Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Housing becomes a focus for Pittsburg

Finding quality, moderate-income housing was a struggle for us. However, it is a challenge that families throughout our community face at all price points. Though efforts to remediate these issues have been made by the City, more work still needs to be done. As Pittsburg positions itself to become the region’s medical hub, ready for increased industry and poised for growth, our housing stock must match pace.

Housing is one of the six core areas of focus in the Imagine Pittsburg 2030 strategic plan, and we need to address housing challenges in all areas of development in order to advance our community forward.

(Read more: City of Pittsburg)

Sales tax collections show signs of rebounding in Lawrence; online tax still soaring

Lawrence is on a winning streak. The city has posted back-to-back months of positive sales tax growth, and that hasn’t happened since January and February. (Yes, as the HR person explained, that is probably a lame excuse to blow a vuvuzela noisemaker in the office, but when you are a Royals fan you don’t waste a winning streak.)

Lawrence City Hall recently received its July sales tax check from the state, which mainly represents sales made in May because of lag times. Sales tax collections were up 2.6% compared to the same period a year ago. That’s the best monthly showing since a 4.9% increase in January, which represented sales made in late 2018.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

Haddam to celebrate 150th this weekend

Haddam will celebrate its 150th anniversary this weekend with a tractor show, kids games, bounce house, Haddam trivia, a beef meal, live entertainment including a magician and comedian, and more. Most of the events take place this Saturday in Haddam.
The event officially begins on Friday, Aug. 9, with a Sip and Paint at Haddam City Hall at 7 p.m. There will also be an escape room at the Haddam City Office – the former bank building – at 7 p.m. The annual sand volleyball tournament will also begin on Friday and will continue on Saturday in the park.

Neosho Ridge awards wind farm building contract

The Neosho Ridge Wind project is one step closer to beginning construction.

Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, Inc. (IEA), a leading infrastructure construction company with specialized energy and heavy civil expertise, has been awarded the contract to build the wind farm in southwest Neosho County.

IEA is one of the top builders of wind energy projects in the US, said Jade Scheele, senior development manager for Neosho Ridge. She said the company has completed wind projects with 10 of the largest developers and owners in the country, and it has built more than 7,200 wind turbines across North America. Full project construction is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2019, and completion is expected in fourth quarter of 2020.

Overland Park sales tax revenues rebound slightly — but stay well below projections used for 2020 budget

Overland Park sales tax collections — which have been worryingly low so far this year — improved last month, City Manager Bill Ebel said last night. But they are still far below the projected 2 percent growth assumptions on which the next city budget is based.

Mayor Carl Gerlach made note of a better sales tax report just before hearing public comments on the proposed 2020 budget Monday. Council members and staff have been closely watching sales tax figures, which have lagged mysteriously for the first half of this year.

County commission approves increased budget, mill rate

Saline County commissioners on Tuesday approved a $50.24 million 2020 budget that will increase the county’s mill levy by 2.677 from 38.437 in 2019 to 41.114.

The overall 2020 budget will increase by $3.9 million from the 2019 budget of $46.34 million, primarily due to an increase in the special road, special bridge, and CIP fund accounts.

Combined, the accounts increased by approximately $3.83 million, said county administrator Andrew Manley.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Reno County Commission approves sign project funded by KDOT

The Reno County Commission with little discussion approved an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for the 2021 High Risk Rural Road Sign Project grant.

This grant will be used to identify and replace all signs on the county roads east of K-14 to ensure they meet Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices standards.

Missing signs will be installed or existing signs will be relocated as needed to comply with current standards. There will be no cost to the county with this project funded 100 percent by KDOT.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Buhler USD 313 mill levy increases slightly

The Buhler USD 313 School Board gave approval of the 2020 budget numbers and set a date for their public hearing on Monday, August 19.

The budget totals $37,004,397 on total taxes levied of $2,058,853. The district’s mill levy climbs from 54.83 to 54.99 mills. The largest increases came in the supplemental general fund and capital outlay expenses.

The increase amounts to $4 per year on a $100 thousand home. The districts valuation stayed basically neutral for the year, climbing roughly $4,000.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Bids Being Sought For Eureka USD389 Concession Stand

A new concession stand, including restrooms and a ticket booth, is currently in the bidding phase for Eureka USD 389.

The Eureka USD 389 Board of Education approved to move forward with the masonry built structure back in May of this year.

(Read more: Eureka Herald RSS)

Pottawatomie County receives road and bridge updates

Pottawatomie County Commissioners spent a good chunk of their meeting Monday reviewing ongoing road and bridge projects during the monthly Public Works update.

Public Works Director Peter Clark says crews have been active trying to get in front of some of the areas of county roads impacted by wet weather this spring. Some road closures still remain.

Clark-closures

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Kechi acts to comply with state runoff regs

Kechi needs to move quicker to be in compliance with state stormwater runoff rules. That’s the message the city council got July 25.

In January, assistant public works director Thomas Bevan spoke to the governing body about a report done by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

KDHE visited the city to inspect its stormwater practices. The attention was likely brought about due to the city’s recent growth and development. The results were that Kechi currently has some deficiencies in its stormwater system.

Municipal Bonds Boast Strong Technicals for the Foreseeable Future

The underlying story of strong demand and modest supply that has characterized the municipal market so far this year continues unabated into the summer, said Alan Schankel, managing director at Janney Montgomery Scott.
“Investors have added $53 billion to muni mutual funds plus almost $5 billion to muni ETFs so far in 2019,” he said. “In theory the $58B total of new 2019 cash is enough to absorb more than a third of the first six months of municipal new issue volume of roughly $166.8 billion.”
He continued to say that this illustrates the shifting trend in how investors seeking tax-free income are participating in the municipal market, with vehicles such as mutual funds and ETFs attracting a gradually growing share of the individual tax free investor pie.

Critics say proposed growth plan that limits annexations will make Lawrence housing more expensive

City leaders will soon consider a new growth policy that encourages infill development as the most cost-effective way for the city to grow, but some local organizations are concerned the plan’s growth restrictions would make housing in Lawrence even more expensive.

The Lawrence City Commission will soon consider the new comprehensive plan, Plan 2040, which lays out policies that will shape how the city grows for the next 20 years. Plan 2040 prioritizes development within the city’s boundaries and requires developers to meet several requirements to annex land to expand those boundaries. The city maintains that growth needs to be focused in certain areas to manage infrastructure costs, but the Lawrence Board of Realtors, Lawrence Home Builders Association and the local chamber of commerce have all expressed concerns about the annexation restrictions, saying they could make both new and existing housing more expensive.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

Lawrence City Commission to consider rezoning request for first small homes development; neighborhood opposes the project

Lawrence city leaders will soon consider two requests related to the city’s first proposed development of small homes.

The city already allows the 3,000-square-foot single-family lots the project requires, but the proposed site requires a rezoning from industrial uses to that zoning type as well as an amendment to the comprehensive plan. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider both requests, as well as a letter of opposition from the neighborhood.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

County to borrow $10 million to extend trail, develop ‘Family Park’

Shawnee County will create a new “Family Park” featuring 20 pickleball courts just south of S.W. 21st and Urish Road.

County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday morning to approve Commission Chairman Bob Archer’s proposal that the county borrow $10 million to use to develop that park and continue to extend Deer Creek Trail in southeast Topeka.

Commissioners Archer and Bill Riphahn voted in favor of the move.

DCCC remembers Dr. Richard Burke

The late Dr. Richard Burke served as president of Dodge City Community College longer than almost anyone else who has held the job.

Only Charles Barnes served longer than Burke at the helm of DCCC. Working the three years prior to becoming president as a dean and program director, Burke influenced and changed Dodge City Community College for nearly 14 years.

Burke passed away July 26, in Dodge City. He was 76.

El Dorado prison to resume normal shifts after Kelly lifts emergency declaration

Kansas corrections officers at the state prison in El Dorado will soon return to eight-hour shifts after a months-long emergency declaration meant mandatory overtime and 12-hour days.

Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday the state of emergency at El Dorado Correctional Facility would end in early October. She placed the prison on the heightened status in February. The decision gave officials the power to order longer shifts to deal with a chronic and severe staff shortage.

The announcement comes after lawmakers boosted pay for officers at the prison. The emergency declaration had reflected a crisis within the prison system, which has been dealing with staff shortages for years as the number of inmates continues to rise.

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

Area pools set closing dates for the summer

Time is running out for patrons of most area swimming pools to get in that last splash for the summer.

The following are the season-ending dates for area pools:

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Stuff the Bus event helps USD250 students

Throughout the day on Saturday, school supplies were brought on to school buses in support of USD 250 students who need supplies.

USD 250-P3, Walmart and the Pittsburg Salvation Army partnered for a donation event for school supplies called ‘Stuff the Bus’. USD250-P3 is a volunteer group which identifies needs of students within the Pittsburg Community Schools District. The organization connects students with items such as school supplies through partnerships in the community.

USD 250-P3 Co-Chair Dawn McNay said the event turned out great.

(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)

Marler excited to take on Paola City Clerk role

Stephanie Marler never envisioned herself in a leadership position when she first was hired by the city of Paola in 2008 to be an administrative assistant for the public works department.

But thanks to her strong work ethic, willingness to learn and knowledge of the community, she quickly rose through the ranks.

On her five-year anniversary with the city, she was promoted to utility billing clerk and moved her office to Paola City Hall.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Moundridge schools getting update

Standing the hallway of Moundridge Elementary School amid uncovered floors, lights hanging from a ceiling missing most of its tiles, Moundridge superintendent George Leary exudes confidence and excitement.

“We will have our building back,” Leary said. “We get this back Aug. 16. … There is no doubt, we will be ready. We are on schedule and ahead of schedule.”

On any given day, there are dozens of workers in the building installing new flooring, lighting, ceilings and whatever else needs to be done.

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

City commission to consider amendments to residential and electrical codes

The Hays city commission knew there would need to be some tweaking of the residential and electrical code updates adopted by the city in July 2017.

Three concerns in relation to upgrades and remodels of existing homes requiring a city permit were brought to their attention during the commission work session last week.

“Almost all rooms except bathrooms and garages now require AFCIs (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter),” explained Jesse Rohr, public works director. An AFCI protects against electrical- related arcs from an electrical circuit or a device, which commonly lead to fires. If an arc is detected, the AFCI is tripped and kills the power to that individual circuit.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Salina USD 305, NEA-Salina reach agreement

Salina USD 305 and NEA-Salina have come to an agreement on teacher contracts, according to a news release from Salina USD 305.

The two sides came to an agreement on an average salary increase of 3.2 percent after completing a successful mediation session. The teams had already agreed to other changes in the contract such as:

Increased plan time for elementary classroom teachers and high school teachers

Expanded the opportunity to use paid time off

The next step is for USD 305 teachers to vote in order to ratify the 2019-2020 teacher contract.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

Kansas schools: Help wanted

Public school districts across Kansas are scrambling to hire employees ahead of the new school year.

“I predict a lot of school districts will start without all their teachers hired,” said Haven USD 312 Superintendent Clark Wedel recently.

“It’s a challenge, probably more than it ever has been in my career,” Wedel said on July 29, when the Haven school board conducted a special meeting and hired a fourth-grade teacher.

Hutchinson USD 308′s McCandless Elementary School will welcome students Aug. 15 with a long-term substitute teaching a kindergarten class.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

$29.5 million building permit approved for Delano apartment project

A $29.5 million building permit was pulled this week by Crossland Construction to begin work in the Delano District on a five-story apartment building with mixed use and parking garage on the lower levels.

The construction is part of the $40 million Delano catalyst project, which has been slow-moving since conversations with the city began in 2016. Kansas City-based EPC Real Estate LLC is the developer behind the tax-incentivized construction project designed to bring more vibrancy and amenities along the Arkansas River. The plans were expected to include the apartment complex with 204 units, a minimum 90-room hotel and public green space on seven acres of land south and southeast of the Advanced Learning Library.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

YMCA Dome facility opens to Garden City public

After years of fundraising, construction delays and pending litigation, the Garden City Family YMCA’s Dome facility opened in late July with prayers, applause and pencils put to membership cards.

The space is now officially open to the public, operating under a temporary certificate of occupancy until a permanent license can go before the Garden City Commission, said YMCA CEO Chad Knight.

“This has been a long journey, let me tell you,” Knight told community members at the opening under the long-awaited dome. Memberships were available for a discount in honor of the event.

Kansas State gets $2.8 million grant for cyberattack research

Kansas State researchers have received a three-year, $2.8 million federal grant for a project to enhance utility operators’ awareness of and resilience to cyberattacks.

The award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office was announced Thursday.

The Manhattan Mercury reports that as more solar and other distributed energy resources are added to the electrical grid, utility operators need new tools to provide stronger protection against physical and cyber risks.

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

Major new entertainment complex coming to Towne East Square next year

A major new entertainment venue is coming to Towne East Square.

No one is discussing it yet, but Round 1 — a combination bowling, arcade, billiards, karaoke, ping pong, darts and dining venue — will open at the mall by about this time next year.

Shoppers have noticed construction at the lower level of the mall in the JCPenney wing.

Increased federal funding for partial Medicaid expansion on hold as federal case ruling looms

With a decision looming in the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump administration announced it will not increase funding for any state seeking partial Medicaid expansion.

The lawsuit against the ACA, led by 18 attorneys general, requests the court to throw out the entire health care act on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

Earlier this year, attempts were made by some states to partially expand Medicaid. Utah requested the federal government pay 90 percent of the partial expansion costs, keeping the state’s share at 10 percent. But the Trump administration declined and Utah will instead be responsible for 30 percent of costs.

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

Topeka Rescue Mission might close soon without new funding

Officials with the Topeka Rescue Mission say the organization could close next month if new funding isn’t found.

Leaders said in a statement Monday that the mission is facing a $180,000 shortfall each month. It will close all its shelters and end all services if new funding isn’t found by Sept. 15.

WIBW reports Mission leaders say they’ve already made money-saving moves, including announcing last week that the TRM Thrift Store would close soon.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

The city plans to put a new tax on your drinking water, but some question whether it’s fair to low-income residents

In many progressive circles, the most hated tax in the land is a sales tax on food.

Kansas is one of the few states that charges it, and opponents decry it as extremely regressive because it forces low-income people to pay tax on a product that is necessary for life.

But now questions are being raised whether Lawrence city commissioners — perhaps without much thought — are placing an equally regressive tax on the one product that may be even more essential than food. Commissioners are poised to place a new tax on water.

As part of the city’s proposed 2020 budget, a new 6% tax would affect every water bill in the city. The tax is in the recommended budget that is slated for final approval on Aug. 13.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

Can large pile of cash reduce Lawrence’s proposed water rate increases? City is unsure

While water rates are set to go up 8% next year, the city is sitting on a huge pile of cash in its utility fund.

How much cash? So much that city officials aren’t entirely sure where it all came from.

A review of financial documents by the Journal-World found that the city’s water/sewer fund is projected to end 2019 with nearly $42 million in reserves. To put that in perspective, for every $1 that the water/sewer fund spends in 2019, it has an additional 84 cents sitting in a type of savings account known as a fund balance.

“That is a lot,” said Dave Wagner, who oversees the utility department as the city’s director of Municipal Services and Operations.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

‘It was a mess’: Ottawa businesses start cleanup after heavy rain causes serious flooding

As fast as the water rose in Ottawa, that’s how fast crews arrived to start cleaning it all up Friday.

After severe thunderstorms caused heavy flooding for many in town, several Ottawa businesses spent the day trying to get back to normal.

Richard Towe, a retired Ottawa firefighter, opened Three Guys Liquor fifteen years ago. His son now owns the family business, but he said in all these years, he’s never seen anything like this.

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

St. John youths do belly flops with cops

Belly Flop with the Cops gave St. John-area youths a chance to interact with the local police force and have some free fun in the pool from Friday evening.

“We have some new faces on our force and we want kids to get to know them,” said Officer Tori Perez before the event. “This seemed like a fun way to do it.”

Perez joined the three-member city police force in May.

“I think it was a wonderful idea,” said St. John pool manager Stephanie Smith. “That’s why we waived the normal admission fee of $2 for adults and $1 for kids.”

Perez was joined at the pool by Officer Dave Eulenstein, who has served with St. John Police Department since December and who also works full time as a Stafford County sheriff deputy, and by Undersheriff Tom Fischer.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Water dispute lands city, mayor in court

A water line dispute between neighbors in Wellsville, Kan., has degenerated into a civil suit filed in federal district court and involved the city and its mayor who are among the defendants named in the suit.
Marc and Regina Smith, the plaintiffs, say in court filings that they paid for a water meter in 1999 to serve their newly purchased residence and that the house is served by a water service line that extends about 1000ft from the meter to the property.
The couple claims that three of their neighbors tapped into the water line without a formal written agreement regarding the payment of water bills or the maintenance of the water line.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Voters in new city of The Highlands get tax-lid ballot

Voters in this 1-year-old incorporated city will vote Tuesday on a property tax question. The state’s tax lid formula limits the increase of the city budget for 2020, and the ballot asks:“Shall Resolution No. 2019-0023, adopted by the governing body of The Highlands, Kansas, on July 5th, 2019, increasing the City property tax by $30,000 to provide adequate funding for the City services and needs in 2020 be approved?”

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Kansas, Missouri governors agree to cease-fire in business incentive border war

Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order Friday designed to match a Missouri law linking state-level business development incentives to net job growth in seven counties of the Kansas City metropolitan area and inspire at least a truce in the economic border war. The order issued by Kansas’ Democratic governor adhered to a law signed by Missouri Gov. Michael Parson, a Republican. The concern of public officials in both states has been the propensity of government officials to shower …

‘Showing their softer side’ at Hays PD Community Night Out

As usual, Hays police officer Ryan Blecha was on duty Thursday evening, but this shift did not require a patrol vehicle or even the official uniform.

This duty called for wearing shorts and a special T-shirt as Blecha manned the chip station in the food line for the Hays Police Department’s “Community Night Out” at the Hays Aquatic Park (HAP).

“He’s very important,” laughed Mackenzie Blecha, Ryan’s wife.

Mackenzie and daughter Gentry, 18 months, were some of the Hays police officers’ family members enjoying the fourth annual event. It included free swimming for everyone and a hot dog or hamburger meal for the first 1,000 people.

…

Several city officials also enjoyed Community Night Out, including city commissioners Eber Phelps, Ron Mellick and vice-mayor Shaun Musil.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Looking for ideas to improve the countys economy

Nearly 30 people attended a meeting to discuss economic development in Bourbon County.

The meeting, held Tuesday evening as part of the Bourbon County Commission meeting at the courthouse, was led by Bourbon County Economic Development Director Jody Hoener.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide attendees with results from a recently completed community-wide assessment and to set three priorities to move the county forward.

(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

Stability of border war truce in question

The governors in Kansas and Missouri have moved to end an economic “border war” that has gained their states unwanted national attention for using millions of dollars in incentives to entice companies into shifting jobs close to the Kansas City-area border.

Their truce appears shaky. An executive order that Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed Friday showed that officials in both states have yet to fully resolve a final sticking point: the ability of cities, counties and other local governments in Missouri to offer more lucrative local tax breaks than their counterparts in Kansas.

If Missouri officials don’t stop their generous local tax breaks, Kelly in her order threatens to call off the two states’ big, bipartisan deal, even with Friday’s declarations that the border war is over.

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

Wichita civilian volunteers to monitor Old Town surveillance cameras for police

A new batch of civilian volunteers is monitoring surveillance cameras for Wichita police — to help improve safety in Old Town, not to issue traffic tickets, police say.

“These cameras were put in with the intent to keep Old Town safe. They weren’t put in with the intent for traffic enforcement,” Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said Friday.

The volunteers are graduates of the Citizen’s Police Academy, a program that teaches civilians about policing.

(Read more: Local News |)

Hays to offer discounted admission to swimming pool for Ellis residents

The city of Hays plans to offer an admission discount at the Hays Aquatic Park (HAP) to Ellis residents after the Ellis swimming pool was unexpectedly closed Wednesday morning.

Henry Schwaller, Hays mayor, made the suggestion during Thursday’s city commission work session.

The Ellis municipal pool was losing almost 30,000 gallons of water every 2 to 3 days according to Mayor Dave McDaniel and city officials decided to shut it down ahead of the season closing date.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Some Kansas Workers Are Going To Class Without Having To Punch Out Of Work

Adult education programs offered by Kansas’ colleges and school districts are increasingly bringing classes to workers where they already are: at work.

Washburn University will soon offer conflict resolution to staffers at the Ramada Hotel in Topeka. Dodge City Community College will provide customer service lessons at Boot Hill Casino. And several schools are providing English classes, one of the most sought-after skills.

“There’s a major shift taking place in education,” said Karen Ulanski, the director for Paola USD 368’s adult education center.

(Read more: Rural Messenger)

This Bill Could Save Rural Governments Millions in Infrastructure Financing

A new proposal in Congress could make financing infrastructure projects in rural America far more affordable.

Called the Municipal Bond Market Support Act of 2019, the bill would modernize a restriction on so-called bank-qualified municipal bonds that effectively limits small governments’ access to cheaper borrowing rates in the municipal market.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) estimates that the proposed bill could save as much as $1.1 million in financing costs on a 15-year, $30 million bond issued by a small government. That translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in savings each year for small governments, nonprofits and districts across the country.

“Expanding the availability of bank-qualified bonds will help local governments and nonprofits afford critical construction projects and stimulate their economies, all while providing significant savings,” Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell said after introducing the bill.

(Read more: GOVERNING)

Waste intake increases for Pratt County Recycling

An increase in the amount of household hazardous waste coming to the Pratt County Recycle center has also increased the money the center has to pay to have the HHW removed.

Jason Winkel, landfill and recycle center manager, updated the Pratt County Commissioners on the HHW issue on July 29 at the regular weekly Commission meeting.

Winkel is working on options for handling HHW because of those increases.
Clean Harbors, out of Wichita, provides the hazardous waste removal and their last bill to the county was $8,600. A chemist comes from Kansas City to identify acids among HHW.

(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)