability to regulate vacant property
A House committee on Wednesday morning signed off on a compromise bill that will limit the ability of local governments to regulate vacant and commercial property. The House Local Government Committee agreed to retain the ability of local governments to impose registration requirements on a vacant residential or commercial property in order to keep it from falling into disrepair and blight. However, they could not impose fees or taxes for registering the properties.
Source: Sunflower State Journal
Manhattan parks and rec proposes facility fee structure based on peak hours
Manhattan city officials have proposed using peak and non-peak hours in an update of parks and recreation rental fees. City recreation superintendent Chris Curtis told Manhattan city commissioners Tuesday that staffers in his department have been looking at ways to improve the department’s cost recovery model to better utilize department funds. He said there are currently two categories for parks and rec rental fees — commercial and non-commercial. “In practice, we hardly ever charge the commercial rate,” Curtis said, “as it’s hard to identify a customer as commercial or not.”
Source: themercury.com
Change of land use primary focus of crypto data center hearing in Jefferson County
A proposal to develop a commercial data center about a mile north of McLouth along the east side K-92 highway will go before the Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission Monday, Feb. 27. … The request is being made by Crypto Colo Center Corp. (CCC) … “In short, the applicant is proposing a small scale data center that utilizes metal storage shipping containers to house the computer components needed for the data center. Those containers are proposed to be powered by generators fueled by natural gas that is produced on site,” Dustin Parks, Jefferson County’s community development director, explained. … In its “executive summary,” CCC states, “We specifically would like to point out that Kansas is an important location for us, as it has large deposits of underused pressurized natural gas, and we plan to scale our business by taking over additional gas production leases around our current 81-acre phase one facility.”
Source: JeffCountyNews