Municipal News & Jobs

Fifteen years ago, the Cottonwood Falls Grade School closed its doors, and its future went up in the air as it went up for auction. However, the 120-year-old building is now open again, with a new look and purpose. After years of flux, the schoolhouse itself now offers affordable housing after a partnership with Frontier Development out of Alva. “They work a lot out of Manhattan,” Coster added. “They proved to be the best partners that we could have found. We sold this property to them, and then they went into the work of turning it into apartments.” The expanded portion of the building, constructed in the 1960s, has been converted into a community center.
Source: KSN-TV

Garden City officials marked a milestone in public safety with the official ribbon-cutting for Fire Station 3, a project more than two decades in the making. The new station on Garden City’s east side is the last project funded by the 2017 sales tax initiative. Officials say it shows the city’s growth and its dedication to meeting public safety needs.
Source: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County announced on Monday that they received nearly 1,200 fireworks complaints this year. The county broke down the types of calls they received between June 27 and July 6 from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. each night. The busiest night was July 5, with 352 complaints about fireworks. The busiest day for the non-emergency line was July 4. Sedgwick County took 412 calls that day. This includes complaints about fireworks and other non-emergency concerns. Out of those 412 calls, 183 were fireworks complaints.
Source: KSN-TV

Having access to fresh fruits and veggies is a luxury many take for granted. In the center of Sedgwick, you can find a new garden working to make a change. “We have herbs, we have cucumbers, we have tomatoes, strawberries,” listed off Heather Tucker, operations manager of The Meeting House. The plants are dense with nutrients and purpose. “Anybody from the community that wants to harvest from it can, but harvest respectfully, leaving some for others,” Tucker explained.
Source: KSN-TV

The Winfield Police Department and Cowley County Sheriff’s Office are once again hosting their adult citizens police academy, set to start August 28. The 15th run of the academy will educate citizens about the police department and sheriff’s office organizations, operations, and roles in the communities they serve.
Source: Local – Cowley Post

Wamego’s fireworks spectacle is well known as Kansas’ largest display, but it also leaves behind a mess of epic proportions. Organizers said what normally might take a week to clean up turns into a single-morning effort, thanks to the help of student volunteers from area schools. “We don’t just blow stuff up and leave,” said Corey Reeves, Wamego tourism and event manager. “We have a small army of high school and middle school students, teachers, educators and community volunteers who just show up to help clean up afterwards.”
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

The City of Wamego becomes Boomtown every July 4, transforming from an idyllic prairie town into a sensory celebration of America. The activities in town include a carnival, parade, car and tractor show, but the featured event is the fireworks show. Wamego tourism and event manager, and member of the pyro crew, Corey Reeves spoke about Boomtown just hours before the show was set to begin. That vibe was a real, palpable feeling throughout the community. A carnival drew in several guests looking to get their fill of food and thrills. A crowd gathered for the annual parade, but paled in comparison to the gathering that took in the night’s fireworks display.
Source: News Radio KMAN

The Garden City Commission approved an interlocal agreement with Finney County regarding the use of sales tax proceeds at the commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. The sales tax proceeds come from the anticipated Finney County Sales Tax Initiative, which will be up for voter approval as a ballot question on the Nov. 4 general election.
Source: Garden City Telegram

The Holcomb Police Department will join law enforcement agencies from across Kansas to participating in the July S.T.E.P. (Special Traffic Enforcement Program) campaign, focused on reducing speeding-related crashes. The enforcement campaign will run from July 7 through July 15, targeting speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors. This initiative is made possible through a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).
Source: Garden City Telegram

The City of Great Bend has been participating in a nationwide class action lawsuit against manufacturers of PFAS chemicals. Some of those claims have been settled and Great Bend’s share of that settlement is a little over $1.3 million to be paid out over time.
Source: Homepage

The No BESS group has received word that their petition could not be certified by Harvey County Clerk Rick Piepho because he couldn’t verify the signatures were valid, as he stated in a letter to Halstead City Clerk Julie Wait. Piepho stated: “While we can confirm the registration status of the signers, none of the pages or individual signature entries include a date indicating when the signature was collected. As a result, we cannot confirm whether the individuals were registered voters at the time of signing or whether the signatures were gathered within the 180-day window required by statute.”
Source: Harvey County Now

The Mulvane Public Library invites the public to bring color to the library’s windows with a collaborative window mural project. The project will be happening at the Mulvane library (408 N. 2nd Ave.) from 10 a.m. to noon on July 12. Library windows will have a pre-drawn design to paint. Participants are encouraged to grab a brush, add their own creative touch and watch the community mural come together.
Source: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news/area_news of type article

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 market began in 1985 with a few producers and family farmers and has now grown to a membership of 47 farmers, growers, bakers, artisans and more, with an average of 20 to 30 vendors coming each Saturday.
Source: Hutch News

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.

Most recently, the department purchased a robotic canine to use for community engagement and with the special weapons and tactics unit. It can be operated by a several SWAT officers and has been taken on more than 20 outings.
Source: CJonline

A federal judge on July 1 dismissed a lawsuit pursued by four Jackson County landowners and the city of Rossville seeking to prevent Jeffrey Solar, LLC, from creating a 5,000-acre solar power farm near their property and that city.
Source: CJonline

Federal data released Thursday shows government jobs saw the largest month-over-month sector growth at 73,000. That means government jobs accounted for about half of the 147,000 total nonfarm payroll growth in June. … State government payrolls grew by 47,000, while local governments added 33,000 jobs. The bulk of those new jobs on both levels were in education, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
Source: CNBC

Like many cities with dated infrastructure, Wyandotte County relies on what’s called a combined sewer system, which means that storm and sewage water use the same pipes but have different outputs. The two sources of water are separated by dams built into the pipe system.
Source: KC Star

Johnson County doesn’t have any natural lakes or large reservoirs. Every lake in our area is man-made—built to meet practical needs like drinking water, irrigation, and recreation. Our largest lake is just over 220 acres. Yet these small lakes tell big stories about the people, policies, and communities that shaped them.
Source: Johnson County Post