Kansas Municipal News
County adds rules for drone usage by employees
Cowley County commissioners approved new rules to the county personnel policy on Tuesday regarding the use of unmanned aircraft for official business, including to protect people’s privacy. The rules set operational requirements for using unmanned aircraft (also referred to as UA, UAS or drones), including requiring employees to maintain the proper certifications and demonstrate that they understand all laws related to operation. UA’s must also be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The rules also cover data collection, data storage and documentation requirements for employee to follow. All privacy laws at the federal, state and local levels must be followed, and any data collection or monitoring must be done solely for county business purposes. Any employee who needs to conduct operations over private property must have permission from the property owner before doing so. Employees who knowing violate the rules will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Alcohol rule repeal has businesses making plans
Voters chose to repeal the county’s requirement that businesses selling alcohol must also have 30 percent of their sales come from food. Last Tuesday, 67 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of making the change, which took effect immediately. Newton Community Development Coordinator Zach McHatton said the change has made his job easier. McHatton works to bring in businesses to Newton, and that’s included trying to get a brewery located in the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
Halstead to purchase new playground equipment
After finding a grant that would match the costs of new playground equipment, the Halstead-Bentley School District is starting the process of buying new equipment. The grant will help reduce bond costs by nearly $100,000. Bentley Elementary’s principal, Adam Conard, found the grant and decided to go for it. Current equipment at the school is old and doesn’t all meet current safety regulations. Conard said some of the equipment had been grandfathered in. He said the only thing that could stay and be relocated was the rope structure, which was newer.
Source: Harvey County Now
Hesston Rec to host first ever community Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can be a time of traditions, and for Hesston, there might just be a foundation being built for a new H-town tradition. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Hesston Recreation is partnering with Hesston Community Foundation and various other sponsors to host Hesston’s first ever Community Thanksgiving. The free meal will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hesston Middle School.
Source: Harvey County Now
Hesston City Council adopts strategic plan
After a midweek retreat and work session, the Hesston City Council had a short but effective meeting on Nov. 11. The work session put together a new strategic plan, which covers 2025 to 2029. In the new living document, there are four goals. The first goal is economic development, the second goal is the parks improvement plan to prioritize each park and establish timelines for playground replacement, thirdly, the goal is to address two public facilities for improvements, and the fourth goal is to establish a civic leadership team. The motion to approve the strategic plan, with the addition of a small business owner on the civic leadership team, passed 4-0, with Council Member Clare Moore abstaining.
Source: Harvey County Now
Harvey County administrator resigns
Harvey County commissioners accepted Administrator Anthony Swarztendruber’s resignation at the end of the county commission meeting Tuesday. After returning from executive session, Commissioner Becky Reimer announced that Swartzendruber was retiring. “We wish him well, and I’ll entertain a motion for someone to accept this letter of resignation,” Reimer said. Swartzendruber will continue working with the county until Dec. 27, 2024.
Source: Harvey County Now
Voters reject JCN and JW bond issues
While they got a little help from out-of-county voters, it was registered voters in Jefferson County who last week largely did in the bond issues put forth by Jefferson County North USD 339 and Jefferson West USD 340. For the second time in six months the JCN Board of Education was seeking the authority to issue $5.5 million in bonds to pay for upgraded heating and air conditioning systems, better lighting, a new roof, renovated restrooms, more classrooms, improved security at district facilities, improvements to parking lots, and better access to facilities in accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Meanwhile, the JW school board wanted permission to issue $21 million in bonds to cover the cost of adding classrooms at the middle school and the elementary school, remodeling and upgrading all of the district’s buildings, and constructing a multipurpose facility to include a performing arts center between the high school and the middle school.
Source: JeffCountyNews
Shawnee Mission schools staff will soon have press-button badges to call for help
Staff in Shawnee Mission schools will be getting bluetooth-enabled badges next spring that will allow them to press a button and immediately call for help in emergencies. The school board unanimously approved a five-year contract with Atlanta-based Centegix to supply the alert badges and train staff to use them. The alert system, “has been attributed to saving lives not only in the most tragic of scenarios but also in some of what can be described as daily issues,” said Superintendent Michael Schumacher in recommending the purchase on Monday. The district will pay $2.6 million to cover the installation, training and connectivity for the first five years. If the contract is renewed, there would be a $500,000 annual subscription fee after that.
Source: Johnson County Post
Leawood mulls 5 ideas for what to do with former city hall grounds
Community gathering space was the operative phrase earlier this week as Leawood City Council members reviewed five potential ideas for what to do with the city’s original city hall and fire station. Councilmembers heard the presentations during a special work session that included: park green space, an event space, gallery space for local artists, a splash pad and a demonstration garden and museum space. All of the ideas had some aspect of community gathering elements at their hearts because, the presenters said, that type of space is virtually nonexistent in Leawood.
Source: Johnson County Post
PV weighs ‘significant’ increase for next police body cam contract. Here’s what city would get.
Prairie Village police officers may soon get new body cameras, in-car cameras, tasers and more. The Prairie Village City Council during its council committee of the whole session on Monday voted 10-0 to refer a $3.6 million, 10-year contract with Axon for police equipment to the full city council for consideration. Councilmembers Dave Robinson and Ian Graves were absent from Monday’s meeting.
Source: Johnson County Post
Federal dollars could help pay for new trails around former JoCo industrial site
A local partnership that has involvement on both sides of the state line is requesting $20 million from the federal government to fund a trail connection that would include the site of now-demolished industrial site in southern Johnson County. The city of Overland Park, the Johnson County Park and Recreation District, Jackson County Parks and Recreation on the Missouri side and the nonprofit Heartland Conservation Alliance have teamed up to request a Federal Community Change Grant for the project. If awarded the full amount, the trail connection would complete a 14-mile linkage that would cross into Missouri and also increase “access to nature” while having “multiple environmental benefits” as well, according to Overland Park city documents.
Source: Johnson County Post
Hutchinson voters will get to decide on $109.5M bond
Voters who live in the Hutchinson school district, USD 308, will have an important choice to make next spring. The USD 308 Board of Education wants them to approve a $109.5 million bond. On Monday night, the BOE unanimously approved putting it to a vote. The anticipated bond vote is set for April 1, 2025. If voters approve it, most of the bond would pay for a new middle school at 23rd and Severance. The school would have a sixth-grade wing, a grass football practice field, and a production kitchen.
Source: KSN-TV
WaKeeney’s Iwo Jima Memorial installed at new location
This Veteran’s Day has been extra special for the people of WaKeeney. In addition to the usual celebrations for veterans, the community rededicated its Iwo Jima Memorial, which had been in storage for a couple of years. Many years ago, several WaKeeney citizens came up with the idea for the memorial—a silhouette of the famous World War II image of Marines raising the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi after a hard-fought battle on the island of Iwo Jima.
Source: KSN-TV
Saline County residents are asked to take opioid survey
The Saline County Health Department is asking residents for help to tackle the opioid crisis. According to the department, the county’s Opioid Task Force decided the best way to address the issues is with a comprehensive needs assessment, which starts with a survey. All responses are anonymous. The survey takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete and is open to all residents of Saline County. The questionnaire is designed to help the task force better understand how the community views opioids and substance use disorders. The task force also wants to identify service gaps and develop targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka leaders approve $74 million lead pipe replacement plan
The Topeka City Council voted to allocate nearly $75,000,000 to fund a lead pipe replacement plan. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Topeka leaders passed a resolution to amend the 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Plan and 2025-2027 Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) to include the Lead Service Line Replacement Project. This vote approved the total budget of the project for the amount of $74,280,000. The council also voted to consider applying for a $74,280,000 loan from the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund by Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The loan will have an estimated $37,585,680 in loan forgiveness with payments to occur over a 20-year period.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Lake Shawnee will soon see 7,000 pounds of trout
Lake Shawnee will be stocked with more trout later this month. Shawnee County Parks + Rec (SCP+R) announced on social media Tuesday that annual fall trout stocking is scheduled for later in November. Members of the community are invited to watch 7,000 pounds of rainbow trout get released into Lake Shawnee. To give the fish time to acclimate to the Lake Shawnee’s water temperature, fishing will be closed from Nov. 22-29. The Lake will reopen for fishing Saturday, Nov. 30 and trout season will start on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Riley County police increase enforcement to combat increasing traffic accidents
The Riley County Police Department (RCPD) is stepping up enforcement efforts as a way to stop the increase of traffic collisions. The RCPD said its officers responded to a “concerning increase in traffic collisions” last month. The department posted on social media that October of 2024 registered the highest amount of traffic accidents of any month over the last five years.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City staff take action after bad smells reported in the Oakland area
Staff at the Topeka wastewater treatment plant took action after locals complained of bad smells in the Oakland neighborhood this past weekend. Amanda Knowland with the City of Topeka told 27 News that city staff made some adjustments to the plant on the weekend of Nov. 9-10 following complaints from locals of strong odors in the Oakland area, possibly coming from the nearby wastewater treatment plant at 1115 Northeast Poplar Street. She said the source of the odors may be tied to multiple different factors. “First, there was a larger number of high-strength waste deliveries due to the holiday,” Knowland said. “When these trucks dispose of their waste at the plant, it can cause a periodic uptick in odors, but that is generally short-lived.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Capital City works to empower small business owners
The City of Topeka is calling on small business owners to attend a workshop to grow their skills later this month. GO Topeka is working with city officials to host a Supplier Diversity Workshop, according to a news release from City of Topeka. This workshop will prepare small business owners with tools they might need to succeed, such as insight to work successfully with the government.
Source: KSNT 27 News
With eye on future projects, Merriam hashes out new incentives policy
The city of Merriam is looking to possible expand the types of public incentive it can offer developers. On Monday, the Merriam City Council discussed a new policy that would allow the city to consider applications for community improvement districts, or CIDs. This comes roughly a year after Kansas City-based real estate company R.H. Johnson Company requested a CID to refurbish Merriam Town Center, a shopping center near Antioch Road and Johnson Drive currently anchored by a Cinemark theaters and a Home Depot. Still, City Administrator Chris Engel told the city council on Monday that the policy is not being considered as a direct response to that request. A community improvement district is a type of public incentive (employed frequently by other Johnson County cities) that imposes an additional sales tax within a designated project area. The revenue raised by that sale tax goes towards helping finance the project, according to state statute.
Source: Prairie Village Post