Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Our Past is Present

In 1949, Junction City’s new radio station, KJCK, was located above the Leedy Drug Store. During the programming there was a segment titled “The Good Neighbor Program”. On this show, local residents were recognized for being “good neighbors” and good citizens.

One of the first honored was Mary A. Verbeke. She was recognized for her kind acts of sending encouraging words to people.

Mary Verbeke was born in Belgium. When Mary was eight years old, she immigrated to this country with her mother. During their train trip to Junction City, there was a need to change trains in Kansas City. Mary and her mother witnessed women chewing something at the train station. It was uncommon in Belgium to see women chewing and the only reference was that of men, who chewed tobacco. So, strange as it may have seemed to them, Mary and her mother assumed the women were also chewing tobacco. However, in fact, the women were chewing gum.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Midwest Energy asks Hays customers to  conserve power Monday, Tuesday

Midwest Energy is asking its Hays customers to conserve electricity on the afternoons of Monday and Tuesday between the hours of noon and 7 p.m.

The request is being issued following the downing of several key power lines in northwest Hays during a storm the evening of Aug. 13.

With several key lines out of service, Hays is being supplied using powerlines from the South and East.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Ellis County Commission to discuss proposal for new public works building

At Monday’s meeting, the Ellis County Commission will discuss a proposal for a new building for the public works shop.

The county commission will meet at 5 p.m. at the Ellis County Administrative Center.

The current public works shop at 1195 280th Ave. was constructed in the 1960s and has not had any significant upgrades since.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Gardner approves resolution; Olathe to issue bonds for OMC clinic

The Gardner City Council approved a resolution August 5 for the issuance of revenue bonds by the city of Olathe to finance facilities located within Gardner’s corporate limits.

According to Mathew Wollf, finance director, Olathe Medical Center, the leading healthcare provider in Southwest Johnson County, has asked the neighboring city of Olathe to issue revenue bonds to finance healthcare facilities in the region.

One of the facilities, a clinic, will be located on 189th Terrace in Gardner.
State and federal law require that the city of Gardner approve issuance of the bonds since part of the project will be within its jurisdiction.

(Read more: Gardner News)

‘It’s only going to get worse’: Heat index to soar over 100 degrees in Kansas City

It will be a dangerous and uncomfortable start to the work week in the Kansas City area as the heat index is expected to climb over 100 degrees on Monday, according to the local FOX4 television station.

“Later on today it is going to be hot and humid with highs topping out in the lower 90s — and that’s just the air temperature,” said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter, who provided the weather update to The Star.

Ritter said it will feel even warmer than that, with the heat index climbing into the triple digits Monday afternoon.

Strong winds caused about 140 rail cars to derail in Central Kansas

Authorities say strong winds caused about 140 rail cars from two trains to derail over the weekend in central Kansas.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the derailments happened late Saturday near Walton. The National Weather Service says the rail cars were all empty and many were double stacked. No injuries were reported.

Wind gusts at a nearby airport in Newton measured as high as high 67 mph around the time of the derailment.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Burrton schools district office damaged by quake

Burrton School officials relocated high school classes to middle and elementary school classrooms Friday morning after Reno County’s 4.2 magnitude earthquake appeared to have damaged several walls in the district’s school building.

The students were allowed to return to their classrooms after lunch, however, after a structural engineer determined damage to the high school itself was only cosmetic.

The district’s central office did suffer structural damage, said Superintendent Joan Simoneau, so they’ll have to relocate those offices until the building can be repaired.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Planners to consider wind farm regs

Discussion will begin in earnest next week on possible wind farm regulations for the area surrounding Parsons.

The Parsons Planning Commission will meet Tuesday to begin consideration of a zoning amendment for wind energy conversion systems in the 3-mile area.

After a recommendation from City Commissioner Tom Shaw to develop wind turbine regulations, the planners first took up the issue in a July 23 meeting. They decided the full planning commission, instead of a subcommittee, should look into the issue.

Labette County has no zoning regulations, and county commissioners have indicated they have no intentions to approve zoning laws. The city of Parsons, however, has zoning jurisdiction over the outlying area surrounding the city, very roughly a 3-mile radius except in Neosho County, the Great Plains Industrial Park and other areas.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

DCCC helicopter program takes off

Dodge City Community College has been granted permission to enroll veterans in the college helicopter flight program.

The Veteran’s Administration and the Arizona State Approving Agency gave the college permission, and according to DCCC Provost Adam John, students and officials knew the re-certification process was nearing a conclusion, so when approval was official, veterans signed up quickly.

“We are anticipating 20 students in the program for the fall semester,” John said.

Lake Shawnee’s use of herbicide to combat Eurasian milfoil draws criticism

Lake Shawnee has been identified time and again as one of the most idyllic locations in Shawnee County, leading county commissioners to invest heavily in the area in recent years with new walking paths and other features.

But maintaining that beauty, and more importantly, what’s under the water, can be challenging and at times controversial.

Blue-green algae is probably the most prominent issue with aquatic vegetation that many Kansas lakes and reservoirs have dealt with, often making headlines when a new case of the toxic algae springs up. But another type of difficult-to-control vegetation rarely garners much attention from the media — Eurasian watermilfoil.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

City discusses software upgrade, water treatment plant update

Along with the budget, construction and new projects were also a hot topic for the Liberal City Commission during its most recent meeting Tuesday night.

Up first with this was the discussion of a Sensus upgrade for the Water Department.

“This is basically a software upgrade that’s going to be spread out over the next five years so we can afford it properly,” City Manager Cal Burke said. “This software does have a lot more capabilities than what our prior software had and basically, the old software is going to die away on us.”

(Read more: Liberal First)

Ellis police chief thanks community, MWE for storm recovery efforts

From a social media post by Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates this morning:

(Read more: Hays Post)

Planning Commission to discuss changes in development density requirements, parking requirements

The Hays Area Planning and Development Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

Agenda items for Aug. 19 include discussion of proposed changes to the Unified Development Code regarding a reduction in development density requirements and changes in parking requirements.

City staff is considering some changes to the UDC that would remove specific requirements for development density.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Relief coming to the ‘worse streets’ in town

A long-awaited project to reconstruct a section of the west side of Derby has a contract to proceed.

At its Aug. 13 meeting, the City Council approved a $1.8 million bid from Pearson Construction LCC to rebuild Kay and Water streets from K-15 to Madison Avenue.

The project will reconstruct the streets to what is known as an industrial standard. That includes stormwater sewers, curbs and gutters, and a sidewalk on one side.

(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

Johnson County celebrates milestone in courthouse construction

The frame for the new Johnson County Courthouse under construction in downtown Olathe has been completed. Johnson County staff, Olathe city staff and JE Dunn Construction celebrated Tuesday, Aug. 13 with a “topping out” ceremony at the construction site, when crews raised the last steel beam 238 feet to the courthouse’s highest point in its structural framing. When it opens in early 2021, the new courthouse, with 28 courtrooms and approximately 350,000 square feet of space, is expected to address the county’s criminal justice needs for the next 75 years as Johnson County continues to grow.

Storm winds blow trains off tracks in Kansas

Strong winds from a line of thunderstorms blew over two BNSF freight trains in Harvey County Saturday night near the small town of Walton, or about 7 miles northeast of Newton.

The winds, estimated at nearly 70 miles per hour, pushed over an intermodal train on the mainline and an empty LP gas tank car train on the siding.

Emergency crews were on the scene throughout the day trying to clear the wreckage so trains could start moving again. Two portions of the nearly two-mile-long intermodal train left the tracks while the entire train hauling the tank cars fell on its side. The wreck also stopped Amtrak’s Southwest Chief heading west before it could reach Newton.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

USGS: 6 earthquakes reported in Reno County in 24-hours

Two additional small earthquakes shook Reno County following the four quakes Friday morning.

A quake just after 8p.m. measured a magnitude 3.0 and was centered approximately one mile west of South Hutchinson, according to the USGS.

Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, a magnitude 2.8 quake centered 2 miles west of South Hutch.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Bob Myers to retire as Newton city manager, legal counsel

Newton city manager and senior legal counsel Bob Myers has announced he will retire in January 2020 after 35 years with the City of Newton.

Myers has served in this position since June 2016, following 31 years as Newton’s city attorney.

“Newton has been my home for over 40 years, and I’m very invested in the community,” Myers said. “When I was asked to assume the city manager position, the city organization was in some turmoil, and I wanted to do what I could to help ‘right the ship.’ ”

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

100 years ago, people were upset about the cost of electricity in Wellington

The saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Yes, 100 years ago, people were upset about the city’s production of electricity. In the summer of 1919, city commissioners were facing an increasing deficit in its electric department and were finding they were selling it for less than it cost to make.

“For the last two or three years, they have been sailing along serenely, doing business in the sale of electric juice to private customers in Wellington and to surrounding towns, who have been buying the sparkling fluid through a corporation known as Western Sumner Electric Light and Power Company.”

The city was facing more demand and realizing to keep up it would need a new generator or would have to reduce consumption.

(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)

New wind projects could generate thousands of jobs, billions in revenue

Despite a drought in new wind development proposals over the last decade, about $8 billion could flow into ongoing wind energy projects in Wyoming, providing one possible solution to the state’s precarious revenue outlook.

Primarily located in the blustery prairie of Carbon and Converse counties, about a dozen wind projects in various stages of growth could unlock sizable economic returns and increase the state’s energy capacity some five times over. If the wind projects already in permitting or construction phases come to fruition, approximately $7.1 billion and 4,700 new jobs could result, according to the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy. That estimate excludes projects still in their planning stages.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Downtown mural celebrates heritage

The new downtown mural highlighting Chanute’s history will have an Easter egg in it.

The artist working Friday on the display said he puts this same surprise in all his murals. Chanute residents and visitors will have the challenge of finding it.

Ryan Christenson, who goes by the professional name ARCY, painted the mural Friday on the east side of Opie’s restaurant at Main and Highland. He expected it to take about eight hours, although an early-afternoon downpour interrupted the project, and sent the artist and spectators ducking for shelter.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Resolutions drafted to prevent further wind expansion

Neosho County Commissioners and critics of the Neosho Ridge Wind project looked over drafts of a proposed moratorium on future construction during Thursday evening’s meeting.

County Counselor Seth Jones had prepared a draft and two revised versions of a resolution, and opponent Ed Spielbusch also submitted a proposed resolution. Commissioners will incorporate elements from each to bring back to a future meeting.

“One step closer,” Commission Chair Gail Klaassen said.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Newton city manager retiring

After three years as City Manager and 35 years working with the city, Bob Myers has announced he will retire in January of 2020.

The announcement followed the completing of the 2020 City Budgeting process at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

“My decision to retire has not been an easy one,” Myers said in a press release. “I will miss working with the talented and dedicated people who lead the City’s various divisions and departments. I’m so proud of the service-oriented atmosphere we’ve worked together to establish throughout the City organization during the past three years.”

(Read more: Newton Now)

10-year Treasury yield falls to three-year low below 1.5%, 30-year rate declines to record low

Investors clamored into the safety of U.S. government bonds, sending the 30-year Treasury bond yield below 2% for the first time ever and the 10-year Treasury note yield below 1.5%, a three-year low.

Around 2:00 p.m. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to price, hit a three-year low of 1.475%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was at 1.944%, after earlier falling to 1.941% for the first time ever. The 2-year Treasury yield was 1.467%, its lowest level since Oct. 2017.

Douglas County commissioners say they want to hire Plinsky as permanent county administrator

The Douglas County Commission kicked off discussions about finding a permanent county administrator on Wednesday, but a majority of commissioners said they believed they have already found one in Sarah Plinsky.

Plinsky has been serving as the interim county administrator since December, when the previous administrator, Craig Weinaug, retired after working for the county for 26 years. Although Weinaug announced the county would conduct a search process to find his replacement, the commissioners said they now believe it may not be needed.

“I think we have the person we need sitting within our midst,” Commissioner Nancy Thellman said of Plinsky.

Tyson: We’re not going anywhere

Tyson Foods officials had a direct, simple message on Wednesday: We are not leaving.

During a media event at the Heritage Inn, Tyson officials provided an update on current and future plans for the Tyson plant in Holcomb, a portion of which was heavily damaged by fire over the weekend.

Tyson Foods President and CEO Noel White left no ambiguity about the company’s plans for the Holcomb plant, reiterating several times that Tyson is committed to rebuilding and repairing the facility as quickly as possible.

“This plant’s important to us. It’s been a long time, strong performer. The community itself, the workforce we have here is outstanding,” White said.

(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

Wellington making moves for natural gas company

The Wellington City Council approved the annexation of land east of the city on which a renewable natural gas company plans to build a facility that would create 40 jobs within the first six months of its being built. The property is 144.5 acres located at the southwest corner of U.S. 160 and Seneca Road and owned by Charter Equities II, LC. This property would be the location of the Verbio North American Corporation, a biomethane plant out of Big Rapids, Michigan.

(Read more: News – The Ottawa Herald)

Peabody’s historic theater to be renovated

After being closed for the past five years, the Sunflower Theatre in Peabody has new owners and a group of community members committed to its renovation. Built in 1919, the Sunflower Theatre provided a performance space for vaudeville acts, talent shows, concerts and movies. Susan Mayo and Marilyn Jones live near Peabody and are assisting with historical research for the building, which is located in the 100 block of North Walnut Street in Peabody.

Lawrence City Commission expresses support for plastic and paper bag fee or ban; more research will be done

City leaders indicated Tuesday that they are interested in pursuing a proposal to charge people for disposable grocery and shopping bags in an effort to reduce waste and help the environment.

As part of a study session, the Lawrence City Commission discussed the Sustainability Advisory Board’s recommendation that the city develop an ordinance that would have grocery stores and other retailers charge a 16-cent fee per bag upon checkout for both single-use plastic and paper bags. The proposal would exempt some types of bags, such as those used to carry raw meat, seafood and bulk items such as fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Board Chair Jackie Carroll told the commission that the proposed fee is meant to help the environment, not to raise revenue.

Wichita’s vulnerable water system concerns state agency, emails show

It’s unclear how Wichita plans to provide safe drinking water if its water system shuts down, according to a letter the state’s environmental agency sent the city.

The state has not approved the city’s emergency water supply plan, saying the plan does not “define clear options for providing deliverance of treated, safe drinking water to its customers during an emergency which is the purpose of the plan,” according to a July 10 letter to the city.

The July letter mentioned that providing bottled water for 500,000 people would not be a viable option.

(Read more: Local News |)

Council names city’s new fire chief

Preston Williams was officially named Marion fire chief at Monday’s city council meeting.

Williams has been with Marion fire department since March 2016 and was on the Ellsworth fire department three years prior to moving to Marion.

A chemical applicator for Cooperative Grain and Supply, he is married to Alex Williams.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Wellington making moves for natural gas company

The Wellington City Council approved the annexation of land east of the city on which a renewable natural gas company plans to build a facility that would create 40 jobs within the first six months of its being built.

The property is 144.5 acres located at the southwest corner of U.S. 160 and Seneca Road and owned by Charter Equities II, LC. This property would be the location of the Verbio North American Corporation, a biomethane plant out of Big Rapids, Michigan.

The development agreement between the city and VNA is for Phase I of a larger project that may be developed over time. VNA agrees to invest $45 million in Phase I with the total amount of project investment to be approximately $150 million.

Kansas approved for new type of drone flight

A Kansas drone research and development team will soon use an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to “fly a nine-mile track to evaluate technologies to inspect power lines in rural Kansas” in a first-of-its-kind drone flight, according to a recent Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) news release.

The 31-member team is a collaborative effort from the Kansas UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) bringing together personnel from KDOT, Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus (K-State Polytechnic), Westar Energy, and Iris Automation.

According to the KDOT release, the department has “received permission to conduct the first ever Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the nation leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems.” The release, which also notes that the operation “is the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement for visual observers or ground-based radar,” was headlined “Kansas approved for first Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone flight in the nation.”

(Read more: State News – Morning Sun)

Wichita now has 1,000 electric scooters to rent as new option arrives

There’s a new scooter in town. Or more accurately, about 500 new scooters in town.

Chicago-based VeoRide rolled out 500 of its scooters onto Wichita’s streets this week, bringing the number of electric rental scooters based here to about 1,000.

Boston-based Zagster rolled out its local fleet of 500 Spin scooters almost exactly a month ago, getting the jump on the Wichita market.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Imagine Pittsburg 2030 committee updates leaders

Imagine in a little over 10 years what people will be saying about Pittsburg.

That’s what the Imagine Pittsburg 2030 (IP2030) steering committee asked Pittsburg leaders to think about on Wednesday during a luncheon.

In 2010, business, education and community leaders from Pittsburg identified a “need for a grassroots, citizen-driven visioning effort to strategically address the community’s opportunity and challenges through the year 2030,” a pamphlet from the event said. A steering committee of local representatives was created, led by then co-chairs Pittsburg City Commissioner Marty Beezley and Brad Hodson.
…
From the collected information emerged a “common vision”. This common vision included core areas of focus; housing, economic development, infrastructure and public wellness.

(Read more: Community – Morning Sun)

‘A big impact’: Groundbreaking ceremony held for new grocery store in downtown KCK

It’s been a long time coming, but people who live in downtown KCK will soon have a new neighborhood grocery store to call their own.

Right now, folks who live in eastern KCK said they have to travel at least 20 minutes to a store that sells fresh produce.

"I believe because of the disparities in health, we need quality produce to come into the neighborhood," KCK resident Sarah Armwood-Moses said.

But that’ll change soon.

On Thursday the city held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Merc Co+Op. It’s a community-owned grocery store with affordable food options.

(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)

Citizens asked to submit flag designs for Winfield’s big birthday

Winfield Convention & Tourism is sponsoring a contest to design a flag for the City of Winfield, in celebration of the upcoming 150th anniversary of the city’s founding in 2020.

Although the city has a logo, it does not have an official flag. The purpose of a flag is to create community pride and give Winfield a brand, said Megan Beeson, program coordinator at the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Convention & Tourism is a department within the Chamber.

“It can give people something to stand behind,” said Beeson.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Federal, state, local leaders discuss opportunity zones with Wichita developers

Nearly every chair in the conference room at the Advanced Learning Library was full on Thursday afternoon as federal, state and local leaders discussed opportunity zones.

The zones provide tax incentives for development in Wichita neighborhoods with hopes of making them more attractive.

“Look at a way to invest in your own city that will pay you back considerable dividends and at the same time you get to invest in your city and make it a better place for people to live wok and play,” mayor Jeff Longwell said.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Overland Park limits what public can bring up at its meetings. Residents want change

Several times Overland Park resident Mary Coffman wanted to bring up an issue at a City Council meeting. But she wasn’t allowed to.

Residents can comment only on topics listed on the agenda or during public hearings. But many of Coffman’s concerns, she said, such as traffic congestion or a lack of affordable housing, have gone unheard.

Overland Park is the only city in Johnson County — and one of only a handful in the Kansas City region — that does not designate a time at meetings for residents to talk about whatever is on their mind. Now some residents and council members want that to change.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Main yield curve inverts as 2-year yield tops 10-year rate, triggering recession warning

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note broke below the 2-year rate early Wednesday, an odd bond market phenomenon that has been a reliable, albeit early, indicator for economic recessions.

The yield on U.S. 30-year bond also turned heads on Wall Street during Wednesday’s session as it fell to an all-time low, dropping past its prior record notched in summer 2016. The two historic moves coming in tandem show that investors are increasingly worried, and indeed preparing for, a slowdown in both the U.S. and global economies.

Earlier Wednesday, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was at 1.623%, below the 2-year yield at 1.634%. In practice, that means that investors are better compensated for loaning the U.S. over two years than they are for loaning for 10 years. The yields steepened later in the session, pushing the 10-year rate back above that of the 2-year note at 1.58%.

US 30-year Treasury yield falls to new historic low

The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond dropped to a record low in the morning of Asian trading hours on Thursday, breaching the 2% level for its first time, according to Reuters.

That came just a day after the 30-year Treasury bond touched record lows on Wednesday, amid market fears after the closely watched yields on the 10-year Treasury note and the 2-year inverted.

After dipping to levels below 2%, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was last at 1.987%. Still, that was higher than the yields on 30-year bonds elsewhere globally. The yield on the 30-year Japanese government bond was at 0.155%, while the rate of the 30-year German bund was at -0.201%.

Community, elected officials rally around Tyson

Nearly 50 people filled the second floor meeting room at Garden City’s Administrative Center on Tuesday morning to express gratitude to first responders for their outstanding efforts during the weekend fire at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Holcomb.

The event also showed the community’s and Tyson’s resolve to repair the plant and move forward.

Dr. Bill Clifford, Finney County Commission chairman, appreciated Tuesday’s turnout by federal, state and local elected officials and said the weekend fire could have been much worse and could have had lasting consequences for the community.

(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

Govs. Kelly, Parson pledge to transform KC-area economic incentive gravy train

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly denounced Tuesday job growth results of $330 million in economic incentives handed out in the past decade to lure jobs back and forth across the state border cutting through metropolitan Kansas City.

Kelly referred to the border war as a “fiscally irresponsible” contest for bragging rights for which the winner earned the opportunity to portray the illusion of success, while Parson said it didn’t take a rocket scientist to confirm the two-state competition that moved jobs around the chess board was “a bad deal for both states.”

They joined forces at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce summit at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., to celebrate taking a new bi-state approach linking state-level business incentives to net job expansion.

How will self-driving cars affect Kansas? AAA and WSU to host transportation seminars

Wichita State University and AAA Kansas will host an educational seminar series addressing the future of autonomous vehicles in the state.

“The technology to provide fully self-driving vehicles is under development and testing and is advancing toward future reality on our roadways,” said AAA Kansas spokesman Shawn Steward in a news release. “As the nation’s foremost advocate for motorists, travelers and traffic safety, AAA is pleased to partner with Wichita State to provide this informative forum to educate and engage with transportation and government officials, community business leaders and the public on the future of our transportation system, so we are prepared when autonomous vehicles become reality in Kansas.”

The first Technology Takes the Wheel seminar is 9-11:30 a.m. Aug. 30 at WSU Tech’s National Center for Aviation Training, 4004 N. Webb. It is free and open to the public. Attendees can register online at www.wichita.edu/autonomousvehicles.

(Read more: Local News |)

As Leawood Prohibits Discrimination Against LGBTQ People, Shawnee Takes Up The Debate

After several hours of public testimony and discussion lasting well past midnight on Tuesday, a Shawnee City Council committee voted to move ahead with an ordinance protecting residents from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. City staff will now draft an ordinance to send to the full council for consideration. Shawnee’s move came a day after the Leawood City Council unanimously passed an ordinance protecting LGBTQ from discrimination. With the Leawood ordinance’s passage, about 13% of Johnson County residents are covered by nondiscrimination ordinances. The passage of such an ordinance in Shawnee would bring that to more than 23%.

(Read more: )