Municipal News & Jobs

Marysville Mayor Todd Frye is looking to incorporate the youth of the community to help design the city’s next flag. Frye said Marysville’s over-50-year-old flag could use a refresh, and decided it would be fun to involve the youth. He said he is hoping to branch off the city’s coloring page competitions that the council hosts for the students. “I’m hoping to kind of branch off of that, but also include junior high and high school kids in the community.” “The students can just draft whatever they think of as a flag that would represent Marysville and what it means to them.” The top designs will then go back to the Marysville Junior and Senior High students, who will vote on the next flag design for the city. Frye said the council and organizations try to stay invested in the youth, hoping projects like this helps them decide to stay or come back to Marysville as adults.
Read more: KCLY Radio

This artist needs to think big. That’s because his proverbial canvas isn’t just a small square on an easel, it might be the side of a building. Today we’ll meet a rural Kansas man who is creating murals for communities across Kansas and beyond.  Layne Stafford is the artist who has created murals around the state. He grew up in Hill City where his father was a music teacher. “Creativity was encouraged at our house growing up,” Stafford said. “Our dad’s classroom was next to the art room, so we were exposed to some of that.” Stafford and his brother enjoyed drawing. They would fill a sketchbook with pictures they had drawn of athletes or Ghostbusters or Ninja Turtles. When school was out in the summertime, they even took art classes. Stafford attended K-State where he graduated in art education. For more than 20 years, Stafford has worked as a freelance muralist and created works for a variety of clients as far away as South Dakota. He typically completes four to five mural projects a year. Some of these are massive, as big as 100 feet wide and 20 feet tall.
Read more: KCLY Radio

A new two-day celebration is coming to Dickinson County as part of the U.S. 250 commemoration, funded through local and regional sponsors. Organized between Old Abilene Town, the Smoky Valley Railroad, and the Dickinson County Historical Society, Plains, Trains and Cowboys: A 250th U.S.A. Celebration, will take place April 24–25 on the grounds of Old Abilene Town and Heritage Center beginning at 10:00 a.m. both days. Austin Anders, Historical Society Director, said the event was designed to mark the nation’s 250th birthday with attractions that reflect the region’s character and history. “Of course, plains, trains, and cowboys seemed like a natural fit for our area.” Live music will headline both evenings, with the Lazy Wayne Band performing Friday at 8 p.m. and Rusty Rierson taking the stage Saturday at 8 p.m. Cowboy poets will present programs throughout both days in Heritage Hall at the Heritage Center.
Read more: KCLY Radio

“Those guys are 32 chickens,” says Spring Hill resident Lindsay Museousky, as she scans her 10 acres along 191st in Spring Hill, Kansas. “That’s the dairy farm … the horse farm is there,” she mentions and points from the west to the east across her land. “It’s one of the main things that we love about this area. We love the open land … it gets pitch dark, and it’s so quiet.” She thinks for a moment and smiles. “I mean, you hear occasional planes going by and we have an owl that’s been in that tree since 2019.” When she talks bout possible rezoning of 316 Rural Residential acres she and her neighbors enjoy, she is passionate in her opposition. “Unimaginable. Absolutely unfathomable.” The Spring Hill City Council, as part of an update to its Comprehensive Plan, voted on Oct. 23, 2025, to move forward a plan to rezone the acres to M-1 Industrial in order to accept development offers for a data center. Spring Hill Attorney Spencer Low said at that meeting the city has to frequently turn down offers from industrial developers.
Read more: KMBC

Tuesday marked 10 years since a man opened fire on an Excel Industries plant in Hesston, leaving 14 injured and three dead. It came as a realization for many: a mass shooting can happen anywhere. The sounds of simulated violence ring from inside the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center as instructor Thomas Watts guides his cadets through the stairs and corridors of active shooter training. “This is getting to the ‘walk’ phase of the ‘crawl, walk, run,’” Watts said. “Active killer training,” as they put it, comes at the very end of a 16-week basic training course.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County announced on Wednesday that it will host two town hall meetings on data center zoning. The Board of County Commissioners is holding a listening town hall, where the county can hear from the public, on March 12 at 6 p.m. The Planning Department is hosting a town hall on March 31 to discuss zoning protocols and provide an opportunity for public discussion and feedback. “It’s important that we listen to the public on this large economic development opportunity for Sedgwick County,” Chairman Jeff Blubaugh said in a release. “Public discussion and transparency are vital parts of this process.”
Read more: KSN-TV

A new senior living community is now open in Russell. The Flintwood Housing Community features 24 duplex units with appliances, and a community room for gatherings and events. It is designed for adults 55 and older and currently has eight units available to rent. “Housing in general is a necessity across the state of Kansas, regardless of the size of the community,” said Callie Miller, the executive director of Housing Opportunities Inc. “But rural communities specifically are not seeing the growth that metropolitan areas are seeing. So being able to provide any kind of housing in general to a rural community is huge.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Topeka City Manager Robert Perez joined the 27 News team on Monday to chat about new housing in the downtown area and street repairs. Perez first talked about the city’s housing shortage and what efforts are being done now to rectify this problem. He said a recent study identified a shortage of 900 units in the downtown area of the city. Large-scale housing projects that were recently announced seek to address these housing concerns in Topeka’s downtown. These include the best-in-class apartments coming with The Hutch and additional living spaces with Union at Tower District apartments.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Marion County commissioners received an overview Monday on data center development. They heard about potential economic benefits and infrastructure demands as the industry grows across Kansas.
The discussion was informational only. Recent state actions have made Kansas more competitive for development, Consultant Tonya Witherspoon said.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Marion City Council members took a deeper dive Monday into the city’s dog ordinance, revisiting a conten-tious issue of whether certain breeds should be banned in the city.
Police chief Aaron Slater, who earlier proposed lifting a current ban, invited Newton animal control officer Lyndsey Robinette to provide insight from a community without a breed-specific ban. Robinette, who has nearly seven years of experience in Newton, said pit bull-type dogs accounted for 26% of reported bites over the past three years but also represented a large share of the overall dog population.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Marion County commissioners revisited proposed changes Monday to short-term rental regulations, including occupancy limits, but delayed action after briefly approving and then rescinding the measure. The proposed amendments would increase the maximum number of guests allowed in most short-term rentals from 8 to 12, while setting a lower limit of 6 for properties at Marion County Lake. The differing limits led to confusion during public comment.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Nobody is coming to save us, but we can take the next steps to save ourselves. That was the mantra Neighborhood Evolution’s Vice President Monte Anderson repeated during the launch of their Build Hutch program at Memorial Hall on Feb. 23. The Build Hutch program was paid for by the city and Hutchinson Community Foundation to spur and mentor residents to improve the city through small-scale development and incremental improvements. The program will last through the year. The program includes monthly online coaching sessions and the organization of a building development cohort, which the city is hoping lasts far beyond just this year. The cohort will be open to anyone who is, or would like to be, involved in any stage of building development around town. More details to come as this group gets organized.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The House agreed to an amendment lowering by half the signature threshold on protest petitions used to block a city or county from exceeding the cap. The House also passed an amendment deleting a $60 million state fund to compensate local units of government that held annual growth in property taxes under the cap. The revised bill advanced on a vote of 87-22.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

About 56.4% of the 9,425 voters opted to keep the ban.
Read more: Salina Journal

Synopsis: K.S.A. 19-4607(c) requires non-elected hospital boards to submit a proposed budget … K.S.A. 19-4610(a) directs that a hospital board shall have control over all expenditures, except those raised by revenue bonds. These statutes do not conflict…
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

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 Ranger Road Fire — which started in Beaver County, Oklahoma — has consumed the largest amount of land, burning more than 283,000 acres in Oklahoma and southwest Kansas as of Monday. Five wildfire task forces, from across Kansas, deployed to fight the fires last Tuesday. Four task forces were county-based, with teams coming from Dickinson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Johnson county task forces. The fifth task force was part of the Kansas National Guard.
Read more: KSN-TV

Riley County commissioners are considering a restructure of county leadership that could see the creation of a county administrator position.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The ‘I like Ike Trail’ and the ‘Greyt Trail’ offer bicyclists two different historical rides through Dickinson County, celebrating Abilene’s rich history. Bicyclists can find both routes on the Gravel Kansas website.
Read more: KCLY Radio