Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Overland Park commission OKs design for Santa Fe Commons revamp despite concerns about loss of downtown history

Overland Park is moving ahead with plans to redevelop its downtown Santa Fe Commons Park to include more open play area, an outdoor work environment and a paper-airplane inspired performance stage, despite a last-minute protest from some residents.

The city planning commission voted unanimously on Monday to approve a park development plan that will also remove the gazebo and reduce the number of trees. When it’s finished, the park at 8045 Santa Fe Drive will be renamed Thompson Park, after Frank and Evangeline Thompson, who donated $1 million — or about a third of the cost — of redoing the park. Before retiring, Thompson was a long-time Metcalf Avenue car dealer. The loss of the gazebo and the renaming were two ideas most disliked by Overland Park resident Ralph Beck, who organized a protest against the plan before the commission. “Downtown Overland Park is the nearest thing we’ve got in the city of Overland Park that you could call a historic district. And it seems like our historic character down there is at risk of gradually being erased,” Beck said.

Salina officials to research expanding curbside recycling

The Salina City Commission directed staff Monday evening to research ways to expand curbside recycling. The commission issued the direction following an 87-minute winding discussion where two commissioners asked if the city of Salina should even be involved in the waste collection business.

City staff agreed to determine if any private companies would be interested in offering curbside recycling to a large number of customers at a reasonable price. Staff will also gauge if there is public interest in continuing the city’s curbside recycling program at an increased cost to recycling customers, in part by polling current subscription recycling customers.

Currently, 842 Salina customers pay $5.50 per month to participate in the city’s subscription curbside recycling program. Public Works director Jim Kowach said the city is losing curbside subscription customers every week because more people are deciding to take their recycling directly to the Salina Drive-thru Recycling Center (SDRC), which opened in July 2018.

Commissioner Mike Hoppock said he is a former subscription customer who has chosen to use the SDRC instead.

“I use it. It’s a wonderful facility,” he said. “The individuals that run that do a great job. I wait in line for a few minutes, even with two to three cars in front of me.”

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Shawnee will hold public election in May on property tax increase to fund proposed $38 million community center

The city of Shawnee is moving forward with a public vote on a property tax increase to fund a proposed community center.

After months of discussion, the council voted 7-1 on Monday to hold a mail-in ballot election this May on whether to increase property taxes to fund the project, which will have a maximum cost of $38 million. Councilmember Mike Kemmling cast the dissenting vote.

City finance staff estimated the community center would require a property tax increase of 2.919 mills. That would equate to an additional $7.36 per month for the owner of a home with an appraised value of $263,130, the average appraised value for a home in Shawnee. During discussion ahead of the vote, a majority of councilmembers said they thought it was important to give the public the opportunity to approve the city’s funding plan for the community center.

Ellis Co Clerk sets dates for two more voting machine demos

Ellis County residents can preview the next round of voting machines at demonstrations set for Feb. 19 and 21.

As with the first demo, the next two will be at 10 a.m. in the County Commission chambers downstairs in the Ellis County Administrative Center, 718 Main, said Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus, the county’s chief election officer.

Maskus announced the dates at the regular meeting Monday evening of the Ellis County Commission.

Voting machines from two other vendors will be demonstrated. At the first demo Feb. 5 about 30 people showed up to see voting machine equipment from Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software.

A new Kansas law this year means that Ellis County will need to replace its voting machines with an election process that allows a hand count of ballots, says Maskus.

The new law was passed in 2018 and it requires every county to do a post-election audit. The audit is a hand recount of paper ballots for at least one of the contested races on the ballot.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

County commissioners explain decision on new manager

As leaders committed to thoughtful public process, we also understand the Editorial Board’s position that a public search for the best person to lead a large public organization is usually preferred.

For this important decision, we believe it is our responsibility to consider some of the most unusual and difficult circumstances we’ve personally seen in an organization. This context is an important part of the discussion, so we appreciate the opportunity to directly provide information so the public can better understand what we’ve experienced and learned.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

City of Manhattan seeks designs for new flag

Manhattan area vexillologists have an opportunity to show off their skills in a new city contest announced Monday, Feb. 11.

Manhattan is seeking designs for a new flag and will accept submissions through Friday, March 29. Submissions will be reviewed and narrowed down to one or two options by the Arts and Humanities Advisory Board, with the winning design to be decided by a public vote sometime in May. The winner will also be recognized by Mayor Mike Dodson and receive a flag of their own.

Assistant City Manager Dennis Marstall says the city hopes the new flag will be a symbol that “reflects the community, helps to unite us, and instills a sense of pride.

“A great city flag is something citizens are proud to display and can rally behind,” Marstall says. “The possibilities are endless on where and how the flag may be displayed and utilized.”

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Lawrence City Commission to discuss how new affordable housing funds should be spent

With the city’s new affordable housing sales tax set to go into effect this spring, city leaders will soon discuss how those dollars can be used to help alleviate the affordable-housing shortage.

As part of its work session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will meet with members of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board. The city will soon have hundreds of thousands of dollars more in funding to address affordable housing, and the commission and the board will discuss goals and strategies for using the funding.

City of Topeka considers dropping employee residency requirement

Topeka’s governing body plans next week to discuss dropping the city’s requirement that its employees live in Shawnee County.

The move would improve the city’s ability to hire the best-qualified people, the city council’s economic and community development committee heard Jan. 16 from Police Chief Bill Cochran, Fire Chief Craig Duke and planning director Bill Fiander.

“We have lost people because they did not have that option,” Fiander said.

Council and committee members Karen Hiller, Jeff Coen and Tony Emerson voted 3-0 on Jan. 16 to recommend the proposal be approved by the city’s governing body, which consists of the nine council members and Mayor Michelle De La Isla.

No one spoke against the proposal that day, though Emerson acknowledged he’d felt some reservations about it. The city since the early 1980s has required all its employees to be “bona fide residents of Shawnee County,” though it allows for new hires to move into Shawnee County within six months of their hiring.

The city’s rules also require employees holding public safety jobs to — within six months after finishing their initial probationary periods — live no more than 30 minutes’ travel time from their assigned reporting station or office.

The economic and community development committee in recent months has discussed scrapping those requirements.

According to the proposal it put forth, “Best practices indicate that imposing a residency requirement can serve as a barrier in the application and hiring process, which could negatively affect the City’s ability to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce.”

Downtown KCK grocery store to be on city planning agenda tonight

A downtown Kansas City, Kansas, grocery store is on the agenda tonight of the Kansas City, Kansas, City Planning Commission. The item to come before the City Planning Commission tonight is conformation to the master plan for the downtown grocery store redevelopment district. The Unified Government staff has recommended approval of the item.

The grocery store would be located at 5th and Minnesota on the east side of a parking lot across from the Reardon Center, and it would be operated by the Merc, a Lawrence grocery. The Unified Government would build the store.

The downtown grocery redevelopment plan, contained in the agenda for the City Planning Commission meeting, says the 14,000-square-foot grocery store would have an anticipated cost of $6,697,946, and that project costs would be paid from incremental property tax revenues generated within project area 1, where the grocery store is located, and from other available UG funds.

(Read more: Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!)

Olathe animal control officer praised for saving small deer trapped in 12-foot drain

A deer’s rescue from a sewer drain is capturing hearts and earning praise for a metro animal control officer.

Olathe Animal Control helped save the doe, which they believe had been trapped for days.

Nadya Dibenedetto often walks her dogs along a grassy path in her Olathe neighborhood near 146th and Halsey. But Sunday, she and her husband’s dogs started acting strange.

“One of our dogs pulled her toward this manhole,” Igor Sorkin said.

The manhole’s cover was missing, and a little deer was trapped inside.

“She was all kinds of freaked out by the whole thing. She’s like, ‘This little baby deer is trapped and I can’t help it,'” Sorkin said.

They called animal control, and Officer James Brackett arrived.

“I wouldn’t have found it because it’s kind of just in a field north of a little lake out there,” said Brackett with Olathe Animal Control.

(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)

New ballpark’s basics headed for City Council vote

Before the ceremonial shovels can dig into the ceremonial dirt Wednesday at the site of Wichita’s next baseball stadium, the City Council has to approve some — but not all — of the ballpark’s design.

The Council on Tuesday is expected to approve $7.6 million to get the project going. In essence, the Council will be approving the location of home plate and giving the go-ahead for construction of stadium bones — site grading, utilities, infield walls, dugouts and dugout tunnels.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday.

There’s little time to waste, as Wichita’s unnamed Triple-A baseball team is expected to play its first Pacific Coast League games in April 2020. The team will play its final season as the New Orleans Baby Cakes in 2019.

Location of home plate is designed to be south and west of the old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium site.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Shawnee council to consider mail-in ballot election for voters to approve funding for proposed community center

The Shawnee council tonight will consider financing details and plans for a proposed community center. If approved by the council, the measure will go out to a mail-in ballot election in which Shawnee voters decide whether to finance a community center through a property tax increase.

The proposed community center would be located at Woodland Drive and 61st Street.

The project team, including Perkins+Will, Project Advocates and J.E. Dunn Construction as well as city staff, will present information on the proposed community center during tonight’s meeting, including facility amenities, construction costs, staffing and operational costs and estimated costs, including an ordinance and resolution for bond issuance and the mail-in election.

Shawnee County stays with lawn care firm despite suggestions service has gone to pot

Shawnee County is sticking with its courthouse lawn care provider, despite questions about whether its service has gone to pot.

County facilities manager Bill Kroll spoke critically Monday of the job done by Green Touch Lawn & Tree. Commissioner Kevin Cook recalled how an apparent marijuana plant was found growing last May on the courthouse grounds.

Still, Kroll asked Commissioners Cook, Bob Archer and Bill Riphahn at their morning meeting to extend the county’s contract with Green Touch to mow and control weeds at locations that include the courthouse at 200 S.E. 7th.

“Last year they didn’t do as good as we wanted them to do, but we’ve gotten on them about that and they’ve promised to do better this year,” he said.

Can Overland Park transcend ‘Johnson County beige’ image? Long-range plan holds hope

Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Johnson County’s Resurrection mega-church, would like nothing better than for his two grown daughters to live in Overland Park.

But he says 29-year-old Rebecca is intent on starting a small business in a hip Kansas City neighborhood, and Danielle, a 33-year-old public defender in Olathe, prefers her home in Lawrence to Overland Park.

“They both think diversity is really important,” Hamilton told the Overland Park City Council on Feb. 4. “They start talking about ‘Johnson County beige’ and that’s not just the color of our houses but it’s often the color of our skin and the way we do things. It’s all sort of the same, and they say, ‘Dad, we don’t want to live where it’s all the same.’^” Hamilton was part of the Forward OP steering committee than engaged more than 1,000 residents over the past 18 months to create the plan.

“We need to be forward-thinking, innovative and welcoming if we are going to be a great city in 2030, 2040 or 2050,” Greg Musil, steering committee co-chair and a former city councilman, said at the formal presentation Feb. 4.

Barton County saves money with bulk mailer for valuation notices

The Barton County Appraiser’s Office has to mail out certified valuation notices by March 1 to all taxpayers owning real estate. The Appraiser’s Office received a full response from companies across the country that handle bulk mailings. No business in Barton County handles such a task, so it forces the Appraiser’s Office to look elsewhere.

Barton County Appraiser Barb Esfeld says getting this job outsourced saves the department thousands of dollars. At an international conference, Esfeld found out about a company called The Master’s Touch. Master’s Touch is a large company that handles bulk mailing and is charging Barton County $6,500 for the mailing of certificates of valuation notices.

Esfeld says this price will save the county $1,300 from last year’s mailing. The only county in Kansas using Master’s Touch is Bourbon County, but Esfeld feels that will change soon.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Bringing a building ‘back to life’: After 10-year effort, newly rehabilitated Lawrence train station to be rededicated

For years, little attention was given to the blond brick building along the railroad tracks. Though it served as an active train station, the Santa Fe depot was poorly maintained, was often vandalized and was sometimes the site of illegal squatting and drinking.

Then, more than 10 years ago, a group of Lawrence residents started taking care of the station — hosting cleaning days, ensuring its doors were open and locked at the correct times, and sometimes having musicians play on the platform to greet passengers. But above all, the group, Depot Redux, was advocating that the City of Lawrence take ownership of the building so that needed repairs could be made.

Topeka may spend $2.35M more for Kansas River project where boaters drowned

Topeka’s city government suffered a setback last year when costs turned out to be far more than expected for a project to improve the safety of its Kansas River weir, where three people have drowned since 2007.

But the city council could put the project back on track if it approves $2.35 million as part of city manager Brent Trout’s proposed 2020-2029 Capital Improvement Plan.

“The CIP funds would allow the project to move forward,” said city utilities engineer Paul Bodner.

The project to improve safety at the weir is being considered at a time when local officials had been talking about turning the riverfront into a source of community pride.

The weir is north of the city’s water treatment plant at 3245 N.W. Waterworks Drive. Water flowing over the spillway at its south end creates an undertow, which can capsize kayaks and canoes.

Downtown Sculpture Walk seeking supporters

While marking its seventh year, downtown Hutchinson’s annual Sculpture Walk is also entering a new phase that will require direct public sponsorship if the program is to continue, according to a member of the group now managing the effort.

The program started in 2012 as an art loan program to add art downtown, which was undergoing streetscape and lighting improvements.

After viewing programs in other cities, the late Ron Kelley brought several Main Street merchants together to see if Hutchinson could support a similar program, and Sculpture Walk was born.

The program involves inviting artists from local and national locations to create sculptures which go on display across downtown for a year. At the end of the year, private buyers can buy the art.

When it first started, dollars from city streetscape projects and site donations from mostly Main Street merchants and service providers funded it. After Kelley died, Meryl Dye, then assistant city manager, played a major role in the continuation and success of the program.

With her retirement from the city, however, a sub-committee of the Hutchinson’s Public Art Design Council is now exploring ways to sustain the program, said Lovella Kelley, a member of that council.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Olathe’s Honeywell plant gains jobs from closures in Wichita, Washington state

The Honeywell Aerospace facility in Olathe is expected to gain what could be several hundred new employees over the next year to 18 months, the result of closures in Wichita and Washington state.

A Honeywell spokesman confirmed Friday that the company is centralizing its repair and overhaul operations and will move jobs from Wichita and Renton, Washington to Olathe. The Johnson County plant is just south of the intersection of Kansas Highways 7 and 10.

“We own the facility. It’s centrally located. It’s got the ability to handle the additional work,” Honeywell spokesman Scott Sayres told The Star.

Sayres declined to say how many jobs are involved, but Olathe Chamber of Commerce CEO Tim McKee said Friday it was his understanding that it’s “hundreds of jobs.”

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Baldwin City receives KDOT grant for sidewalk to west school campus

Thanks to a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation, Baldwin City school children will have a new safe route to the community’s west school campus.

Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said the city learned Jan. 30 that it will receive a $580,000 KDOT transportation alternative grant, which will provide 80 percent of the cost to install a six-foot wide sidewalk on the south side of Elm Street from Eighth Street to the existing walkway at the Midland Railway tracks.

Betting on downtown Hutchinson: Private investment in the last five years is on the rise

In 2018, construction for new homes in Hutchinson hit a half-century low, but private investment has taken a chance on downtown. That’s sparked a resurgence of business and development.

It could be just the right time.

More than $21 million in private investment has poured into the downtown over the last five years, 2013-2018, according to city data. During that time, private investment totaled $7.65 million.

The largest downtown project during that time was the 2013 Wiley Plaza, 100 N. Main. The $9.15 million project was an outlier in downtown investment, but the figures show an upward trend for downtown ever since.

“Since that point on we have been blessed with some pretty good-sized projects,” said interim Planning Director Jim Seitnater.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Johnson County expands public transit

Johnson County government is partnering with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) to launch a first in the nation Uber-like public transportation plan. The plan is aimed at increasing the use of public transit in the county.
Under the plan, whose pilot phase was launched Feb. 1, KCATA will provide up to three 12 passenger vans which can be summoned by commuters using a phone App.
The county has set aside $250,000 for the pilot program.
Jody Hanson, county director of information, said that the plan will initially cover the densely populated areas of Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee and Mission.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Reno County Commission to discuss Reno County Food Policy Council

The Reno County Commission appears to have a mostly routine agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

The highlight would have to be one study item where the commission will consider backing the food policy council in Reno County.

Previously, the city of South Hutchinson passed a resolution establishing the Reno County Food Policy Council, but has since dissolved its involvement. Now, the Reno County Commission will consider backing it.

The council addresses food disparities and food access issues in the county. Officials say the council is still active, but is not formally recognized by a governing body at this time.

They say food security is a necessity of life, recognized as a condition in which all county residents must be able to obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally-adequate diet through a sustainable food system.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Lyon County hears favorable report from health center

Things are looking up for the Flint Hills Community Health Center, according to a report given to the Lyon County Commission Thursday morning.

FHCHC CEO Renee Hively said the quarterly report — which focused on services and programs rendered between Oct. 1 — Dec. 31, 2018 — was overwhelmingly positive. She said she expected more upswings throughout the year.

“I’m very optimistic on what 2019 is going to bring to Flint Hills Community Health Center as a whole,” she said. “Overall, Flint Hills Community Health Center has done really well. We’re in that restructuring phase of our turnaround plan, which started back in July 2017. That is going really well.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Garden City reviews student input, hears from public on Big Pool

The City of Garden City’s Thursday night public information session about the Big Pool moved slowly, or at least at first.

The dozen residents present had countless questions, and the presentation’s opening was “very rough and very long,” said Assistant City Manager Jennifer Cunningham, who for weeks has spearheaded the city’s comprehensive community input process about the future of the Garden City landmark. But two hours later, after answered questions, righted misconceptions and candid conversation, the mood changed.

People were more open to compromise, to options and to what may come next.

“I really haven’t had anybody that has said ‘We can’t take out the Big Pool.’ When they listen and they really consider the options, and they really consider where we are, I haven’t really been met with anybody that said ‘No, let’s not do it,’” Cunningham said.

Faced with a nearly 100-year-old facility that loses more than 200,000 gallons of water a day when filled, attracts an average of 330 daily attendees and costs the city nearly $700,000 more than it brings in, the Garden City Commission approved a plan to ask residents via school visits, public sessions, surveys and more, what they want to do with the Big Pool or other public water recreation projects.

Trego Co. fire station burns down Friday

The Trego County Rural Fire Department lost a station in WaKeeny to fire on Friday.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the State Fire Marshall is investigating the blaze that also destroyed the gear of firefighters in Station No. 1 located on the west edge of WaKeeney, according to a press release from Trego County Emergency Management.

The fire was reported just after 2 p.m. Friday with a report flames were coming from the building. WaKeeney City Fire Department responded along with rural fire crews.

The rural department’s four vehicles were able to be moved the building. Crews were on the scene until 6 p.m.

The building is a total loss.

The rural fire company will still be able to respond to fires and wrecks, however, as Western Cooperative Electric offered the use of a building, according to the release.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

WATCH: Singing Kansas law enforcement officers take stage with Kelly Clarkson, sing ‘Stand By Me’

Two Kansas law enforcement officers hit the stage Thursday night to show off their pipes as part of musician Kelly Clarkson’s concert at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas Capitol Police Officers LaMont Jackson and Michael Pagel, who have become known on social media for their version of carpool karaoke, were invited by Clarkson and sang “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.

Clarkson chimed in as a backup singer for the song. The concert was part of her “A Minute and a Glass of Wine” tour.

Pagel posted a message about the performance on Twitter.

“It’s not a secret anymore,” Pagel wrote through the Kansas Capitol Police Twitter account. “Words can’t even explain how much fun Officer Jackson and I had last night at the @SprintCenter. #WOW. A big SHOUTOUT & THANK YOU to @kelly_clarkson for inviting us.”

KDOT awards $8.5 million in Transportation Alternatives projects

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has selected 23 projects for inclusion in its Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2020.

Eligible projects under this federal program include facilities for pedestrians and bicycles; scenic or historical highway programs; landscaping and scenic beautification; historic preservation of transportation facilities; conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails; control or removal of outdoor advertising; archaeological planning and research related to transportation; and the Safe Routes to School program.

KDOT received 46 applications from eligible project sponsors requesting nearly $36.9 million in federal funds. Cities and counties across the state submitted applications for the TA program, which were received during an open application period from June 14, 2018, to Sept. 10, 2018. “We were happy to see so many quality applications from across the state this year. This proves how popular the TA program is and how important these types of projects are to Kansas communities,” said Matt Messina, Coordinator of the Transportation Alternatives Program for KDOT. “The main goals of the TA program are to help provide communities with more transportation options and to preserve or improve what they already have, and that’s what these projects will do.”

(Read more: Western Kansas News)

Administrator’s contract is for one year; judge found multi-year contracts improperly binds future boards

A new contract for the Leavenworth County administrator is for a term of one year. But it will automatically renew each year unless county commissioners give a sixth-month advance notice.

…
In 2017, county commissioners filed a lawsuit to challenge the validity of several multi-year contracts that had been approved by a former commission. Under these contracts, the employees would have continued receiving their salaries after being terminated.

Last year, the County Commission reached settlements in the lawsuit with two former county employees.

In December, a judge ruled that the contract of a third former county employee was invalid.

Kansas Senior Judge Edward Bouker found that the contract of former Human Resources Director Tamara Copeland “was an attempt to improperly bind future boards in matters involving their own administration and responsibilities, thus violating public policy.”

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Ice storm wreaks havoc on Miami County

After a sleet and ice storm laid a white carpet across the region Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 6-7, J.R. McMahon said this winter has been unlike any other in his 35 years working for Miami County.

“In Miami County, this has never happened before as long as I’ve been around — we’ve been in a blizzard warning, we’ve been in a winter storm warning and now we’ve been in an ice storm warning,” said McMahon, director of the Road and Bridge Department. “That usually doesn’t happen in the same year, and this thing started in November. We had snow storms in early November.” McMahon said the department used six main trucks, three single-axle trucks and two four-by-four vehicles to carry out its work on county roads, laying down a mixture of sand and salt. “Usually it’s a combination of five parts sand to one part salt,” he said. “With sleet and ice, typically you can go to a seven-to-one ratio.”

In this area, most people don’t realize the mixture relies on traffic to be most effective, McMahon said.

“The salt will lay on there, and it takes that traffic to put it into what’s called brine,” McMahon said. “That’s why you see the main routes are the first cleared.”

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Park City to unveil new city flag

The City of Park City announced this week it will unveil a new city flag later this month.

Leaders said the flag will be a symbol of community pride, celebrating all Park City has accomplished and what it will become.

“Park City is a city of resilience,” said Mayor Ray Mann. “Over the past several decades, we’ve celebrated successes and worked together through challenges and adversity. Our hope is that the flag will continually remind us of our collective strength and encourage us toward greater unity.”

The flag design was the result of a collaboration between the city and Gardner Design, a branding and design firm. To gather inspiration for the design, the Gardner team conducted a series of community meetings to gain a true understanding of what makes Park City great.

Valley Center blocks wind turbines

The trucks will stop — for now.

The Valley Center City Council on Feb. 5 directed city staff to deny haulers permission to bring heavy wind turbine sections through the city for at least two weeks. Council members wanted to learn more about the effects the loads are having on city streets and the potential safety issues they create around the railroad tracks near Meridian and Ford (77th North).

“Our infrastructure is not set up for this type of load,” said Josh Golka with the city’s engineering firm, PEC.

Florence closer to signing water lease agreement

Florence city council members moved another step closer to resolution on the Crystal Springs lease agreement Monday.
Mayor Bob Gayle said the document is being reviewed for final details.
…
The council did not discuss the reason to pursue eminent domain several months ago. Local business owner Sarah Dawson asked whether it would be addressed at the special meeting.The special meeting will be exclusively for signing the lease agreement, but the council will set a future meeting to answer residents’, Gayle said.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Mayor launches program to offer free WiFi to Wichitans

Wichita is trying to narrow the digital divide between rich and poor neighborhoods by offering free Wi-Fi hotspots for check-out in two low-income neighborhoods.

More than 16 percent of Wichitans were below the Census Bureau’s poverty line in 2017, which for a family of four was $25,094. And more than one out of four homes are without internet, according to a study cited by Mayor Jeff Longwell at a news conference Thursday.

A hotspot is a pocket-sized mobile device that provides wireless internet access to Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as a laptop computer or a smartphone. They are typically password protected.

Anyone who is 18 or older and living in Wichita will be able to check out a hotspot with free unlimited internet use for two weeks at a time.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

City’s pilot project to put internet access in more homes

Wichita residents will be able to borrow internet hotspots for two weeks under a city pilot program partnering with T-Mobile.

Hotspots are available at the Atwater Neighborhood Resource Center, 2755 E. 19th Street, and Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center, 2820 S. Roosevelt. Borrowers must be 18, have identification and proof of address.

The T-Mobile devices are designed for better coverage within buildings and in rural areas, the city said in announcing the program.

About 26 percent of Wichita homes do not have internet access. The city said a study prior to the program’s introduction showed Atwater and Colvin were best-suited to house the projects since homes in their neighborhoods are often blocked by cost in adding internet access.

The hotspots will have filtering in line with the Child Internet Privacy Act, and be protected from fraud, phishing, malicious sites and spyware.

The pilot program, which is underwritten by T-Mobile, lasts eight weeks. After that, the city will use data from the program to decide if it will continue and attempt to find a funding mechanism.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Manhattan Public Works says infrastructure holding up well against Mother Nature

Despite frigid conditions this winter, the city of Manhattan has gotten by with minimal impacts to the city’s water system.

Water main breaks can be more common in the winter months in extreme cold, given the age of the infrastructure. Manhattan Assistant Public Works Director Randy DeWitt says fluctuating weather conditions can impact underground utilities. Other cities across the region, such as Topeka and Emporia have already battled multiple water main breaks this season. Thawing after a winter storm can also wreak havoc on city streets in the form of potholes like the one in the above photo from late November. Potholes can be reported to city officials via the Report It! smart phone app available for Android and iPhone.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Topeka City Council to hold special meeting to discuss capital improvements

Millions of dollars worth of City Hall improvements are among items to be discussed when the Topeka City Council holds a special meeting from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday regarding city manager Brent Trout’s proposed 2020-2029 Capital Improvement Plan.

No action is to be taken at the meeting, which is open to the public and will be held in the first-floor conference room at the city’s Holliday Building, 620 S.E. Madison. It will be broadcast live on the city’s Facebook page and on City4, its cable TV channel. Expenses in Trout’s proposed CIP total nearly $408.94 million over the first five years. No estimates are available for the following five. The governing body heard a presentation about the proposed CIP on Tuesday from Nick Hawkins, the city’s interim financial and administrative services director. The city this week posted the proposed CIP on its website.

Kansas law enforcement officers make case for ‘Brandon’s Law’

Master Deputy Brandon Collins was conducting a traffic stop Sept. 11, 2016, when a truck slammed into his Johnson County Sheriff’s Department patrol car and engulfed it in flames.

The tragic death of Collins was drawn into the conversation Wednesday at the Capitol during a House committee’s hearing on a bill elevating prison sentences for people convicted of causing injury to employees of a law enforcement, fire protection, public works or emergency management agency.

“I am as disgusted today as the day Brandon’s killer received such a light sentence,” said Sgt. Christopher Mills, of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department. “I could write many pages of my thoughts on this issue, but I think I can simply say, I feel it is time the state of Kansas better protects those who protect us.”

Under Senate Bill 45, the penalty for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery of a public safety sector employee would be a higher severity felony.

Butler County lawmaker: “Butler County taxpayers are subsidizing the education of Sedgwick County students”

State Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, is not happy with the mill levy imposed on Butler County property owners to support a community college that largely serves students who live outside the county.

This week, she introduced House Bill 2144 that would require greater public access to community college spending.

“Accountability and transparency remain cornerstone issues for me this legislative session,” Williams wrote in her “Capitol Highlights” on Tuesday, the day she introduced the “Community College Taxpayer Transparency” bill.

Leaders at Hutchinson Community College and other two-year institutions around Kansas say while they support transparency in spending, this bill goes too far. Butler Community College’s current 20.068 mill levy ranks lower than most levies supporting a community college.

In Seward County, the levy for Seward County Community College is 39.973 mills. Seward County Community College Trustee John Engel said he’s been on the college board six years and only one person over the years has come to the budget hearing. It was the college’s former financing officer who gave “support for what we were doing,” Engel said.

National Helium Corporation appealed its property valuation in Seward County and a settlement adversely affected taxing entities. “That cut 9 percent of our budget,” Engel said.

“We’re in southwest Kansas where there’s not a lot of industry to help support the mill levy countywide,” Engel said Thursday. “I wish we could lower it, but it is what it is.”

Thomas County property owners see a 45.123 mill levy for Colby Community College on their tax bills.

“I’ve been here for four years, and we have had zero protests,” said Colby Community College President Seth Carter. That’s not to say some residents aren’t concerned about taxes, he said. “We’ve absolutely had those conversations,” he said. Carter noted that the current rate is down. It was closer to 47 mills in fiscal year 2017.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Hiawatha Commission debates over hospital committee

Needing to make a formal appointment to the joint city-county committee working on funding the Hiawatha Hospital, much of Monday’s Hiawatha City Commission meeting was spent discussing the correct way for the commission to handle the meetings. Mayor Collins, who was eventually officially appointed to the committee, was adamant that the committee move quickly but carefully to find a suitable solution. Commissioner Becky Shamburg expressed her interest and desire to observe the meetings and said she believed it would be wise for all commissioners to attend to stay abreast of the situation. Appointing another commissioner was discussed, but it was decided that waiting until all commissioners were present would be more appropriate. Later in the meeting, Administrator Nichols addressed the first joint-commission meeting on hospital funding, and said that it was productive, but some questions remain about exactly how much is needed. Nichols said the group seemed to be leaning toward a sales tax-based solution, but as the county is involved, the recent events at Horton Community Hospital would need to be considered as they move forward.

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

Shawnee city leaders consider changes to unique loan program, will focus on reinvestment in downtown Shawnee

Shawnee is considering a series of changes to the unique Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development program that allows it to provide business loans to promote employment in the city.

The discretionary fund, which has been in place since 2012, is a city-led effort with the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce that focuses on job creation and retention in the city.

“It has also been useful in attracting new employers that have led to millions of dollars of investment and the creation of hundreds of jobs in the community,” city manager Nolan Sunderman wrote in a memo to the council. Shawnee Chamber of Commerce executive director Ann Smith-Tate reviewed a list of proposed revisions to the program at the council’s committee meeting Feb. 5. The recommended changes include supporting reinvestment in downtown Shawnee and the Nieman Road corridor, especially for restaurants and retail.

Another change would require the city council to approve more than $50,000 in assistance given to any participating business. SEED loans must also be capped at $250,000 based on the number of jobs and average annual salary up to a three-year period.

Baxter Springs city operations temporarily relocating because of mold

Baxter Springs City Hall is temporarily closing and its operations moving next week after mold was discovered in the building’s walls and ceilings.

“We had it recently tested, and the results weren’t very good,” Mayor Randall Trease said. “The recommendation was to evacuate the building and go from there.”

The City Hall operation, currently at 1145 Military Ave., will be closed on Monday and will transfer to the former Empire District Electric Co. building at 1011 Military Ave. City Hall services will be closed down next week. Officials said if they’re not moved in by Friday, Feb. 15, then late fees on water bills will be postponed.

“The mold is mainly in the council chambers and the bathroom area,” said Dawn Reeser, utility clerk. “We’re hoping we can get everything moved over and running by the 15th. We have to get our servers moved over and all of our documents.”

Trease said they’ve experienced issues with mold before in the building, which he believes was constructed in the 1970s.

(Read more: www.joplinglobe.com)

Sedgwick County Commission moves to hire familiar face as new manager without a search

Negotiations for the highest unelected position in Sedgwick County government will happen without a job search.

Commissioners say a search for a new county manager would be a waste of time and taxpayer money because they already have the best man for the job: Interim County Manager Tom Stolz.

Some commissioners suggested Stolz should have been chosen as county manager in 2015 over Michael Scholes, who was paid $205,427 to leave in December. Stolz is now in negotiations with the county to drop “interim” from his job title. A vote to approve the contract could come as soon as next week.

Stolz has been in public life for 37 years. He spent 31 of those years with the Wichita Police Department, rising to deputy chief. He has spent the past six years with the county, first as the director of the Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department and then as assistant county manager of Public Safety, Code Enforcement and Emergency Management before moving into the interim deputy county manager position in 2017.

“If you would have asked me three or four months ago if I wanted this job, I would have said, ‘No way,’” Stolz said. “But this county has a tremendous core of hardworking, loyal employees who I appreciate a great deal. I want to be a part of the solution to the recent damage to the county’s reputation.”

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

Moundridge USD 423 proposes smaller bond issue; uses area contractors

Ballots should appear in the mailboxes of Moundridge USD 423 voters this week.

Ballots must be back in the McPherson County Clerk’s office by noon Feb. 26, according to the McPherson County Clerk staff. Postage for the return mailing is included, so voters will not have to supply a stamp, staff said.

Moundridge USD voters rejected a $23.8 million bond issue in 2016 and a second one, smaller but also over $20 million, in 2017.

The new proposal costs less, uses area contractors, and addresses Greer gym – three issues USD 423 patrons said they wanted, according to school district officials.

School board member Dwight Goering said he’s “optimistic, but it still has to pass.”

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Water flow study approved for Ellis sewer system

The sewer system in Ellis has problems with inflow and infiltration and the city council has agreed to pay for a month-long flow monitor study to determine what’s wrong.

Alan Scheuerman, public works director, told council members Monday twice as much water is entering the sewer system than is produced, causing it to work over capacity and resulting in excess chemical cost.

Wilson & Company will conduct the flow study at a cost of $22,646 to determine the location of the infiltration.

(Read more: Hays Post)