Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Edgerton, FD#1 partner for plan

Edgerton will soon partner with Johnson County Fire District No.1 to develop a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan to be used in case of a major disaster.
Trig Morley, FD No.1 battalion chief, said the formalization of an emergency preparedness plan will put the community in a better position to deal with major emergencies and serves as an important tool in the recovery process.
Morley said at the March 14 council meeting that the comprehensive plan is geared towards dealing with all kinds of emergencies including floods, tornadoes and even disease outbreaks and epidemics.
“It’s an all-hazards approach,” he said.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Lyon County signs off on application for tech-focused grant

The Lyon County Commission spoke with Regional Development Association Chair Rob Gilligan about a possible i6 federal grant application Thursday at the courthouse.

If RDA receives the grant of about $75,000 per year for three years, it could be used on a project called THINK Emporia, which stands for “Tech Hub Innovation Network of Kansas. The project is meant to bring work-from-home tech job opportunities to Emporia, if it can get the funds for which the RDA is applying.

“Our model will be one that can help other communities similar to us,” Gilligan said.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Wellington will only accept cardboard, office paper and certain plastics beginning April 1

Due to market changes and increased processing costs for most recyclable materials, beginning April 1, 2019, the City of Wellington will only accept cardboard, office paper and plastics No. 1 and No. 2 as part of its recycling program.

Please have cardboard, paper and plastic separated before arrival at the recycling center as city workers will handle each material differently. The city was recently advised processing costs will be $120 per ton and additionally that plastic bags and plastics #3-#7 are being thrown away after we turn them over to the processor.

(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)

Lenexa conducts final workshop on Complete Streets program

Lenexa is wrapping up the research for its Complete Streets program.

In an effort to create a cohesive plan for all types of transportation in the city, Lenexa has been working for the past several months on a program that identifies needs of motorists, cyclists, public transit users, pedestrians and trail-hikers.

The city hosted its final workshop Thursday evening at Thompson Barn, taking the opportunity to present its findings so far and collect additional feedback from residents.

Emporia approves Glendo tax abatement and land bank ordinance

The Emporia City Commission approved an incentive compliance agreement for Glendo Inc. during its Wednesday night action session.

This will exempt the business, which produces engraving tools that are sold all around the world, from property taxes for 10 years on an expansion it has planned that will add space to its business and create new jobs. The expansion will add a roughly 40,765-square-foot building and cost about $4.3 million. Included in the expansion plan is Glendo’s classroom, which serves about 400 people a year, according to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kim Pember./blockquote>

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Prairie Village, Mission sign on to KCP&L program that could provide clean wind energy for city needs

A group of northeast Johnson County area cities are hoping to play a driving role in the development of a new wind farm proposed by KCP&L — but the initiative will need much broader support to become a reality.

Prairie Village became the first municipality in Johnson County on Monday to sign on to KCP&L’s Renewables Direct program, which would provide customers with the opportunity to get the bulk of their electricity needs delivered through an emissions-free source. KCP&L’s Renewable Energy Manager Drew Robinson told the council this week that the utility was looking to find enough electricity customers to subscribe to the agreement to total between 100 and 200 megawatts of monthly demand. That’s the level needed to make the development of a new wind farm financially viable he said.

Salina works to encourage downtown entertainment

City staff want Salina’s downtown to be a welcoming and vibrant place for artist, entertainers, and the public. Staff are in the process of consulting with businesses, venues, organizations, and other stakeholders to revise the city’s code and simplify the permitting process for downtown performances.Lauren Driscoll, Salina Director of Community and Development Services, said the current process of obtaining approval can be difficult to navigate.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

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.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Roeland Park council approves multi-year plan for R Park improvements

A $1.7 million phased plan to improve Roeland Park’s R Park, located at 5535 Juniper Dr, was approved unanimously this week by councilmembers.

The three-part proposal will add permanent restrooms, art sculptures, additional greenspace, and shade structures to the park—including a pavilion that can house 36 to 48 people. The plan also includes modifications to Juniper Street, sewer/storm drainage work, and surfacing paths so they are accessible for all.

Mandatory evacuation issued for Elwood; Hiawatha city employees helping man barricades

The City of Elwood issued a mandatory evacuation around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday when the Missouri River levels reached 30 feet.

By Friday morning, the river had reached 31.45 feet, but the levees were still holding. The projected crest is still set at 31.5 feet later on Friday.

“Our levee is intact with no current over topping. Right now we are still dry, the next few hours are very critical. Thought and prayers to all involved,” according to the City of Elwood Facebook post.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

Former Towanda utility clerk sentenced to more than 10 years for misusing public funds

The former utility clerk for the City of Towanda receives a sentence of 10 years, eight months in prison in connection with the theft of more than $186,000 from the city.

The sentencing against Ricky Allen Voisin in Butler County District Court follows his guilty pleas of misuse of public funds and making false information. Last August, court documents showed Voison faced four charges including theft, misuse of public funds, a computer crime and making false information.

(Read more: KWCH News)

LIVE NOW: Watch Hoxie, Kansas native, astronaut Nick Hague takes spacewalk

Watch NASA TV.

NASA Expedition 59 Flight Engineers Nick Hague of Hoxie Kansas and Anne McClain will begin a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station at about 7 a.m. CDT Friday, March 22. NASA Television coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 5:30 a.m., according to a media release from the space agency. Watch the spacewalk on NASA TV and on the agency’s website.

This will be the 214th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. McClain will be designated extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV 1), wearing the suit with red stripes. Hague will be designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing the suit with no stripes.

This is the first of two battery replacement spacewalks this month. McClain and Hague will replace nickel-hydrogen batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries for the power channel on one pair of the station’s solar arrays. The batteries were transported to the station in September aboard the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. The spacewalking work continues the overall upgrade of the station’s power system that began with similar battery replacement during spacewalks in January 2017.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

Gardner mayor delays announcing name of administrator

Steve Shute, Gardner mayor, shelved plans to name his preferred choice for city administrator during the March 18 meeting and instead said the meeting would adjourn to an executive session where contract negotiations would be discussed.
Shute said that on advice of counsel he had decided it would be unfair to the candidates to name one of them ahead of contract negotiations. Information will be forthcoming.
During a March 11 ‘meet and greet’ reception with the three finalists for the city’s top job, Shute had indicated he would make his choice of candidate in open session during the March 18 meeting and then let council members decide whether to accept or reject his choice.
The three finalists for the job are Jim Pruetting, Gardner police chief, Nicholas Edwards, Lee’s Summit city administrator, and Brian Wilson, Belleville, Wisc., Village administrator.
Shute said any insinuation that the selection process has not been transparent and fair was wrong and he listed the steps the city took to ensure an objective process.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Community mural adds color, flair to downtown Newton

The newest mural in downtown Newton was a community effort.

Retired Newton High Schol art teacher Ray Olais said he was approached last year by the owner of a building at Sixth and Main. The building’s owner was looking for artists for a mural.

Olais and around two dozen others, including high school students and community members completed the sunflower-themed mural over a six week period.

“I think they’re just trying to promote that this place has possibilities to flourish with more murals and more things happening here,” Olais said Thursday.

Local artists don’t want the momentum to stop at one mural.

A silent auction of single, stand-alone murals took place at the Carriage Factory Art Gallery to raise funds for future murals.

“Just to bring a community together, artists together, and just to make people excited about our town again,” artist Sara Lewis said.

Artist Constance Gehring says the murals give people another reason to visit downtown and get their picture taken.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Deister retires as County Administrator

Today is Rita Deister’s final day as a Saline County employee.

Deister has served as Saline County Administrator for 18 years. She also has served as the county’s personnel director and assistant administrator. She began working for Saline County in 1991 and has worked there for the last 27 years.

During her tenure, Deister has served under 21 county commissioners and 8 separate boards of county commissioners and has seen significant changes during her time in county government, especially in technology.

“When I first started, there was one fax machine in the building, and we shared it with the city. That’s unbelievable by today’s standard,” she said. “No cell phones of course, no text messages, no email. You would come back to your office and your whole door frame would be full of little sticky notes from people who left messages.”

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Bill to retroactively approve Finney County sales tax passes out of committee

A bill that will determine whether Finney County can continue to collect a sales tax meant to fund long-awaited upcoming capital projects passed out of committee Thursday with a key amendment: the sales tax, once lumped together with four counties’ requests for sales tax authorities, will now be considered alone.

House Bill 2033, which passed the House by a wide margin last month, originally included requests that the Legislature authorize votes for potential sales taxes in Thomas, Russell, Jackson, Dickinson and Finney counties. Finney stood out in the group — unlike the other four counties, which are requesting state authorization before holding a public vote, per state law, Finney County didn’t seek legislative approval until after voters passed the tax in November 2017 and it took effect in April 2018.
The bill was also amended to include a course of action for cities or counties that may repeat Finney County’s errors in the future. If the bill is approved, the Kansas Department of Revenue director of taxation must confirm that an entity has completed all necessary sales tax authorization requirements before it may collect on the tax. If the director doesn’t discover an unmet requirement until after tax collection has begun, “collections would cease until such error has been remedied,” according to a supplemental note on the amended bill.

Residents try to repopulate first all black settlement with tiny homes

Off of Highway 24 sits a little Kansas town.
“Nicodemus means everything to me,” resident JohnElla Holmes said.

And one with rich history.

“It was founded in 1877,” she said. “My great-great-great grandparents were one of the first families to come.”

Nicodemus was founded by African American ex-slaves moving west.

“The slaves came from mainly Kentucky and Tennessee,” Nicodemus contractor Steven Jones said. “They got on a train and came to Ellis and walked to Nicodemus.”

At one time, over 900 people called Nicodemus home.

They built their own churches, schools and homes.

But when the depression hit in the 30’s, and the promised railroad never appeared, the town couldn’t survive.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

City of Halstead may offer rodeo location

The Halstead City Council is looking into the possibility of leasing Williams Park to the Halstead Rodeo Committee. This could potentially provide a rodeo location not just during Old Settlers, but also throughout the year for multiple rodeo events to be held.

The Rodeo Committee had previously approached the city several times about leasing land in the Industrial Park for this purpose and been told a flat “no.” On Monday night, committee members sat down with the city council, during a work session, to discuss land options, as well as their vision for turning Halstead into a destination for rodeo enthusiasts.

Rodeo Committee members Chad Considine, Brad McCurry and Paige Wedel, as well as Old Settlers Committee members Cory Harrington and Linsey Farmer were all present.

The Rodeo Committee’s plan is not only to host an event during Old Settlers, but also have rodeos throughout the year.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Plots available in Sedgwick community garden

Last year, nine families planted 14 plots in the Sedgwick Community Garden.

Garden organizer Rebekah Morse said the city is allowing them to use land by the east water tower, near Fourth and Harrison streets.

“Last year, we had a 60’x70’ fenced-in area,” Morse said. “We can expand, if we need to.”

Registration is now open. Plot fees are $25 for the first 6’x10’ plot and $10 for each additional plot. The cost helps cover expenses for water, shared tools and educational learning opportunities.

In addition to the plots, this year there will be a community area for $5, a family.

“They’ll volunteer one hour out of the month and hopefully we’ll have enough sign up that different families can take turns cleaning and watering and then harvesting and they can share whatever produce is grown,” Morse said.

She said last year, they started the garden in May. As soon as they have enough people sign up, they’ll plan a starting date for this year.

(Read more: Newton Now)

City of Topeka agrees to pay $2,500 in pothole lawsuit

Topeka’s city government has agreed to pay a $2,500 settlement to Teresa Counts, who said she suffered permanent and serious injury when she fell because of a pothole in front of her Topeka home after she notified the city about it four times.

Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson on Monday signed an order dismissing the suit with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. The order said a settlement agreement had been reached between Counts and the city.

The city agreed to pay Counts $2,500, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator, on Thursday.

Counts filed the suit last August indicating that she had notified the city four times, beginning in September 2016, about the pothole in front of her home in the 1200 block of S.W. Hillsdale.

A crew responded in October 2016 and told Counts the pothole would be repaired the next day, the lawsuit petition said.

It said Counts fell because of that pothole and suffered permanent and serious injury on April 24, 2017, about one week before it was repaired.

Counts filed a claim in March 2018 against the city, which denied it last July, one month before she filed the lawsuit.

Hadfield told The Topeka Capital-Journal last August that the city doesn’t settle claims unless there is substantial evidence of liability.

As a general rule, she said, the city isn’t automatically liable for street defects.

Sabetha city and hospital officials want further discussions on proposed sales tax

Sabetha city and hospital officials were not satisfied with the reaction they received at this week’s Brown County Commission meeting when they asked for a portion of the sales tax revenue tagged for the Hiawatha Community Hospital — if approved by special election in May.

Norm Schmitt, Sabetha City commissioner and vice president on the Sabetha Community Hospital Board of Trustees, was one of several Sabetha officials who approached the Brown County Commission at Monday’s meeting. Although other city and hospital officials were present, Schmitt spoke to the commission on behalf of the group.

The reaction wasn’t exactly as he had planned. After some discussion, the commissioners said they felt there wasn’t time to review any changes in the resolution and the topic died without any motion to vote.
Schmitt said he — and other city and hospital officials — plan to return to next week’s Brown County Commission meeting and are on the agenda for 9:30 a.m. Monday, March 25.

Schmitt said the Sabetha Community Hospital Board of Trustees met Wednesday morning and passed a resolution that they plan to present to the Brown County Commission next Monday morning, asking for not a specific percentage — but for sales tax collections from the businesses residing within the city limits of Sabetha to come back to the Sabetha Community Hospital.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

El Dorado City Commission tackles zoning issues

The last major update to the Zoning Ordinance took place in 2009 when the City of El Dorado adopted the 2030 El Dorado Comprehensive Plan. Since that time, a number of minor changes to the ordinance have been made with the last two changes made in 2016 and 2018 which adjusted fence heights and application fees, respectively. In fall of 2018, the City Commission directed staff and the Planning Commission to review residential accessory structure regulations and to look into the topic of tiny homes.
At the City Commission’s request, the Planning Commission meet over the past three months to identify and opportunities to amend the Zoning Ordinance. The Zoning Ordinance regulates land use and development within the City of El Dorado. Current regulations are similar to those in place at every municipality in Kansas similar in size and larger than El Dorado. The proposed amendments to the ordinance are:

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Augusta Council is challenged with airport expansion

Planning expansion at the Augusta Municipal Airport has been a challenge for the City Council for a number of years. It hasn’t been easy to shift the community mindset from our local airport being simply an out-of-the-way facility for fair-weather pilots to the idea that it can be an economic driver that can benefit the entire region and stimulate rural development.
Another step in accommodating future growth and development of the runway at the airport was on Monday night’s agenda for the council and drew considerable discussion.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Overland Park advances measure to provide more robust live-streaming coverage of city meetings

Overland Park is moving toward a comprehensive new agenda and video system that will make it easier for people to watch city meetings remotely while keeping track of the accompanying agenda items.

A council committee gave the go-ahead Wednesday to a service offered by Dallas-based Swagit Productions and iCompass Technologies of New York, that will link meeting agendas to video and store archives. If the full city council approves, the system will begin to be implemented this summer. It is similar to one used by the county commission that is offered through a different company. The video recording integrates a new agenda format as well. That became necessary because the Novus agenda system the council currently uses is going to be retired in 2020.

The new system would cost about $45,000 to initiate, followed by $40,000 a year. Annual cost would jump to $70,000 if closed captioning is included. With council approval, the city staff would begin negotiations for the exact costs.

Garden City City Clerk honored with statewide award

Garden City’s City Clerk Celyn Hurtado recently received the 2019 Mildred Vance City Clerk/Finance Officer of the Year award for the State of Kansas during the Kansas City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Association (CCMFOA) conference held in Manhattan from March 13-15.

The Mildred Vance Clerk/Finance Officer of the Year award is presented each year to a City Clerk or Finance Officer who has made significant contributions to the State Association, the profession, and their city.

“Celyn delivers excellent customer service to our constituents and to our City Commissioners every day,” said City Manager Matt Allen. “This is the core value of our organization, and she models the behavior for the rest of us.”

Hurtado began her career in 2000 in municipal government by holding positions in Human Resources and the City Manager’s office before being named City Clerk in 2012.

(Read more: Greater Garden City » Feed)

2 more Kansas counties added to disaster declaration

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management says it has been notified that two more counties have been added to a federal disaster declaration for Kansas.

The agency says in a news release that the new counties added to the Feb. 25 declaration are Barber and Ottawa.

Counties named in the original declaration are Anderson, Barton, Cowley, Doniphan, Greenwood, Harvey, Kingman, Neosho, Pratt, Reno, Rice and Sumner counties.

These counties are eligible to apply for public assistance to pay for the restoration of public infrastructure and associated costs caused by severe storms, winds and flooding caused during the period of Oct. 4-15.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Ellis to welcome visitors with new street banners

New community banners will soon be adorning the light poles along 10th Street and Washington Street in Ellis.

Glen Keller, Tourism Committee and Ellis PRIDE Committee member, presented proposals during Monday’s city council meeting to replace the existing banners which have deteriorated.

“Welcome” and “Come Back Soon” banners will be placed on Washington while Ellis “Railer” banners will be on 10th.

The council unanimously voted to purchase 77 banners from Rupp Arts and Signs for $4,700.32 to be paid from the Tourism Fund.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Lenexa to start bike share program with local nonprofit Bike Share KC

Lenexa is starting a bike share program with local nonprofit Bike Share KC.

The project includes the purchase of 25 smart bikes equipped to be rented as well as installation of parking racks for the bicycles at Mill Creek Park, Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, Old Town Lenexa, the Civic Campus and Black Hoof Park, according to a city memo.

Bike Share KC will manage and operate the bike share program.

The council on Tuesday voted 7-0 to accept reimbursement through the Kansas Department of Transportation for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding for the bike share program. Councilmember Steve Lemons was absent. There was no public comment or discussion among the council, as the item was on the council’s consent agenda.
The total project cost is $75,000.

Commissioners re-establish public comment policy

Leavenworth County commissioners are re-establishing guidelines for making public comments during their meetings.

Commissioner Vicky Kaaz said Wednesday that commissioners were reimplementing a policy regarding the public comment period of their meetings.

“I apologize that it was not adhered to in the past,” she said.

Kaaz’s comments came a week after Tamara Copeland, former human resources director for the county, addressed the commission.

During her March 13 remarks, Copeland argued the county clerk and county treasurer are overpaid and the register of deeds is underpaid.

At one point, Commission Chairman Doug Smith said he was cutting off Copeland because she had talked for about 15 minutes. But Copeland was allowed to continue. Copeland was followed by former Commissioner Bob Holland, who accused the county clerk of not paying taxes.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Kaaz said the policy will help to respect the time of people who come to commission meetings for matters that are on the agenda.

She read the guidelines for public comment, which include limiting remarks to agenda items only and exchanging comments “in a respectful and positive way.”

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

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.