Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Clearwater community comes together for solutions to a dangerous intersection

Community members in Clearwater are fed up with what they’re calling a dangerous intersection.

An accident at 71st and 135th recently injured 9 people, most of them children.

The intersection of 71st and 135th is the main way both in and out of Clearwater. As accident after accident happens, citizens are demanding solutions to a safer intersection.

People filled an auditorium Wednesday night, lining up to let county officials know just how dangerous they believe the intersection is.

“Any time I drive on that road, I am prepared that the car that has the stop sign probably won’t stop,” says Steffanie Comer, a Clearwater resident.

County Commissioner, Michael O’Donnell says he’s committed to listening to concerns and taking action.

“They’ve suffered a lot of accidents that have been tragic, so I think just coming out and bringing a lot of county staff to the table means a lot,” says O’Donnell.

The most popular solution from the community was rumble strips, something the county says the intersection doesn’t meet current guidelines to put in.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Olathe council holds hearing on TIF for Mentum project at former Great Mall site

The Olathe City Council on Tuesday held a public hearing on whether to create a tax increment financing district to financially help the developers of the former Great Mall of the Great Plains site.

The council did not vote on creating the district, but two residents voiced concerns with the city providing such a large amount of public incentives for one project.

“We’re giving them lots of money,” said resident Adam Mickelson. “It’s a lot of give and no guaranteed return.” The developers and city business leaders have lauded the project as a way to add new entertainment and retail uses while filling a 100-acre vacuum left when the mall closed in 2015.

To make the project work, however, Woodbury has requested a number of incentives, including up to $69.5 million in state-approved STAR bonds, a community improvement district sales tax, industrial revenue bonds that help the developers avoid paying sales tax on construction materials and the tax increment financing, or TIF.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Elwood, Kansas under mandatory evacuation due to Missouri River flooding

Elwood residents evacuated Thursday evening as emergency sirens sounded in the Doniphan County community.

The evacuation began as the Missouri River, at Elwood, reached 30 feet. At that level, the City of Elwood’s mandatory evacuation plan is implemented. Elwood City Attorney Joel Euler told those in attendance at Thursday evening’s flood-focused community meeting that residents had 8 hours to evacuate once the sirens sound. After 8 hours, residential power and gas are shut off.

In order to re-enter after evacuating, residents will be required to show a City of Elwood sewer/water utility bill and identification.

(Read more: WIBW News Now)

Kansas communities order evacuations overnight due to flooding

The KDOT is currently assisting with response to flooding in Doniphan by moving 100 tons of sand from storage domes in Horton to Elwood. Just after 8p.m. Thursday, Doniphan County Emergency Management sounded alarms to begin evacuations, according to their social media page. The city of Elwood sounded the sirens for evacuation of the city. The water level has reached 30.13 feet and still rising 2 tenths of an inch an hour. KDOT was on stand-by to assist with evacuations.

Once evacuation were complete KDOT had planned to close the U.S. 36 ramps going into the city to keep people from returning.

During a community meeting city officials told residents utilities would be shut off to homes in advance of possible flooding. The evacuations in Elwood and Wathena were voluntary, according to city officials. The levees were working to hold back the cresting Missouri River.

U.S. 59 remains closed at Kansas/Missouri State Line. Kansas 7 is also closed from Sparks, Kansas to Nebraska State line due to the flooding.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

Horton Community Hospital May Reopen

Plans are being put in place to reopen the Horton Community Hospital.

That was revealed during a community meeting held Thursday evening at the Horton High School.

The crowd of around 175 seemed shocked when Horton City Administrator John Calhoon made the revelation. After a moment of digesting the announcement, the crowd erupted into applause.

Calhoon told MSC News the plan to reopen was developed after he placed an unrelated phone call Thursday afternoon to the court-appointed trustee involved with the bankruptcy filing that came two days after the hospital’s March 12 closure.

Calhoon said he was soon involved in a near one hour conference call which also involved hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Richard Brown and Hospital CEO Ty Compton.

Although he couldn’t offer specifics, Calhoon said the planned reopening would happen in phases over the next couple of months, including the opportunity to immediately obtain medical records. “We can’t be real specific, but I’m hoping we have full services back within a month to no more than three months.”

(Read more: WIBW News Now)

Council OK’s low-cost burial for cremations to extend use of cemetery

In an effort to extend the life of Greenwood Cemetery, the Clay Center Council approved buying 48 columbariums for $11,095.

The council approved the bid from Wilbert Memorials, out of Parsons, over a local bid of $12,905 from Mastercarved Memorials. The stone structures provide an inexpensive place for people to bury urns with cremated remains and each one of them can hold up to four urns.

With local recycling programs in jeopardy all over the nation, Ark City and Winfield work together to try to save theirs

The cities of Arkansas City and Winfield are working together to save their cooperative recycling program after notification of a large rate increase.

The cities were notified Feb. 28 by Waste Connections that their recycling rates were going up substantially, effective March 1. Due to the timing of the notice, the 2019 budgets did not account for this.

Currently, the cities are paid $21 per ton of recyclable materials. This is part of a 60-percent rebate program through the OBM Chicago Midwest Stock Market. But Waste Connections now will charge the cities $120 per ton of recyclable materials — an effective increase of $141 per ton with the loss of rebate.

In addition, the current hauling rate of $408 per haul will be increased to $475 per haul. This charge is incurred an average of eight times per month, according to the City of Winfield’s hauling statistics.

Using estimates from 2018 total year tonnage, which was 1,009 tons of recycling between the two cities, the cities’ staff estimated their annual total cost of recycling could increase by nearly $150,000.

Both cities are committed to working together to find a solution to maintain their popular recycling programs, but this will include having to look into a rate increase to cover the cost of recycling services.

“Unfortunately, we found that our situation is not unique,” said Nick Hernandez, city manager of Arkansas City. “Municipalities all over our region and the country are dealing with the same situation.”

Atchison residents monitor Missouri River as Nebraska flooding continues

As flooding continues to devastate Nebraska, those who live south of the border are concerned the rising water will seep into northeast Kansas.

Residents in Atchinson, Kansas are monitoring the Missouri River. The river has already risen submerging tables and benches that sit along its banks. Now, people fear that water could soon end up in their homes and businesses. Thirty miles north, driveways are impassible as water comes close to the road and the river hasn’t even crested yet.

Norman Ladesic says his way of preparing is checking out the water every day and crossing his fingers.

“There ain’t no way you’re going to stop it, you know. Mother Nature, if it goes through what’s there, you know, sandbags ain’t going to do no good,” he said.

Flooding in Atchison isn’t unusual, but that doesn’t ease the concern, especially after seeing the devastation to the north in Nebraska and watching it wash down the river.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Manhattan sets placement priority list for 5g small cell towers

New small cell 5g mobile network towers will have to follow some design guidelines when they begin increasingly popping up around Manhattan. The City Commission unanimously approved aesthetic standards and a placement prioritization for the towers in public right of ways Tuesday.
5g networks will deliver users much higher rates of data to their devices with an incredibly speedy connection. The network is touted as being necessary for things like autonomous vehicles to function. 5g networks will require smaller towers to be spread around cities more frequently than current network generations, possibly every city block. There are currently 47 small cell towers around Manhattan. The FCC in 2018 issued a ruling that cities could not outright prohibit internet service companies from installing small cell facilities in public right of ways and had limited regulatory power over them. Regulations can’t force service providers to share a pole in a right of way, make them locate on a utility pole or make it so difficult that that they could not install their poles to provide their service. Cities can require service providers to follow design guidelines of the districts they are building in, including the routing of power underground where that is required.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Manhattan approves airport parking expansion project to go out for bid

The City of Manhattan took the first steps toward a $4.9 million expansion of the Manhattan Regional Airport parking lot. The City Commission unanimously approved authorizing administration to request bids at its Tuesday meeting. Parking expansion has been in the city’s plans for years, which Airport Director Jesse Romo says is warranted. He says they exceeded their current capacity of more than 700 spots this past Christmas with enplanements increasing yearly. The temporary gravel surfaces also have suffered following multiple storms and portions of paved surfaces are failing as well, with failure estimates in at least one lot at more than 30 percent. Romo also says they hope to solve lighting issues as well as remove trip and fall hazards from their lots.“Please look at this as an investment in an asset rather than just an expense,” says Airport Advisory Board Chair David Rogers, who spoke during public comment. “It is an asset that will pay for itself, and it’s the first impression of a wonderful terminal that has great service.”

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Mayor hints more jobs coming to Wichita

Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell hinting of hundreds of jobs coming to downtown Wichita.

“That would be a big boost to the core area; 700 jobs in the Gander Mountain building. So, it will take tremendous renovations to do that,” said Longwell, during Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

A majority of the meeting was devoted to the private development agreement with Wichita Riverfront LP for four-acres of land adjacent to the former Lawrence Dumont Stadium. Some people have criticized the city for failed attempts to revitalize the east bank of the river.

But, Longwell said this.

“Lot of people kind of taking shots at a former council, former mayor, former group of people that tried to take bold action on Waterwalk. There were a number of issues that happened during that negotiation years ago. None of us sat on this bench then,” said Longwell.

He added, “Everybody can armchair quarterback but Waterwalk did, it got rid of a heck of a lot of blight.”

It was in that same statement that Longwell alluded to more jobs.

“Today there are negotiations going on to put potentially 700 jobs in the Gander Mountain building,” said Longwell.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Roeland Park approves plan to replace high dive with climbing wall at city pool

Roeland Park councilmembers on Monday approved spending up to $12,000 on a 16-foot climbing wall feature for the Roeland Park Aquatic Center. The city will split the cost of the $21,650 wall with the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

The climbing wall was introduced as a replacement option for the pool’s 3-meter high dive, which was identified as potentially unsafe for recreational use in the November 2018 Waters Edge report.

“Having the ability to provide an amenity yielding a similar experience to the removed 3m diving board, yet offering a safer experience for users was very attractive,” the Roeland Park Aquatic Center Advisory Committee said in their recommendation report.

The 16-foot feature will be attached to the side of the pool and is intended for use by one person at a time. The Roeland Park Aquatic Center will be the only facility in northeast Johnson County to offer the amenity.

Osawatomie PD receives AAA award

The Osawatomie Police Department was one of only 30 police departments across the state that qualified for a AAA Kansas Community Traffic Safety Award in 2018.

Bob Hamilton, law enforcement liaison for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), delivered that message to the City Council on Thursday, March 14, as he presented the award to Police Chief Dave Ellis and Cpl. John Mann during the council’s meeting at Memorial Hall. It marked the second consecutive year the police department received a AAA award.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Miami County couple wishes to build home using cargo containers

Michael and Katie Wyse didn’t get the answer they were looking for from the Miami County Planning Commission regarding their desire to construct a home in the county using cargo containers, but they’re hopeful that Miami County commissioners will have a different opinion.

The Wyses were present at the March 5 Planning Commission meeting, during which county planning commissioners continued their debate about whether or not cargo storage containers should be allowed to be used as residential building material.

The discussion began last fall and has continued during multiple Planning Commission meetings. Cargo containers currently are allowed in the county to be used for storage, but they must be screened, and there is a limit of three per property. The county’s zoning regulations would need to be modified to allow the units to be used as residential structures because they currently are listed under the “Uses Prohibited” section unless they are used for storage.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Louisburg addresses parking issues with new ordinance

Residents in Summerfield Farm will soon note parking restrictions in that Louisburg subdivision. City Council members voted 5-0 on March 4 to limit street parking there.

The council recently directed staff to talk with the Home Owners Association about parking complaints council members and city staff have fielded. The conversation with HOA included a forum for residents to address parking concerns and ask questions.

Parking on both sides of the street limits accessibility, city officials have said. One such concern is that emergency vehicles may have trouble trying to squeeze through the congested street. The council directed city staff to limit parking to the south side of east-west streets, allowing open parking on cul-de-sacs, and allowing limited areas of west side parking on north-south streets, according to the city. Some residents didn’t favor those solutions, noting that restricting parking to the south side of the street presented additional limitations because of fire hydrant locations.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Residents stop city’s plan to sell park land

A plan by the city to sell a small parcel of north Derby land that was originally designed for a park has been stopped.

At its March 12 meeting, the City Council approved a recommendation by City Manager Kathy Sexton to rescind the proposal and instead allow her and the staff to undertake terms of a land sale with the Parkside HOA and USD 260.

At issue is 1.77 acres in the Stone Creek Addition known as Reserve S or Winding Lane Park. Last month, the council authorized city staff to seek a sale of that land, which has been undeveloped space since 1999, in order to open it to more housing.

The thinking was that since then, the city’s park thrust has moved from small, neighborhood parks to larger parks, such as High, Central and Warren Riverview.

However, two weeks after the Feb. 12 action, Stone Creek residents let city officials and the council know that many of them opposed the proposal. Representatives of Parkside HOA said they would like to acquire the land.

There have been two meetings with HOA members since then, but Sexton said more time is needed before final action can be reached.

Derby firefighter bestowed with statewide honor

For Kenneth Linot, the major reward in his job as a Derby firefighter is clear: helping people in need and giving back to the community.

Linot, who has been with the department full time since 2012, was selected as the Kansas VFW 2018-19 State Firefighter of the Year.

He was presented with the award by VFW officials at the March 12 City Council meeting.

Linot said he is “very humbled.”

“It was unexpected,” he said. “Just something out of the blue.”

Linot was nominated for the award by Fire Chief Brad Smith, who cited Linot’s many career activities and accomplishments including being part of a team that rescued an elderly resident from his burning home in November 2016.

It was hard to pick out one individual in the department, Smith said, because “everyone carries the load,” but Linot is a solid representative of the staff.

“He’s a good reflection of what the department is all about,” he said. “It does make you proud.”

Derby’s priority list updates include free paper ban, e-cigs and more

The city’s “to-do” list has changed.

Known as the list of priorities, the blueprint provides a guideline for city staff on which projects to tackle first – and which ones to move to the back for more effort later.

City Manager Kathy Sexton went before the council at its March 12 meeting explaining the changes and asking for its approval, which it gave.

As she said, agreeing on priorities makes the best use of staff time. The list includes enhancement projects to be worked on as time allows amid other responsibilities, she said.

The last update to the list was Nov. 27 and since that time, work has progressed on many of the 13 projects. Due to “substantial completion,” Sexton recommended that four of the items be removed. She also suggested combining one item on what is known as the Watch List with one on the Priority List.

That deals with converting Derby to a city of the First Class and include updating the Charter Ordinances.

As Derby approaches a population of 25,000, it needs to convert its city status to First Class.

That action hasn’t happened in Kansas in years, so it’s a process that requires much research and legal legwork.

There are seven items on the Watch List.

Among them is a suggestion to research and develop a policy on e-cigarettes that would add e-cigs and tobacco products to the indoor air ordinance.

“The intent would be to ban the use of e-cigarettes in indoor spaces by amending the city’s Clean Indoor Air ordinance,” she said.

Also, a new suggestion deals with drawing up an ordinance to ban throwing free newspapers and advertising in driveways or front yards.

Sexton said the intent would be to “clean up the look of neighborhoods.”

It also would reduce efforts required of city staff to clear out excess debris from stormwater inlets and pipes.

Both the e-cigarettes and tossed publication ban were moved up to the priority list.

City of Pittsburg engages team to continue public power initiative

Following commission meetings held earlier this year, the City of Pittsburg has been given approval by commissioners to continue to move forward with creating a public power utility for Pittsburg.

The City commission wants to continue to explore the economic viability, benefits and risks of public power and outline the steps that will be necessary if a public power utility is to be established. As such, the City has engaged a qualified, experienced team to conduct negotiations and a detailed analysis of the technical, legal and financial aspects of creating a public power utility for Pittsburg. Daron Hall, Pittsburg City Manager, says, “We are following an expert recommendation on behalf of the citizens, businesses and industries of Pittsburg. The team we have engaged are specialists in their respective fields and we look forward to working closely with Evergy to create a win-win for everyone.”

(Read more: City of Pittsburg)

Concrete company in Miami County likely to relocate following Planning Commission decision

Miami County planning commissioners have recommended revoking the conditional-use permit (CUP) for Concrete Strategies, but the Miami County Commission will make the final decision next week. Last year, the Planning Commission and County Commission both agreed to deny owner Joe Vitale’s request for a new CUP for Concrete Strategies. The business currently is operating under a CUP that was used by the previous property owner and proprietor, Stahl Excavating. Stahl was grandfathered in when the county went to countywide zoning in 1991, and the CUP stays with the land not with the owner.

Neighbors have submitted a petition to revoke that CUP based on the claims that the business has intensified in use. A public hearing was held during the March 5 meeting to debate the issue.

The planning commissioners were tasked with determining if the use has substantially expanded from the original use that was in place in 1991 and whether the use has operated continuously, or was there a period of inactivity of at least 365 days?

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Fed holds line on rates, says no more hikes ahead this year

The Federal Reserve decided Wednesday to hold interest rates steady and indicated that no more hikes will be coming this year.
In a unanimous move that coincides with market expectations and demands, the central bank’s policymaking Federal Open Market Committee took a sharp dovish turn from policy projections just three months earlier.
After the announcement, 10-year Treasury yields fell to their lowest level in a year.

Committee members had estimated in December that two rate hikes would be appropriate in 2019 after four increases in 2018. They also pointed to at least another one before ending a round of policy tightening that began in December 2015.

However, there now appears to be no likelihood of a hike unless conditions change significantly. In its post-meeting statement, the FOMC indicated it would remain “patient” before adopting any further increases.

OP City Council votes to change penalty to incentives carrot for long-delayed project

A downtown Overland Park project that actually was approved as the city’s first tax increment financing deal in 2007 is back in the spotlight.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post, the original Market Lofts TIF project never got started as the Great Recession took its toll. However, developer Paul Goehausen, managing principal for Goehausen & Co., has been working to keep the project at 80th and Marty streets going for more than a decade.

The Market Lofts development, which includes 36 apartments, 5,700 square feet of retail and an underground parking garage, started moving toward construction again in 2015. That’s when Merriam-based general contractor 2Point Construction Co. signed on to be the general contractor for the $8.9 million apartment building and retail space.

As the developer neared its July 31, 2018, deadline for completing the project, the Overland Park City Council opted to deliver a warning shot by reducing the project’s incentives cap.

Citizens express support and concerns over ballpark development deal

Wichita can now sell its land to a mostly undisclosed group of developers for $1 an acre.

The Wichita City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to sell approximately 4 acres around the new $75 million baseball stadium to Wichita Riverfront LP.

That company is connected to Lou Schwechheimer, the principal owner of the New Orleans Baby Cakes. The team already has a management agreement and a facilities agreement, but the land sale was the “third leg of the stool” in a deal to lure the Baby Cakes to Wichita, City Manager Robert Layton said. What land will be purchased has not been finalized, but it would have to be within the 24 acre footprint of the new stadium and south of Texas Street along McLean, according to an agreement signed by Mayor Jeff Longwell and Schwechheimer on Wednesday. City officials said fair market value of the land is between $750,000 and $800,000.

(Read more: Local News |)

Small business owners take issue with TIF district in Garden City

Local small business owners approached Garden City commissioners on Tuesday with concerns about the proposed establishment of a redevelopment district for a planned commercial project on East Kansas Avenue.

The commission approved a memorandum of understanding with developer 2107 E. Kansas LLC in January to turn 11 acres of undeveloped land near the intersection of Campus Drive and Kansas Avenue into a commercial development anchored by a new First National Bank. About five to six other commercial or retail buildings are included in the project.

Tuesday, the commission held a public hearing before unanimously passing an ordinance that would establish the area as the Campus and Kansas Redevelopment District, marking the area as “blighted” and making it eligible to become a Tax Increment Financing District.
During the public hearing, Henk Rijfkogel, owner of Henk’s Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning at 3025 Commercial Ave., and an employee at Western Irrigation at 2990 Morton Road, asked questions about and showed distaste for the process. The Western Irrigation employee did not give his full name when addressing the commission, and declined to give The Telegram his name.

The crux of their concerns was ultimately adjacent to the issue at hand. They and their neighboring small town business owners, several of whom watched from the audience, have seen large increases in property taxes over recent years and, as Rijfkogel told commissioners, were looking for relief.

Altamont goes dry until new state law takes effect on April 1

Altamont is temporarily a dry town, due in no part to any law prohibiting the sale of alcohol.

Rather, the town is being dually impacted by the new Kansas alcohol laws allowing stronger beer to be sold in grocery and convenience stores beginning April 1, and the closure of its only liquor store, the Liquor Shack, 1018 E. Fourth St., last month.

Shelves that contained beer with up to 3.2 percent alcohol content by weight now sit empty, and the city’s two convenience stores have not ordered more, as they were awaiting the arrival of deliveries of beer of up to 6 percent. At The Corner Store in Altamont, employees said the last shipment came into the store around the first of the month and quickly sold out.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Altamont hopes for downtown face-lift

An empty grocery building with its windows papered over sits near the corner of Huston and U.S. 160.

Across Huston to the east is an old gas station that while quaint in its old architecture is used now only for storage.

The two empty buildings are what people first see as they look down Altamont’s main street downtown. A quick glance down Huston and one sees barren sidewalks, plain, discolored metal facades, peeling paint, damaged awnings and dirty windows marking businesses and empty buildings alike that line the street.

U.S. 160 is fairly well traveled, and questions are being pondered as to what can make the difference in people driving by Altamont and people seeing something that makes them want to turn off and explore.
“You go around to some of these local towns and they are doing a lot to spruce up. I was just in Galena over the weekend and they’ve done a lot. Parsons is another, with huge improvements done there. To me, signage, awnings, even if you come up with semi-permanent benches with planters on them. To me that’s a facade improvement.

Altamont City Administrator Christina Schlatter explains, “It’s just something we thought was kind of important, to spruce up downtown and make it more presentable. We have a lot of people traveling through on the highway, so its a pretty main thoroughfare. We’ve got people traveling to get to (Kansas Highway) 101, Big Hill (Lake), Independence, families traveling for sports games, and have people visiting here because we have the largest school district in Labette County. We used to drive through and we’d always see people out on their bikes and people walking. People are really getting into the walking thing here. I just think it would be great to spruce things up. Spring’s coming and summer’s coming, so we thought it was time to do it.”

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Approved KDOT Agreement means $1 million for street project in Eureka

The Eureka City Council approved an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) during a routine meeting last Monday, March 11. This agreement made the highly discussed River Street project official. The project is slated to begin in 2020. With the city being awarded $1 million from KDOT, they will bond the remaining $3 million. There are several options the city has to repay the bonds, which would require a repayment of approximately $200,000 annually for 20 years. With the pool
and library bonds sun-setting last year, the council could ask the public to support a new one or half-cent sales tax for River Street. Another option would be to implement a surtax on city water bills. Unlike the sales tax, a surtax would not require a public vote. No decisions were made regarding River Street funding and discussion will continue at future council meetings.

(Read more: Eureka Herald RSS)

In Wyandotte County, Housing Is Eating Up Paychecks And Harming Health

It’s no longer news that when it comes to its residents’ health, Wyandotte County ranks near the bottom of Kansas counties and Johnson County ranks at the top.

Nor is it news that the health disparities between the two adjoining counties have less to do with individual behaviors than with socioeconomic factors like income levels, jobs, education and long-standing practices such as redlining and predatory lending that discriminate against people of color.

What may come as a bit of a surprise is that housing costs – and the financial burden they impose – factor pretty heavily into the mix as well.

It turns out that nearly one in six Wyandotte County households spend more than half their income on housing, compared with just one in 11 Johnson County households. In Kansas as a whole, about one in 10 households spend more than half their income on housing costs.

(Read more: )

Ellis County launches budget talks with 1.5 percent in cuts

Department heads in Ellis County have managed to cut 1.5 percent from their 2020 budgets so far, the first steps in helping avert a future county budget crisis.

Ellis County Commissioners previously asked every department head to make the cuts, with the goal being to cut $2 million out of the budget.

County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes presented the first round of proposed budgets to the Ellis County Commissioners during their regular meeting Monday evening at the Ellis County Administrative Center, 718 Main.

“Obviously this is just the start, this is the tip of the iceberg, for what we need to get taken care of,” said County Commissioner Dustin Roths. “I think I can speak for my fellow commissioners when I say we’re not willing to watch this thing go bankrupt. We’re going to do what we need to do.”

With a 1.5 percent cut, General Fund expenditures for 2020 would be $1.86 million more than revenues.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

Garden City hears results of Big Pool community input survey

The Garden City Commission heard the results Tuesday of a two-month process to gauge public opinion regarding the future of the nearly 100-year-old Big Pool, taking in a summary of thousands of resident comments and, surprisingly, what the input said about the city itself.

Assistant City Manager Jennifer Cunningham, who spearheaded the process, spent weeks holding in-person presentations about the upcoming project for more than 6,000 people, including every student from third to 12th grades in Garden City, high school students in Holcomb, Lakin, Deerfield and Cimarron, the Garden City USD 457 Board of Education, Finney County Commission, Neighborhood Learning Center, Spanish radio station, over a dozen local organizations and the public.

“This is the results of the Big Pool community input process. Obviously, that sounds really simple. It was not simple, but it was enlightening,” Cunningham told commissioners. “I can’t say that there’s probably too many other people who’ve had that much exposure to that many people across our community that quickly, and so I got to learn a lot about a lot of different people.”

Topeka OKs TIF District to benefit former Villa West property

The tower at southwest Topeka’s former Villa West Shopping Center will be torn down as part of a redevelopment project aimed at helping that center get a fresh start and shed the notoriety of its past, which includes having deteriorated while being owned by developer Kent Lindemuth, Topeka’s governing body learned Tuesday evening.

The demolition will be part of an $18 million project Overland Park-based 29th Street Partners, LLC, plans to carry out in multiple phases to redevelop the property on 14 acres at the northwest corner of S.W. 29th and Wanamaker Road while renaming it “Sherwood Crossing,” said Ferd Niemann IV, that company’s director of development.

Topeka governing body members voted 9-1 late Tuesday to establish a tax-increment financing district to potentially benefit the proposed project. Councilman Tony Emerson cast the lone dissenting vote while questioning whether Tuesday’s move was consistent with the policy the city has in place regarding TIF districts.

Prairie Village city government considering wind power for electric needs

The Prairie Village City Council on Monday approved an agreement with Kansas City Power & Light that potentially could result in a significant portion of the city government’s electric needs coming from wind energy.

The agreement pledges that the city will buy power from an as-yet unbuilt wind farm in the region for 20 years. It still hinges on whether KCP&L can persuade enough local governments and other large electric customers in northeast Johnson County to follow Prairie Village’s lead.

Drew Robinson, the company’s manager of renewable energy, told the council he needs at least 100 megawatts of dedicated monthly peak demand to make building a new wind farm financially sustainable. Prairie Village has an average monthly peak demand of around 400 kilowatts.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Wyandotte County at same place on new County Health Ranking list

Wyandotte County came in again at No. 99 on the County Health Rankings list in Kansas published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The list has Johnson County as the healthiest in the state, and Chautauqua County as the least healthy. Wyandotte County was No. 99 last year, and it has raised its ranking from even lower in some previous years.

The County Health Rankings are not just about physical health. They also include factors such as crime rates, education levels, incomes, children living in poverty, and housing.

“The County Health Rankings have demonstrated that some counties in Kansas have consistently enjoyed better health, while others have consistently struggled, and we see this once again in 2019,” said Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino, senior fellow with the Kansas Health Institute, in a news release. “However, we also know that there are longstanding inequities in health within counties. Even in counties that have historically enjoyed higher overall rankings, we see substantial differences in health — by race, by ethnicity, and by neighborhood. So, it is important to look beyond what is happening at just the county level.”

(Read more: Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!)

Reno Co. Commission starts the process of eliminating a half-cent sales tax

With little discussion, the Reno County Commission on Tuesday approved a resolution for the payment of bonds used to build the Reno County Correctional Facility, improve the Reno County Jail Annex and improve security at the courthouse.

The next step will be to provide notice to the Kansas Department of Revenue that the county intends to sunset the sales tax used to fund the bond repayment. Notification will be made by April 1, and the tax will sunset on July 1.

The county expects to save $879,400 in interest and have as much as $1 million from the sales tax collected that won’t need to be spent on the project.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Hutchinson City Council agrees to tear down a historic building

After a public hearing Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council agreed to tear down the old Sugar Mill building in the 600 block of East First.

The building suffered a partial collapse in February, and owner Ted Robinson wants to tear down the rest of the structure.

“You know I hate to see the building get torn down, honestly. But, at this point, I don’t see that there are any other options. I don’t have the funds to correctly rebuild it,” he said.

The cost to repair the structure would come to around $204,000, but to bring the structure to the point that it would be usable space is estimated to be around $2 million, according to statements made by officials at the meeting.

There was some discussion of trying to save some of the materials from the building that could be used to remember it. Robinson was open to the suggestion and said he would work with the Landmarks Commission.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Salina City Commission discusses tree removals and benefits

Park Operations Manager Brett Lamer told the Salina City Commission Monday afternoon that trees have many benefits for city residents and taxpayers.

Lamer said two projects have been removing trees on Ninth Street: along North Ninth Street, the North Salina Community Development Group partnered with Westar Energy to remove trees that endangered nearby power lines.

Along South Ninth Street, trees were removed that wouldn’t be able to remain healthy and stable following road maintenance, as well as trees with roots that damaged driveways, curbs, or the street.

During his presentation, Lamer said trees have many under-appreciated benefits.

Studies have found areas with large trees have lower rates of violent and property crimes, Lamer said, adding that people are more likely to be outside in shaded areas, which makes crime less likely.

Other studies show people drive faster on streets without trees, Lamer said, and that shaded streets have lower maintenance costs.

Salina resident Melanie Terrill said she was disappointed so many trees have been removed in recent years.

Lamer said the city of Salina tries to replace the trees it removes.

“Last year, even with this project, we replaced almost every single tree we removed,” he said. “Unfortunately, they weren’t in the same location.”

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

City of Horton sets public forum on healthcare options

The City of Horton has set a community forum for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Horton High School auditorium.

The purpose of the meeting will be to inform local residents of healthcare options that have been explored by Mayor Bryan Stirton, Commissioner Wade Edwards and City Administrator John Calhoon. City officials were planning a presentation as an option to acquire a comprehensive primary and preventative healthcare program.

The meeting was planned as informational only, to listen and gather feedback from residents from Horton and the surrounding areas interested in future healthcare option in South Brown County.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

Some landlords in Hutchinson says inspectors go too far in regulating them

Some landlords say the city is going too far in regulating them, even claiming inspectors are peeping into windows of homes.

Now, landlords are hoping the city will change the way inspections are done.

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“We don’t want to freak people out, that’s not why we’re there,” said Trent Maxwell, a Hutchinson Building Official.

Maxwell insists they’re doing what they can to help tenants.

“We get calls every week from tenants complaining about their living conditions, open holes in the wall, whatever it is,” said Maxwell. “We never will go inside a rental that no one wants us inside.”

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Company hasn’t submitted financial info for tax abatement in leased federal building in Parsons

Parsons Fertilizer LLC has yet to provide financial information needed to continue its property tax abatement with the State Board of Tax Appeals, Labette County commissioners heard Monday.

The company wants to manufacture a premium-grade fertilizer at the Great Plains Industrial Park east of Parsons and was in the process of renovating Building 920 at the park when fire destroyed half of the leased building on March 4.

Parsons Fertilizer leased 48,539 square feet of space in areas 903, 904 and 920 at Great Plains and was to make an initial $1.2 million investment. Starting off, the company would produce 5-pound and 40-pound bags of fertilizer and then within a year and a half would manufacture 1,000-pound totes for larger agriculture bases. Sales of the product are to be targeted within Kansas, the U.S. and potentially internationally. This information was reported in the Sun in 2017 when the lease was announced.

In 2018, the Kansas Legislature approved property tax abatements for companies that lease buildings in federal enclaves, including Great Plains, which is in the former Kansas Army Ammunition Plant. Parsons Fertilizer received that exemption and was to renew its paperwork for the second of a 10-year exemption period.

Commissioners heard that County Clerk Peggy Minor had not received all the documents necessary for a complete application to BOTA for that renewal.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Great Bend and public library work out how future maintenance issues will be handled

A heating and air conditioning system that came with a somewhat unexpected price tag north of $900,000 in 2015, left some uneasiness with the Great Bend Public Library’s spending the past few years. A new director and increased communication has improved the relationship between the library and City of Great Bend. Another public display of that occurred Monday night as the Great Bend City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the library concerning maintenance of the facility.

Library Director Gail Santy felt like the new memorandum brings clarity of who is responsible for tasks.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Commissioners OK Sunday alcohol sales

Parsons city commissioners approved an ordinance Monday evening that will make the sale of alcoholic beverages legal on Sundays.

The commission approved the ordinance on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Tom Shaw dissenting.

The sale of packaged alcoholic beverages has been legal in Kansas since 2005, but individual cities and counties must approve measures to make it legal or voters must approve it at the polls. Neither has happened in Parsons, although the commission has discussed the issue twice over the last several years. Other towns such as Erie and St. Paul have allowed Sunday sales for several years.

Kevin Cruse reintroduced the issue to his fellow commissioners in late January, and they have had a few discussions about it since then. Cruse said on Sundays, some people have driven to other cities to buy beer or liquor, meaning Parsons is losing out on sales and alcohol tax revenue. Additionally, some of those people head out on the highways after they have started drinking but run out of alcohol, creating a danger for themselves and other travelers.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Do Corporate Tax Incentives Work? 20 States, and Most Cities, Don’t Know.

The aircraft manufacturer Boeing has received roughly $1 billion in tax incentives and credits from Washington state over the past four years. That includes tens of millions of dollars for activities in 2017 related to production equipment for the 737 MAX jets, all of which have been grounded in the past week after two fatal crashes.

That information is known because Washington state has one of the more well-established tax incentive evaluation programs in the country. As corporate tax breaks — like the ones used to lure Amazon’s HQ2 — have come under increasing scrutiny, more states are tracking them and attempting to ensure that the businesses that receive them are holding up their end of the deals. But, 20 states still don’t regularly assess their corporate giveaways at all, and few cities have established systems to routinely track these incentives.

(Read more: GOVERNING)

Overland Park council resets deadlines, tax incentives for Market Lofts project

Saying it was better than having unfinished building in the heart of downtown, the Overland Park City Council approved a new set of deadlines that would partially restore some tax incentives to the Market Lofts project at 80th Street and Marty Street.

One after another, the 12 council members said they weren’t wild about a compromise that was worked out last month in committee. And they warned that if the new deadlines requiring the exterior work be done before the Farmers Market begins are not met, the city should call a default on the tax increment financing deal with developer Paul Goehausen.

However, “the ultimate goal of everybody on the committee is to get this project done,” said Councilmember Dave White, who is chairman of the council committee that worked out the new deadlines.

The developer, who has repeatedly missed deadlines for more than a year, will lose about $200,000 of TIF money no matter what happens.

Drone helps Park City police find, catch burglary suspects

Security cameras and a drone were deployed to help stop two suspects who were allegedly breaking into Insurance Auto Auctions in Park City early March 8.

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Bel Aire, Kechi, Park City, Valley Center, Maize and Colwich police as well as the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office sent officers to assist in the search for the suspects. The suspects exited the lot through the fence when a K-9 unit showed up.

The sheriff’s office deployed a drone, equipped with night vision, to search for the suspects. It spotted the two hiding in tall grass in a field near the facility. The drone hovered over the area until officers were able to take them into custody.

Former Park City city hall to be senior housing

The Park City council unanimously approved the rezoning of property at 6110 N. Hydraulic from business district to multi-family residential March 12, making way for a senior-focused living facility. The building is the former location of City Hall.

The building was recently sold for the express purpose of senior housing. Assistant city administrator Dana Walden said the location’s proximity to the Park City Senior Center was important to the developer.