Kansas Municipal News
Local law enforcement trains for the unthinkable
In order to prepare officers for what [Scott City Police Chief David] Post says is the “unthinkable,” an active shooter training program was held on Monday at Scott Community High School. Led by instructors from the Garden City Police Department, the session brought together 21 officers representing the local police department, Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Kansas Highway Patrol.
Source: Scott County Record
Who will be Topeka’s next city manager? City council will choose from among these finalists.
Stephen Wade, the city of Topeka’s administrative and financial services director, is among four finalists to become Topeka’s next city manager. The others are Abbe Yacoben, deputy finance director and treasurer for the city of Las Vegas; Mike Harmon, former city administrator for Fairfield, Iowa, and Spearfish, S.D.; and David Johnston, former city manager for Covington, Ky., and Maple Valley, Wash., and former village administrator for Rantoul, Ill. Gretchen Spiker, communications director for Topeka’s city government, announced the names of the finalists in a news release late Tuesday afternoon, saying they’d been chosen by the city’s mayor and council.
Source: CJonline
Garden City seeks artists for Southeast Park’s mural
The Garden City Commission received an update on the Fitness Court mural selection for Southeast Park at the Commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. Aaron Stewart, Garden City Parks and Recreation director, said a Request for Proposals has been released to “capture a local artist” to create a mural design. The rear wall is where the largest focal pieces of the park will be, it’s approximately 32 ft. by 7 ft. Additionally, there are four areas for graphics called the Front Wall Windows. Stewart said the mural will not be painted directly on the apparatus, the submitted design will be digitized and transferred to a vinyl wrap that will cover the rear wall and front wall windows of the Fitness Court.
Source: GC Telegram
Three century-old local businesses still thriving as Hutch celebrates 150
Throughout Hutchinson’s history, some of the city’s oldest businesses continue today — some through innovative technology and others with consistent business practices. These businesses range from grocery stores to mining operations, many from the 1920s or earlier in or around town. “A lot of the business owners, especially the early ones, really focused on the county and their immediate customers and focused on giving the best service to the community,” said Reno County Museum chief curator David Reed.
Source: Hutch News
Municipal Bond Trends for August 17, 2022
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Fed sees interest rate hikes continuing until inflation eases substantially, minutes show
Federal Reserve officials at their July meeting indicated they likely would not consider pulling back on interest rate hikes until inflation came down substantially, according to minutes from the session released Wednesday. During a meeting where the central bank approved a 0.75 percentage point rate hike, policymakers expressed resolve to bring down inflation that is running well above the Fed’s desired 2% level. They did not provide specific guidance for future increases and said they would be watching data closely before making that decision. Market pricing is for a half-point rate hike at the September meeting, though that remains a close call.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Old Settlers Days to be held in downtown Mulvane
The Old Settlers Days festival will return to Mulvane Aug. 19 through 21, with a host of activities for all ages. While the festival will feature an expanded carnival and new cornhole tournament, a host of classic activities will make their return – including the annual parade, road run, car show and more. More entries have already been reported for both the parade and arts and crafts fair this year.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
USD 260 continues to improve school safety
As the general trend across the U.S. has seen active shooter incidents increase over the past 20 years, the Derby school district has continued efforts over that same time frame to put safety in its classrooms at a premium. Retired Derby police officer Matt Liston has taken that on as his primary task, now serving as the Safety and Security Officer for Derby Public Schools. Liston updated community members on what the district is doing to keep kids safe at a recent chamber luncheon.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Johnson County rated as fastest growing home prices
Stacker compiled a list of cities’ fastest growing home prices in Kansas with data from Zillow. Cities are ranked by the dollar change in Zillow Home Values Index for all homes from the twelve months ending June 2022. Data was available for 401 Kansas cities and towns. Mission Hills in Johnson County was ranked in the top spot with home values growing by $153,385 over the last 12 months. The Kansas City area had 30 cities in the Top 50, Wichita 12, Lawrence 4 and Topeka 3. Locally, Paola and Spring Hill topped the list at the number six and seven spots, followed by Louisburg at 11, DeSoto at 15, Olathe at 19 and Gardner at 28. Edgerton didn’t make the Top 50.
Source: Gardner News
Harvey County agrees to contribute $75,000 for broadband expansion
The Board of Harvey County Commissioners gave a verbal commitment Tuesday to provide $75,000 in matching funding toward a IdeaTek project to provide broadband service to underserved rural areas. Commissioners also approved setting aside a total of $250,000 for future broadband projects. Commissioners’ actions followed a long discussion with Nate Oswald, director of customer service and sales for IdeaTek. He told commissioners that five other counties that were part of the company’s grant application had agreed to contribute funding. He said Finney County was contributing $400,000. Other counties and their pledged commitments were: Kingman, $60,000; Saline, $54,000; Reno, $15,000; and Seward, $10,000.
Source: Harvey County Now
Remote-control mower clears the landscape
A group of skateboarders talking about getting a taco 12-pack of Taco Bell noticed something wasn’t right about a mower sticking out of Sand Creek near the restaurant. “Just the nose was in the water,” said Hondo Collins, city of Newton parks superintendent. At the time, Newton Parks Supervisor Tyler Schmidt was using the city’s remote control mower at that location and the kids asked him if he needed help. Schmidt told them it was remote controlled and they said, “That’s dope.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Pride of Hoyt Days this weekend
What began in 1986 to mark the centennial of Hoyt has continued to grow over the years into a celebration of the southern Jackson County community. This year’s Pride of Hoyt Days, the 35th-annual town festival scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20, promises to keep the celebratory spirit going, according to Nancy Bailey, president of the committee that organizes the annual festival, held in Hoyt City Park. Many events associated with the festival will be back this year, including the sand volleyball tournament, car show, quilt display, the community fried chicken dinner and the parade, which Bailey said will be led by grand marshal Vicki Gilliland, a longtime resident of Hoyt who has been active in a number of community activities and organizations.
Source: Holton Recorder
City of Wichita urging water customers to get backflow tested
The City of Wichita is urging its water customers to get their backflows tested. Every Wichita water customer with an irrigation system connected to the City’s water system is federally required by the Safe Drinking Water Act to have a working backflow device. Working backflow devices ensures that Wichitans have access to safe, clean drinking water. “So, the backflow is to ensure that the water irrigation systems don’t mix with contaminants like fertilizers from your yard,” said Megan Lovely, the public informant officer for the City of Wichita. “So that’s why it’s important to have that backflow connection point tested every single year.”
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita community comments on proposed redistricting maps
Every 10 years, the City of Wichita conducts redistricting to ensure that each council district is made up of roughly the same amount of people or is within 5%. On Tuesday, Aug. 16, the city held an open house to get the public’s opinion on 20 proposed maps that they had on display. Each of the 20 maps included a summary of changes made from the current district map.
Source: KSN-TV
Grant to fund EV charging station, vehicles in Osawatomie
With electric vehicles becoming more commonplace, the city of Osawatomie is joining other cities in finding ways to accommodate those drivers. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday, Aug. 11, in front of the new mural at the corner of Fifth and Main streets in Osawatomie to dedicate a new public electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The station will be located next to a parking stall across the street from the mural, where an electric meter is installed. The city of Osawatomie and a consortium of eight businesses and municipalities, working through Metropolitan Energy Center, recently were awarded $5.2 million through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Vehicle Technologies Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment program for electric vehicle and charging station projects.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
3D printed homes coming to Parsons
Three-dimensional printed homes in Parsons will be constructed in the near future. “This really puts us kind of at the cutting edge of construction technology,” said Mayor Leland Crooks. “This is really pretty awesome.” Parsons city commissioners Monday unanimously approved a land transfer of all available lots (approximately 13) in the Parsons’ free land program to a company in Iowa. Alquist 3D, based in Iowa City, Iowa, builds 3D printed homes through construction technology.
Source: Parsons Sun
No directly elected mayor for now, Lawrence City Commission decides
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday decided not to put a question on voters’ November ballots asking if they want to directly elect a mayor. The question was about potential changes to the city’s form of government. A task force suggested that rather than the current five commissioners who are elected at large — meaning by voters across the whole city, rather than by districts — the city should have six council members who each represent a district of Lawrence, plus a directly elected mayor. Commissioners decided last week that they did not want to include the question of districts on ballots. Currently, the mayor and vice mayor positions rotate every year to the commissioners who receive the most votes in elections. A modification of the task force’s recommended change — if commissioners had put it on the ballot, and if voters had approved — would have led to four-year terms for four commissioners and one mayor elected by voters.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Dodge City celebrates 150th with plan for the future
On Monday, the day that Dodge City was celebrating its 150th anniversary, city leaders were also looking to the future as the Dodge City Commission unanimously approved the Downtown Streetscape Project. The project’s goal is to revitalize the historic downtown area. The $13.9 million effort is expected to start this fall and take about two-and-a-half years to complete. Designers kept in mind that the town has a rich Old West history. The focal point of the project is a western-inspired plaza at Second Avenue and Front Street that will serve as a gathering space. A plaza street with improved traffic control for community events will be created on Second Avenue from Front Street to Gunsmoke Street.
Source: KSN-TV
Douglas County funding could help pave way for improved internet access in rural townships
Douglas County leaders will decide this week whether to contribute toward a local internet provider’s bid at improving broadband internet access in two rural areas of the county. Internet provider Midco is asking the Douglas County Commission to provide $5,000 in support of a grant proposal to the State Office of Broadband Development’s Capital Projects Fund Program. The commission will decide whether to do so at its meeting Wednesday.
Source: LJWorld
Lawrence moves forward with survey to ask residents how to handle and pay for sidewalk repairs
City leaders will soon ask residents their opinion about a policy that generally requires property owners to help pay for repairs to sidewalks bordering their homes and businesses unless their income qualifies them for city assistance. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission received information about how other municipalities handle sidewalk repair, expansion of the city’s repair assistance program, and a plan for asking residents for input through a community survey. After discussing the wording of some of the survey questions, commissioners agreed to have the final draft of the survey come back to them as part of the city manager’s report and thereafter move forward.
Source: LJWorld