Kansas Municipal News
Financial analysis of fiber models presented to Spring Hill’s Broadband Task Force
The Broadband Task Force delved further into researching potential fiber options in Spring Hill last week.
CTC Technology and Energy — a consultant hired to conduct a fiber feasibility study of a potential fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network — met with the Task Force via conference call Dec. 12 at the Community Center to present the financial analysis of several FTTP models. A feasibility study seeks to accomplish two goals: Is the idea possible, and should you move forward with it?
(Read more: City of Spring Hill news)
New details revealed on Hillsboro Community Hospital’s plight
A new document filed in the lawsuit between the Bank of Hays and Hillsboro Community Hospital
revealed that there are even bigger financials issues facing the hospital than just utility bills, making
payroll and paying back a bank loan.The document lists a number of concerns, including the hospital lab being closed last month due to lack
of supplies, ambulances being diverted from the hospital to other hospitals, employees losing benefits,
missing financial records and more.This morning, the Bank of Hays filed a report in the Marion County District Court from the new
management at the Hillsboro Community Hospital. This document is the latest in regard to the petition
for foreclosure filed by the Bank of Hays on Jan. 8.
(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)
Winfield sells part of electric facilities
Winfield city commissioners have agreed to sell a 65-percent interest in the city’s electric transmission facilities to GridLiance High Plains, LLC, as part of a partnership that would lead to increased revenue for the city and assistance with electric transmission projects.
The decision was approved in a 3-0 vote at Tuesday’s commission meeting.
The city will receive $1.1 million for the sale, according to Winfield utilities director Gus Collins. The city will also receive regular community contribution payments and the ability to participate in future transmission projects. The city will continue to be responsible for operations and maintenance of the transmission system.
Collins said the transition will be seamless, and Winfield electric customers will not notice any difference in service or rates.
“We think this will be a great opportunity for the community for the next 20 years,” Collins said.
GridLiance and the City of Winfield are planning to release more details on the sale in the near future, Collins said.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Carbondale earns $600,000 federal grant to assist library construction
Carbondale will receive $600,000 in community development block grant funds for constructing a public library. The city will contribute $901,754 in matching funds to obtain the grant. Through the Community Development Block Grant program, 12 Kansas communities will share a total of $6,806,637 in federal grants for water and sewer projects, two Kansas communities will share $600,000 for housing rehabilitation and nine communities will share $3,612,828 for community facility projects. Other communities receiving grants of varying amounts included Assaria, Beloit, Bird City, Brewster, Caney, Chanute, Downs, Frankfort, Girard, Greenleaf, Gridley, Junction City, McPherson, Neodesha, Oberlin, Phillipsburg, Russell, Strong City, Tipton, Troy, Turon, and Washington.
Pratt volunteer fire department excited about new fire truck
The Pratt Volunteer Fire Department is getting a new (to them) ladder truck, approved unanimously by Pratt City Commissioners at their regular Monday meeting.
Fire Chief David Kramer had been given the green light at the last commission meeting to proceed with checking out a 2002 American LaFrance ladder truck with four stabilizers that was being retired by the Creve Coeur Fire District, a suburb of St. Louis, MO, at an asking price of $75,000.
“We made an offer of $50,000, pending commission approval, and they were amenable to the offer because they needed the space for their brand new unit,” Kramer told commissioners.
Upon inspection, Kramer said, “We were thrilled! It was much better than we expected. It’s a million dollar rig, if it were new.“
(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)
Shawnee County Commission may create new sheriff’s office technology job
Shawnee County commissioners plan Monday to consider Sheriff Herman Jones’ request that they create a new unclassified job in his office for a business technology coordinator, who would be paid $34.32 per hour. Jones told county commissioners in a recent memorandum that human resources director Angela Lewis and information technology director Pat Oblander support his proposed creation of the business technology coordinator’s job in his office.
The person holding that job would “administer to our agency’s business and information technology needs,” the memo said.
“The creation of this position would enable the Coordinator to perform in-house system analysis, which is essential to our daily operations,” Jones wrote. “Enhancing inter/intra-agency business and IT capabilities for users would facilitate agency-wide professional development in this functional area of agency operations.”
Money from the sheriff’s office’s 2019 budget would be used this year to cover the position’s salary and benefits.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
With polling site added in Dodge City, ACLU files motion to dismiss voting access case
Plaintiffs in a voting access case filed a motion Friday to dismiss their lawsuit after Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox earlier this week announced the opening of two polling sites in Dodge City.
The federal lawsuit, brought in October, challenged Cox’s maintenance of a single voting location and her decision to move it outside city limits for the November midterm election. Dodge City is one of the state’s few majority-minority cities, with more than half of its population identifying as Hispanic.
The city has about 13,000 registered voters.
Cox on Tuesday said two polling sites would be established in Dodge City for future elections starting this year.
“Given defendant’s public announcement specifying the number and location of polling sites for the 2019 election, plaintiffs now move to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice,” the ACLU wrote in the motion filed Friday. A case that is dismissed without prejudice means it could be re-filed in the future.
(Read more: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS)
Hutchinson’s first police dog reports for duty
Hutchinson’s newest police officer was introduced to the public Thursday morning at the Reno County Courthouse.
While he didn’t have much to say, Tank, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd cross, did provide a few autographs – in the form of stamped paw prints – and demonstrated his skills.
Issued badge number 109, K-9 Officer Tank also already has his own Instagram page, @hpdk9tank.
Since the day he started as Hutchinson’s new police chief, said Chief Jeffery Hooper, he’s frequently heard concerns about Hutchinson’s drug problems. Having witnessed the impact of a K-9 program in Riley County, where they have two dogs, he planned to implement such a program here.
Because of the cost, however, he figured it would take at least a year to do. Then he was approached by Patrol Officer James “Jimmy” Sanders, who told him a lot of officers were interested in it and suggested the department start a program. He told the officer “go for it,” Hooper said.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Shawnee County Commission OKs alcohol at adult softball complexes
Shawnee County will allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at its four adult softball complexes, but only after the county commission approves a contract with a vendor.
Parks and recreation director John Knight says he intends for any such contracts to benefit taxpayers by arranging for the county to receive a percentage of the sales revenue.
Signs will be put up to identify the areas in those complexes where alcohol will and will not be allowed, Knight said Thursday to Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook.
Commissioners voted 3-0 that morning to approve a home rule resolution Cook sponsored opening the door for alcoholic beverages to be sold, served, possessed and consumed at any parks and recreation park, building or facility hosting an authorized special or regular event.
That includes the adult softball complexes the county maintains.
(Read more: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
EMS response down in Harvey County
Emergency medical services make up the front lines for Harvey County residents when they have a medical emergency. And according to Harvey County Emergency Communications, the number of total EMS responses has dropped for the third year in a row.
Response calls for EMS in the county totaled 4,170 for 2018, a four-percent decrease from 2018 and a nearly 10-percent decrease from 2016.
Hesston and Newton both saw decreases in service calls, according to numbers provided by the county. Calls to transfer patients, the most common EMS-related call into dispatch, dropped by nine percent to 708 for the year.
While overall calls decreased, some specific categories of calls increased for county-wide EMS services.
The county took 208 suicide attempt calls in 2018, 19 more than in 2017 and an increase of 83 from 2015. Calls to respond to people who were sick jumped from 415 to 515 over the year, and EMS responded to 37 more reports of seizures than the prior year.
In total, 911 calls decreased by 12 percent.
(Read more: Newton Now)
Design for Wichita’s new ball park raises questions about parking
The City of Wichita released images of the proposed design for the new minor league baseball stadium downtown on Wednesday. But they seemed to raise one main question from Wichitans.
Where’s the parking?
Mayor Jeff Longwell says there will be limited parking at the stadium, but most fans will have to park and walk see a game at the city’s new baseball stadium.
“There may be a river in your way. You may have to walk across a bridge, but the parking is actually closer than if you went to Arrowhead Stadium,” he said.
Longwell says there are already 5,000 spots within a ten-minute walk of the new stadium, and Vice Mayor Jeff Blubaugh says that extra walking will be good for business.
“Stop at a restaurant before or after the game and maybe do a little shopping along the way,” said Blubaugh.
Sarah Leslie, the owner of Leslie Coffee Company says foot traffic is good for her business.
“That would be great for us if people walked up and down Delano as they were heading to an event or another place,” she said.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Hillsboro hospital in receivership
Temporary administrators for Hillsboro Community Hospital are going through records and shaking their heads, Hillsboro city administrator Larry Paine said Tuesday.
A Friday court ruling put the hospital under management of Shawnee, Oklahoma-based Cohesive Healthcare Management + Consulting.
Geary County district judge Ryan Rosauer’s ruling came after an ex-parte hearing with lawyers for Bank of Hays and the City of Hillsboro. Both parties filed a joint motion late Thursday afternoon asking that Cohesive be appointed receiver.
Rosauer wrote in his order “this court specifically finds that immediate and irreparable harm is likely to result if a receiver is not appointed to operate and manage the Hillsboro Hospital in order to ensure that it remains open and retains as much of its value as possible.”
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)
Sweeping changes reviewed to clean up properties in Newton
ity engineer Suzanne Loomis and city manager Bob Myers rolled out a broad and ambitious city beautification plan that would do everything from raise utility rates to pay for free bulky item trash pickup, to establish a land bank for the city to manage nuisance properties it’s foreclosed on, after owners are unable to pay the city’s clean up fees.
“We wanted to see what your take was, before we spent so much time on those changes,” Loomis said to the Newton City Commission at its Jan 22 work session. The city had 1,077 property compliance issues in 2019, with 27 percent being nuisances, 24 percent being pruning, 19 percent being weeds and 10 percent being off-street parking, 10 percent inoperable vehicles and 10 percent in a miscellaneous category.
Loomis said the city could also organize various volunteer groups to help improve and work on run-down properties. Both Commissioners Barth Hague and Commissioner Glen Davis said they’d like to see the costs associated with all of the plans.
(Read more: Newton Now)
Researchers share process, goals of countywide law enforcement contact study
Douglas County’s pursuit of a study on law enforcement contact is unusual, a researcher told roughly 25 people who attended a presentation Thursday evening at Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Jack McDevitt, of Northeastern University, has conducted similar studies in cities in Vermont and Missouri, as well as in Seattle and Boston — where data was gathered on 2.4 million traffic stops. But most of those have come after a lawsuit or an allegation of police misconduct. That wasn’t so in Douglas County, he said.
“Agencies got together and said, ‘We want to know. We want to be proactive,’” McDevitt said. “‘If it’s happening, we want to know ahead of time and not be reactive to a suit.’”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Lawrence planning commission recommends approval of city’s first short-term rentals where owner lives off-site
Permits for the city’s first short-term rentals where the property owner lives elsewhere received their first approvals at City Hall on Wednesday.
At its regular meeting, the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission voted to recommend for approval the first nonowner-occupied short-term rentals under the city’s newly created licensing program. Commissioners considered four permit requests and recommended that all four be approved.
In September, the Lawrence City Commission voted to begin regulating Airbnb properties and other short-term rentals, including a process that would require a review from the Planning Commission and the City Commission before a property owner who resides elsewhere could operate such a business.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Attorney General Opinion No. 2019-1: County Commissioners—Powers of Board of Commissioners; Control of Expenditures
Synopsis: A district attorney is an elected official who is not subordinate to the board of county commissioners (BOCC). As the county’s chief prosecutor, the district attorney has several statutory and ethical obligations, including a duty to manage his or her workload so that each matter can be handled adequately. Although the BOCC has general authority over county expenditures, it has a statutory duty to provide reasonable sums necessary for the district attorney to meet his or her statutory duties of office. The Kansas Supreme Court has held that a BOCC must approve an elected official’s expenditure if the expense is necessary for the official to fulfill his or her statutory duties. The Court also held that mandamus is the appropriate remedy if the BOCC fails to approve the necessary expenditure. Therefore, if the BOCC refuses to appropriate funds that the district attorney believes in good faith are necessary to fulfill his or her statutory obligations, the district attorney’s remedy is to file a mandamus action against the BOCC.
Attorney General Opinion No. 2019-2: Restrictions on Carrying Concealed Handgun; Sign Requirements; Dormitory
Synopsis: A one-story dormitory-type structure having a series of living/sleeping units, each with a separate exterior door, is a “building” under K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 75-7c10. The Personal and Family Protection Act requires that signage for such a structure be posted near all exterior doors of the building. Therefore, signage would need to be placed near the exterior door of each living/sleeping unit.
Winfield sells part of electric facilities
Winfield city commissioners have agreed to sell a 65-percent interest in the city’s electric transmission facilities to GridLiance High Plains, LLC, as part of a partnership that would lead to increased revenue for the city and assistance with electric transmission projects.
The decision was approved in a 3-0 vote at Tuesday’s commission meeting.
The city will receive $1.1 million for the sale, according to Winfield utilities director Gus Collins. The city will also receive regular community contribution payments and the ability to participate in future transmission projects. The city will continue to be responsible for operations and maintenance of the transmission system.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Winfield grievance policy passes
Personnel policies, including a new grievance policy, were approved 3-0 by the Winfield City Commission at their Tuesday meeting.
The policies go into effect immediately, interim city manager Brenda Peters said Wednesday.
An earlier grievance policy was removed from the City of Winfield employee handbook last year, supposedly because it was rarely used. The policy removal caused issues after a police officer was fired last year. He wanted to appeal the firing to city officials, but was told no avenue existed to do so.
The new policy outlines successive steps city employees can take if they have a problem that needs to be resolved, including having the grievance heard before a panel of city employees, including one chosen by the employee filing the grievance.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Florence water rate decided by mayor’s vote
With the city council split, Florence’s discussion on 2019’s water and sewer rates Monday came down to the decision of mayor Bob Gayle.
He voted to keep water rates as they are, but he also expressed concern that the city’s water and sewer expenses will increase in the next few years due to aging equipment.
“I know the other side of this thing,” he said. “We have some pretty severe expenses coming up.”
Councilman Matt Williams was not heavily opposed to the decision, but he wanted to keep the door open to review the matter later in the year.
“Honestly, I’m not in favor or against it,” Williams said. “I think we need to take another look at it down the road.”
(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)
Enthusiast hopes to build Hillsboro disc golf course
A disc golf course could come to Hillsboro if its community foundation grants money to the man who wants to develop it.
Jerry Schwelling, who moved to Hillsboro with his wife in the fall, is an avid disc golf player who wants to bring the sport to his new community.
Schwelling requested the city allow the course, if he gets funding for it, to be built in the city park.
“I think if we get a good portion of the grant money I requested, we could put in nine holes,” Schwelling said.
Recreation director Doug Sisk also came to Tuesday’s council meeting in support of Schwelling’s request. Mayor Lou Thurston asked who would maintain the disc golf course, and Sisk said the area proposed for the course is already mowed, which is all the equipment needed.
Council members voted unanimously to permit the course to be constructed in City Park if funding is available for the project.
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)
City of Parsons reinstates pay raises after 10 years
Some city workers this year will receive pay raises that have been frozen for a decade.
City Manager Debbie Lamb said Tuesday during a city commission meeting that staff is working to give employees the step raises that they would have received if the increases weren’t partially frozen 10 years ago because of budget constraints. Newer workers can look forward to receiving step raises as they reach yearly milestones.
Since late 2008 city workers have received only two step raises, one after six months and the other after 12 months of being hired or promoted to a new position. They didn’t receive the other two step raises that previously were awarded to city workers after 24 months and 42 months on the job. All workers did receive cost-of-living wage increases but those have been sporadic.
Lamb said the step raises again will be awarded this year, with some restructuring. The raises now will be divided into 10 steps instead of five. This year, some workers’ wages will go up one or two steps. All city employees also will receive a 1 percent raise. Lamb said all of the raises can be given while staying within the budget city commissioners set for 2019.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
Is TIF Always Bad?
Tax increment financing (TIF) is a financing method used by local governments, often to redevelop blighted or disinvested areas where market-rate development is seen as unprofitable without assistance. A TIF agreement incentivizes a developer to work in a designated geographic area (TIF district) by subsidizing a portion of the development costs through the sale of bonds to investors, and then gradually paying them back out of increased property taxes over the next 20 or 30 years.
Any increased property taxes above the pre-development level are set aside in a TIF fund. That fund is reserved for gradually paying back the TIF investors. Once the investors are reimbursed, local governments can use the future property taxes for anything—road maintenance, schools, etc.
In the short-term, local governments often see TIF as a positive: the area wasn’t generating much property tax revenue beforehand—now, the TIF district is redeveloped and, eventually, they can use the increased property taxes however they’d like.
In the long-term, however, TIFs can create tax revenue issues for local governments. They could’ve used the property taxes over the past 20 or 30 years for city-wide projects. Instead, they may need to raise citizens’ taxes or take on additional debt to complete needed projects.
Does the TIF perform well, creating a flourishing area with tax-paying businesses and residents where one would not have otherwise existed? Or does it perform poorly, creating a huge loss of tax revenue?
(Read more: Strong Towns Blog)
Clearwater adding positions to keep EMS services in town
The City of Clearwater makes a decision about what to do with the city’s EMS Department after receiving a warning from the state about the number of volunteers.
The city says volunteers are hard to come by and it’s adding four paid positions to keep EMS services in the city and meet state regulations. City officials say although there’s an increased cost, this is a step in the right direction.
Marvin Schauf was Clearwater’s fire chief for 53 years. He retired in 2017, but his son and grandson are first responders in town. Schauf says volunteer departments are getting harder to manage as the state has added several regulations throughout the years.
“Nobody wants to do it anymore,” Schauf says. “All the training they have to go through, it just takes them away from their regular jobs. They get burnt out on it.”
(Read more: KWCH News)
With 40 percent of trash now recycled, Olathe refocuses its efforts
The city of Olathe says its residents diverted 40.03 percent of waste from landfills in 2018, well above the national average of 34 percent and the Kansas City area average of 36 percent. It’s slightly above the Johnson County average of 39 percent.
“Our residents continue to make a positive impact on the environment by participating in the Olathe recycling program,” Public Works Director Mary Jaeger said in a news release.. “This year, more than ever, we focused on educating residents to not just recycle, but to recycle clean.”
Olathe said it shifted its education focus last year in response to changes in recycling regulations. China, where most recycled materials are sent for repurposing, became stricter about the quality and cleanliness of the materials it would accept.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Groups ask Westar, KCP&L to lower rates, implore Legislature to order new study
Advocates intent on lowering electric utility rates in Kansas appealed Thursday to state legislators, asking for an independent study that delves into ways to lower rates.
Jim Zakoura, spokesman for the Kansas Industrial Consumers Group, which has been a leading voice in criticizing Kansas City Power & Light and Westar Energy for high rates, also challenged those two companies to show a good faith effort by immediately lowering rates by 10 percent. Zakoura’s request for a rate study that shows options the state can take to reduce electric rates was echoed by David Nickel, consumer counsel for CURB, or the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, which represents residential and small business customers in rate cases.
Nickel said CURB doesn’t see the need for a comprehensive rewrite of the way Kansas sets rates, but added that significant changes have occurred to cause rates to surge in the last decade, necessitating the need to look more closely at what can be done to lower those rates.
(Read more: State Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
City back on the hook for IRB payments on airport building
On Tuesday, city manager Bob Myers had some bad news for the city commission — a new company at the City/County Airport is struggling, and the city is back to paying bond payments on a building.
“Kansas Chemical Coatings is not currently able to meet its rental payment obligations under the lease, and the city is providing the funds necessary to ensure that the bond payment obligations on the building continue to be met,” Myers said.
KCC is the second company in the building that has struggled to make the rental payment. The building, constructed for ABI Chemicals in 2014, cost $5.24 million to build.
ABI opened the chemical coating plant at the Newton City/County Airport in 2014, and things have been difficult for the company, leading to the city of Newton to pay on debts associated with construction of the building.
The construction of the building was funded by Industrial Revenue Bonds. Industrial Revenue Bonds were established under state statute, K.S.A. 12-1740. While cities and counties issue the IRB, the bonds are financed by a trustee, typically a bank. The bonds for ABI Chemicals were issued to the Harvey County EDC and were the only IRBs guaranteed by the city in about 30 years. The result was a 20,000 square foot building.When the project launched, it was projected that about 12 people would work at the new facility within its first year, growing to an estimated 20 employees by the fifth year.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
Cargo container use debate continues in Miami county
Miami County officials are debating whether or not cargo containers should be allowed to be used as residential building material.
The topic was discussed by Miami County planning commissioners during their Jan. 8 meeting, and Planning Director Teresa Reeves gave a report on the meeting to Miami County commissioners Jan. 9.
The discussion was initially brought up by an individual who was interested in the possibility of using cargo containers as building components for the construction of a dwelling. Reeves said the planning commissioners are split on the topic, with the main opposition being the issue of aesthetics.
Cargo containers currently are allowed to be used for storage, but they must be screened, and there is a limit of three per property, Reeves said.
The county’s zoning regulations would need to be modified to allow the units to be used as residential structures.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
Louisburg offering grant money to residents to improve homes, businesses through FLIP (Facades of Louisburg Improvement Program)
Elisha and Jess Reed spent a few weekends last year sprucing up the front of their home on Third Street, behind City Hall in the downtown district.
The upgrades cost about $2,500, Elisha Reed said. The couple received $250 from the city of Louisburg that offset a portion of those renovation costs, according to city records.
The Reeds obtained the funds by participating in the city’s Facades of Louisburg Improvement Program . The program provides money to homeowners, renters or businesses that make improvements to the fronts of their homes or businesses, according to a city of Louisburg news release. FLIP is open to any resident in Louisburg whose home is valued under $175,000 or any commercial property inside the city limits.
Under the residential program, residents get a dollar-for-dollar match up to $500 for improvements that range from new doors and windows to exterior siding and painting, according to the release. Concrete work such as a new driveway, stoop or sidewalk or foundation repair is also eligible as is landscaping or lighting, according to the release.
The Louisburg City Council has extended FLIP into 2019. The residential program is open on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is depleted, according to the release. The council set aside $5,000 for the residential program.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
Crawford County hotels fill 100,000 rooms
History has been made for Crawford County in 2018, surpassing 100,000 rooms in local hotels in the course of one year.
According to the Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau this is the first time to ever reach that mark. The total demand for the year was 106,079 room nights.
Several factors over the years have led to the growth needed to surpass the milestone, Crawford County CVB Executive Director Devin Gorman said.
“Ten years ago, the county hadn’t even hit the 60,000 mark,” he said. “Since then, everyone has played a part. New hotels and new event centers have opened.“
Older hotels have been renovated and so have sporting facilities. Access has improved at the Mined Land Wildlife Areas and community festivals have continued to grow.
“Throughout the area, we have more events than ever taking place for both residents and visitors,” Gorman said.
The La Quinta Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites allowed for more rooms for larger-scale events, Gorman said.
Gorman also noted two large projects that have had a “tremendous impact”on tourism over the past few years: The Robert W. Plaster Center and Kansas Crossing Casino and the Hampton Inn & Suite.
(Read more: Community – Morning Sun)
After protest, Newton passes resolution of support for housing project
The Newton City Commission was asked to consider a resolution of support for a senior housing project — a project that the commission sent back to the planning and zoning group for further consideration when asked to rezone the property from single-family residential to multi-family residential earlier this month.
“Providing the resolution of support does not preclude the city commission from denying (that) rezoning application if they determine based upon the evidence and the recommendation of the planning commission that such a rezoning does not, in fact, sufficiently satisfy the criteria in which a determination can be made,” said Kelly McElroy, assistant city manager. “Denial of the rezoning application would mean a substitute site would need to be identified.”
The commission voted 5-0 for a resolution of support for a senior housing project. The resolution is needed by developers to apply for a tax credit/grant to assist with construction of the project.
“This is more of an agreement that we believe we need a project like this, and it does not have to happen there,” said Mayor Kathy Valentine.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
Paola City Council modifies driveway regulations
Residential driveways in Paola can now be a little bit wider thanks to action taken last week by the Paola City Council.
Council members addressed the ongoing issue during their Jan. 14 meeting, but the topic was first reviewed by city officials last summer when developer Craig Browning asked for a revision of the city’s land development ordinance to allow for wider residential access drives depending on garage size. City Manager Jay Wieland also previously has talked about homeowners who have directly asked the city for changes. He mentioned a previous request from a homeowner with a three-car garage who wanted a wider access drive to avoid issues with a vehicle on the paved wing having trouble backing out, especially if another car is parked on the driveway.
In another case, a homeowner wanted to build a driveway big enough to park six to eight vehicles for visiting family members and friends.
In October 2018, the Paola Planning Commission recommended approval of a text amendment that would have changed the criteria from a 10 feet minimum and 20 feet maximum at the right-of-way line to a minimum of 10 feet and a maximum of 32 feet or 35 percent of lot frontage, whichever is less at the right-of-way line.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
Eisenhower Airport focused on bringing more flights to Wichita
Making your way around the country from the “Air Capital” could become a lot easier.
I Fly Wichita is looking to bring more direct flights to Eisenhower Airport. It’s an effort to bring more people to the airport instead of driving elsewhere to fly to their destinations.
The airport says there is a demand for more non-stop flights while keeping prices affordable. The airport says it’s looking to expand flights to the east and west coast where flights to and from Eisenhower are most under-served.
(Read more: KWCH News)
City of Newton approves permit for Safehope
Plans for Safehope, a support network and emergency shelter for domestic violence victims located in Newton, to expand are able to move forward after a decision by the Newton City Commission Jan. 22.
The city commission voted to approve a resolution to allow a special use permit for Safehope Shelter. The expanded shelter will provide a total of 30 beds and accommodate larger families while a new outreach and advocacy center will mean an additional 2,400 square feet for staff and services.
“We knew that the shelter that we have right now, we were going to have to make some decisions on that. It’s a nice, small, clean house, but it’s not large enough and it’s not fitting the needs that we have right now,” said Safehope Executive Director Jan Jones. “Right now, our current shelter provides for 10 people. That’s it. When you divide that, we only have four bedrooms. It’ll go from a 10-pillow shelter to a 30-pillow shelter when we move into the new building here.”
When the facility runs out of room, those in need of a place to sleep are using air mattresses and finding an open spot on the floor.Safehope works with an average of 120 families at a time and as part of its police response advocacy — providing resources to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault — it responds to about seven calls per week.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
Riley County law board approves position to help sexual assault victims
The Riley County Law Board moved forward on accepting a grant funded position to create a Victim Assistance Coordinator who will work directly with sexual assault and intimate partner violence victims in Riley County. Police Capt. Tim Hegarty says the position will be renewed on an annual basis, thanks to a new state grant. The agreement includes a required in-kind match of 8.5 percent of that salary (about $13,000). Since it will take time to fill the position, RCPD would be responsible for roughly half of the in-kind match in 2019. New law board member Linda Morse calls it a good move for the department.
(Read more: 1350 KMAN)
Saline County approves Senior Services agreements
The Saline County Commission approved two agreements Tuesday morning to allow the Saline County Department of Senior Services to partner with other organizations serving local seniors.
An agreement with the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging will allow the agency to purchase meals for seniors at a subsidized rate, $3.50 for a meal at the Salina Senior Center and $3.75 for a meal delivered as part of the meals on wheels program. Seniors are asked to contribute toward the cost of the subsidized meals if they can afford to do so.
Meals at the Senior Center typically cost $4.75.
The commission also approved an agreement with Sunflower Adult Day Services to allow their participants to evacuate to the Salina Senior Center in the event of an emergency. Under the agreement, Sunflower staff will be responsible for the supervision, care, and transportation of all their participants while they are present at the Senior Center.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
First look: Wichita unveils drawings of downtown ballpark
Local leaders this week will begin showing off the design plans for Wichita’s new downtown baseball stadium, promising a game-changing venue that will serve both Triple-A baseball and the community for decades.
Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell, other local officials and representatives of the design-build team led by JE Dunn Construction Group Inc. provided the WBJ with an early look at the design.
It’s a design that will begin becoming a reality soon, as work on the $75 million project is expected to begin next month.
Longwell says the design will go before the Wichita City Council for final approval Feb. 12, with plans for a groundbreaking ceremony for the yet-to-be-named stadium the next day.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Prairie Village advances idea of regulating drone use in the city
The Prairie Village governing body will consider a city-level ordinance that would regulate drone usage in the city — but some city councilmembers are skeptical of the need for a new law.
On a 6-4 vote Tuesday, the council directed staff to bring a draft ordinance crafted in conjunction with city attorneys back to the governing body for a formal vote at a later date. At present, Mission Hills is the only northeast Johnson County city with an ordinance on the books restricting drone usage.
The question of whether and how to regulate drone usage in Prairie Village has been an active issue since a drone of unknown origin flew over the crowd at the 2017 Jazz Fest. That drone turned out to be piloted by a commercial operator, who was hired by a woman to hang a banner in hopes of finding a lost love connection.
But the incident spooked some at city hall, who worried about the threat drones could pose over crowds and to the individual privacy of residents.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
‘Border war’ in KC metro has raged for years. Missouri wants a truce. Does Kansas?
Missouri taxpayers spent around $151 million over the last decade luring companies from Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas a few miles across the state line to Jackson County.
And according to research by the Hall Family Foundation, Kansas reciprocated by spending $184 million enticing border-hopping companies to flee Jackson County for Johnson and Wyandotte.
It’s an economic border war that’s raged for years in the Kansas City metro. And to its critics, it’s long past time for a truce.
“We’re using [economic development incentives] to divide the pie,” said Bill Hall, president of the Hall Family Foundation and longtime Kansas City metro area civic leader, “not increase the pie.” According to the Hall Family Foundation research, the combined $335 million spent by Missouri and Kansas since 2010 resulted in a net of about 1,200 jobs to Kansas.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Roeland Park council updates ‘1% for the arts’ policy to allow installations throughout city, not just on commercial project sites
Commercial developers building in Roeland Park will now have the option to make a financial contribution for public art instead of incorporating art into their project. Roeland Park’s “1 percent for art” resolution requires business developers to spend 1% of total project costs on art, and previously these funds could only be used for art projects displayed on the development’s property. The resolution change was prompted by a request from Aldi to donate funds for art rather than incorporate an art piece into the $3.6 million teardown/rebuild plans for their store located at 4801 Roe Blvd.
Originally the city thought the donation would be around $60,000 but updated project costs from Aldi’s engineer place the donation closer to $36,000.
City staff recommended the resolution amendment, pointing out it would allow Roeland Park to decide where the art will be displayed and to potentially incorporate the donation in public improvement projects like the Roe 2020 initiative.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Douglas County commissioner: As in case of jail expansion, duty may not always align with public opinion
Douglas County Commissioner Nancy Thellman said one hard part of being an elected official is sometimes having to make decisions that don’t entirely align with public opinion. Expanding the local jail may be one of those decisions.
As the Journal-World reported earlier this week, some vocal opponents to previous jail expansion plans amounting to $44 million have not changed their minds about scaled-down plans, which preliminary estimates peg at $23 million. But county leaders and local law enforcement have been pushing for the move for several years now.
“I don’t know that there’s ever going to be reconciling those two stands,” Thellman said. “No question, this is a hard time to get public support for law enforcement projects, and especially anything related to incarceration.
“I understand the angst behind that. I really do,” she continued. “But I also understand that as county commissioners, in our job, our responsibility is to oversee public safety, public infrastructure, public dollars, and work with the facts — and the facts are that our jail is not adequate to meet the needs of the people inside it.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Winton Hinkle, prominent Kansas bond counsel, passed away recently
Winton Hinkle co-founded Wichita’s second-largest law firm, Hinkle Law LLC, and became what many considered to be the expert in municipal finance, bond law, and tax and securities codes. For 16 years, Winton served as Bond Counsel for the City of Wichita. Winton directly contributed to the growth and development of many important Wichita-area businesses, including Beech Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft Co., the Coleman Co., the Via Christi hospital system, Wesley Medical Center, and many, many others.
Couple seeks Douglas County’s approval for agritourism event venue; neighbors oppose what they call ‘party barn’
Plans for a wedding venue and agritourism site in rural Douglas County have drawn some concern from neighbors — namely, in regards to increased traffic and potential for issues involving gunfire.
Kyle and Codi Wentzel filed plans with the county to construct a barn-style event venue for weddings, corporate events, family reunions and the like. The couple would also live on-site.
The site, 1173 North 150 Road, is about 12.5 miles south of Kansas Highway 10’s interchange with Iowa Street, or just southwest of U.S. Highway 59 and North 300 Road, near Baldwin City. The venue would accommodate 150 people, and its use would be restricted to weekends.
However, a dozen neighbors signed a letter asking commissioners to decline the request and stating that to the surrounding community, the Wentzels are “simply venture capitalist(s) who are trying to put a ‘party barn’ in a bean field under the guise of the popular phrase, Ag tourism.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Lawsuit filed against city of Lawrence over Queens Road taxing districts
The debate about who should pay for the multimillion-dollar reconstruction of Queens Road is moving from City Hall to the courthouse.
A homeowner in the special taxing districts set up to pay for the project has filed a lawsuit against the city and is asking that the project be halted so that the case can be heard. The lawsuit, which was filed by Kurt Schaake in Douglas County District Court last week, claims the taxing districts, under which property owners near Queens Road would pay most of the cost of the improvements, are inequitable and not in line with state law.
Schaake’s attorney, Richard Hird, said that they have asked the court to issue an injunction to stop the city from proceeding with the taxing districts. Hird said they simply want to maintain the status quo until the case is heard.
“I think it’s important that we select the best and most equitable method of paying for improvements like Queens Road, and the purpose of this lawsuit is to make sure that we’re doing that,” Hird said.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Ford County clerk names polling locations
The end to the polling location fiasco may be nearing its end as Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox announced on Tuesday that two locations have been named for polling locations in Dodge City.
The Hoover Pavilion located at 108 4th Avenue and The Knights of Columbus Hall located at 800 W. Frontview Street will be the locations for the 2019 local elections.
“As previously announced, my office will now be maintaining at least two polling places for Dodge City voters in all elections (i.e., both national and local elections),” Cox said in a press release. “Beginning with this year’s local elections – the primary election on August 6, 2019 (if necessary), and the general election on November 5, 2019 – polling sites will be operated at the two locations.”
According to Cox, the polling places will be assigned to the number of precincts. Voters that vote on the election day will have to vote at the location of the precinct assigned to it. Cox also added that Dodge City Transit will be in place for election day.
“There will be temporary bus stops directly in front of these polling places on election day,” she said. “Routes will be temporarily modified that day and moreover, as usual, Dodge City Transit will provide free, door-to-door bus service to the polling places on election day.”
(Read more: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS)