Kansas Municipal News
Barton county commissioners pick up the difference for roof repairs at the Historical Society
Barton County Commissioners had plenty of questions but in the end voted 5-0 Monday to pay for the overage on a roofing project at the Barton County Historical Society.
In 2017, the board authorized paying Steel Builders Construction $12,800 for the roof ,but when the final bill came in to County Administrator Phil Hathcock, it was more than $2,700 what the county had originally agreed to pay. Commissioners including Jennifer Schartz stated that while they appreciate the efforts of the historical society, they wondered why it took so long to get the project completed.
(Read more: Great Bend Post)
Roeland Park approved shifting animal control service contract to city of Mission
Roeland Park will be shifting its animal control services contract from the Northeast Animal Control Commission (NEACC) to the City of Mission, councilmembers unanimously voted last week.
The contract change is expected to save Roeland Park about $22,400 per year. Mission will charge Roeland Park an annual base fee of $1,500 with an additional fee per call of $100.
The NEACC will dissolve by the end of 2018, following concerns that the commission’s costs were too high for participating communities. The NEACC was formed in 1983 by Fairway, Mission, Mission Woods, Roeland Park, Westwood and Westwood Hills.
In 2018 the six cities spent a total of $183,400 on the NEACC, which received an average of less than three calls per day for animal control services.
Mission’s fee was the highest at $77,150, followed by Roeland Park at $55,500 and Fairway $32,450. NEACC cost was figured on a per capita basis.
Over the last several years, NEACC members had expressed concerns with quality of service, according to a City of Mission memo.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Greenwood county commissioners move forward with redistricting process
At their regular meeting on Monday, commissioners approved a quote from R&S Digital Services, Inc., for population mapping of the county. In addition to studying the population, R&S will create three scenarios, which will separate Greenwood County in five equally-populated districts while keeping in mind “equal population, compactness, contiguity and maintenance of communities interest.” Based on the 2010 census, Greenwood County’s population is 6,161. Divided by five, each of the districts should represent approximately 1,232 people. Federal courts have viewed population deviations of 5% as the standard for redistricting. For Greenwood County, this would be approximately 62 people.
(Read more: Eureka Herald RSS)
Saline county awards contract to online job application service
The Saline County commission voted Tuesday morning to use CivicPlus HR to process the county’s online employment applications once the county’s current system, HRePartners, becomes unavailable in February 2020.
CivicPlus HR normally has a first year cost of $9,625, but the company is offering a 50 percent discount for the first year to local Kansas government customers that sign up for the service before the end of 2018.
Human Resources Director Marilyn Leamer said other Kansas cities and counties are already using CivicPlus HR and are pleased with the product.
“It’s the most affordable option for what we need,” she said.
The Commission voted to award a contract to CivicPlus HR, which will cost the county $4,812 for the first year once the discount is included.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Cold weather doesn’t stop Gardner from celebrating holidays with mayor’s tree lighting
Gardner residents didn’t let the bitter conditions get in the way of the 28th annual Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Hundreds of people packed Cornerstone Park to kick off the start of the holiday season in the town of more than 19,000. Temperatures were well below freezing when the mayor flipped the lights in the park.
Children from several of the schools sang Christmas carols and Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted the little ones, taking pictures with them in their workshop. There was also a light show in the sky featuring more than a dozen drones. The unique show was supposed to last about 10 minutes, but it was cut short because the drones batteries couldn’t handle the frigid temperatures.
(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)
Salina busy with snow removal; citizens should be, too
City crews have been working hard and around the clock doing snow removal. Don’t forget: Salina citizens also have a duty to remove snow and ice from public sidewalks. According to Section 35-252 of the City of Salina Code of Ordinances:
It is hereby made the duty of the owner, occupant, or person in charge of any lot or piece of land abutting on any sidewalk to remove all snow and ice fallen or accumulated upon the sidewalk within twelve (12) hours after such snow has fallen or ice has accumulated.
(Read more: The Salina Post)
County Commission reaction to the lack of merger for Geary Community Hospital and Salina Regional Health Center
There will be no merger between Geary Community Hospital in Junction City and Salina Regional Health Center. That information was announced by GCH officials last week. It leaves officials considering other future possible talks with other healthcare facilities. Geary Community Hospital, like many other healthcare facilities, has been dealing with financial challenges.
On Monday the chairman of the Geary County Commission, Charles Stimatze, commented on the subject. “Disappointing, disappointing, but have not gotten all the full details from Dr. Stratton ( GCH CEO Dr. Joe Stratton ). So we have got to get with him to see what the next steps will be, see what else is out there, see what we can do, see how we can keep the hospital and keep it here in Geary County. That’s what we all want.”
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Sedgwick County 911 to hire more call takers as call volume increases
A crash near Kellogg and Meridian sent five people, including four teenagers, to the hospital Monday afternoon.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says the car was reported stolen.
The driver ran a red light causing the crash.
This is just one of the thousands of phone calls 911 dispatchers take and relay to first responders.
This year the county is on pace of receiving 40,0000 more 911 calls than last year.
With that increase, they are looking to hire six new call takers over the next few weeks that will eventually become dispatchers.
“You always have to be prepared and do the best that you can and try to stay calm with callers,” said Rosemary Barnell, a lieutenant supervisor at the dispatch center.
She is looking forward to having more call takers starting in March.
“They’re our forefront and the dispatchers that are on the radio won’t have to multitask as much,” said Barnell.
“As our community grows, as we have more things that visitors are coming into Wichita to see and do, and we’re just becoming a more exciting community, a more vibrant community, all of that brings with it different challenges for public safety,” said Elora Forshee, director at Sedgwick County 911.
(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)
Douglas County Commission to consider contract for interim county administrator
The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will consider appointing Assistant County Administrator Sarah Plinsky as interim county administrator while commissioners conduct a search to replace retiring County Administrator Craig Weinaug.
With approval of the contract, Plinsky, who has served as assistant county administrator for eight years, will assume duties as county administrator on Dec. 15, the day after Weinaug retires. County Commissioner Chair Nancy Thellman said no decisions on a county administrator search would be made until Patrick Kelly replaced Commissioner Mike Gaughan on the County Commission on Jan. 2. Kelly, a Democrat, was elected Nov. 6 to the commission. Gaughan, also a Democrat, announced in June that he would not seek re-election.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Belleville’s 150th anniversary celebration is just over nine months away
The City of Belleville’s 150th anniversary celebration is just over nine months away. And PRIDE committee chairperson Deanna Morris says what seems like a long way away really isn’t. “We just had a meeting last week and realized there is so much to do and honestly so little time to do it in,” she told the Telescope. Morris and fellow PRIDE members Sheila White and Waylon Scheetz appeared before members of the Belleville city council on Monday to give an update on the project as it stands. Morris said the biggest thing the group needs right now is…help. “This is an event that celebrates Belleville and its history,” she said. “We would like to stress that more community involvement is going to be needed to pull this off, including help from other organizations.” So far Morris told council members the task of putting together a 150th has been daunting but in the end “it will be a great three days.”
Source: Belleville Telescope.
Tiny homes restricted to RV, mobile home parks in Junction City
Junction City residents wishing to live in tiny homes will be required to reside in recreational vehicle or mobile home parks.
Officials discussed bulk regulations in residential zoning districts during Tuesday night’s city commissioners meeting. Troy Livingston — the director of the city’s Planning and Zoning Department — said planning and zoning staff have discussed tiny homes frequently over the past year due to their growing popularity. The city’s current zoning regulations do not address those types of structures, but the state classifies them as RVs because they are on a chassis.
“The (vehicle identification number) even starts with an RV,” Livingston said.
Read more: Junction City Daily Union.
Mission proposes creating community improvement district to pay for caved-in parking lot repair
Mission city leaders are considering creating a community improvement district to repair a cave-in of the Roeland Court parking lot.
Community improvement districts (CIDs) in the Shawnee Mission area are normally used to create a sales tax for funding new development projects or rehabilitating old infrastructure. In this case, activating a CID would allow property owners living at Roeland Court to have a longer period of time, as much as 22 years, to repay repair costs to their parking lot.
The 7- to 8-foot-deep subsidence of the parking lot at Roeland Court, at West 60th Terrace and Roeland Drive, was likely caused by fill material underneath that contained a mixture of clay, asphalt fragments and wood pieces, and “was not placed with uniform compactions,” according to professional opinions from George Butler and Associates, and Terracon.
City staff learned of the damages in August 2017 and have been working with the Roeland Court Homes Association and engineers to resolve the matter. City administrator Laura Smith introduced the CID as a solution to the council Nov. 14.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Three car-tag offices will close and a new one will open in Sedgwick County
Two weeks from now, you’ll have a new place to get car tags, renewals and title work done.
The Sedgwick County Treasurer’s Office will shut down its three current satellite tag offices and move the staffs and equipment to a new and larger location in east Wichita.
The new tag office, at 5620 E. Kellogg, will open at noon on Dec. 10, County Treasurer Linda Kizzire said.
When that’s done, Wichita will have two large tag offices — the new office and the main office in a former Dillons store at Meridian and Douglas.
The stations to be closed are in Derby, the Brittany Center in northeast Wichita and the Chadsworth Center in northwest Wichita.
The closures will happen at 5 p.m. Dec. 7, the Friday before the new office opens. Employees and movers will work through the weekend to get the new office up and running on that Monday, Kizzire said.
Kizzire said she recognizes that some people will have a problem with the change, but the new office will be able to process the work faster, leading to overall shorter wait times.
“I’m not doing this to make everybody in Wichita upset,” she said. “I just think it will actually be better. It’s for efficiency and the well-being of our employees.”
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Funding OK’d to make water more palatable, clear way for swimming at Lake Shawnee Adventure Cove
The Shawnee County Commission approved a project budget totaling $386,250 Monday to make the water more palatable and clear the way for swimming at the Lake Shawnee Adventure Cove.
Commissioners Kevin Cook, Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer voted 3-0 to adopt that budget to use excess reserve money to cover costs to replace the recirculation pump that formerly created a continual movement of water in that cove.
Patrons cited a reduction in water quality as the main reason for no longer going to the Lake Shawnee Swim Beach formerly located at the Adventure Cove’s current site, parks and recreation director John Knight told commissioners.
He said that while patrons like the various recreation options the county began offering this year at the Adventure Cove, “they still want the swimming component.”
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Sumner County Commissioners table VNA zoning change request until April
The Sumner County Commissioners tabled a request by VNA Corporation to rezone a parcel of property west of the Ninnescah River from rural to heavy industrial until the April 8 meeting this morning at the Raymond Frye Complex.
The Commissioners also accepted the withdrawal of a conditional use permit by VNA.
The meeting lasted less than five minutes. A room was filled to capacity for this very short proceeding.
Previously, on Nov. 7, the Sumner County Planning Commission voted to deny both the zoning request and the Conditional Use permit. As far as zoning is concerned, the recommendation was sent to the commissioners which was originally to be voted on this morning.
VNA Corp., a company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. and is part of the Verbio corporation in Europe, is proposing to build a plant at 1080 N. Meridian, west of Belle Plaine, that converts wheat straw and other agricultural products into renewable natural gas to be injected into natural gas transmission systems and sold to Compressed Natural Gas filling stations.
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
Lenexa approves 1% community improvement district sales tax for City Center office, restaurant project
The Lenexa City Council unanimously approved a community improvement district (CID) for roughly 2.7 acres of City Center at the southwest corner of the future Scarborough Street and Renner Boulevard for a new, 20,000-square-foot mixed-used building, private streets, parking facilities and other related improvements.
The council approved the CID at its meeting last week and approved a development agreement with AC Lenexa City Center LLC after a required public hearing, at which no one spoke. AC Lenexa and CCL 2 LLC are the property’s owners, according to a memo to the council from Assistant City Attorney Sean McLaughlin. Copaken Brooks Commercial Real Estate is the project’s developer.
The CID will provide for a 1-percent sales tax within the district for 22 years, to start around July 2019. The tax is estimated to yield nearly $3.2 million to reimburse AC Lenexa City Center for eligible expenses for the building and related improvements.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Shawnee county hires nurse for program that aids low-income, first-time mothers
The Shawnee County Health Department announced Monday it had hired a registered nurse, Felicia Turk, for its Nurse-Family Partnership program, a national effort that provides assistance free of charge to low-income, first-time mothers who qualify. The program was created in 1977. It has the capacity to accommodate up to 92 young mothers in the Shawnee County community, the release said.
NFP helps the expectant mother both with prenatal care and becoming economically self-sufficient, Monday’s news release said.
“NFP helps women in poverty who are pregnant with their first child become the best moms they can be,” it said. “Each expectant woman connects with her own personal nurse who works alongside her throughout her pregnancy until her child’s second birthday to help her accomplish her goals and give her child a healthier start.”
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Barton County Attorney announces resignation, concern for county’s future
Amy Mellor has served as Barton County Attorney for just under two years, and nearly half of that time if not more has been experienced with a rocky relationship with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. For this reason and more, Mellor stated she plans to resign her position in December, 2018. Mellor was sworn into office on Jan. 9, 2017. In an uncontested race, she earned just under 97 percent of the vote at 9,294. She took over for Doug Matthews after Matthews served as County Attorney for 12 years. Matthews and his office was criticized for moving slowly or not at all on certain cases for prosecution.
Mellor spent time as an officer and detective with the Great Bend Police Department from 1983 to 1995 before deciding to go to law school at the age of 47. Before coming back to Great Bend to work in the County Attorney’s Office in 2010 as an assistant to Matthews, Mellor was an attorney with Wyandotte County and interned with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office while going through law school at Washburn University.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Two designs chosen as finalists in Augusta’s flag contest
Augusta residents have the opportunity to vote for their favorite design in the contest for the City of Augusta’s official flag.
The panel of judges for the contest have narrowed the field down to two outstanding designs.
The judges were impressed with the quality of the designs submitted, and the judging process was a difficult one.
All flags were judged based on the design and description and the designer’s identity was kept a secret. After much consideration, the judges selected two flag designs they felt captured the spirit of our city, its history, and its citizens.
You can vote for the winning flag design by going to the link: https://goo.gl/forms/ExKHD8GqUcet4Qdg1
The link will take you to the Google online voting form.
(Read more: News – Butler County Times Gazette)
With member heading to county commission, Roeland Park council discusses change to process for vacancies
Three Roeland Park councilmembers have proposed that the city consider shifting its approach for filling unplanned city council vacancies by an appointment process rather than holding a special election. The question was raised following Ward One councilmember Becky Fast’s county commission win and pending city council resignation.
Roeland Park’s current code requires the city to fill vacancies that occur more than 180 days prior to the next regular election through a special election process. The special election costs $3,000 and takes 90 days to set up. If Roeland Park were to follow this established process and Fast resigned before her commission term starts in mid-January the special election would provide her replacement by March 2019.
However, if the vacancy occurs less than 180 days prior to next election the position is filled through an appointment by the mayor “with the advice and consent” of the majority of remaining councilmembers.
The discussion point was brought up by councilmembers Jen Hill, Erin Thompson, and Michael Poppa. Poppa said the group was bringing up the item because “it’s relevant” and “not for any other reason.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Wichita takes the erotic out of an erotic sports bar; investigation found city’s nudity ordinance was violated
A south Wichita club that bills itself as an erotic sports bar will have to lose the erotic part if it wants to reopen, the City Council ruled Tuesday.
The council voted to deny an entertainment permit to Vixen’s Erotic Sports Bar at 212 E. Harry, meaning it could still operate as a bar, but without any live music, DJs or erotic dancing.
The decision came after an earlier hearing in which the police department said the bar owner, Jeran Trotter, had allowed illegal activity there.
The police had conducted an undercover investigation of the bar and found that on several occasions from April to August, female employees had exposed their breasts to customers for tips. That’s a violation of the city’s public nudity ordinance.
(Read more: Local News |)
Consultants recommend summer-only options for future of Roeland Park pool
The Roeland Park city council on Monday took up the future of the Roeland Park Aquatic Center as the Lenexa-based consulting firm Waters Edge Aquatic Design presented a comprehensive look at the pool’s current condition and options for keeping the pool open year round or during the summer season only.
The report’s final recommendations focused on options that would keep the pool open only during the summer. The report found that community feedback showed strong support for the Roeland Park Aquatic Center with location of the pool ranking the highest in satisfaction. Desired features included 25-meter swimming, zero-depth entry, and 50-meter swimming. The sand pit, kiddie pool, and vortex pool ranked lower in overall interest.
About a third of respondents only had a need for summer swimming while 41 percent responded they needed indoor and outdoor swimming options. Less than 10 percent indicated a need for year-round indoor swimming. The report found the group desiring indoor swimming was generally split into two different categories—those who wanted indoor swimming for competitive swimming purposes and those who use it more for general public and leisure users.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
#TopCity What?: Where does all of the money from the Kansas Lottery go?
Since the Kansas Lottery began in November 1987, it has provided about $1.8 billion to the state, including about $74.7 million in fiscal year 2018.
“In general, I’d say most of the money from the lottery goes to programs that create jobs or retain jobs here in the state, workforce training and that kind of thing,” said Sally Lunsford, director of public affairs for the Kansas Lottery.
Topeka resident Deb Manning asked #TopCity What?, which answers questions submitted by readers, where all of the money from the lottery goes.
“In the beginning it was a hard sell to the state on why do we need gambling,” said Manning, a local high school teacher, who would like to see more funding for K-12 education. “I may be wrong about that, but I thought that was one of the things they brought up as a possible beneficiary of the lottery was education, and somehow that got changed to economic development.”
Lunsford said that is a common misconception, and she attributed the confusion to the Missouri Lottery, which began in 1986 and benefits public education.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Building permit map lets people know where work is being done
On Sept. 7, the city of Topeka authorized the Hi-Crest Station postal facility at 2921 S.E. Adams to carry out erosion and sediment control work.
On Oct. 1, it issued a permit authorizing Briggs Subaru Car Wash at 3115 S. Kansas Ave. to construct a commercial building addition.
And on Oct. 15, it authorized a complete rebuild of the fire-damaged private home at 3136 S.W. Arrowhead.
Topeka’s city government is making all that information — and more — available on a building permit map its planning department recently began offering on its website letting the public know who has building permits issued by the city, and where.
“That’s a fantastic tool,” Councilman and Deputy Mayor Brendan Jensen said at the Topeka City Council’s Nov. 13 meeting. “I love that, because I get questions all the time about what’s going in here or there.”
City planning director Bill Fiander told council members during a slide presentation at that meeting that people often call his department to ask about construction activity at specific sites.
The planning department consequently teamed up with the city’s public works department to create an online tool showing each location for which the city has issued a building permit, Fiander said.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Topeka police chief says fence needed to protect non-public side of Law Enforcement Center
Readers posting comments expressed mostly criticism on The Topeka Capital-Journal Facebook page after news this past week that Topeka police were considering options for putting up a perimeter fence at the Law Enforcement Center, 320 S. Kansas Ave.
“Why do they feel the need for a fence?” wrote Virginia Williams. “If they’re scared there maybe they’re in the wrong line of work.” But Shawnee County Sheriff Herman Jones emphasized Saturday that plans call for the fenced LEC complex to remain open to the public, with people still being able to come and go freely to the sheriff’s office and police department headquarters there.
The fence’s presence would reduce risk for those agencies while enabling them to more effectively funnel visitors in and out of designated locations on the LEC property, at a time when law enforcement agencies need to be particularly careful about security, Jones said.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Art captures Greensburg’s heart
A southcentral Kansas town that was nearly wiped out by a massive tornado in May 2017 has added a new sculpture to a park that stands on the grounds of its leveled city hall.
The 5-foot-tall (1.5-meter-tall) spiral of stainless steel shaped around an elegant blue glass form is the third sculpture to be installed at Starlight Park in Greensburg, The Hutchinson News reports . Called “Aurora,” it’s a joint project of glassblower Rollin Karg and metal sculptor Jeff Garrelts. Karg described the hue of blue as “a show-stopper.”
Erica Goodman, who runs an antique store on Main Street, likes the latest addition to the park. “The spiral reminds me of a tornado and the glass is us rising out of that event,” Goodman said. On the 10th anniversary of the disaster, the town dedicated the first of three sculptures on the former city hall site. The first piece, called “The Beacon,” features etchings on its textured metal. A kinetic piece, called “Triple Eclipse,” was added next. It has three wheels with stained glass stars that reflect light as they spin.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
South Hutchinson names new fire chief
After working an office job for a couple of years, Shae Brooks knew she wanted to do something different.
“I saw an advertisement for the Hutchinson Fire Department in the paper, so I started looking at firefighting,” the Hutchinson native said.
Brooks joined the Fire Science program at Hutchinson Community College, where she also completed her emergency medical training.
“After I got my degree, I ended up working in the St. Joe emergency room for eight years as a medical technician,” she said. She also began teaching medical proficiency skills for HCC’s Fire Science program, which she’s done now for 13 years.
She never joined the Hutchinson Fire Department but began firefighting as a volunteer with Reno County Fire District 3. After three years there, she became an airport rescue firefighter in Wichita and also joined the South Hutchinson Fire Department part-time.
Brooks, 40, was named the chief of the South Hutchinson Fire Department on Nov. 5.
While the first female chief for the agency, Shae said it wasn’t something she gave much thought to. There’s currently another woman on the department, but she’s also becoming a police officer, Shae said.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Gardner creates a parklet
Gardner is one of 129 communities across the nation that was awarded grant funding as part of the AARP Community Challenge for “quick action” projects. This funding was used to help Gardner create a parklet, which is a sidewalk extension that repurposes vehicle space into space for people. The city will use this portable pop-up mini-park as a place for citizens to rest or socialize in the shade along the city’s sidewalk network within close proximity to City Hall, businesses, churches and schools. This accessible parklet will be the first step toward creating civic greens for flexible community activities in the heart of the city, as envisioned in the Gardner Main Street Corridor Plan.
(Read more: Gardner News)
Manager search continues in Winfield
“Community minded, organizationally focused and (an) engaging leader” are among the qualities sought for the next Winfield city manager, according to a job ad posted last week. Previous city manager searches called for candidates to have a master’s degree, but commissioners decided to open the search to people with a bachelor’s degree and extensive government experience in order to have a wider pool of candidates.
“(We) just felt that experience was a large factor, too. While we kind of expect most good candidates to have a degree, we didn’t want to exclude someone with quality experience,” Mayor Greg Thompson said via text message.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Lenexa council approves $1.8 million tax abatement for expanded UPS facility
United Parcel Service Inc. will receive a 10-year, 55-percent property tax abatement valued by the city of Lenexa at $1.8 million for the company’s $40 million expansion of its sorting facility at 14650 Santa Fe Trail Drive.
The Lenexa City Council unanimously approved the abatement, to go into effect Jan. 1, as part of its consent agenda at its meeting Tuesday. The council also authorized the city’s issuance of up to $40 million in industrial revenue bonds (IRBs), to close by Dec. 31, for UPS subsidiary BT Property LLC for the expansion.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
City asks Topeka residents to avoid putting leaves, twigs, limbs in street
Topeka’s city government asked in a news release this week that residents avoid putting leaves, twigs or limbs in the street.
While Topeka city ordinance enables the city government to take action against people who do that, the city would rather see residents comply voluntarily, said Jaci Vogel, the city’s deputy director of public works operations.
“It is a big job to maintain streets without piles of leaves being added to our workload,” she said in the release. “Help us help you and your neighborhood be clean and safe.”
Leaves falling from trees each autumn become a major source of litter, said the release issued Tuesday by Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator.
She said twigs and larger limbs can damage the equipment the city uses to sweep Topeka’s streets, while residents putting items in the street can force a two-sweeper crew to have to make five or six passes to finish sweeping an area it normally might complete in one or two passes.
“The fewer limbs and twigs in the street, the less chance of a breakdown, which would only slow the leaf removal process,” Hadfield added.
She said rain or melting snow can wash leaves into stormwater inlets, which can create clogs in storm drains and pollute the water supply.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Parsons to take lead in eco devo efforts
The city of Parsons will represent the Great Plains Industrial Park and Labette County in a collaborative economic development effort called Grow Labette County.
The Parsons City Commission approved an agreement with the county and Great Plains Development Authority on Monday evening. The commissioners’ approval is contingent upon the other entities signing the agreement with no major changes. It also hinges on Great Plains receiving federal funding.
Jim Zaleski, economic development director for the city, said Wednesday the Labette County Commission has approved the agreement as well as the Great Plains Development Authority board, but it hasn’t been signed yet.
Great Plains will pay the city $60,000 annually under the agreement while the county will chip in $20,000 each year. The joint effort will begin in January. Great Plains’ contribution would come from the federal Office of Economic Adjustment, which helps fund the industrial park after it was converted from the former Kansas Army Ammunition Plant. The OEA hasn’t approved the funding for the agreement yet.
Zaleski will direct the new marketing effort, with help and input from the Labette County Commission and the Great Plains board and employees. Each entity will appoint up to two members to an advisory board that will oversee the collaboration. The board will meet at least four times a year for two years and then as needed, but at least once yearly.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
City of Parsons to trade property with First Baptist on intersection improvement project
First Baptist Church will swap land with the city of Parsons to facilitate an upcoming intersection improvement project.
Parsons city commissioners approved an agreement with the church on Monday that will allow the city to take possession of the church’s property at the northwest corner of 16th and Main. The city will get enough land to widen the intersection to add turn lanes.
In return, the church will receive land at the southwest corner of 16th and Washington. The city bought that land from Thomas Sprague for $12,500 in May 2017 as a potential right of way for the intersection project. The city had to demolish an abandoned house there.
Darrell Moyer, director of engineering and public works, said the properties being exchanged are about equal in size.
In addition to adding up to four left-turn lanes, the intersection project will include the resurfacing of 16th Street (U.S. 59) from Main to north of Clark Avenue, larger storm inlets and pipes and new sidewalks. The Kansas Department of Transportation will pay for all construction costs through the city’s corridor access management plan.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
Park upgrades gain new life in Ark City
City commissioners took the next step toward major improvements of Wilson Park outlined in a master plan that has seen little momentum since last October.
The commission on Tuesday approved hiring LK Architecture of Wichita to perform design work for the next phase of that plan, which includes a splash-pad fountain, canopy for the farmers market, two new restrooms, and parking lot construction.
The architects will complete all of the architectural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and structural engineering for those improvements at a cost not to exceed $65,5000.
City Manager Nick Hernandez said on Tuesday during a commission meeting that the designs costs would be paid through the VJ Wilkins fund, an endowment that supports arts and culture for the community.
“City money will not be utilized for this portion of the project,” he said.
The city will apply for a grant from the state Land and Water Conservation fund to help offset costs for the splash pad.
After refurbishing the train engine fall of last year, this next phase would involve the southern half of the park.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Humble named new Pratt Police Chief
Roy Eckert, Pratt City Manager, said Thursday that Sgt. Nathan Humble has been named Pratt Police Chief after administrative leave was ordered for Interim Police Chief Detective Jeff Ward.
Ward filled the position of Interium Police Chief following the recent retirement of Police Chief Gary Myers in September 2018. Ward was involved in the shooting incident in Pratt on November 13, 2018, which left Pratt resident Rene Prieto, 38, unresponsive and in critical condition for several days at a Wichita hospital. He died on November 21 from those injuries.
Ward and two other Pratt officers were placed on paid administrative leave per standard protocol for an undetermined amount of time. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the case.
“With much discussion on the safety of our community and our police officers, the decision was made to not delay the ap- pointment of a perma- nent Police Chief,” Eckert said. “We have appointed Sgt. Nathan Humble as new Police Chief for the City of Pratt as of November 14, 2018.”
A spokesman from city dispatch confirmed that Humble is a Pratt native and has been employed with the Pratt department as a police officer since 2003.
(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)
City officials take part in national conference
Council members, the mayor and the city manager say they picked up numerous tips and operation methods during their attendance at a national conference.
Council members Jack Hezlep, John McIntosh, Rocky Cornejo, along with Mayor Randy White and City Manager Kathy Sexton, were delegates to the National League of Cities’ City Summit Nov. 7-10 in Los Angeles. Attending the NLC conference is planned every other year.
The summit is the largest gathering of elected leaders and city managers in the country. There were more than 3,800 mayors, council members and other delegates from all 50 states present.
It is billed as “the only event in the U.S. focused on helping municipal leaders and managers find solutions to the most pressing challenges facing American cities and towns.”
A motion to send the Derby delegation to the conference was approved at the Aug. 14 council meeting. Those who went say it was a worthwhile investment.
(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)
More growth for north Derby housing project
A contractor has been selected to provide water and sanitary sewer improvements to the next phase of the rapidly growing NorthBrook Addition. Low bidder Mies Construction Inc. won the project work from a field of other competitors, placing the cost at $168,490.
It will handle the infrastructure work for the development’s second phase, which has 38 lots.
NorthBrook is set at the southeast corner of Woodlawn Blvd. and 55th Street South. There are 65 acres at the site, and the first phase had 40 lots. Those have proven to be popular and sold quickly, hence the need to proceed with the next phase. There are 142 lots in all. The cost of the work will be paid for in full by the improvement district.
Paving design work for the next phase is underway. The sewer and water work comes next, followed by home construction.
The single-family housing project is being developed with Preferred Properties of Kansas Inc. and is on the very north edge of Derby, just inside the city limits.
The development has all city of Derby services except for water, as it is in a rural water district.
David Lake, supervising broker and sales manager with Preferred Properties, said the location is one of the main selling points as it is in Derby, but only a few miles from McConnell Air Force Base and Spirit AeroSystems, both area major employers.
(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)
Reno Commissioners seek input from Pratt, Kingman officials on wind farm
As it moves toward a decision whether to issue a moratorium or try to control the development of a proposed wind farm in Reno County through a contract, the Reno County Commission agreed Tuesday to quiz Kingman and Pratt county officials about their experiences.
Residents seeking a year-long moratorium, meanwhile, appeared before the commission for a fifth consecutive week, with nearly a dozen speakers offering additional arguments in their opposition to the development of the 220-megawatt Pretty Prairie Wind Farm by NextEra Energy in southeastern Reno County.
A chamber official, there for another reason, was the lone voice from the audience in favor of the development.
Reno County Counselor Joe O’Sullivan apparently advised the commission during a previous executive session against meeting with commissioners from Pratt and Kingman counties.
He noted during Tuesday’s discussion that it is really the purview of the Reno County Planning Commission, which is supposed to be developing a new countywide overlay zone to control commercial renewable energy projects, to do that research.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Reno County OKs incentives to small-engine maker planning to locate here
The Reno County Commission on Tuesday approved granting incentives to an Ohio company that makes small engines which run off LPG and natural gas, which is planning to set up an assembly and distribution shop in the former Bett’s Bakery at Third Avenue and Poplar Street.
The company, eNGines-LPG, will be paid up to $63,000 over five years if it creates a projected 56 jobs within that time which pay a minimum $15 per hour, County Administrator Gary Meagher advised the county commission.
The family-owned company plans to create up to 10 jobs its first year, garnering up to $8,000 in incentives, Meagher said.
Another 15 jobs are projected in year two, and 14 in year three, earning the company $13,500 each of those years. The final 17 jobs would be added by year four, for another $17,500.
If it creates all the jobs as projected, the company will earn a 20 percent bonus, or if only half the jobs, an extra 10 percent, Meagher said.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Wichita making major changes to free downtown shuttle service
Wichita Transit has reworked its Q-Line free downtown trolley service to make it easier to go farther on Douglas Avenue, while eliminating all other lines, officials said Tuesday.
The new routes will expand Q-line service to the west and to the east on Douglas. On weekends, it will run all the way from Seneca on the west to Edgemoor on the east.
Trolleys will run approximately every 10 to 15 minutes during service hours.
The changes will take effect Dec. 15.
“We think this is the next iteration of a very successful program that has been run so far,” said Mike Tann, director of Wichita Transit.
The current circuitous color-coded routes that now serve Old Town and the city/county government center will be eliminated, Tann said.
He said those lines were underused and “it’s more valuable to be on Douglas.”
Shifting to the Douglas-only route will allow for longer routes and will be much simpler and easier for riders use, he said.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Lansing City Council denounces commissioner’s comments
Lansing City Council members on Thursday joined a growing number of governmental agencies calling for the resignation of Leavenworth County Commission Chairman Louis Klemp.
Council members voted 7-0-1 to approve a proclamation requesting Klemp’s immediate resignation for “egregious and outrageous conduct steeped in racism and bigotry while acting in the capacity of a county official.”
Council member Dave Trinkle abstained, noting that he works for the Klemp Corporation. The council’s proclamation says the remarks are “unacceptable, exhibit an extreme lack of professional judgment, and simply are not representative of the values” held by local and all American residents.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
New director chosen to lead Riley County Police Department
Dennis Butler, the current Chief of the Ottawa Police Department, has been selected as the next Director of the Riley County Police Department. Butler was selected after an extensive nationwide search conducted by the Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Board in coordination with McGrath Human Resources Group.
According to a media release, Butler will begin serving the citizens of Riley County when current Director Brad Schoen retires at the end of December. Butler is the 5th Director since the RCPD was established in 1974.“I am thrilled to be selected as the next Director of the Riley County Police Department. Once I was offered this position I have remained excited for this day and the years that will follow,” Butler said. “My commitment to the department’s employees and the citizens they serve was strengthened during my interactions with people involved with the selection process. My wife and I wish to express our sincerest gratitude to all of them for their belief in me.”
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Wichita making major changes to free downtown shuttle service
Wichita Transit has reworked its Q-Line free downtown trolley service to make it easier to go farther on Douglas Avenue, while eliminating all other lines, officials said Tuesday.
The new routes will expand Q-line service to the west and to the east on Douglas. On weekends, it will run all the way from Seneca on the west to Edgemoor on the east.
Trolleys will run approximately every 10 to 15 minutes during service hours.
The changes will take effect Dec. 15.
“We think this is the next iteration of a very successful program that has been run so far,” said Mike Tann, director of Wichita Transit.
The current circuitous color-coded routes that now serve Old Town and the city/county government center will be eliminated, Tann said.
He said those lines were underused and “it’s more valuable to be on Douglas.”
Shifting to the Douglas-only route will allow for longer routes and will be much simpler and easier for riders use, he said.
“The key to any of these systems is simplicity,” he said.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Parsons OKs retail contract
The city of Parsons will pay a firm $25,000 annually for three years to try to boost retail recruitment efforts.
Parsons city commissioners on Monday evening approved a letter of engagement between the city and Retail Strategies to begin the contract on Jan. 1. The city negotiated the contract amount with Retail Strategies as a dual contract with Chanute Regional Development Authority. A sales tax approved in Chanute won’t go into effect until July, so CRDA decided to delay its contract with the company until late 2019, Zaleski said Monday. Still, Retail Strategies has decided to stick with the original contract amount with Parsons. Zaleski said that decision only confirmed his thoughts about Retail Strategies’ professionalism. Commissioner Bill Hogelin asked Zaleski how Retail Strategies differs from Retail Attractions. The city contracted with Retail Attractions in 2011 for a similar purpose but dropped the contract in late 2012 after paying $3,000 a month for nearly two years when the city staff and commission decided the firm wasn’t living up to expectations.
Zaleski said he trusts Retail Strategies after having “grilled” them on three different occasions at three trade shows.
“I think these are the guys who are going to get boots on the ground,” Zaleski said.
He said the firm isn’t making promises it can’t keep as Retail Attractions did. Retail Strategies will let the city know what type of retail shops should go where and what the good fits would be and then get Zaleski into discussions with the decision makers for those companies. It still will up to Zaleski to close the deal.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
City of Merriam Wins Prestigious National Award for Innovative and Effective Workplace Practices
With a culture of flexible workplace practices, the City of Merriam received the 2018 When Work Works Award for best practices of effective organizations by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).
The award recognizes organizations across the country that excel at offering a variety of employee initiatives such as work-life policies and flexible scheduling while also including learning opportunities and a culture of respect and trust. Two-thirds of Merriam’s winning score was based on a survey sent to its employees.
Merriam City Administrator Chris Engel said it’s an honor to receive this award and is committed to establishing a set of values to recruit, retain, and reward employees for their first-rate contributions to the City and its residents.
“We lead with a flexible management style and put emphasis on our employees and their work satisfaction,” Engel said. “We’re so dedicated to this that we recently started an employee-driven process to identify our organization’s core values. We think it’s important to examine, articulate, and reinforce what it is that drives us to continually and collectively do great work.”
There were 97 winning worksites from 35 states and the District of Columbia. View a complete list of winning organizations.
“These organizations developed human resources policies and programs to support and maintain this environment, and they are reaping the benefits with increased retention, productivity, and overall success for their investment,” said Lisa Horn, SHRM vice president of congressional affairs.
The City of Merriam was one of two organizations from the state of Kansas to receive the 2018 When Work Works Award.
Source: City of Merriam.