Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Opportunity Zones

Few issues have captured the attention of city leaders like “opportunity zones.” But for many cities, towns and villages, there is more confusion than clarity. NLC is pursuing a new line of work to help cities understand and maximize the local impact of opportunity zones for all residents.

The opportunity zone program was created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to provide local and national investors with a tax incentive for investments in economically distressed areas of the country. More than 8,700 opportunity zones have been designated across all 50 states for the next 10 years.

(Read more: www.nlc.org/contents/rss-feed)

New Guidance on Dockless Scooters and Bikes

Across the country, local governments are increasingly engaging with micromobility devices, like dockless scooters and bikes. These dockless micromobility devices are similar to their docked counterparts with one exception – they can be parked anywhere. Users can unlock the devices using their smartphones and are typically available at $1 to start and an additional 15 cents per minute. These devices are increasing in popularity due to their low cost to operate and ease of use, and as such, are increasingly becoming an important element as a city’s last mile transportation provider.

While dockless micromobility offers cities the opportunity to decrease congestion and aid communities in meeting their greenhouse gas emissions goals, they also present a regulatory challenge because they often do not fit into existing regulations. For example, merely regulating “scooters” as opposed to dockless micromobility devices can hit hurdles, as many states provide a set definition for a “scooter”. There can often be unintended consequences of a limited scope, such as accidently regulating every kind of scooter, which can include toy scooters or scooters used for a disability.

Dockless micromobility presents new, unanticipated challenges.

(Read more: CitiesSpeak)

Wichita-area home sales figures take another dip

Area home sales took another plunge last month as an apparent decline in the market continues.

According to fresh numbers released this week by the South Central Kansas Multiple Listing Service, home sales in the five-county area (Butler, Sedgwick, Cowley, Sumner and Harvey) surrounding Wichita dropped nearly 12 percent — from 821 units to 774 units — in December when compared to the same month in 2017. Contracts for sale were down about 3 percent from December 2017 to December 2018, according to the report.

The MLS reported 2,205 active listings at the end of last month, which is a decrease from the 2,214 active listings on the market at the end of December 2017. At the current rate of sales, that means there’s about a 2.5-month supply of homes currently on the market.

A figure representing less than five months of supply is generally thought of as a seller’s market.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Pittsburg partners pleased with Kansas Crossing Casino profits despite lower-than-projected revenue

Pittsburg city officials and community leaders say they are happy with their partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino & Hotel, even though the casino fell short of its projected gaming revenue.

When the casino was recommended by the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board in 2015, Kansas Crossing’s projected total gross gaming revenue was $47.2 million annually.

However in 2018, the business made $34.3 million, according to officials with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, which is $12.9 million, or 27 percent short its original goal.

Crawford County, Cherokee County and the city of Pittsburg each receive 1 percent of the casino’s overall revenue as part of an agreement.

“I don’t care what projections they had when they were bidding against the other competitors because I’m pretty sure everyone had their pencils out and were dialing out the best number they could come up with,” Daron Hall, Pittsburg city manager, said last week. “For us, it’s the simple matter of seeing how they opened and then what they’re trending now. Their trending is up considerably from month to month, year to year.”

(Read more: www.joplinglobe.com)

Website struggles hinder Goessel and other Kansas municipalities

Maintaining an online presence is increasingly important, but trips to some of Marion County’s city websites show pages that are behind the times.
Goessel is among the municipalities feeling the struggle.
… gathering content and finding time to post updates can be time-consuming, city clerk Jennifer Whitehead said.
“It ends up being that I have like 10 minutes here, let’s go in and look at what I need to update,” she said. “I try to do it weekly but usually it doesn’t work out that way.”

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City support moves track project ahead for Pratt Community College

Pratt Community College has cleared another hurdle on the path to construction of a new track and soccer field facility just east of the Green Sports Complex.

The PCC Trustees got an update on the $3.5 million project during their regular monthly meeting Jan. 14 at the college.

The closing price on the value of the bonds will be Tuesday, Jan. 29 and once that has been set, bonds can be issued for the project, said PCC President Michael Calvert.

Construction on the facility is expected to start in March with a completion date sometime in October or November, depending on the weather, Calvert said.

On January 7 the city of Pratt approved the Bond Ordinance and Resolution that would allow them to sell industrial revenue bonds for the project. The college doesn’t have the authority to issue industrial revenue bonds so it is being done through the city.

Although the city is issuing the bonds, they have no financial obligation for the bonds, Calvert said. The college has secured $800,000 in grants and donations so it will take $2.7 million in bonds to cover the rest of the cost. The college will pay back all bond money.

Former Pratt County sheriff to lead cattle theft investigations in Kansas

Attorney General Derek Schmidt selected a former Pratt County sheriff to support local law enforcement investigations of cattle theft in Kansas.

Vernon Chin was hired as a special agent in the livestock and branding investigation unit created by the attorney general in 2014 in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

“Vernon has an incredible resume that spans more than two decades in Kansas law enforcement,” Schmidt said. “His knowledge and experience will be a strong addition to the attorney general’s office as we continue investigating and prosecuting cases of cattle theft across Kansas.”

After serving nine years as a patrol deputy in the Pratt County Sheriff’s Department, Chinn was elected sheriff in 2000. He led the department for more than 15 years. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served a combat tour in Vietnam.

Finney County commission declines tax credit proposal

The Finney County Commission declined a proposal to grant Garden City Industrial Park a $60,200 tax credit in exchange for an easement for a stretch of road in the 500 block of Farmland Road that locals frequently use to access an adjacent residential area.

With the easement, the Road and Bridge Department would be able to improve and maintain the road and allow for public access to the nearby properties, said County Engineer John Ellermann.

The commission didn’t vote on the proposal, but came to a consensus decision not to grant the tax credit.

Though the residential area does also have an exit to the north of the properties, Commissioner Dave Jones said the area, set apart from the main road, was at risk of being “landlocked,” or cut off from public access due to being surrounded by private property. If the industrial park chose to fence off the road, access to the area would be limited. An advantage to the proposal would be granting county authority over the road, allowing for improvements and unfettered access, he said.

Oswego OKs sales tax renewal

The Oswego City Council on Monday approved several ordinances, one of which extends the city’s one-cent sales tax after voters approved a question in November.

Oswego voters have to renew the sales tax every five years and the tax will sunset on June 30, 2020. Generally, the city of Oswego tries to get the question on a ballot before the sunset date, ideally two elections before the sunset date. Because there are no longer spring elections, the next election will be November 2019. That’s cutting renewal pretty close, so City Clerk Carol Eddington said she asked to place the question on the November 2018 ballot.

Oswego voters approved the sales tax renewal that will take place July 1, 2020.

The sales tax is divided up between city streets and parking lots (75 percent) and parks and recreation (25 percent).

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Governor’s new budget would leave transportation money alone

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is proposing more money for Kansas roads in the Kansas Department of Transportation.

It’s not a call for new money. It’s a proposal to add by not subtracting.

The budget proposal would stop up to $100 million being transferred out of KDOT each year. Under Governor Laura Kelly’s budget, KDOT would have more money stay in-house for projects state-wide. The proposal would stop all transfers out of KDOT by the year 2024.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Cherokee County Commission discusses forming fire districts in three townships

Cherokee County commissioners have drafted a proposal establishing three additional fire districts in the county in attempt to ensure sufficient funds are being paid for fire protection services.

The commissioners first read the resolution during their weekly meeting Monday, which would create three fire districts in the townships of Lowell, Shawnee and Spring Valley. The proposal calls for implementing a uniform 2.5-mill levy on property taxes in those three townships to be designated for fire protection.

Cory Moates, who serves as commission chairman and assistant fire chief at Baxter Springs, said a majority of the townships within the county are already paying at least 2.5 mills for fire protection. The resolution will grant the county permission to impose a 2.5-mill increase based on the township’s current mill levy for fire services.

“The goal is to have each township paying 2.5 mills for fire protection,” said Rodney D. Edmondson, county clerk. “So, as an example, if Township A currently levied 2 mills for fire protection, the citizens would only see an increase in taxes for an additional 0.5 mills.”

(Read more: www.joplinglobe.com)

Leavenworth County Commissioners discuss road pavement program

It would probably cost close to $120 million to pave all of the gravel roads in Leavenworth County, the county administrator said.

“We don’t have those kinds of funds,” County Administrator Mark Loughry said.

He said county officials will prioritize roads for paving based on traffic counts.

“We will try to pave as many roads as we can,” Loughry said.

But he said it is unlikely people who live on gravel roads with low traffic counts will have their roads paved anytime soon.

Loughry’s comments came Wednesday during a work session of the Leavenworth County Commission.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Hutchinson officer uses traumatic experience to peer mentor officers

Law enforcement risk their lives daily, answering the call when the unexpected happens.

Hutchinson police officer, Josh Long says trauma is just part of his job, and it doesn’t discriminate.

“This job is stressful. Whether you’re a dispatcher or somebody else within the department, it’s stressful,” says Long.

Long says he was involved in two traumatic incidents while on duty in a span of just two months. That’s when he says he knew he needed help.

“Things weren’t right. I started to withdraw and started to not be myself and really looking for answers as to why that occurred,” says Long.

That’s when he pitched the idea for a peer mentoring program. A way for officers who are struggling to get help.

“We’re slowly starting to figure out in law enforcement that it is okay to talk to somebody and to admit that you’re struggling with an event,” says Long.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Report to Hays: ‘Retail is not going away’

“There’s a lot of potential here,” according to Clay Craft, portfolio director of Retail Strategies, Birmingham, Alabama.

That was the tag line on the final slide Craft presented to Hays city commissioners Thursday night in an update from the national firm hired in March 2018 to provide a retail recruitment and retention program for the city.

Craft said he likes to joke the company is the “Match.com of retail.”

“The pitch to locate in a town must be very specific to what that retailer is looking for,” he told the commission. Retail Strategies focuses on recruitment of national retailers which may also help draw smaller businesses to a town. The company is currently in contact with 9,703 retailers, according to Craft.

The 45-minute presentation about Hays was jam-packed with data, information, analytics, and the status of the town’s retail sector.

(Read more: Hays Post)

State of the city: leaders tout ‘big win’ for Hutchinson

One day after passing the title of mayor to David Inskeep, Jr., Steve Dechant spoke about Hutchinson’s challenges and triumphs in the State of the City address.

Dechant remains as a member of the Hutchinson City Council.

“You can see that I’m still hanging on by my fingernails,” Dechant joked before beginning his portion of the speech.

Hutchinson AMBUCS established the State of the City seven years ago, and in previous years the address had been handled solely by City Manager John Deardoff. However, this year Dechant and Deardoff split the speech into parts. Dechant covered the city’s human relations efforts and economic development, while Deardoff looked at city financials, public safety and a new approach to the convention center.

Along with explaining the recently approved part-time human relations officer position, Dechant said while there have been challenges, he believes the city’s model for economic development works.

“During the past year I can point to some very nice wins in this area,” he said.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Wichita Open tees up economic impact and civic pride

When the Wichita Open kicks off its 30th anniversary tournament in June, the roar of the crowd will celebrate more than just the play of some of the world’s best up-and-coming professional golfers.

It will also celebrate the longevity of one of the city’s premier sporting events, which, thanks to the outside-the-box thinking of its long-time director, has come to raise the profile of the Air Capital and contributes a growing local economic impact measured in the millions.

“It seems to be getting better every year,” says Roy Turner, entering his 20th year as the tournament’s director.

And as one of four original events of the PGA’s Web.com Tour still in operation, Turner says there is no greater sign of its impact than the fact that officials from other tournaments around the country are always keen to learn the secret of the success in Wichita.

“I love it,” Turner says. “I love sticking my chest out in the meetings and saying, ‘We’re from Wichita.’”

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Making history: Pretty Prairie water plant, sales tax vote in the works

Stakes are planted in the ground at the construction site for the long-desired reverse osmosis treatment plant in Pretty Prairie. The city was told about 30 years ago by environmental authorities that high nitrates in the drinking water were a concern.

The city also is making history with a special sales tax election scheduled for March 26. Pretty Prairie has no city sales tax. If the ballot passes, a one-percent retailers’ sales tax would start likely July 1 and would be in effect ten years. Revenues would be dedicated for streets and infrastructure under streets.

Yet another landmark day looms for the Reno County city of approximately 654 residents. Two prior attempts by the city to obtain a Community Development Block Grant to offset water project costs failed for largely technical reasons. A third application to help cover part of the expense of the new water tower is pending with the Kansas Department of Commerce. Letters announcing those awarded grants potentially could be dated and signed by Gov. Laura Kelly Friday. Applicants could receive the news by mail, probably early next week.

It’s exciting, said Pretty Prairie City Clerk Jenifer Albright, of the approaching breaking of ground on the construction project.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Gardner City Council increases chamber contract by $115,000

The Gardner City Council approved a $150,000 agreement with the Gardner-Edgerton chamber of commerce for business and tourism services during a council meeting Jan. 7.
The agreement, which will run through the year, is $115,000 more than the $35,000 the chamber received from the city last year.
According Mathew Wolff, finance director, the increased budget allocation will fund tourism services for the community.
He said the funding will in part be drawn from transient guest tax revenue the city will get once the Hampton Inn opens later in the year.
“The city shall pay the chamber the sum of $115,000 for tourism services payable by an invoice schedule to be developed in conjunction with city staff after the Hampton Inn opens,” he said.
Wolff said the money includes $15,000 for recreation event promotion that will be used in cooperation with the parks and recreation department and the city’s communications manager.
Jason Camis, chamber CEO, told the council that the chamber will form a new tourism promotion organization in conjunction with the economic development council.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Never too cold for Fire District #1

ohnson County #1 spent Jan. 14 training in snow and 30 degree temperatures. The day was spent deploying and advancing pre-connected hoselines. According to the district, the current weather was a perfect scenario for recruits to adapt and overcome obstacles including the cold snowy elements.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Mission agrees to repay plaintiffs in settlement of ‘driveway tax’ cases

Details on the settlements, and how much will be repaid, will be worked out over the next 30 days, said city administrator Laura Smith. But the city has unanimously agreed to authorize settlement agreements in two pending lawsuits, ultimately to repay TUF dollars to the Heartland Apartment Association and 10 individual plaintiffs in that case, as well as a class action case brought by Rex Danley. In general, the plaintiffs and the city have agreed to terms in both of the cases.

“The city has taken strong positions all along,” said Mission City Administrator Laura Smith. “We feel like we have strong defenses against repayment and that we aren’t obligated to repay that, but in looking at how it was impacting the council’s ability to look at future capital programming and expenditure of street dollars with the potential of that repayment and the cost of ongoing litigation.”

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Large donation to provide big improvements at Harvey County’s Camp Hawk, West Park

A $90,000 donation will build at least one cabin at Camp Hawk and greatly upgrade playground equipment at West Park.

The Harvey County Parks Department recently announced the donation from the R. Michael Rhoades Foundation, which aims to encourage the use of the outdoors by young people as well as the greater public.

“We were going to get these projects done regardless, but this will allow us to make them high quality,” Parks Director Kass Miller said. “I think we’re real real fortunate that they’ve decided to help Harvey County and park systems.”

For context, it would take around 0.3 mills of taxes to generate $90,000 for the parks system.

Miller said the county plans to install a 400- to 500-square-foot cabin at the park. As the county recently demolished the house that stood at the park, infrastructure for water and electric hookups already exist.

“It will be a real simple plug-in situation,” Miller said. “The Camp Hawk shelter is our most rented shelter. We do a lot of weddings out there. We saw that there is a need for wedding parties looking to rent. It’s also for people who want to stay out but not camp but get away from the house.”

He said while the county planned to build some sort of shelter out at the park, it can now upgrade the shelter’s furnishings and put siding on the structure to make it look like a log cabin.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Newton to take guess work out of incentives

In a work session, the city of Newton laid out priorities for the upcoming year and one of those included establishing criteria for economic incentives.

Hallelujah!

Criteria for economic incentives are relatively common when it comes to governments across the state. Sedgwick County has them. Wichita has them. Even Haven, with a population of 2,000 people, has them.

But currently, Newton lacks any such criteria. The criteria amounts to city staff telling the commission it’s a good idea to give a business incentives, or pay for public improvements, or provide tax abatements, etc.
The commission then decides if that’s a good idea or a bad idea. The commission and city staff have a chance this year to layout a plan that says, “This is what we think is good for Newton; this is the return it will have to bring on our investment and this is how much we have available to make it happen.” We applaud the idea of the city to establish criteria. We recommend that the city evaluates neighboring governments when formulating this plan. We also recommend that the city not settle for bending over backwards to bring in bottom feeders or risky ventures. Its criteria should include respectable returns on public investment, jobs that increase, not decrease average wages and companies whose presence in Newton will not diminish quality of life nor devalue the community.

(Read more: Newton Now)

North Newton to bid goodbye to ‘Radar Ray’

He was affectionately known as “Radar Ray,” serving as the Chief of Police in North Newton for 30 years. Ray Classen retired from that in 2013. His watch, however, came to a full end January 15 at Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita when he passed away.

“He was familiar with a majority of people in the community, and vice-versa,” said Ron Ratzlaff, city council member for North Newton. “He was appreciated and well liked by the community.”

Well-liked enough to have a college band named after him. At one time, a group of Bethel college students created a band called Radar Ray and the Sand Creek Busters.

When Classen came to North Newton in 1983, he was the only officer on the North Newton police force and was the first police chief for the city. He grew the department to include two more officers before he retired.

“He was iconic to North Newton and for 30 years he personified the police department,” said John Torline, city administrator for North Newton. ”… One thing I always appreciated is he was frugal and always managed city money wisely. He was mild-mannered. He did not go out to make a criminal out of anybody. He was a small town cop everybody knew and everybody talked to.”

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

Reno County OK’s contract for second mental health position at jail

The Reno County Commission Tuesday approved a new contract agreement with Horizons Mental Health Center to help to inmates with mental health issues as they’re released from jail – and for a period afterward – to ensure they’re accessing the services they need and not ending back up in jail. The contract with Horizons was tabled on Dec. 31 after Commissioner Bob Bush asked that the proposed agreement have an end date, rather than perpetual automatic renewal so that it could be renegotiated or discontinued.

The county will pay the Horizons “reintegration” employee $1,825.26 a month, with Horizons covering a matching share. The county’s funding will come from the sheriff’s budget, but be covered by a federal grant. The position was one of a few added when the county adopted its 2019 budget.

The county is also obligated to provide the employee office space and computer access.

The contract the commission approved is for one year, but with automatic renewal annually for two more years unless either party gives 60 days-notice of non-renewal.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Greensburg: Is the city still green and sustainable?

Looking ahead was the theme of a round table discussion with city council and department heads Monday Jan 14 at the Greensburg City Hall. The casual, open conversational meeting was set up to help determine future goals and for council members to express to city administrator Stacy Barnes what their desires for the city were moving ahead.
Barnes opened the discussion with a question about the city’s “Green and Sustainable” identity. Although is something that the city has been known for and received a lot of media attention and visitors about, Barnes said she feels like there is a disconnect between what the city is doing and what the actual people in the community feel.
Barnes asked for feedback from a personal perspective and from city council representation perspectives.
“I don’t know if we are that any more,” said city council member Hailey Kern. ” I don’t know if we have now what we had right after the tornado that made us green and sustainable.”

(Read more: Kiowa County Signal)

Manhattan commissioners agree with Aggieville TIF district boundaries, timeline

Manhattan Commissioners were unanimously supportive of a proposed tax increment finance — or TIF — district in Aggieville after a discussion during their Tuesday work session.

Establishing a TIF district would allow the city to capture growth in property valuation — and subsequently, property taxes — over a 20 year period within a set boundary for public redevelopment purposes. The city would use the money captured by the district — estimated between $9.6 million and $11.6 million — for public improvements around Aggieville. The total costs of possible improvements around Aggieville are estimated to run between $23.3 million and $30 million, with the parking garage alone expected to cost between $9.5 million and $12.6 million.

The city has employed TIF districts in the past, namely around the Manhattan Town Center and in the Downtown area. According to Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers, the Downtown TIF district has grown “significantly” — generating $1.6 million per year.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Survey seeks input on design of Lawrence’s first bike boulevards

The city of Lawrence is looking for residents’ input on the design of the city’s first bike boulevards, which will modify two city streets to make them user-friendly for cyclists and pedestrians.

The city has released a survey that asks residents to identify the top three features they would like on the two boulevards, which will be constructed on 13th Street and 21st Street. The survey is available until 5 p.m. on Feb. 1.

Designs for bike boulevards vary, but they typically use a variety of features — such as speed bumps, restricted entries and curb extensions — to lower the number and speed of cars and optimize the roadway for bicycle travel. More specifically, the survey asks residents to pick among seven potential features, including improvements to street crossings, addition of grassy medians and addition of devices to reduce vehicle traffic and speed.

Shawnee gets first public feedback on concepts for proposed community center

As Shawnee staff and city leaders move forward with plans to put a vote on a property tax increase to fund a potential community center before city residents later this year, designers this week are getting public input on concepts for the proposed project.

City staff led an open house last night to share initial design concepts based on feedback from residents over the past year. The council Feb. on 11 will consider a mail-in ballot question in the spring that would ask Shawnee voters if they would approve a mill levy increase to fund the new community center, which would be located on 26 acres east of West 61st Street and Woodland Drive.Last year, city staff collected feedback from residents through surveys, public meetings and also a “build-a-center” workshop to see what they would like to see in a community center. That feedback, combined with the makings of a master plan for operations, inspired the design concepts being showcased for residents this week, said Tonya Lecuru, deputy parks and recreation director.

Derby City Council makes its views known to state lawmakers

The 2019 Kansas Legislative session got underway this week and, with its start, the Derby City Council has voiced opinions as to what its members see as most important for the city.

They approved the suggested legislative positions presented by City Manager Kathy Sexton at their Jan. 8 meeting.

One of the city’s top priorities from the state, she said, along with the county’s, is a focus – and funding – on behavioral health.Sexton said she is “really proud of Sedgwick County” for putting the issue at the forefront.

That includes opening a new state mental health hospital in the Wichita area.

This issue is on the council’s priorities list and in the past year’s legislative agenda.

It’s an issue of growing concern and is affecting the city, especially the police, who have to deal with mental health issues along with law enforcement.

“The Derby Police Department routinely encounters people who are endangering themselves or the public and who are unable to get appropriate behavioral health treatment from Osawatomie State Hospital or ComCare due to limitations in their funding and services provided,” Sexton wrote in her report to the council.

Such individuals need medical attention, not “get entangled in a law enforcement and judicial system that is not equipped to help them.”

Wichita ‘claws back’ $100,000 in tax breaks from company that created too few jobs

Wichita is “clawing back” about a fifth of the tax breaks it gave a company that failed to create the jobs it promised.

Fiber Dynamics, a company founded by Darrin Teeter to commercialize technology developed at Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research in the early ‘90s, hasn’t had to pay city property taxes since 2008, an estimated value of more than $500,000.

Now, it has to pay $100,000 in back taxes because it didn’t create enough jobs, based on a new agreement with the city.

The city has twice given Fiber Dynamics a five-year tax abatement, dating back to 2008, with the understanding it would complete a $3.1 million expansion and add 79 jobs.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Alexa earning her keep at Douglas County Register of Deeds office

Alexa has extended her reach far beyond reordering laundry detergent and turning off that living room light someone always seems to forget. Now she’s doing a public service.

Kent Brown, Douglas County’s deputy register of deeds, has set up an Amazon Echo Show at the county office. The voice-recognition device can answer 50 questions about the office. That’s short of the 172 Brown was hoping to program, but for now it’s “a good compromise,” he said.

Sabetha City Commission discusses animal control with residents

Jonathon and Alexandra Kilhoffer were present at Sabetha’s City Council meeting Monday to express concerns regarding animal control within the city. J. Kilhoffer said he proposes that the city have more resources available for controlling loose animals.

J. Kilhoffer suggested possible solutions to the issue of dogs at large and wanted the city to commit to a timeline for pursuing these ideas and looking at costs. The suggestions included the following:

• Incentive program for city workers or police officers who pick up dogs at large. He suggested giving the citation fine to the individuals who pick up the dogs.

• Hire a full-time animal control officer.

• Purchase the proper dog-catching equipment so that picking up the dogs is easier.

Mayor Clark deferred to Police Chief Robert Wahwasuck regarding the process for issuance of citations for dogs at large.

Wahwasuck said the practice has been that when a dog call is received, city workers pick up the dogs during normal working hours and police officers are used at other times. “We literally come out and grab them,” Wahwasuck said.

If the dog can’t be caught, the police officers or city workers contact the dog’s owners.

Commissioners said that for the safety of the officers and city workers, proper equipment needs to be available to catch the dogs.

(Read more: Sabetha Herald)

Sports arenas proposed at Great Mall site and OP’s Bluhawk. Olathe seems to have edge

A plan to revitalize the demolished Great Mall site with a hockey arena, golf entertainment complex and apartments advanced Monday, appearing to give Olathe the edge over a rival concept proposed for Overland Park.

By a 5-0 vote, the Olathe Planning Commission endorsed a rezoning and preliminary development plan for the former Great Mall of the Great Plains site, at Interstate 35 and 151st Street. The City Council is expected to vote Feb. 5.

“I think the project is actually very exciting,” said planning commissioner Jeremy Fry. “I think it’s great for all things Olathe and in getting some life back in this section of the city.” The project is contingent on $69.5 million in Kansas state tax incentives, called STAR bonds, which help developers of major tourism projects pay for eligible development costs. The Olathe City Council has already approved the developer’s STAR bond application, but it still awaits a budget approval from the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Olathe is in something of a race with Overland Park, where a different developer, Price Brothers, has also proposed a hockey arena and other entertainment uses for the Bluhawk development, at the southwest corner of U.S. 69 Highway and 159th Street.

Price Brothers is seeking $63.2 million in STAR bond incentives for a 3,500-seat arena and multi-sport complex plus other retail, restaurant and hotel uses. Overland Park City Council members postponed a decision in December on that STAR bond application, saying they needed more information about how that development would be a major tourism destination. The Overland Park City Council could take the request up again Jan. 28.

Andover Fire Rescue hosting Active Shooter Response program

Nationwide and around the globe, communities are facing an increasing number of tragedies involving active shooter and/or hostile events. Andover Fire-Rescue is presenting An Introduction to PA3000: Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program, a standard that addresses all aspects of the process, from identifying hazards and assessing vulnerability to planning, resource management, incident management at a command level, competencies for first responders, and recovery.
The session will include two main parts. Part 1 will be the main presentation, which will provide an overview of the new NFPA 3000. Part 2 will be a discussion session for audience participants to allow representatives from the various groups in attendance to discuss the implementation of the new program.
The program will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, at Andover Central High School main auditorium, 603 E. Central Ave. in Andover.
Bob Sullivan, NFPA’s Southwest Regional Director, will provide information about the background development, and content of the new NFPA Standard. Following the presentation, audience members will have the opportunity to discuss the information in an open-forum environment, including any programs already in development in this region, as well as to explore the new standard and its implementation in Butler County.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Chanute commission talks fiber optic build-out and equipment

Chanute commissioners viewed equipment Monday evening that will connect a fiber optic network to home customers.

Rick Willis brought the equipment to Monday evening’s commission meeting for discussion about how the city could expand fiber optic service to homes in the community.

A fiber optic connection would link to a box on the outside of a house containing an Optical Network Terminal. Willis said the ONT would be like an electric meter, and would plug into a wireless router or switch inside the house, which would then link to a television, video game or other equipment.

The city would be responsible for service up to the ONT and would fix any problems going to it, and the homeowner would be responsible for any problems from the ONT into the house. The ONT itself would cost about $300.

Willis said maintenance may be by the city’s Information Technology Department or a separate fiber service department.

Two Chanute neighborhoods have requested connection to fiber optic service, and city officials are looking at expansion.

Commissioner Randy Galemore said the cost would be astronomical for a total build out. Officials are looking at a fee of $100 a month, and commissioners discussed how to go about building the connections to home customers.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

New Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson says council will face big decisions about trajectory of city in coming years

New Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson used his swearing-in ceremony on Monday to map out a set of guiding principles for governing of the city into its 70th year and beyond.

Mikkelson, who served a full term representing Ward 3 on the city council before rolling off early last year, said that matters of public safety, fiscal responsibility and infrastructure maintenance will continue to be the foundations on which good city government is built — and he credited outgoing Mayor Laura Wassmer with handing over the city in excellent shape on those counts.

But, he said, the city will face a number of tough questions in the coming years that will fundamentally shape how Prairie Village functions five, ten and 20 years down the road. “We have to collectively decide what Prairie Village character and charm means, whether it’s worth preserving, and, if so, how,” Mikkelson said. “Much change is coming either way, but what our city looks like, what it feels like to live here, who can afford to live here, the diversity of our residents and opportunities, the success and quality of our local businesses, the inter-city competition for Millennials buying the first house, they’re all in play over the next few years.”

North Wichita residents upset Westar still hasn’t provided compensation for power poles

Romeo Brewer and his neighbors hate seeing these new power poles in their north Wichita neighborhood; what they hate even more they say is that the electric company Westar isn’t holding good to its promise.

“What about the people? They don’t care about the people,” said Brewer.

In September Westar installed the poles, hoping to provide more durable and efficient power to the area.

Westar understands neighbors consider the new additions eyesores, so the company offered to pay homeowners to put the poles on their property.

“We don’t know what’s going on because there’s been no information provided,” said Robert Jones.

Jones says he hasn’t received a dime from Westar and neither have many of his neighbors.

State representative Gail Finney, said, “I think my blood pressure goes up every time I look at it because it is just terrible looking for a community, and I don’t really think they would’ve done that to a more affluent area in my opinion.”

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Topeka city officials hear concerns about proposed subdivision and stormwater issues

Neighbors suggested Tuesday evening that flooding will result if the city moves forward with proposed plans for the Sherwood Village subdivision at 2400 S.W. Indian Hills Road in unincorporated Shawnee County.

Residents of the nearby Sherwood Park subdivision addressed the city governing body as it discussed but took no action on a proposal it is expected to consider next month through which the city would annex the 33-lot Sherwood Village, which is to be constructed on property contiguous to the city’s boundary.

The annexation is being requested by the property’s owners, developers William L. and Joyce G. Rowland.

Nine people shared concerns regarding the project on Tuesday. One suggested Sherwood Park residents weren’t necessarily opposed to the development but had issues with matters that included traffic and potential flooding.

“Residents of Sherwood Park Subdivision have expressed concerns about stormwater drainage because of the proposed removal of an existing stormwater detention basin,” said a document in the meeting’s agenda packet. “The city of Topeka utilities and public works departments have reviewed the subdivision’s stormwater plans to ensure the stormwater system does not negatively impact nearby properties. The existing detention basin will be re-built further away from Sherwood Park Subdivision.”

New Classification for Fire Safety in Hutchinson goes to Class 1

Fire Chief Steven Beer announced during a news conference Tuesday that the fire rating classification for the city of Hutchinson is changing from a Class Three to a Class One and that Fire District 2 is going from a Class Six to a Class Four.

Classes are scored on a scale of one to 10, one being the best while 10 is the worst.

Currently, there are only six Class One cities in the state of Kansas and only 329 nationwide out of 47,500 fire departments.

He says with being a Class One city, it’s good news for homeowners and businesses when it comes to insurance. Beer states that the Insurance Service Office Public Protection Classification program provides important up-to-date information about municipal fire protection services in each community.

He says there are four things they look at when coming up with a communities classification – Emergency Communications, the Fire Department itself, the Water Supply and the Community Risk Reduction.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Proposed Costs For Flood Management Give Some In Wyandotte County Sticker Shock

At an open house in west Wyandotte County Tuesday night, residents and business owners voiced concerns about proposed changes to their monthly water and electric bills.

Currently, everyone pays $4.50 a month for stormwater management — meaning the sprawling Legends outlet mall pays the same as the owner of a one-bedroom home.

Officials at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, want to change that, making the monthly payment proportionate to the size of the land.

But resident Greg Lucke, who lives on about an acre near Little Turkey Creek, would see his monthly cost go up by 400 percent.

“I’m not sure an increase is out of line at all, but I’m not sure (they) got the math right,” he said. “If there’s any drainage that comes off our property, it drains into a stream, which drains into the Kaw River. We don’t have any issues.”

The Unified Government says the new plan is intended to bring in more money from properties with more flooding, which tends to happen near non-residential properties because developed land does not absorb water as easily as undeveloped land.

Kim Thrasher has a house on the northern edge of the county and 25 acres that she says are undeveloped. She would owe nearly $1,000 a year under the new plan.

(Read more: )

Hutchinson Police Department aims to be more community oriented

Patrolling the streets of Hutchinson and responding to calls is what officer Jake Graber has been doing for years.

And while he knows just about every street in the city, you’ll mainly find him patrolling the north east side.

This year, the Hutchinson Police Department is changing the way it operates by adding two new systems, one of them being the beat system.

“The beat system, specializes in assigning an officer to a specific area of town,” Graber said.

The systems goal: For officers to get to know the community better and learn the issues within their assigned neighborhoods.

“Yeah ideally, we can get to know the business owners, the schools and be on a first name basis with these folks,” he said. “It’s more personable. I’d rather be called Jake than Officer Graber.”

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Local residents worried about future of Hillsboro Community Hospital

Hillsboro Community Hospital has been slow to pay employees the past two pay cycles, and it has some in the community wondering if the hospital will stay open.

Workers tell KSN they’ve had late paychecks. They said the hospital owes property taxes from at least last year that are overdue.

A former board member said the company out of Kansas City, who owns the hospital, has had trouble payings bills.

“It’s sad. It’s scary,” said Tom Koslowsky, former Hillsboro Community Hospital board member.

Koslowsky was on the hospital board of directors when the nearly $10 million dollar facility first opened. KSN reached out to Mike Murtha, President of the National Alliance of Rural Hospitals, an advocacy group of which Hillsboro and parent company EmpowerHMS are members.

He said, “the hospital ownership group acknowledges that the recent challenges have been a hardship on the employees and the community, but they are confident that the hospital will continue to serve the community under their leadership; the end of the year is particularly hard on rural hospitals because they pay to deliver services for patients who can’t pay. They are awaiting reimbursements from the federal government to kick in in the coming weeks.”

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Hiawatha Community Hospital to meet with county and city officials on financial crisis

Hiawatha Community Hospital is scheduled to meet with city and county officials to discuss its state of financial urgency.

This is according to Jeff Shelton, CEO, who announced last week that the hospital needed to cut — or find additional revenue — to the tune of approximately $3 million in order to deter the financial crisis. Shelton announced last week cuts in employee fringe benefits that totaled around $1 million — and included a 2 percent pay cut for all employees, in addition to other compensation decreases by the providers — but said the hospital would need to find a way to make up another almost $2 million in 2019. /blockquote>

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

Planters at end of JoCo streets cause big stir: Are they hazards or safety features?

When a reckless driver last May crashed into a decorative planter at the end of a residential street in Mission, he did a lot more than dislodge some bricks into the roadway.

The errant motorist sparked an impassioned debate over how best to preserve quiet, safe streets and neighborhood tranquility not far from Shawnee Mission Parkway.

City officials say they can’t just fix the broken planter, which has been there for more than 25 years, because it doesn’t meet the latest national highway safety standards. The city has floated the idea of removing this planter and five others that currently create dead-end barriers for 61st Terrace, 62nd Street and 62nd Terrace off Hodges Drive.

But nearby residents are fiercely opposed and have turned out in force at town meetings and petitioned to try to save the planters. Residents say that, while the planters may not technically meet traffic standards, they help beautify the neighborhood and improve public safety by slowing drivers down and preventing cut-through traffic from Shawnee Mission Parkway.

“We like the friendly nature of these,” said Susie Genova, who has lived on Hodges Drive for more than 30 years and sees the planters as an effective traffic calming device. “You can walk your dog through, you can stroll your stroller through, but not cars.”

Genova said the city used to block the streets with guardrails but replaced those unsightly metal features with the six planters at the neighborhood’s request in the early 1990s.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)