Kansas Municipal News
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
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, 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. “We don’t have this restriction on municipalities or counties,” Williams said. “Do you think paying someone could at least give them the sense that they have a greater obligation to be informed?”
Source: Kansas Reflector
Harvey County residents could vote on wind towers
The wind energy regulations adopted by county commissioners in October appear headed to a vote after about two dozen people voiced their disapproval during a marathon Harvey County Commission meeting Tuesday morning that dragged into the afternoon. … The remainder of the meeting was contentious at times until commissioners agreed to consider a six-month moratorium on wind turbines and also put the issue of renewable energy to a public vote. Planning and Zoning Director Karen Rothe led off the official discussion by telling commissioners that the planning commission had been inundated with people asking them to revisit the 1,000-foot setback requirement or to ban wind turbines.
Source: Harvey County Now
Newton BOE splits over closing, shrinking Walton
On a 4-3 vote, the Newton Board of Education voted to reduce Walton Rural Life Center and Northridge Elementary School to one-section schools, meaning one classroom per grade. The decision followed two previous board discussions, beginning on Jan. 26, about shrinking enrollment leading to a decreased need in space and staff, as well as high turnover in existing staff, blamed on low district pay. “We have to react to the loss of students in the district,” Board Member Matt Treaster said at the meeting. “The first option of doing nothing isn’t an option.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Lawrence City Commission approves ordinance changes aimed at helping people find housing
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on source of income, as well as status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. The change also disallows discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status. It means that landlords will not be able to discriminatorily deny someone housing just because their rent money will come from a housing voucher, settlement, benefit, subsidy, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher and more. … Many large, out-of-state landlords have stopped accepting vouchers in Lawrence, Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said — but he said in speaking to those landlords, they have said they accept them in cities or states that require them to accept vouchers, and they don’t accept them in places that don’t. He said he thought that was a pretty compelling argument.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for February 14, 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.
Popularity growing, Great Bend Rec getting involved with eSports
The gaming world of eSports has been around for some time, but the explosion in popularity over the last few years has caused many markets to get involved. The Great Bend Recreation Commission is now in the process of bringing eSports, video games turned into a spectator sport, to the community to enjoy. Getting advice from Barton Community College eSports coach Curtis Rose, Great Bend Rec Business Director Joe Henry said the Rec wants to create tournaments and leagues for gamers to compete, but also for those interested in watching.
Source: GC Telegram