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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2018-08-05T16:28:50-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Cowley County hires new emergency manager

Oct. 24 was the first day on the job for new Cowley County Emergency Management Director Candi Baross, and she said she’s been on the go since then getting to know the people and the area she will serve. Baross, 41, is originally from Jackson, Miss. She grew up knowing whatever she did in her life, she always wanted to serve the public. A 21-year career on active duty in the U.S. Army focused on preparedness training for different units. Preparedness training “is really important to me,” Baross said. Training groups to collaborate with other entities makes for successful missions, she said.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Public Input Being Sought on Wildfire Prevention and Response

Governor Kelly is calling on residents to share their thoughts on how to better prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires. The Governor’s Wildfire Task Force (established in July) is seeking public input as it takes a comprehensive look at mitigating wildfire threats, reviews how local and state officials respond to these emergencies and considers how to better support communities impacted by wildfires.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Longtime leader in JoCo’s economic development scene announces plan to retire

Blake Schreck, a longtime fixture in Johnson County’s economic development scene, says he will retire in February 2023. Schreck has been CEO and director of economic development at the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce since 1999, but previously led the Olathe chamber for three years and worked a decade at the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. “I was fortunate to bring Blake into the chamber and economic development world in the mid-’80s,” Mary Birch, former Overland Park chamber president, said in a news release. “He became one of the best economic development leaders in the country and leaves a legacy of major capital investment and thousands of new jobs that will continue to have a positive impact on Lenexa, Johnson County, the Kansas City region and the state for many years to come.”
Source: Joco 913 News

Wichita launching community feedback survey

The city of Wichita say they are looking to source community feedback through a survey. The survey is asking residents their opinions about local government services as well as resident priorities. The city says they plan to begin distributing community surveys on a more frequent basis, changing from biannual to annual. Another change to this survey is asking residents to rank their top priorities in addition to rating service delivery.
Source: KAKE – News

Parsons voters deny sales tax hike

In Tuesday’s election, Parsons voters weighed against a half-cent sales tax increase that would have helped fund the Parsons police and fire departments. The vote was 881 in favor and 1,333 against. The increase would have raised the sales tax from 9.25% to 9.75% and generated an estimated $900,000 a year. Department heads said the funds would be used for a new public safety center as well as routine public services and capital improvements. In 2013, voters approved a similar tax which sunsets in 10 years. The new tax would have taken effect in 2024.
Source: The Iola Register

Lawrence says homeless camp with 80 tents isn’t a campground; if it said otherwise, it could be violating its own zoning code

As a city-operated campground for the homeless has grown on the edge of downtown, business owners in recent weeks have begun protesting that the central business district is no place for such a campground…. they may have a powerful document on their side: the city’s own zoning code… the city’s director of planning acknowledged that a campground is not a permitted use in what’s known as the “CD downtown commercial district.” The zoning code — which has the force of law — allows for campgrounds in several types of commercial business districts, but the busy central business district is not one of them. Now, the question becomes whether the city is violating its own law by erecting a campground housing more than 80 people on city-owned property near the Kansas River levee next to Johnny’s Tavern. The city says … [it] isn’t actually a campground.
Source: LJWorld

Kansas board urges schools to eliminate Native American mascots

Saying it hurts students, the Kansas State Board of Education is calling on the state’s public schools to eliminate Native American-themed mascots within five years. The board endorsed a recommendation from an advisory group on Thursday that included representatives from all four federally recognized tribes in Kansas. … “We’re just asking them to start the conversation, do the research,” said board member Ann Mah. “When we say we don’t want bullying, we want equity, we want the best education for every child, then this absolutely fits with our mandates.” More than 20 Kansas schools still use mascots with names like Indians, Braves or Red Raiders.
Source: LJWorld

With 108 Airbnbs and other short-term rentals now licensed, Lawrence code enforcement thinks process to ID unlicensed rentals is working

With more than 100 short-term rentals now licensed in Lawrence, city code enforcement believes its tactics are working for identifying people renting properties by the night without the required license. After falling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of short-term rental listings in Lawrence is on the rise again, with a little more than 150 properties listed on the popular site Airbnb. Code Enforcement Manager Brian Jimenez said there are currently 108 licensed properties in Lawrence, and because his office has found several properties listed more than once, he believes the city does not have many unlicensed rentals. He said he thinks the reviews conducted by code enforcement staff are catching those who try to operate without a license.
Source: LJWorld

Treasury yields tumble after October CPI comes in weaker than expected

The latest CPI report gave investors hope that inflation is now past its peak, lending confidence that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes are slowly working to tame high price increases. Stock futures rallied on the news. “This confirms the Fed’s own view they need more measured rate hikes now but this doesn’t stop them,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. ” It just affirms their plan.” Swonk added that, from the Fed’s perspective, the dip in inflation is welcome news but still not enough to stop further tightening. In November, the Fed raised rates by a another 75 basis points, its fourth consecutive three-quarter point increase, putting rates at their highest level since 2008.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Pitt’s fowl ordinance 

Chickens seem to be on people’s minds in southeast Kansas lately. Just this past Monday, the Arma City Council discussed regulations for keeping chickens inside city limits. Then on Tuesday, our flightless fowl friends found their way into the Pittsburg City Commission meeting. While Arma decided to table the discussion, Pittsburg dove right in. Pamela Hudson recently petitioned the city’s Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals to keep a small flock of chickens on her property. What is unusual is that Hudson actually contacted the city to see if she was allowed to keep the birds — a gesture that Mayor Cheryl Brooks commended her for. Hudson’s petition was recommended for approval and she only attended the city commission meeting to find out if her request would be approved.
Source: Morning Sun

Voters reject Winfield school bond projects

Winfield voters on Tuesday soundly defeated two school bond propositions, putting USD 465 officials back to the drawing board to figure out how to update aging and outdated infrastructure. Question 1 would have closed some schools, removed some buildings, built others and reconfigured others Question 2 asked voters to build a new football/soccer stadium at the high school and erect several new tennis courts at the Vaughan Tennis Center. Estimated cost of the two projects was about $54.7 million to be funded by about a 14 mill property tax increase from current levels, an estimated $159 on a $100,000 home. In the unofficial final count from the Cowley County Election Office, the first lost 3,188 (71.54%) to 1,268 (28.46%). The second, for the high school sports arena, lost 3,303 (73.03%) to 1,220 (26.97%).
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Voters approve change for Wichita school board elections

Voters in the Wichita school district have overwhelmingly approved a change in the way the school board members are elected. A question on Tuesday’s general election ballot called for voters to elect a board member from the district where they live, and vote for an at-large position in both the primary and general elections. The current system had voters casting ballots for candidates in their districts for the primary election, while also voting for the at-large position.  Voters in the general election would vote on all of the board members.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Hiawatha Commission taps former Atchison City Manager for open position

The search for a permanent replacement for Hiawatha’s City Administrator reached its conclusion at Monday night’s meeting of the Hiawatha City Commission. The group voted to agree to a contract beginning Dec. 5 with current Interim Assistant County Administrator for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Becky Berger. Berger is a familiar face in local governance, as she served in Atchison’s city government for nearly 10 years, including the last 4 years as City Manager, before her resignation in August of 2021. Berger, a graduate of Willamette University, was interviewed at a Special Meeting of the Commission late in October, and hired with a strong recommendation of Hiawatha’s current Interim City Administrator Larry Paine, who was very complimentary and said he was proud to present the contract to the commission. Paine has served as the Interim Administrator for Hiawatha since former City Administrator Mike Nichols resigned earlier this year.
Source: City Government | hiawathaworldonline.com

Lawrence community members share concerns about city’s camp for people experiencing homelessness

Business owners, housing advocates, and housed and unhoused community members filled Lawrence City Hall on Tuesday night to speak out about the city’s handling of homelessness and management of the camp behind Johnny’s.  Rick Renfro, owner of Johnny’s Tavern in North Lawrence, closed his restaurant as a form of protest Tuesday morning, saying he wouldn’t reopen until the city installed a fence around the camp adjacent to his property. He also asked the city to assign a staff member to oversee the camp from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m to manage the site and monitor who goes in and who goes out. Before the meeting, the city partially acquiesced by installing a fence that delineates the separation between Renfro’s property and the camp, which is on city-owned property.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence school district seeks community input on budget cuts via online survey

A public survey is asking community members to share their input on how the Lawrence school district should make budget cuts, including potentially closing and consolidating schools. As discussed during Monday’s school board meeting, survey takers will be asked which of the three “bucket” items — or categories of budget expenditures — should take priority. Bucket 1 lists potential staffing cuts; Bucket 2 lists potential program or activity cuts; and Bucket 3 lists potential facility or utilization changes. The Community Engagement Survey is part of the district’s Futures Planning Committee work. It’s open for all members of the Lawrence community to participate.
Source: The Lawrence Times

City to move forward with developing master plan for Manhattan cemeteries

Manhattan city commissioners indicated Tuesday they want city staffers to start planning for the future of cemeteries. The city government will move forward with developing a master plan that would give an outlook for the next 20 to 30 years of services. Officials said the offices and shops at both cemeteries are past their useful life and in need of significant repair or replacement. Operations have shifted from Sunset Cemetery to Sunrise Cemetery because of burial lot availability. Sunset Cemetery is full as far as traditional burial sites, but it has the potential for a columbarium, which is an above-ground option for cremation.
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

Growth in local manufacturing industry contributes to thriving Pittsburg economy

The Pittsburg manufacturing industry continues to buck national trends, according to the latest Pittsburg Micropolitan Area Economic Report. The quarterly economic update published by economist Dr. Michael Davisson of Pittsburg State University Kelce College of Business shows the local manufacturing industry has not only recovered from the COVID downturn, but is one of the region’s fastest-growing sectors. Pittsburg manufacturing has outperformed the national manufacturing industry, which has not yet fully recovered from the pandemic. Davidsson’s report states that roughly $579 million has been invested in Pittsburg over the past nine years, which includes $102 million in industry infrastructure. … Manufacturing in the Pittsburg micropolitan area contributes to 21.5 percent of all private-sector jobs, and represents the second-largest non-government employment sector in the local area. According to the economic report, manufacturing contributes far more to the local gross domestic product (GDP) than any other industry, at $276 million annually.
Source: City of Pittsburg

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