Kansas Municipal News
Wyandotte County to offer home repairs, relocation and counseling for gun violence victims
Seven years ago, a drive-by shooting became the first case District Attorney Mark Dupree handled as Wyandotte County’s top prosecutor. Bullets had pierced the front door of a home, busted out windows and flattened the tires of a vehicle parked outside. One year later, the district attorney said, damage done to that very home and vehicle remained unfixed. “What can we do about this?” Dupree recalled asking Damon Daniel, executive director of Kansas City’s Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, in 2017. “And it took us about seven years to figure it out — to find the funding.” During a Tuesday press conference, Dupree, alongside Daniel and Kansas City, Kansas Police Chief Karl Oakman, announced a new initiative meant assist crime victims as well as reduce and prevent gun violence in the community. The two-year program, funded with a $687,000 federal grant, will help pay for temporary relocations, home repairs, counseling and transportation, among other things. Dupree said Tuesday the initiative will offer some services that “are not currently available in this county.”
Source: KC Star
Much of Kansas is at ‘high risk’ of West Nile virus. Here’s why and how to stay safe
Keep your distance from mosquitoes if you’re in Kansas in the near future. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued high-risk and moderate warnings for West Nile virus across the state. Johnson and Wyandotte counties, located in the northeast region, are in moderate-risk areas, while Wichita, found in the south-central region, is in a high-risk area. About half of Kansas is considered high-risk areas because there are a high number of mosquitoes in those regions, and that increases the chances of residents being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, according to the state health department. A moderate risk area means there is a moderate possibility of being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus.
Source: KC Star
Galena Police Chief Billy Joe Charles to Retire After 26 Years of Service
Chief Billy Joe Charles will retire on September 1, 2024, after a distinguished 26-year career in law enforcement and corrections. His service includes 11 years in the Army, 12 years in the Missouri National Guard, and key roles such as Inventory Controller for Lozier Corporation, Platoon Sergeant at Labette Women’s Correctional Camp, and Jail Administrator of the Cherokee County Jail. Charles has been the Police Chief of Galena since February 2016.
Source: KOAM
Half cent sales tax discussion held at Neosho County Community College
Neosho County citizens gathered in the Cleaver Room at Neosho County Community College Tuesday to learn more about the .5 percent sales tax that will be on the Aug. 6 primary ballot. This ballot measure would not increase the current sales tax but would repurpose an already existing sales tax for other projects over the next ten years. An estimated $16 million is projected to be collected over that time period. Should voters in Neosho County not vote in favor of the half cent sales tax, the sales tax in Neosho County would decrease by .5 percent and the government would have to look elsewhere to fund projects for roadway and bridge construction, maintenance and improvements.
www.chanute.com/news/article_5b5b650a-4ac1-11ef-b51a-cb8833fbcfac.html
Grenola, Topeka, Osawatomie: How 21 Kansas cities got their unique names
Four men who founded Cawker City in 1870 in north-central Kansas played poker against each other to win the right to name it. The winner, Col. E.H. Cawker, named the city after himself. … It is among numerous incorporated cities in Kansas with names that are interesting and unique. Following are 20 others.
Source: CJonline
As Lawrence city leaders ponder creation of open alcohol consumption area, here’s how other cities implemented their programs
The plan to create a common consumption area, or CCA, a designated area where people could walk around with drinks they purchased from bars or restaurants that opted in to the program, generated more questions than answers from commissioners. … As the city works to distill its ideas for a CCA into a stronger proposal, the Journal-World reached out to cities across the state about the reality of having a common consumption area. Though a law was first passed for the creation of them in 2017, a tweak to the language in 2023 made it easier for CCAs to exist. Since then, 40 others have been proposed across the state.
Read more: LJWorld.com
Municipal Bond Trends for July 25, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
KS Supreme Court: Local Zoning Powers (American Warrior, Inc. v. Board of Finney County Comm’rs)
K.S.A. 12-741(a) grants counties the authority to enact zoning regulations without state interference so long as those local enactments do not conflict with the Planning, Zoning, and Subdivision Regulations in Cities and Counties Act, K.S.A. 12-741 et seq. Exercising that authority, Finney County adopted local rules delegating the issuance of conditional use permits to a separate Finney County Board of Zoning Appeals. A Court of Appeals panel majority held the County could not do that, while a dissenting judge agreed with the district court that it could. See American Warrior, Inc. v. Board of Finney County Comm’rs, 63 Kan. App. 2d 123, 525 P.3d 789 (2023). We granted review to resolve the dispute. We hold the County’s regulations do not conflict with state law. The Zoning Board validly issued the conditional use permit that sparked this litigation. We reverse the panel majority and affirm the district court.
Read the case: American Warrior, Inc. v. Board of Finney County Comm’rs
‘We have a housing shortage’: Topeka wages are static as rentals costs rise
“We definitely need more housing in Topeka. That’s been an ongoing issue for quite some time,” said Topeka Housing Authority CEO Trey George. “We have a housing shortage across all types of housing. There’s a need for approximately 4,000 additional units for home ownership and rentals.” Renting has become the most viable option for many families due to the rising costs associated with owning a home.
Source: CJonline
Hospitals give medical students a taste of rural Kansas hoping they’ll eventually work there
Footsteps and excited chatter of medical students from the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine fill the CommonSpirit hospital in Dodge City. … The students are part of a program that immerses them in rural areas, specifically in southwest Kansas, to let them shadow health care professionals. Officials from the program hope this will encourage more future physicians to consider practicing in western Kansas, where health care facilities are regularly understaffed.
Source: KCUR News
Municipal Bond Trends for July 24, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
Mission latest JoCo city to consider stricter short-term rental rules
The city of Mission may limit how many short-term rental licenses can be issued to a single owner. … Other cities like Fairway, Merriam and Shawnee have all adopted ordinances this year regulating short-term rentals in some way. Prairie Village is also looking into requiring all rentals in that city to have a 30-day stay minimum, which would effectively ban short-term rentals in that city.
Source: Johnson County Post
Centralized campuses are a common answer to the homeless crisis. Wichita has plenty to learn from
The multiagency center, or MAC, will be new to Wichita, but the concept of it — a dual resource center and shelter — has been tried and tested for years in cities across the country, from Eugene, Oregan to Bowling Green, Kentucky. In hopes of answering residents’ questions, The Journal connected with similarly-operating navigation centers in three cities — San Antonio, Phoenix and Reno, Nevada — to learn more about how their resource got started and the impact it has made on its community.
Source: KLC Journal
Crawford County residents provide feedback on U.S. 69 Highway study
“A generational highway” that was the reaction of one Crawford County resident after attending the U.S. 69 highway study meeting in Pittsburg today. “Yeah, I think this is an interesting process that they’re doing, sharing with us information, and then gathering information from us,” said Belinda Brumfield, Crawford County resident. Belinda Brumfield is one of many Crawford County residents who attended the second round of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s U.S. 69 highway study meeting.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Topeka proposes TPD pay increase to address officer shortage
The City of Topeka is trying to address a shortage of police officers by offering more competitive pay. The city budget manager said there’s a shortage of 40 officers, and that there’s a growing pay gap for officers in the Topeka Police Department (TPD) compared to similar cities. Robert Perez, Topeka’s city manager, said addressing the officer shortage is a high priority. He says currently the city is forced to rely on cops working overtime.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Wichita to step up efforts to reduce water use
The City of Wichita will be asking residents to do more to reduce water use in order to hold off mandatory water restrictions. Public Works Director Gary Janzen talked about a “call to action” during a workshop meeting Tuesday with the Wichita City Council. He said the plan is for the city to restrict its own water use, while calling on residents to take voluntary steps, and there will be a proposal to raise water rates for higher volume users. Janzen said the goal is to reduce water consumption by ten percent. He said the city historically sees an increase in water use during the months of July, August and September, and now is the time to change course and change habits. The plan will have the city stepping up restrictions on water use at its public facilities and parks, to follow stage two of the city’s drought response plan. The city is not officially going to stage two, which would have mandatory restrictions, but residents will be urged to take voluntary steps to reduce their water use. Residents will be asked to reduce outdoor watering and limit watering to one or two times per week.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Clearing up confusion around solar ban
At a recent Harvey County Commission candidate forum, a question was posed: how does a solar farm operate in the county, with a ban on solar farms? The question came after candidates were asked if they supported the wind and solar ban currently in place in the county. Kyle McCaskey, the communications director for the county, said that the solar farm near East Lake is on private property, not county property. McCaskey said it’s run by Butler Electric Cooperative. Karen Rothe, director of the planning, zoning and environment department, provided further information about regulations for private solar farms or projects in the county. Rothe said it wasn’t a complete ban. The ban only applies to commercial wind and solar, not private landowners. According to the county’s website, the ban only applies to unincorporated areas of the county. According to Rothe, the solar farm in question was in line with current regulations. She added that the solar farm by East Lake had even been used as the model by the planning commission to determine solar regulations in the county. “We haven’t had any complaints about that solar project,” Rothe said. For private landowners, there are still regulations. A solar farm must not be more than 10 acres, and the main use of the solar must be personal use. A portion of the electricity produced must be used in Harvey County. “You can’t just hook it into the electric grid and send it off to Florida where Harvey County sees none of it,” Rothe said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Task force hoping for full-time child care coordinator in Harvey County
With a large gap in child care options in the county, a child care task force hopes a dedicated employee could lead the charge in finding solutions. The task force is working to address issues around child care in the county. According to Child Care Aware of Kansas, the county currently can only fulfill 25 percent of the potential child care slots needed and needs up to 1,400 more child care slots. In the past, they reached out to child care providers to learn what their biggest issues and needs were. Now, to be as effective as possible, the task force said they need to hire someone to focus on meeting the community’s needs full-time. “A lot of what we’re doing is out of our normal 9 to 5 work,” said Dalton Black, director of Harvey County United Way, who is also on the task force. After receiving responses from child care providers from a survey they sent out, Black said they have some ideas of how to make changes to serve them and the community better. Some of the top issues child care providers listed in their survey were food costs, staff retention, paying staff salaries, facility maintenance and training certification. They feel it would be best to have a coordinator in charge. “We’ve followed other communities and what they’re doing,” Black said.
Source: Harvey County Now
In SMSD, one school raised $610,000 in donations, while another took in $300. Is that fair?
Donation statistics presented to a special committee Friday by Shawnee Mission School District administrators showed a lopsided giving advantage when it comes to the district’s wealthiest schools.
But whether that disparity is resulting in more staff positions or better educational outcomes for those schools gifted more money wasn’t clear. It’s also not immediately clear if the district plans to do anything to address the gaps among schools. Over the previous three school years, about 80% of donations dedicated to a particular school — funds brought in through traditional PTA fundraisers, as well as more direct gifts like checks written by parents and grandparents — went to schools with less than 20% of students on free or reduced lunch, according to administrators.
That is nearly $2.4 million going to 16 schools. By comparison, 31 other schools in the district that have 20% or more of their students on free or reduced lunch received just shy of $550,000 combined. The differences grow more stark when broken down by feeder pattern. Schools in the Shawnee Mission East feeder pattern led donation totals by a wide margin, receiving $2.15 million overall. That’s more than twice the district’s four other high school feeder patterns combined. SM North’s feeder pattern was a distant second with $250,000 in donations, followed by SM Northwest with $195,000, SM South with $149,000 and SM West with $110,000.
Source: Johnson County Post
Citizens ask for limited zoning in Bourbon County
Bourbon County Commissioners on Monday learned more about a topic that has cropped up during discussions on solar panel developments – limited zoning. Commissioners have discussed zoning in recent months and have also been asked by citizens to consider adopting limited zoning as it relates to certain land uses. Commissioners have discussed both sides of the debate on solar panels, and heard from landowners who oppose the developments for various reasons.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune