Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Wichita City Hall wants to step in and save Starlite Drive-In

Wichita City Hall joined the fight to save the Starlite Drive-In on Friday, calling on the owner to pause efforts to turn it into a warehouse complex.

Mayor Jeff Longwell and City Council member James Clendenin posted that plea on the city’s Facebook page.

“We are extremely disappointed in the potential loss of a longtime, iconic quality of life amenity for our community that means so much to so many,” the posting said. “We plead with the seller to put a hold on the selling of any assets of the drive-in this coming Tuesday and invite the city, community, philanthropists and potential investors or developers to the table to formulate a solution that preserves a drive-in in our city.”

Owner Chuck Bucinski has been working to permanently close the drive-in and sell its assets, including two $100,000 projectors partially paid for in 2013 by a community fund-raising effort.

Bucinski is planning to sell the land for redevelopment, likely as a warehouse/distribution center with a small strip of retail along the south edge of the property on MacArthur. The drive-in is at 3900 S. Hydraulic.

Longwell said the city is hoping to meet with the seller, buyer and community supporters of keeping it a drive-in.

“We’ll see if it gets any traction,” he said.

(Read more: Local News |)

Lawrence City Commission to review policy for public police cameras

City leaders will soon provide input on the Lawrence Police Department’s policy for public cameras.

As part of its work session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will review the policy, which details how public cameras and camera footage will be monitored, stored and potentially released. It’s estimated that it will cost the city $108,000 for the cameras and the computer server expenses related to video storage.

Lawrence hires Jeremy Willmoth as the city’s finance director

City Manager Tom Markus announced in a news release Friday the hiring of Jeremy Willmoth as the city’s finance director.

Willmoth received his bachelor’s degree in public administration and his master’s degree in public affairs from Park University in Parkville, Mo., according to the release. He has served in finance and management positions in multiple municipalities throughout his 18-year career and most recently served as city manager in Winfield.

Greenwood County Hospital To Receive Half-Cent Sales Tax For Three Years

Nearly 70 percent of the Greenwood County voters who took to the polls for the 2018 November General election voted in favor of a half-cent sales tax that would benefit the Greenwood County Hospital (GWCH). Earlier this year, Greenwood County Commissioners proposed adding the question, in lieu of 3 mills. The half-cent sales tax should generate a little more than $300,000 annually, which is more than GWCH has been receiving from the mill funding.

Source: Eureka Herald.

Greenwood County Voters Approved To Add Commissioners And Redistrict

With a seven-percent margin, Greenwood County voters approved an increase in county commissioners at the polls last Tuesday, November 6. In order to increase from three commissioners to five, Greenwood County will also need to redistrict to accommodate five districts.
District one commissioner Chuck Spradlin first proposed this notion at a commission meeting in May. In his proposal, he explained, “The way KOMA (Kansas Open Meetings Act) is set up right now, I can’t pick up the phone and ask one of these guys, ‘What do you think about this?’ It doesn’t work that way. If you have five, yes you can, because three now becomes the quorum,” he added. In his report, Spradlin noted, “There are numerous discussions needed such as what road or bridge in a given area needs attention, what we can do to encourage economic development, and many active problems in our individual districts.”

Source: Eureka Herald

Continuing Bond Disclosure: Are you up-to-date?

We have recently noticed several Kansas municipalities are NOT up-to-date on their “continuing disclosure” obligations for their outstanding bond issues.

If your local government is not making timely filings (or if you don’t know!), you can contact Beth Warren or Larry Kleeman for a quick checkup. If needed, we can assist with making the annual disclosures that may be required by entity’s bond documents.

More information can be found here.

Wichita prepares for rain and snow, salts 1,500 miles of city streets ahead of freeze

Salt trucks hit the roads Thursday morning ahead of “uncertain weather conditions,” said Alan King, Wichita’s public works director.

Thursday morning, rain coated Wichita streets with water. Freezing temperatures are expected to hit overnight on Thursday, which could make the roads “very slick,” King said.

King said one of the three different weather models the city uses to predict precipitation shows the Wichita area could get 1 to 3 inches of snow.

To prepare, the city has deployed 60 trucks to dust 1,500 miles of city streets with a light mixture of sand and salt, King said.

If conditions worsen, the light mixture will turn to a “full spread,” King said.

Since it was still raining Thursday, “the sand and salt has a tendency to wash off,” King said. To keep salt and sand on the road, crews began working around the clock, rotating 12 hour shifts until further notice on Thursday, King said.

King said the primary costs associated with salting Wichita’s streets is labor and that the city has a budget to cover the salting roads throughout the year.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Augusta tackles trail projects

Augusta City Council members spend a lot of time in planning sessions where they consider a number of quality of life projects. During a recent Pride & Progress planning session, council members identified two trail projects and set a goal for construction in 2019. “This is a 2019 project, but in order to get a jump start on the construction season, staff recommends that the council engage the city engineer now to complete the design process,” City Manager Josh Shaw advised.
City Engineer Mike Stumpe explained the trail projects identified for funding by the City.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Shawnee Fire Department to launch online dashboard in push for transparency

In the name of transparency, the Shawnee Fire Department is launching an online platform for residents to see exactly what local firefighters are up to.

Now that the Shawnee Fire Department is halfway through its 2016-2021 strategic plan, feedback from the public has been abundantly clear: Residents want more transparency.

Sal Scarpa, deputy fire chief, said the push for transparency is a direct response to the department’s last collection of public input in 2015, which led to development of the online dashboard.

“We’re not very good at telling our story,” he said. “They wanted to know more. And so this next piece that we’re going to do on the dashboard is a direct response to that.

“We’re hoping that our dashboard provides them a good deal of information about what your department’s doing: Performance measures, response times, number of calls, types of calls. All those types of things will be out there.”

Gardner City Council repeals resolution allowing their oversight of personnel issues

The Gardner City Council adopted changes to the city’s personnel policies and procedures, 2018 edition. The city amended section 4-108 of the manual by removing subsection 108.4 in its entirety. The subsection deals with the process through which an employee can appeal a negative performance review.
The council amended section 7-108 to remove the following language from the manual:
“In cases in which the employee directly reports to the city administrator, the employee can request a review of the disciplinary action directly to the governing body. In these cases, the governing body will assume responsibilities of the city administrator outlined in this section and the decision of the governing body shall be final.”

(Read more: Gardner News)

Johnson County parks department launches Culture Division for more arts, culture, history programming

Johnson County Park and Recreation District has created a new division dedicated entirely to culture. JCPRD kicked off the launch of the new division with a celebration Oct. 30.

“We don’t launch new divisions; it just doesn’t happen,” said Susan Mong, who oversees the Culture Division. “So it’s a big moment in history for our organization to step into that space and be strategic about doing that well and providing that for the community.”

Mong said JCPRD staff believes that arts, culture and history are an important part of a healthy community.

“I think it’s a major economic driver and just really important to the health and vitality of our community,” she added. “Research shows that it creates better educational outcomes for our youth and it creates a more engaged citizenry, more compassion, and we could always use more compassion when we enter into other people’s stories.”

Marion County worries about roads near wind farm

A pair of representatives for Enel Green Power and a pair from Kirkham Michael were asked to appear before county commissioners Monday to discuss concerns about roads surrounding the Diamond Vista wind farm. If the county compiles a list of roads needing work because of the wind farm, Enel’s area construction manager, Steve Williams, and workers can start improvements, Commissioner Becker said.

Some of the county’s requests are going to Res America Construction, Inc., which also work swith the wind farm.

“I want to make sure the communication comes directly to me,” Williams said. “If you tell Res, ‘Please blade 340th,’ and we don’t know about it, then we can’t enforce it.” Some of the roads were redone shortly before Enel moved in, commissioner Randy Dallke said.

“We went in ahead of the project trying to rebuild roads for you,” he said. “We just want to be paid back what it’s worth.” Invoices worth $25,000 were given to Williams for work the county did on roads within the agreement, for which the county requested compensation.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

History made! Harvey Co. dispatcher helps deliver baby over the phone

A healthy baby girl was welcomed into the world early this morning when a Harvey County dispatcher took matters into her own hands and assisted with the delivery — over the phone!

Harvey County Communications said a dispatcher, Courtney B., took a call just before 3:00 Thursday morning to find that a woman in rural Butler County was in labor.

Because the woman lived further away, paramedics and firefighters weren’t able to get to her as fast so Courtney jumped right in and followed protocol.

Courtney was able to assist the caller in a successful delivery seven minutes before the paramedics and firefighters got on the scene.

The new mom and brand new baby were taken to Wesley in good condition.

“Congrats to them and Grandpa who calmly followed Courtney’s instructions and assisted the delivery of his new granddaughter,” said Harvey County Communications in a post on social media.

The department said this is the first time they have helped deliver a baby over the phone.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

City of Topeka mulls spending $8.9 million more for City Hall renovation costs

Staff members for Topeka’s city government recommend the city’s governing body add nearly $8.9 million to the current $8.2 million the city plans to spend for a project to renovate City Hall. The city’s governing body last year approved revisions to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan that raised the total cost to about $8.2 million for its project to renovate the building, constructed in 1939, that houses City Hall on the north at 215 S.E. 7th and the Topeka Performing Arts Center and Topeka Municipal Court on the south at 214 S.E. 8th.

City staff members suggest the governing body earmark nearly $8.9 million more to cover a revised project cost, including current commitments and expenditures, of $17,094,613.50, according to the agenda packet document.

“This amount would require a budget amendment of $8,894,613.50 to complete the project as proposed,” that document said. “The approach to the renovation was comprehensive,” the document said. “The design team evaluated current and future needs of building operations, including synergies between city divisions and space needs of building occupants. TreanorHL completed a historic assessment to ensure design maximized tax credit eligibility and respected the history of the building. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing design reflects best practices for sustainability and reducing energy costs.”

The City Hall building is eligible for historic tax credits to finance renovation projects because it is part of the South Kansas Avenue Commercial Historic District established in 2015 by the National Park Service.

EPA recognizes Dodge City for Excellence and Innovation in Clean Water Infrastructure

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized 30 clean water infrastructure projects for excellence and innovation within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program.

Honored projects include large wastewater infrastructure projects to small decentralized and agriculture projects. Thirty projects by state or local governments, public utilities, and private entities were recognized by the 2018 PISCES program.

Dodge City adopted an innovative approach to processing their wastewater byproducts.

In recent years, the Dodge City South Wastewater Treatment Plant received an EPA grant towards a project to reuse 100 percent of its 1.7 billion gallons a year of treated effluent as irrigation for over 3,000 acres of agricultural fields, conserving groundwater for the public water supply.

This treatment process produced a significant amount of carbon dioxide and methane gas, which were then burned off in a flare.

This new project plans to clean and pressurize the biogas to high quality natural gas that can be used as fuel.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Downtown building in Hutchinson demolished to create urban pocket park

A nearly 100-year-old downtown row building across the street from The Historic Fox Theater was demolished by the city last week to make room for a new “pocket park.”

The building at 15 E. First Ave., which once housed the eyeglass lens manufacturing lab for Singleton Joyce Optical, then an antique store, and later briefly hosted a teen club for mentally-disabled youth, has been owned by the city for the last 20 years, said City Planning Director Jim Seitnater.

The plan, said Seitnater, former Downtown Development Director, has always been to level the building and create access to parking lots on the back side of the block.

“We’re excited about the possibilities,” Seitnater said. “It will be a great meeting place. It can be used for a lot of different things. But mainly it’s just a beautiful walk from parking to the flashing lights of the theater marquee.”

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Shawnee Mission cities pitch long wish lists to perennially strapped Kansas transportation department

With guarded optimism, city and county leaders stepped toward the perennially strapped Kansas transportation department Thursday with the highway and transit dreams they hold most dear.

For Lenexa, a better interchange at Kansas Highway 10 and Lone Elm and the next phases of the Gateway project at Interstates 435 and 35 led the list. For Shawnee, it was additional lanes under I-35 at 75th Street and Kansas Highway 7 improvements north to the Kansas River bridge.

Overland Park speakers proposed a deal of sorts. They’d hold off on the longer list of needs if the state would please, please grant their biggest request – the expansion of U.S. Highway 69 to six lanes south of I-435.

Industrial engine distributor to locate in Hutchinson

eNGines-LPG, LLC announced today their plans to begin operations at the former bakery facility at 120 E 3rd Avenue in Hutchinson, Kansas. eNGines-LPG is a family-owned and operated industrial engine distributor and generator manufacturer. This facility will serve as their flagship headquarters where they will assemble, distribute, sell, and support eNGines-LPG’s product lines and be a showroom for innovation for current and future products. “Since March, Greater Hutch, the economic development division of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, worked in concert with the Kansas Department of Commerce, City of Hutchinson, Reno County, and JP Weigand & Sons to help attract eNGines-LPG to Hutchinson”, stated Debra Teufel, President/CEO of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber. “We are excited to welcome eNGines-LPG to Hutchinson. Their entrepreneurial spirit and company culture will be a great addition to the Reno County business community.”

Work begins on commission expansion in Leavenworth County

Now that voters have approved an expansion of the Leavenworth County Commission, the county clerk has started preliminary work on a process that will result in a special election for two new commissioners.

During this week’s election, voters in Leavenworth County approved a ballot proposition to increase the commission from three members to five. County Clerk Janet Klasinski said she plans to discuss the process for having the special election when county commissioners meet Tuesday. Klasinski said she will discuss possible dates for actions related to the process.

One of the required actions will be the commission’s approval of a resolution concerning the expansion of the commission. The resolution has to be adopted before Dec. 30.

Klasinski said a special election to select two additional commissioners must take place between 75 and 90 days after the resolution is approved.

She said the special election may occur sometime in March.

Leavenworth County currently has three commission districts. But the boundaries will be redrawn for five districts.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Main Street Kansas: A labor of love continues to grow at Bartlett Arboretum

More than a century ago, a Kansas doctor set up a sanctuary for nature lovers, but over the years, the Bartlett Arboretum became overgrown and unruly.

That is, until it was rescued by a free spirit from Texas and her team of volunteers!

That garden is our next stop on Main Street Kansas.

Ablaze with autumn colors, the Bartlett Arboretum is what the owner calls “her church of the trees”– a religious experience in nature.
“I walked in here, and I’ve never looked back,” said Robin Macy, owner of Bartlett Arboretum. “I mean my parents thought I was crazy.” “It’s strictly a labor of love,” explained Mary Bartlett Gouray, former owner of Bartlett Arboretum. “Never was very profitable.”

Mary Bartlett Gouray is the granddaughter of Dr. Walter Bartlett who created the arboretum in 1910 to grow trees and provide a haven for water fowl. It also became known for its tulips in the spring, but over the years, taking care of it all was just too much. The family closed the arboretum two years before Robin showed up.

“It means a lot to the whole family that Robin has kept this place going,” said Bartlett Gouray.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Junction City Mayor Opposes Proposed Soft Cost Expenditures by the City on New Roundabout

The Junction City Commission this week approved an agreement with KDOT for a new roundabout at K-18 Highway and Karns Road. This will support the new Junction City High School project.

The City must fund the construction of the roundabout, but will be reimbursed by a $1.25 million grant from KDOT. At issue is an estimated $200,000 in soft costs for the project, such as engineering fees or minor land acquisition. USD 475 has proposed payment of 70% of those costs with the City picking up the remaining 30%. But Mayor Pat Landes is opposed to that idea.

Landes stated in the Commission meeting that he thought the City had done the hard part for the school district. “I don’t think the City ought to be paying a dime, any of the soft costs at all on this roundabout. If they didn’t put the high school out there we wouldn’t have to have this. This is their project, we did the work of getting this grant for them. And we have the carrying cost of those dollars waiting to get a check back. So I think we’re doing plenty for this roundabout. I don’t think we need to do anything else.”

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Planning commission turns down zoning request for bio-fuel plant in Sumner County

he Sumner county Planning Commission Wednesday turned down a company’s conditional use permit to build a bio-fuel plant in north Sumner County and a zoning-change request for the land where it planned construction.

Sumner Newscow reports the planning commission voted 7-1 to deny VNA Corporation a conditional-use permit for the project and voted 6-1 to deny the rezoning request to rezone about 100 acres west of the Ninnescah River from rural to heavy industrial.

The opposition does not put a fork in the company’s plan for its plant.

The Sumner County Commission does have the power to overturn the planning commission’s request at its Nov. 26 meeting.

At a meeting in late September, a crowd gathered into a room as the planning and zoning committee came together to discuss the fate of the controversial bio-fuel plant.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Lawrence adopts ‘more concrete’ ethics policy for city employees and commissioners

City leaders have approved a new ethics policy to replace a more general policy that was created in 1991.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to approve a revised ethics policy that now explicitly applies to all city employees, elected officials and appointed officials, which includes advisory board members, and provides more specific language regarding what constitutes an ethics violation.
City Attorney Toni Wheeler told the commission that the goal of the new policy was to clarify whom the policy applies to and to “make the provisions more concrete and less aspirational.” Wheeler said the city consulted the ethics policies of many other communities in creating the new policy.

Voters favor expanded Marion County Commission

Marion County commission will go from three members to five after 2,450 voters voted in favor and 2,016 voted against a ballot question asking if the commission should change to a five-member district.
Dianne Novak, who first brought up the idea of a five-member commission, was pleased to hear the measure passed.
“I believe this is going to really benefit Marion County,” Novak said. “I think this is a good move on the part of the county. I think it will make a difference in the way things are done in the county.”

(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)

Wellington city council adopts amended animal ordinance

After two meetings with lengthy discussions, and a whole two hour work session devoted to the subject, the Wellington City Council quickly passed the 2018 amended changes to the city animal ordinance. By a 6-0 vote, the council passed the ordinance with no discussion at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The new ordinance defines what is considered a “dangerous” dog and what animals owners can have within the city limits. The revised codes were adapted from the City of Wichita. One provision just recently added to the ordinance included a “adequate lighting” of a pet enclosure.

(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)

Supreme Court: Federal Age-Discrimination law applies to all local govt, no matter their size

All local and state governments—no matter their size—need to comply with a federal law banning discrimination against employees on the basis of age, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday.

The case stems from a dispute between a small Arizona fire district and two firefighters, who were laid off in 2009 during a budget crisis. John Guido and Dennis Rankin say they were terminated because they were the oldest employees at the district covering the Santa Catalina Mountains, later filing an age discrimination lawsuit.

But the issue before the Supreme Court was not whether the Mount Lemmon Fire District discriminated against Guido and Rankin. Instead, the justices looked at if a small public employer like Mount Lemmon could even be sued under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. The fire district, which at the time of the lay off had just 13 full-time employees, argued it was exempt from the law, as is the case with small businesses with fewer than 20 workers. But Guido and Rankin, along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said the law covers all governments.

In a short opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sided with the firefighters. All the other justices joined the 8-0 decision, except new Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who didn’t take part in the case because he wasn’t on the court when it was heard in early October.

(Read more: Route Fifty – All Content)

Shawnee photographer sets focus on city hall, helps change ordinance

Only a small percentage of Shawnee citizens cast a ballot in a local election each year.

A typical city council meeting attracts very few residents.

And less than a year ago, Shawnee mom Sarah Chou couldn’t have told you the names of the elected officials who represent her ward.

When her life was nearly turned upside down because of a single phone call, however, she found herself in the midst of an unexpected civics lesson, and on the path to changing a city law.

For the past five years, Chou has been a successful professional photographer, with a home-based studio. Marie Photography became so successful, and with another daughter on the way, the Chou family realized they needed a bigger house with better studio space. They fell in love with a gorgeous home in a wooded Shawnee neighborhood and moved there earlier this year.

Chou received the green light from her new homeowners association, and the state of Kansas, to conduct her in-home photography studio.

Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to Chou to contact her new city government.

(Read more: The Dispatch stories)

Sales tax passes in Chanute

Chanute voters passed a proposal to extend a quarter-cent sales tax for economic development, and incumbent county commissioner Paul Westhoff appeared to have won re-election in Tuesday’s elections in Neosho County.

Thayer-area voters appeared to favor a school bond proposal for USD 447, but the measure failed on opposition from Cherryvale voters.

In the results counted Tuesday evening, the Chanute sales tax question passed 1,308 in favor to 849 against. The proposal will extend an existing sales tax, due to sunset at the end of March, which supported the Maring Aquatic Center construction. The new sales tax to fund economic development and maintenance on city of Chanute-owed properties will last five years.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Derby businesses featured on new board game “Derby-Opoly”

Mark Staats sported a smile worthy of a kid on Christmas morning when he looked over the first copy of a new board game, Derby-Opoly, last week.

“I’m impressed,” said Staats, president and CEO of the Derby Chamber of Commerce, as he went through the box.

As the name implies, it’s based on the best-selling and world-famous game of Monopoly, but it’s a strictly local endeavor. Or as Staats put it: “Everything has a Derby connection.” Chamber officials picked up on the game concept and decided it would be a good fit for Derby and its businesses.

They were right on that.

“We sold out all the spots before we could even get an official email to our members,” Staats said.

Business’s names are featured throughout the game board. Even the money and tokens have sponsors.

More than 40 Chamber member businesses and organizations are part of the game.

(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

Voters approve expansion of Leavenworth County Commission

The Leavenworth County Commission will expand to five members.

A ballot question seeking to increase the commission from three members to five passed in Tuesday’s election, according to the unofficial results.

There were 15,662 “yes” votes in favor of the expansion, and 9,357 “no” votes. The question was placed on the ballot in Leavenworth County after a group calling itself Give Me Five collected the necessary signatures earlier this year. Now that the measure has passed, county commissioners will approve the boundaries for five commission districts.

The county will have a special election to determine who will fill the two additional commission seats.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

City of Pittsburg may buy trucks to improve ice, snow removal

The city of Parsons could begin pre-treating streets prior to winter storms instead of just reacting to the slick mess that follows.

On Monday evening, city commissioners gave permission to the city staff to spend up to $35,000 on two trucks with brine tanks.

All of the public works employees attended a snow removal seminar in Burlington recently in which among other things the Kansas Department of Transportation described how the highways are treated with brine before storms. Brine, which is a mixture of salt and water, lessens the ability of ice and snow to adhere to roads, making it much easier to scrape them clean after ice or snowfall.

City staff later went to the KDOT office in Chanute to look into buying a couple of used dump trucks. While those trucks weren’t what was needed, they did find two trucks used for snow and ice removal.

City Manager Debbie Lamb said the trucks are 2002 or 2003 models with low mileage. KDOT planned to sell them on Purple Wave, an online auction site specializing in government vehicles and equipment. The vehicles would bring about $40,000 on Purple Wave, Lamb said, but KDOT is willing to sell them for about $30,000 if the city commits to them beforehand.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Derby names new deputy city manager

Kiel Mangus has been selected from a competitive pool of candidates to be Derby’s deputy city manager, a newly created position.

The city received 55 applications for the position during the application process in August and September.

That group was narrowed to the best 12 qualified candidates and of those, five were interviewed by a team of City Manager Kathy Sexton, City Attorney Jacque Butler and Police Chief Robert Lee.

“The quality of the applicant pool was exceptional,” said Sexton. “Selecting from the best of the best was a challenge.” Magnus, who starts his job on Nov. 19, has a strong local tie, too, as he is a graduate of Mulvane High School.

He went on to earn a bachelor’s in Construction Science and Management at Kansas State and then a master’s of Public Administration at Wichita State.

His most recent job was assistant city manager of Manhattan, Kan., which he has held since 2014.

(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

Beyond Agriculture: Kiowa, Kansas Makes Hay Out of Becoming a Manufacturing Hub

With just more than 1,000 residents, the agricultural city of Kiowa is known for its wheat, milo and canola crops. In fact, according to City Administrator Lou Leone, Kiowa has such a bountiful crop yield, the State of Kansas uses the town’s crops as a gauge to tell how the harvest is fairing in the entire state.
But agriculture isn’t the only business Kiowa wants to be known for. According to Leone, the city is hoping to attract more manufacturing jobs, such as ammunition manufacturing, telecom or even a data center.

“We have at least three locations that would be good for manufacturing, two on the west side of town and one right off main street,” Leone notes. “We also have teardowns, so there’s lots of available land.”
Despite its size, Kiowa is surrounded by infrastructure. A BNSF rail line runs just west of town, which Leone says could become a stop if requested, and the city is seated along Highway K2 (a connection to US 281) and K8, which runs from Kiowa to nearby Oklahoma.

Reno Commission may take up wind moratorium later this month

The Reno County Commission in a couple of weeks will likely consider issuing a moratorium on the development of wind farms in Reno County, Commissioner Dan Deming advised. “I think it will be granted,” Deming said of a proposed moratorium. “The question is its length.”

The commission previously agreed more regulation needs to be in place to protect the entire county during wind development and tasked the Reno County Planning Commission with drafting proposed regulations.

Less than half of the county is currently zoned, so existing zoning regulations can only control development in those parts of the county.

A consultant helping the planning commission draft a new comprehensive plan suggested both the creation of the overlay zone and a moratorium while the county drafts the new rules.

While agreeing to the idea of a countywide “zoning overlay,” officials have been reluctant to impose a moratorium on development because of the progress already made on what will be the first commercial wind project in the county, the Pretty Prairie Wind Farm being developed by NextEra Energy in the southeast quadrant of the county.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Topeka citywide half-cent sales tax for streets passes by significant margin

Topeka voters by a significant margin Tuesday evening approved a 10-year extension of a citywide, half-cent sales tax used to finance the maintenance and improvement of existing streets.

Complete, unofficial results showed 26,117 voters, or 61.51 percent, cast ballots in favor of the proposal while 16,346, or 38.49 percent, voted against it.

“It’s a good day for Topeka, to get this thing passed,” said Jim Parrish, chairman of the nonprofit group Future Forward, which ran an advertising campaign to promote passage of the question. No groups were formed to actively campaign against it.

Parrish said the margin of victory suggested that voters recognized that Topeka’s public works department, under the direction of Jason Peek, has working in a logical and economical way to use revenue from the tax to improve the condition of Topeka’s streets.

Liquor-by-the-drink passes in Bourbon County

A liquor-by-the-drink ballot question passed by more than 1,200 votes…according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s general election. The ballot question, which deals with requirements for food sales in public drinking establishments, passed with 2,949 “yes” votes and 1,725 “no” votes tallied. The question passed 63 percent to 37 percent.

(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

County clerk assumes role of Ness Co. sheriff after resignations

The Ness County Sheriff’s Office is in a state of upheaval Tuesday, as the majority of the department turned in their resignations.

According to a social media report, the undersheriff, three deputies and a dispatcher resigned as of 10:50 a.m. Tuesday.

With a vacancy in the sheriff’s position after former Sheriff Bryan Whipple resigned following federal firearms charges, and Undersheriff William Sutton’s resignation today, the position of sheriff falls upon Ness County Clerk Renee Kerr.

“Due to the resignation of the undersheriff and the majority of the department, County Clerk Renee Kerr has assumed the duties of sheriff, per KSA 19-804a,” Kerr said in a prepared statement. “An emergency declaration has been signed and mutual aid is forthcoming.”

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

McPherson County nixes wind turbines indefinitely

All three McPherson Country commissioners voted earlier this week for a moratorium on applications for conditional-use permits that would allow the construction of wind turbines in the county.

No applications for conditional-use permits in connection with commercial wind turbine projects will be accepted for an indefinite period, said Rick Witte McPherson County Administrator.

The move was done to allow a comprehensive review of the impact commercial wind turbines may have on the county’s new E-911 emergency system that is being installed as a replacement for EDACS. Witte said the commission wanted to be sure the county’s new emergency system would work as it should — and wanted to make sure that it would not be harmed by interference from wind turbines.

“The county has a $7 million investment in this project. And the commisisoners don’t want to have a $7 million project being built and then all of a sudden, their coverage is not acceptable.”

(Read more: McPherson Sentinel)

Lawrence commission votes to eliminate longevity bonuses for future employees, decrease amounts for existing employees

City leaders have voted to no longer offer bonuses based on seniority for future city employees and will be making changes to longevity payment amounts for existing employees beginning next year.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted, 4-1, with Commissioner Leslie Soden opposed, to adopt a new policy for the city’s longevity bonus that will tier and cap the amount paid to qualifying employees beginning in 2019 and eliminate the payments for employees hired after Jan. 1, 2019. City management recommended that the difference between the two payment structures for 2019, estimated to be $64,000, be diverted to other compensation programs, such as increases in wages for merit and market adjustments.

A place to PLAY: Moundridge moves forward to give pups their own park

When Moundridge resident Lori Frazer moved from a house with a big yard to an apartment with no yard, she realized her city needed a dog park.

When she jokingly mentioned the idea to Moundridge City Administrator Randy Frazer (who is also her brother-in-law), he encouraged her to take action.

“I formed a committee…and we took it to city coucil,” Lori said.

Amy Stinchcomb, owner of Pawsitive Pet Styles, is also a member of the dog park committee. She said the project will benefit all Moundridge residents, not just pet owners.

“It keeps the dogs out of the regular park so that people who do enjoy getting out with their dogs have somewhere to go and they don’t have to worry about bothering (anyone),” Stinchcomb said.

The city unanimously approved the proposal for a dog park and donated around an acre of city-owned land west of the Grasshopper Field baseball diamonds.

(Read more: McPherson Sentinel)

Andover Mayor issues second veto for Butler Community College expansion

On Tuesday, November 6, Mayor Ben Lawrence issued a veto on Ordinance 1685. This Ordinance was to create a Special Use Permit for the expansion of the Butler Community College campus at 715 East 13th St.

The City Council will consider the Mayor’s veto at their Nov.13, 2018 City Council meeting at 7 p.m. at the Andover City Hall, 1609 E. Central.

(Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Wichita City Council approves STAR bonds package

Wichita’s City Council on Tuesday voted to authorize the issuance of $40 million in STAR bond monies for the development of an area along the Arkansas River that will include the construction of a new sports stadium.

The series 2018 STAR (sales tax special obligation revenue) bonds, which were marketed beginning on November 1, will be in the principal amount of just over $42.1 million (including financing costs).

STAR bonds capture sales tax revenue in a development area and funnel it to project costs. The sales tax rate does not increase in those districts, but the portion of sales tax paid to the state, county and city would be used to pay debt service on the project.

A STAR bond district requires Kansas Department of Commerce approval, which was granted, according to city documents. The move essentially paves the way for the city to build a new multi-purpose sports stadium that is expected to cost around $70 million.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

New assistant city manager in Shawnee excited for the challenge

There’s a lot going on in the city of Shawnee and new assistant city manager Caitlin Gard is excited to be a part of it.

Gard, who took over the position earlier this fall, recently sat down with the Dispatch to discuss her promotion and her love for city government.

When Nolan Sunderman was bumped up from assistant city manager to city manager earlier this year, Gard admits he left big shoes to fill. But, she’s looking forward to making her own positive mark on the city.

The Lee’s Summit native joined the city of Shawnee in 2013 and has filled several roles, including assistant public works director and strategic initiatives manager.

Being a public servant comes naturally to Gard, but she revealed to the Dispatch her current career stemmed almost accidentally from an unlikely source: the recession.

(Read more: The Dispatch stories)

OP Council swallows drive-thru concerns, pushes for upscale project

A proposed high-end development at 115th Street and Nall Avenue appeared to be in big trouble last month when the Overland Park City Council complained it had too many fast-food drive-thru restaurants.

But after developer Ken Block mounted a vigorous defense Monday night and promised his Galleria 115 project would be a first-rate “Class A” development, the Council agreed to let it move forward.

Roeland Park reports lack of interest from developers for restaurant, hotel, and adventure course concept at The Rocks

A lack of interest is forcing Roeland Park’s Ad-Hoc Development Committee to shift its development focus for the old pool site, known as The Rocks. The city has been working to generate interest for the site from a restaurant, hotel, and adventure course – as depicted in the architectural rendering being used for marketing purposes shown above.

Zip KC and Sunflower Hotel Group had shown initial interest in the site but have not followed through with formal offers. The city also did not receive any responses for its request for qualification, or RFQ, which invited potentially interested parties to present development concepts for The Rocks, council members heard Monday.