Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

City of Topeka’s process for picking street project contractor questioned

Topeka’s city government is receiving criticism for the way it chose the company to which it anticipates paying $683,000 to replace the roadway for a heavily traveled stretch of S.W. 21st Street.

City officials say they followed the city’s procurement policy last month when they bypassed their normal bidding process because the situation was considered a public safety emergency.

They picked the contractor, Lawrence-based Sunflower Paving, using bids submitted a few weeks earlier for a project they considered to be similar.

Councilman Mike Lesser said this past week he doesn’t doubt that the city acted within its rights, “but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Lesser suggested the process the city followed lacked transparency, wasn’t fair to other companies and might not have gotten the city the best possible price.

Groundbreaking held for $48 million Expocentre renovation project

The Kansas Expocentre is Shawnee County’s community meeting space, where its citizens have hosted dignitaries, thrilled to the Cirque du Soleil and “shared our sorrows when we’ve had law enforcement that’s gone down,” Shawnee County Commission chairman Bob Archer said Monday.

He said he felt honored that the county was going to improve, expand and enhance that facility.

Archer was among speakers at a ceremony in which shiny shovels with red bows on them were used to break ground for a $48 million renovation project aimed at bringing the sparkle back to the aging Expocentre, with work set to be completed in May 2021.

Shawnee County owns the Expocentre, which opened in 1987 in central Topeka after being built at a cost of $19.7 million. The facility is run by Pennsylvania-based Spectra venue management.

The renovation project is being financed using $45 million in revenue from a countywide half-cent sales tax Shawnee County voters approved in 2014 and $3 million in excess county reserve funds.

TPD, ARTSConnect announce mural’s name, focus on finding common ground

In early April, the Topeka Police Department announced a large-scale mural collaboration with ARTSConnect, Topeka’s nonprofit advocate for the arts.

Thursday, TPD and ARTSConnect announced the mural project’s name: “TPD Mural Project: The Common Ground.”

“Common ground is at the heart of this mural, making it a natural fit for the name and message of this project,” said Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran. “I think the community will see common ground in the design aspect and we also hope this is what they feel after seeing it.” TPD and ARTSConnect will unveil the mural’s design at noon Thursday in Classroom A at the Law Enforcement Center, 320 S. Kansas Ave. The public is invited to attend.

Painting is expected to begin before summer.

Elected officials consider offering companies cash incentives from sales tax

A body of local elected officials Wednesday will consider offering $1.9 million in cash incentives to a company considering investing $9 million here while creating an anticipated 220 full-time jobs.

Those officials will also consider contracting to provide $66,000 in revenue from a countywide half-cent sales tax as cash incentives to a company that appears poised to make a $30 million investment in Topeka. The proposed moves are among items on the agenda when the board of directors of the Joint Economic Development Organization meets at 6 p.m. in the Topeka City Council chambers at 214 S.E. 8th.

The JEDO board’s voting members are Shawnee County Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook, Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla and Topeka City Council members Sandra Clear, Tony Emerson and Mike Lesser.

JEDO contracts with GO Topeka, a private organization, to promote economic development initiatives in Shawnee County and manage economic development revenue received through the countywide half-cent sales tax Shawnee County residents voted to extend in 2014.

The JEDO board on Wednesday will consider offering incentives totaling as much as $1.49 million to a professional services company — whose name hasn’t been revealed — that is looking to expand its existing operations here.

The town of Wright

Before this community, which was named in honor of one of Dodge City’s founding fathers, received its post office in March 1886, the town started as a stagecoach stop.

Robert M. Wright, who the town is named after, owned a large stockyard in the area now known as Wright.

Soon after the post office came a hotel and, in 1887, William Hunt, J.D. Hendricks, Ira M. Cobb, John Murphy and A. McLeod chartered the town.

Wright, Kansas did not grow into the large cattle market its founders had anticipated, but it gradually grew into a village with a newspaper, grain and shipping company, a general store and several other businesses. Wright, which lies along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, is seven miles northeast of Dodge City, never incorporated but remains a small agricultural community.

A Right Coop elevator, a Catholic church, fire station and a post office remain. Though Wright has its own zip code, their landline phone exchange is included within Dodge City’s.

Atchison to join regional 911 network

Atchison County residents will soon gain the ability to summon emergency help with a text message, in a new arrangement that confers various other benefits.

A 5-0 vote by city commissioners at Monday’s City of Atchison governing body meeting has authorized, via Resolution No. 3156, the city to partner with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) along with the Atchison County government.

MARC currently serves a nine-county area around the Kansas City metro, including Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Johnson and Miami counties in Kansas. The vote came after a presentation by Kim Pruett, Atchison County 911 director, and Wes Lanter, Atchison County Emergency Management director, following previous action by the Atchison County Commission to join MARC. To date, the city has operated the Atchison County Communications Board with the county to provide county-wide 911 services. Following Monday’s vote, MARC will take ownership of Atchison County telecommunication equipment, and integrate it into the MARC network.

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

Tobacco free Wichita group wants ordinance to ban tobacco in city parks

We’ve seen smoking bans take place in restaurants and workplaces, but what about our city parks? A local group is pushing for a city ordinance in Wichita that would prohibit all tobacco use in public green space.

Play Healthy ICT believes the ban would make Wichita more progressive, and friendly to visitors. But some people who smoke tell KSN, it’s not a good idea.

“With the kids playing around, it’s just not something I want my kids exposed to,” said Jackie Ebert, Augusta.

“It’s open air, I don’t think it’s injuring anybody, I don’t think it’s hurting anybody,” said Kira Miller, Wichita.

Neighbors have mixed feelings on the idea of tobacco free parks in Wichita. It’s a policy Tara Nolen and others have been working on for months.

“Really hoping to be on the park board agenda in June to really discuss how we can move this forward,” said Tara Nolen, Tobacco Control Coordinator.

Nolen is with the Tobacco Free Wichita Coalition, a group that works to educate people on tobacco products. She says the ordinance would apply to cigarettes, e-cigs, cigars, and smokeless tobacco.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Elected officials consider scrapping residency rule

Topeka’s governing body, consisting of Mayor Michelle De La Isla and the nine city council members, will consider doing away with the city’s requirement that all its employees be “bona fide residents of Shawnee County” within six months of their hiring. The proposed change needs six votes for approval.

Council members Karen Hiller, Jeff Coen and Tony Emerson are on record as supporting the proposal, while Councilwoman Sandra Clear suggested at the Feb. 19 council meeting that she would be willing to support it. De La Isla and Councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz spoke against the proposal at that meeting, where Councilman Brendan Jensen said he had reservations about it.

Hutch City Council to consider renaming Avenue A Park

A Hutchinson park could be getting a new name. A push is underway to convince the city council to rename Avenue A Park “Smallville Park.” The matter will come before the city council Tuesday.

The city has been tagged as Smallville — the official birthplace of Superman — and has held the Smallville Con for several years now. Chris Wietrick, who has been one of the forces behind the Smallville movement, has gathered a number of supporters for the name change.

The park, which is more than 20 years old, is also in need of a facelift. Wietrick feels the name change could spur more pride in the park and begin the movement to renovate the area along Avenue A and Main. The park is also the only one in the city that is not named for a person or neighborhood.

City Manager John Deardoff will also present to the council the policy for renaming parks and facilities.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Lyon County grants ESU’s appropriation request

Commissioner Scott Briggs brought up a comment made to him by a constituent, seeming to complain about the use of tax money to fund ESU scholarships when their own children had to pay their own way.

Briggs asked Garrett to justify the use of taxpayer dollars — the program uses sales tax money — for this purpose.

She responded that ESU was an economic driver for the area and the community.

“One of the other things that is absolutely true that I hear from business leaders is, it is extraordinarily difficult to find talent,” Garrett said. “We’ve got some great business in this area and, obviously, work hard to try to attract other businesses into Lyon County, and to do that you have to have a talent base. And when a student goes somewhere else to school, the likelihood that they will return here to Lyon County is diminished.”

Those who attend ESU, however, often remain here after graduation, she said, so offering scholarships benefits the county.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Parsons aims for $25M highway project

Instead of making improvements to North 16th Street by piecemeal, the city may apply for a federal grant for a $25 million project.

City commissioners on Monday will consider a $30,000 agreement with transportation planning and engineering firm TranSystems to assist in the completion of a U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant. BUILD stands for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development.

If approved, the grant would make major improvements to 16th, which also is U.S. 59. Although in the preliminary stages, a map shared by Jim Zaleski, economic development director, during a Thursday work session shows the proposed project beginning south of the Labette Creek bridge and continuing to the city limits.

The bridge would be widened to four lanes, as would the street throughout the project, overlaid with new concrete. An acceleration/deceleration lane also would be included on one stretch of the highway.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Garden City discusses Neighborhood Learning Center funding

During an update and check-in with the Garden City Commission at a monthly town hall Tuesday, the Cultural Relations Advisory Board’s Allie Medina asked the commission for direction, including whether the board should offer grant funding opportunities for organizations like the Neighborhood Learning Center or Ethnic Empowerment Network.

The Neighborhood Learning Center, a resource center in the Garden Spot Rentals apartments off Mary Street that has provided health screenings, basic English classes, citizenship prep, life skills and a wealth of other services for local refugees and immigrants for six years, will close at the end of June unless it secures new funding to cover the $128,000 to $130,000 it takes to operate per year.The LiveWell Finney County Health Coalition, which funds the center, is currently looking for grants and other sources to save the center, said LiveWell executive director Callie Dyer, but Medina asked the commission what the city or board’s role could be in the center’s continuation.

Emergency communications facility opens in Ford County

City and county officials opened the doors to the new Ford County Emergency Communications on Friday.

The new location at 1506 W. Comanche Street, is the new home to the Ford County Communications 911 dispatch center and Ford County Emergency Department.

The previous location for the Ford County departments were held at the Government Center at 100 Gunsmoke Street and has been a three-year process in moving to the new site.

“This has been a tremendous amount of work,” said Ford County Communications director Elliot Linke. “There have been a lot of people involved. Every person in this room has had some sort of involvement with what we’re doing here.

“This is a prime example of the city and county working together.”

Emporia approves water treatment plant improvements

Improvements to Emporia’s Water Treatment Plant will soon be underway following Wednesday’s meeting of the Emporia City Commission.

The improvements were first discussed during last week’s study session. They were designed to address and prevent the formation of bromate in the city’s water supply. A notice was sent out to water customers last year about a violation in a drinking water standard for the city’s water supply. “We kept having to raise the dosage of [our ozone equipment] because our residuals weren’t where they needed to be,” Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Phil Cooper said. “The bromates went really high.”

Cooper said the improvements will reduce the chance for bromate to develop. Commissioners approved the project, which is expected to cost between $56,000-58,000 to complete.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Valley Center rec board settles with ex-director

It’s been more than six months since the Valley Center Recreation Commission board fired longtime director Steve Geddes. Since then, the rec commission staff roster has undergone a sea change that officials say will help the organization grow into the future.

“We have a good staff,” said Blake Peniston, the rec commission’s interim director. “I’m lucky to have who we have.”

Meanwhile, lawyers for Geddes and the rec commission have settled what was essentially a wrongful termination lawsuit that Geddes filed after his October 2018 firing. He had sought $250,000 in damages, the equivalent of two years of salary and benefits. The rec board agreed to $85,000.

Sumner Community Hospital celebrates grand opening and ribbon cutting Wednesday

The Sumner Community Hospital grand opening and ribbon cutting was a huge success Wednesday. The big day included the opening of Sumner Primary Care Center and featured several fun-filled activities and tour of the many changes of the new hospital in Wellington.

(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)

Lawrence City Commission to consider controversial downtown apartment project

City leaders will soon consider controversial plans to build a five-story apartment and retail building near the southern entrance of downtown Lawrence.

The Hub at Lawrence would stretch the width of the block between Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets and include more than 550 bedrooms targeted to college students. Due primarily to the main building’s height and size, the city’s historic preservation board recently denied the project two required certifications. Developers appealed that decision to the Lawrence City Commission, which will consider the appeal as part of its meeting Tuesday.

Mobile home guidelines back on Scott City council agenda

An ordinance subjecting mobile/manufactured homeowners to more strict guidelines will be under consideration at the Scott City Council meeting on Mon., May 6. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Under the proposal, any time a mobile home is relocated within the city, or if there is a change of utility hookups or ownership, it will be subject to inspection by the city’s building inspector. The inspector will also have the authority to conduct annual inspections at any time he determines the “health, safety and welfare” of a resident could be at risk. No structure deemed to be uninhabitable shall be allowed to remain within the city.

Source: Scott County Record.

Mission council opting toward debt-financing wholesale repairs to Rock Creek Channel erosion issues

Mission city leaders generally agree on plans to make wholesale repairs to the eroded sections of a creek channel that cuts through town — rather than piecemealing the project over an extended period of time. And they’d rather take on debt and pay it over time rather than raising the mill levy to cover repair costs more quickly.

Nothing official has been decided yet, but that was the general consensus from Mission city leaders at their community development committee meeting last night. Councilmembers discussed design and financing options for repairs of the Rock Creek Channel.

(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Main Street Kansas: Emporia a destination for disc golf fanatics

Athletes from all over the world came to the city of Emporia for the biggest tournament of its kind, a sport exploding in popularity and places to play.

From a distance, it looks like any golf game, but these players tee off by throwing, not hitting, and the hole they’re aiming for is actually a basket on a pole.

It’s called disc golf, and serious competitors carry several discs for different distances.

“So you got your irons, your drivers and a couple of putters,” said a player from Wichita, unveiling his bag with nearly 20 brightly colored discs.

“The top players in the sport are throwing over 500 feet with accuracy so it’s pretty incredible to watch,” said Jeremy Rusco, owner of Dynamic Discs.

Rusco started the company that runs this tournament, when he was a college student at Emporia State University. Now, the four-day competition is the largest in the world.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Wheat tour sees delayed crop

The U.S. Wheat Quality Council 2019 Hard Red Winter Wheat Tour kicked off Tuesday, taking 75 people to wheat fields across Kansas, as well as parts of southern Nebraska and northern Oklahoma.

Wheat industry professionals participate in the three day tour across the state going from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. Along the way teams stop at fields to check for disease, conditions, progress and make yield calculations.

Tour participants found a delayed and and varying wheat crop, sometimes reporting large differences between neighboring fields.

Winter wheat in Kansas was at 64 percent jointed as of April 28, according to the United States Department of Agriculture weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report. That’s ahead of last year’s 50 percent, but behind the average 75.

Reno County Drainage District has special vote Tuesday; district mill levy exceeds state statute cap

A special election Tuesday in Reno County Drainage District No. 3 was triggered by the discovery that for years, the district has had a mill levy that exceeded the state statute cap of 5 mills. The district’s current general levy is over 12 mills. If the ballot fails and district has to stay within the 5-mill cap, its annual budget of $10,000 would plunge to about $4,000, That would not be enough to mow the levee or to improve any portion of the levee, according to district board chairman Jerry Schmidt.

“This is extremely critical,” he said.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

River rises in Ottawa after downpours; floodgate to close at 34 feet

Monitoring the levy and the Main Street bridge along the Marais des Cygnes River is something city crews don’t take lightly.

Especially during the rainy season. The river rose quickly through Tuesday night into Wednesday, cresting just under 34 feet at noon Wednesday.

Michael Haeffle, city of Ottawa public works director, said the city has an emergency action plan it uses as a guide when the river is rising.

“We are actively monitoring everything with the river,” Haeffle said. “The plan calls for us to close it at 33 feet. We try to pay attention to the river and where it is going to crest at and whether we actually need to close the flood gate. The plan is a guide and not set in stone. We’ve decided if we hit 34 feet, we will close it.”

City seeks dismissal of lawsuit claim against police officer

The city of Topeka asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss the claim against Topeka police officer Christopher Janes cited in a federal lawsuit being pursued by Timothy Harris, who suffered a broken jaw last year in an incident involving Janes.

Shelly Starr, the city’s chief of litigation, filed a motion contending Janes is entitled to qualified immunity because his use of force wasn’t an “arbitrary governmental action” and didn’t violate Harris’ constitutional rights.

Qualified immunity shields government officials performing discretionary functions from liability for civil damages if their conduct doesn’t violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.

Dodge City’s Comprehensive Plan closer to completion

Feedback from the community is now being taken into consideration for the comprehensive plan project being made by Dodge City officials.

City staff conducted stakeholder meetings, public workshops, utilized engagement software and a general online survey during February and March and will be put into a draft plan that will be taken before the City Commission and Planning Commission and presented at a public hearing.

“A Comprehensive Plan is a roadmap that a community can use to define its collective goals and desires, ultimately expressing the fundamental image and direction of the community,” said city planning and zoning administrator Nathan Littrell in a news release. “This plan will guide city staff when developing projects and community policy decisions, looking at current and future land, and much more.”

Cities are required to create comprehensive plans that are updated on an annual basis according to the needs of the community, Kansas State Statute, 12-747, mandates the usage of and sets standards for comprehensive plans.

Overland Park committee reviews designs for proposed murals, art installations downtown

Thirty-four years ago, Overland Park was nationally recognized as the city that almost decided white was not a tasteful enough color to allow on the White Castle burger restaurants that had begun to spring up around town. Some city officials wanted beige instead. This year business color schemes are once again on the city docket – this time as city planners decide whether vivid murals splashed over the sides of buildings can be an allowable exception to the downtown city code.

The murals are one part of several art works that will further change the downtown landscape, if approved. Also included are a sculpture and eight mosaic-tiled benches. The city council’s community development committee reviewed the art Wednesday night.

Haysville to launch bus service

After recently receiving a grant, the city of Haysville plans to start a paratransit bus service. The grant of $125,800 will be used to purchase a bus, as well as pay for operating costs.

At the April 22 Haysville City Council meeting, Mayor Bruce Armstrong said the city plans to connect the service with Wichita’s bus system, so residents can travel from Haysville to Wichita.

The Haysville Sun-Times reports the service will be wheelchair accessible. It will primarily focus on the elderly and disabled but will be available to all residents.

$7.1 million park in Derby is a go

After years of discussion and planning, the city’s latest recreational resource, Decarsky Park, has a contract to begin construction.

At its April 23 meeting, the City Council authorized proceeding with a $7.1 million contract with Multicon Construction to build the park in southeast Derby. There was one other bidder, Dondlinger Construction, which submitted a proposed quote of $7.4 million.

The project includes construction of two roads within the park, Line Drive, which will have a traffic signal at Rock Road, and Rover Lane. The emphasis in this park is going to be on active sports, specifically softball and baseball. There will be four initial fields for those sports in this part of the project, which is Phase 1.

It also will have the city’s first dog park including an agility course with artificial turf and dog water features.

While work starts soon on the park, don’t expect game balls to be thrown there for awhile. White said the park will open in 2021.

Flags to be at half-staff Friday for Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony

Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags to belowered at half staff from sunup to sundown Friday, in honor of the 37th annual Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Hospital town halls continue in Hiawatha

A large crowd gathered at the First Baptist Church in Hiawatha last Thursday for a town hall meeting on the hospital sales tax issue.

This was No. 24 out of 29 total town halls that began the first of April and are scheduled to go into next week in the county. The meetings are facilitated by Hiawatha Community officials for the purpose of providing information on why they say the hospital needs financial assistance through a sales tax to keep from losing services, staff and possibly eventually the hospital.

This week’s town hall was a little different. HCH invited Tom Bell, president of the Kansas Hospital Association and Joseph Watt, CPA, partner of BKD, Inc., to speak. Also present on the panel to address informational slides and answer questions were hospital CEO John Broberg, Chief of Staff Dr. Julie Rosa’ and retired CEO John Moore, who served as facilitator. At the Town Halls, hospital officials have been providing information on why they feel this tax revenue is needed in the day and age of very challenging healthcare, according to Broberg. At the April 24 Town Hall, handouts were provided and slides shown on a power point that outlined the many challenges Hiawatha Hospital – and other rural hospitals face. They also discussed the sobering affects a hospital closure has on a rural community, such as Hiawatha. Residents would lose access to healthcare, have increased time and cost of transportation to communities such as Atchison, St. Joseph, Sabetha or Topeka and also see a huge loss in the job industry in town as more than 200 people are employed there. This could affect all other businesses in the community — along with the school district, which would lose students and staff.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

As 2018 audits are finalized, a reminder … submit your annual continuing disclosure … or, let us do it for you.

As 2018 audits are being finalized, it’s a good time to remind many local governments that they may be subject to continuing bond disclosure. Typically this applies to bond issues whose original amount was over $1 million – regardless of how much remains outstanding.

This “continuing disclosure” involves preparing an “annual report” (which includes financial and operating data) and filing it with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”) via the Electronic Municipal Market Access system (“EMMA”).

If you are not sure if you need to submit a report, or would like assistance doing so, contact Beth Warren.

Click here for more information.

Will Shawnee get a community center with pools, gyms, more? Ballots go out this week

Drive by the yard signs and flyers in Shawnee neighborhoods or read online community forums and you’ll find a city divided this spring.

The issue? An upcoming mail-in election about a proposed community center.

On one side, a “Vote Yes” group — yes to a proposed plan to raise property taxes to pay for building a 68,000-square-foot community center with indoor swimming pools, gyms, a track, a half-mile outdoor walking loop that links to the Clear Creek Trail and other amenities.

And in opposition: “Vote No” citizens who have decried the center as a waste of taxpayer dollars, questioned its ability to be self-sustaining and called on the city to shift dollars to other needs, such as roads or stormwater management.

The heated debate over the center that would be built on vacant, city-owned land near 61st and Woodland Drive draws closer to the end this week when Shawnee voters receive ballots that will determine its fate.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Merriam residents discuss future of historic Irene B. French Community Center

Merriam residents want to preserve the history of the Irene B. French Community Center. But what exactly that looks like for the future remains to be seen.

Now that construction of the city’s new community center at Vavra Park is underway, the city of Merriam and residents are turning their attention to the current facility at 5701 Merriam Drive. The city formed a committee of residents, business owners and city leaders to lead discussions and look into options for the building’s future. Originally built in 1911 with multiple additions over the past century, the historic building was formerly the home of a few schools, including Johnson County Community College and Kansas City Christian School, before the city bought it and converted it into the French center.

At a public meeting Monday evening, residents first heard from consultant Vicki Noteis with Collins Noteis & Associates of Kansas City, Mo., on the condition of the facility and what’s financially at stake depending on the route the city takes.

Wind farm opponents hire lawyers, plan to sue

Opponents of a proposed wind farm that would span from Florence to Aulne to north of Peabody have hired two lawyers in an effort to stop potential development.
Both lawyers were present to observe Monday’s county commission meeting, but neither Newton lawyer Jim Gillmore nor Overland Park lawyer Robert Titus spoke during the meeting.
Their presence was predicted two weeks ago when rural Peabody farmer Randy Eitzen warned commissioners lawsuits “will be filed from different angles” if the county granted a conditional use permit for National Renewable Solutions’ 100-tower Expedition Wind Farm project.
[MORE]

(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

Six Hays municipal water wells to be rehabbed; city commission to consider bids

Six of the 37 wells that produce water for the city of Hays need to be rehabilitated.

Groundwater contains bacteria and minerals which cause well plugging. Screens, gravel pack and formations may become blocked, reducing the amount of water that can be pumped to the surface.

Water Resources employees maintain productivity of the wells by acidizing them, but as City Manager Toby Dougherty explains, periodic professional rehabilitation is necessary to maintain peak efficiency.

“Maintenance only goes so far and there are times you have to do a complete rehabilitation on those wells,” Dougherty explains. “This keeps them operating as efficiently as possible which is especially important when we get into times of drought.”

(Read more: Hays Post)

Despite opposition Marion County Commission approves wind farm proposal

The Marion County Commission met with opposition from landowners who asked for another week to review a newly proposed resolution on road rights-of-way by Expedition Natural Renewal Solutions that was presented at a special meeting on April 29.
Despite the strong resistance by constituents, the commission voted 2-1 to approve the resolution. Commissioner Dianne Novak was the dissenting vote.

The resolution addresses inclusion of Marion County road rights-of-way within the land area of the proposed wind energy conversion system for Expedition, said Commission chair Kent Becker.

It further stated that wind energy conversion systems, including the transmission lines would be within a road right-of-way, and the CUP application must include road rights-of-way and mandatory notification to the landowners within 1,000 feet of road right-of-way.
As the meeting was about to conclude, Novak told (County Clerk) Tina Spencer she wouldn’t sign the resolution, adding that “if (the wind farm) is a good deal today, it will be a good deal tomorrow.”

Spencer said this is the first time a commissioner has refused to sign a resolution, and she needed to talk to Brad Jantz, county counselor, on what to do next.

(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)

Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady — sees no strong case for hiking or cutting rates

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady and signaled little appetite to adjust them any time soon, taking heart in continued job gains and economic growth and the likelihood that weak inflation will edge higher.

“We think our policy stance is appropriate at the moment; we don’t see a strong case for moving it in either direction,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in a press conference following the end of the central bank’s latest two-day policy meeting.

Riley County commission approves corrections grants

The Riley County commissioners approved grants for both juvenile and adult corrections services. These grants came from the Kansas Department of Corrections’ $3 million pool.

The funds total approximately $780,000 and will be used for the fiscal year 2020. The funds will be used to focus on three key areas for adult services. These areas are assessing cognitive behavioral health courses, looking at staff’s use of effective practices, and evaluating clients’ risk-need assessment scores.

Community Corrections Director Shelly Williams says the allocations for fiscal year 2020 for adult services is projected to be approximately $336,000. This will be a 3.2% reduction from last year. Since the department offers both juvenile and adult services, they are able to share some of the administrative costs as well as some of their other duties.

The money from the grants will also be used to fill some positions, which in the past has been around 4 full time equivalents.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Harvey County Commissioners question county’s juvenile expenses

Harvey County spends more on juvenile justice per case than McPherson County even though the two share a court district.

During a review of the community corrections comprehensive plan for the district on Monday, Commission Chairman George “Chip” Westfall asked Community Corrections Director Janet Cagle why Harvey paid more for juvenile offenders than most other counties. Specifically, he said when commissioners went to out-of-town conferences, Commissioner Randy Hague typically asked commissioners from other counties what they were spending.

“The answer I’ve been getting is that really it’s the county attorney that’s driving the costs for juveniles,” Hague said. “Ours is more strict than some of the surrounding counties.”

Westfall asked Cagle if the county could get state funding for some of the expenses.

Cagle said ankle monitors would reduce some of the expense. Instead of the county spending $150 per day to house a juvenile at detention center, he or she could remain at home.

Westfall asked why McPherson County didn’t seem to have the expenses that Harvey had. Cagle said juvenile intake was up to the county attorney, who determined if a youth was an offender or a child in need of care. A county attorney also could send a juvenile into a diversion program. “Man, our taxes could go down if everybody behaved,” Hague said.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Newton’s neighbors see strong Sundays selling alcohol, for now

With Newton City Commission poised to start allowing Sunday sales, sellers of spirits in nearby communities figure they’ll lose some business.

Steve Rizza, owner of Rizza Retail Liquor in Halstead, said he was certain he would lose some business but not enough to discontinue being open on Sundays.

“I wondered about that because Newton is apparently contemplating it,” he said. “I would say 30 to 40 percent are outside my usual customer base, and that’s just a rough estimate. I certainly see faces I’ve never seen before on Sunday.”

Rizza said some of those who drove over to Halstead to buy alcohol on Sunday might continue doing so. He’s been open on Sundays since the beginning of the year, and he said opening on Sundays had been worth it.

“People kind of look at it to go for a drive on Sunday, so I might see some the same people,” he said.

At a previous city commission meeting, Newton Assistant City Manager Kelly McElroy provide an estimate that Newton residents spent $2.7 million on Sunday alcohol purchases a year.

In Walton, six miles from Newton, Hilltop Convenient Store owner Twila Van Russum said beer has been flying off the shelves.

“Sunday has always been our biggest day, but our sales have picked up, too, because of the beer change,” Van Rossum said.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Ellis Co. Commission presented with maintenance challenges on road tour

Members of the Ellis County Commission toured approximately 50 of the nearly 1,500 miles of Ellis County roads Monday as part of their annual road tour.

Along the way, commissioners and members of the Public Works Department took a look at bridges in need of repair, areas that have been flooded or washed out due to recent rains, and the condition of the asphalt on Feedlot Road — one of the key routes of the Northwest Business Corridor.

Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring said Monday the annual road tour is something that has been going on for several years and is an opportunity for the commissioners to see first-hand some of the infrastructure issues Public Works crews see on a daily basis. It is also a public meeting, which allows all three commissioners to take part in the tour together.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Ballots on property tax hike to fund Shawnee community center are hitting mailboxes. Here’s what voters need to know

Ballots for the mail-in election on a proposed property tax increase to pay for a proposed community center in Shawnee are hitting mailboxes starting today.

Registered voters in Shawnee will decide if the city will issue up to $38 million in general obligation bonds — covered by a property tax increase — to pay for building and maintaining a community center at West 61st Street and Woodland Drive. If Shawnee voters approve the ballot measure, the city will finance the costs for the community center through the issuance of bonds for a 20-year period. That means the city would pay about $2.7 million annually to cover the $38 million principal cost for construction plus interest. With interest included, the total cost for the project would be about $54 million.

If voters approve the measure, Shawnee property owners would see an increase of 2.919 mills to the city’s property tax rate. That would bring the total mill levy up to 29.536.

As a point of comparison, the current mill levy in neighboring Lenexa, which has a slightly smaller population than Shawnee but a higher total assessed property value, is 29.909.

Petition circulating to draft ordinance that prohibits transport of animals in the back of trucks

A Manhattan woman is hoping to push city commissioners to draft an ordinance to prohibit the transfer of live animals in the back of trucks.

Keleigh Schettler became concerned after noticing in March 2018 a tow truck with a dog chained to it driving down Fort Riley Blvd. According to Schettler the chain was long enough that, if the dog fell, it would have easily been strangled.

In addition to the danger it poses for the animal, Schettler says there’s also a risk to drivers. Schettler approached the city commission last fall but got no response at the time, partly due to what she said was bad timing following the Wildcat Creek flood event. She decided to start a petition on change.org that within a week has already garnered more than 400 signatures.

Schettler says her proposed ordinance would be similar to that of ordinances in Lawrence, Lenexa and Wichita and would be flexible in its wording with the intent to get support from everyone in the community.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

KDOT announces Kansas airport improvement projects

Forty-one projects totaling a combined award of $5 million have been granted for the Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) funding for planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports.

The aviation industry represents $20.6 billion economic impact and employs more than 92,000 Kansans. In addition, 94 percent of the state’s population is within 30 minutes of air ambulance operations.

“We are proud of the collaboration between our department and airport sponsors to increase safety, enhance economic development and support the transportation needs of Kansans,” said Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz.

The KAIP program requires airport sponsors to share in project costs by paying a portion of the total project. The KDOT Division of Aviation, which manages the program, considered 119 project applications this year with a combined total value of more than $29 million.

(Read more: Kansas Transportation)

Equifest of Kansas moving to Salina in 2020

After being hosted four years in Topeka, Equifest of Kansas is moving to Salina in 2020.

Justin Staten, Kansas Horse Council executive director, said there are several reasons for the move, including impending construction at the Kansas Expocentre. Other reasons include rising costs and declining cash sponsorships, according to a news release from KHC.

“We have enjoyed four years in Topeka and become well acquainted with many leaders in Shawnee County and we appreciated the support received,” Staten said.

Equifest of Kansas was held in Topeka from 2016 to 2019.

A $48 million project is set to begin May 1 to renovate the 32-year-old Kansas Expocentre. The project is expected to be completed May 4, 2021.

Equifest will be held March 6-8, 2020, at Tony’s Pizza Event Center and Saline County Livestock Expo Center.

Staten said the venues in Salina offer wider green space, are centrally located at the junction of two major highways and are served by an airport that United Airlines flies in and out of daily.