Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Conflict over Haysville’s rules for campaign signs

Saturday, Sept. 22, marked 45 days until Tuesday, Nov. 6: Election Day.

A state law the Kansas Legislature passed in 2015 says that cities and counties, including Haysville, now have to allow political signs on both private property and unpaved city or county right-of-way.

That is a straightforward enough requirement, but just two weeks after the Kansas law, KSA 25-2711, was signed by Gov. Sam Brownback in June 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling that cast doubt on its constitutionality.

The ruling, in “Reed v. Town of Gilbert,” held that municipalities can apply “content-based restrictions” – restrictions based on what a sign says – only in very limited situations.

In a statement, Haysville’s city attorney said the city’s position is that the Supreme Court ruling made the Kansas law unenforceable.

City of Topeka, Corps of Engineers to hold meeting on Shunga Creek flooding study

After flooding occurred in 2007, the city asked the corps to conduct a study on flood control options, city spokeswoman Molly Hadfield said. In the 50/50 cost-shared study, the corps developed hydrologic models of past flooding, including the 2007 flood. They also carried out real estate assessments, surveys, plan formulation, construction cost estimates and economic analyses. The corps then used the data to evaluate alternatives to reduce flood risk in the watershed.

The corps will present options for potential improvements. Some of the alternatives may be eligible for federal cost share. Projects that qualify under the federal program are eligible for a 65/35 split cost between the corps and the city. There is a $10 million cap on contributions made by the corps, which includes the cost of the study and design, Hadfield said.

Lyon County takes next step toward Reading Wind Farm

The Lyon County Commission signed two agreements with Reading Wind Energy, LLC related to an ongoing wind farm project in Reading during a meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse.

The wind farm is a project of RES Americas and has been a point of discussion off and on for nearly a decade. Planning and Zoning Director Sam Seeley said the county needed to sign a Road Use Maintenance Agreement and Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement in order to move forward with the project.

“In process of doing [the Reading Wind Farm project] they’ve been using county roads,” Seeley said. “There may be some maintenance that needs to be done to either repair or fix up a road or a structure on that road. This is an agreement usually done with wind construction companies so that the assets that are out there are protected and taken care of during this process. This is not a normal use of our roads.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Wichita water hearing postponed, locals organize to block regulation changes

Wichita might have to wait a little longer for a decision on whether or not it can take more water from the Equus Beds Aquifer, which provide drinking water for all of Harvey County, as well as Wichita and 14 other municipalities it serves as customers.
The Groundwater Management District Two (GMD2), in charge of regulating the aquifer, was successful in postponing a public hearing into Wichita’s proposed regulation changes until Dec. 11. The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. at American Ag Credit, located at 4105 North Ridge Road, in Wichita.
Tim Boese, director of GMD2, said the request came, due to a need to look over water models used by the city of Wichita. While discussions about proposed regulation changes have been going on for more than a year, the GMD2 only received the technical computer models on Sept. 28.

Going electric: North Newton looks at purchasing hybrid police vehicle

The City of North Newton is exploring the possibility of getting a hybrid police vehicle.
During its regular council monthly meeting on Monday night at North Newton City Hall, Police Chief Randy Jordan told the council City Administrator John Torline approached him and said there was an interest in the town having an electric car-charging station and asked if the next police car could be at least partially electric.

City of Lawrence working to increase number of women on city advisory boards

The City of Lawrence has begun working with a foundation to get more women involved in the advisory boards that help inform city decision-making.

About 40 boards provide the city recommendations or oversight on a broad range of topics, including affordable housing, public transit, fair policing, economic incentives and the arts. The results of a voluntary diversity survey conducted by the city indicate that only 39 percent of respondents said they were women.
The Lawrence City Commission approves at-large appointments to city advisory boards, and Commissioner Jennifer Ananda said efforts to diversify board membership were overdue.

Man lied about quality of Garden Plain’s drinking water to EPA, indictment alleges

Garden Plain’s former water system operator is in trouble for allegedly lying to the Environmental Protection Agency about where got tap water samples used to test the quality of the city’s drinking water.

An indictment filed Thursday in federal court says Arthur Wolfe, 62, certified bacteriological reports that said he’d collected tap water from four homes in Garden Plain last winter, when he really got it all from 411 Loomis — the City of Garden Plain’s shop.

Samples are typically taken from more than one location to make sure bacteria is not seeping into the water lines.

Garden Plain, which has around 900 residents, is required to collect at least two water samples a month for testing.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Holcomb OK’s annual Finney County Economic Development Corp payment

After nearly 10 months of debate over fees and fairness, the Holcomb City Council approved the $25,000 2018 membership contribution payment to the Finney County Economic Development Corp. and suggested councilman Ron Schreibvogel to sit on the FCEDC’s board of directors, filling a seat the city has left vacant since January.

The decision means business will “go back to the way it used to be” for the city and FCEDC, said Lona DuVall, FCEDC president and CEO. With Schreibvogel’s addition, she said, the board will have seven members again and stronger communication with the city.

“We’re very excited that they’ve made the decision to make their annual contribution and that they’ve selected somebody to serve on the board,” DuVall said. “I think that’s the best way we can serve them is to make sure they have somebody who’s able to communicate what we’re doing and communicate their needs to us, quite frankly, as well.”

Salina to host Water Summit

The Kansas Water Office’s (KWO) Smoky Hill-Saline Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) and the city of Salina will host a Water Conservation and Efficiency Summit Oct. 19 from 12:30-3:45 p.m. at the Salina Chamber of Commerce Annex, 218 N. Seventh St. in Salina. The public is encouraged to attend and learn about the area’s water resources, how it is being maximized within local industry, municipalities, and irrigation and how the public can help.

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Well contamination could be problematic once flood waters recede

Many rural properties that have faced flooding over the past week will have many issues to deal with once the water recedes.

That includes water wells. Most wells that are inundated with flood water will need to be cleaned to make sure they are free of coliform bacteria or other contaminants that can leech into the well, especially on farmsteads where there is animal waste from livestock.

There are a number of steps that must be taken to disinfect a well. According to the Reno County Health Department, the well cover must be removed. The well will have to be flushed out with bleach and then run through the entire system of your house.

The water and bleach must sit for a period of time and then run through the system until the bleach is removed, then shut down for up to 24 hours before it is safe to use.

The KDHE recommends that the well be tested again one week after clean up is completed. Until the water is deemed safe, residents should use bottled water.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Cheney Reservoir filling up fast

Cheney Reservoir is filling up quickly as the Ninnescah River runs full.

At last check on Thursday afternoon, the lake was up nearly six feet at over 1,427 feet above sea level. Normal pool is 1,422. The flood pool is reached at 1,429 feet. Officials with Cheney State Park report that many of the east side areas are closed. Heimerman, Wichita and M&M points are closed, as well as all east side campgrounds. Hookups behind the marina are also closed off because of high water.

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the spillway gates are closed to control downstream flows as the river merges with the South Fork Ninnescah River near Mulvane.

The area is expected to see falling river levels over the next couple of days, which should allow the Corps to release water from the reservoir.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Group pushes for extension of citywide sales tax to fix Topeka streets

Voters may feel some disappointment that Topeka’s city government hasn’t done more to fix its streets using the revenue from a citywide half-cent sales tax, a leader for the campaign to renew the tax acknowledged Thursday.

Still, Jim Parrish said, the predominant message he is hearing from people in this community is that “we need to continue the march.”

Parrish is chairman of the nonprofit group Future Forward, which is running an advertising campaign to promote passage of a ballot question that would extend the tax for 10 years. Topeka governing body members voted July 17 to schedule the ballot question vote.

After JoCo voting system update, officials hope for ‘dazzlingly fast’ election results

Election officials hope new software for voting machines will provide swift results in Johnson County on Nov. 6, unlike the overnight vote count delay that plagued the county in August.

The updated software has received both federal and state certification, Johnson County Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker said Thursday. The new software resolves the issue that caused painfully slow reporting of Johnson County’s results following the Aug. 7 primary election.

In fact, Metsker said, this new vote reporting software can deliver results very rapidly.

“We have exhaustively tested this,” he said. “It will be dazzlingly fast.”

(Read more: Government & Politics News |)

Pittsburg Fire Department Delivers Pizzas

The Pittsburg Fire Department set out with Dominos to deliver pizza. The fire marshal tagged along and was checking smoke alarms. If residents had working smoke alarms, the pizza was free. If the smoke alarms did not work, they were replaced or fixed for free.

(Read more: KOAM – Local News)

Mall owner curious about hotel-convention center in Hutch

A familiar name in hotel management and the owner of the Hutchinson Mall form the fifth party intrigued by Hutchinson’s search for someone to establish an upscale hotel and convention center.

Steve Olson is the chief executive officer for the Johnson County-based Leisure Group of Companies. Leisure once managed a Holiday Inn & Express here and managed the now-Atrium Hotel, 1400 North Lorraine St., for a period. Weiner is president of the Houston-based RockStep Capital, which owns the mall. Efforts to reach Olson and Weiner were not successful.

Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff said Olson and Weiner did not submit a proposal when the city issued a request for proposals and credentials. Olson and Weiner and three other parties contacted the city to express interest. All of them, plus the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center owner, Joshua Joseph, Dallas, will be invited to meet with local officials here at the end of October.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Marysville city clerk resigns

City Clerk Debbie Price will leave her post Friday after 10 years.

Price is taking a job as an accounting clerk with Blue Valley Tele-Communications, Home City.

She told City Council farewell at their Monday meeting.

As her voice broke and eyes filled with tears, Price thanked all council members and mayors she’s worked with, her city coworkers and the community.

“A huge thank you to the citizens and community of Marysville,” she said. “The support has been unwavering during the good, the bad and everything in between.”

(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)

Durham cheese company ships coast-to-coast

A family-owned farm in Marion County doesn’t sound like the typical location for a national cheese company, but Jason Wiebe Dairy is just that.

Located in Durham, the Wiebes ship cheeses to more than 16 states across the country.

The products are very popular, and customers will visit Dale’s Supermarket just for the cheese, owner Dale Franz said.

“There are people who come in from all around,” he said. “They’ve had it somewhere and they come in because they’re specifically looking for a certain cheese.”

The store has featured Wiebe cheeses for three years, Franz said.

“It’s something that promotes the area, more local stuff that promotes,” he said. “We try to do that with as many things as possible that come locally.”

The Wiebes received a state permit to sell cheese in 2003. Prior to that, they sold raw cheese from their home in small portions under the state’s raw milk laws.

They now sell two tons per month, but it is a meticulous process to find the right balance.

(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

Retired city clerk indicted on stealing $36,500 from city

A retired city clerk from the south-central Kansas town of Caney was indicted Thursday on charges of stealing more than $36,500 from the city, U.S. Attorney for Kansas Stephen McAllister said in a news release.

Carole Sue Coker, 69, of Oronogo, Mo., was charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of bank fraud. According to the news release, the indictment alleges that Coker, who served as city clerk for about 40 years, employed a so-called “check for cash” embezzlement scheme to conceal the crimes.

McAllister said the indictment alleges Coker embezzled a portion of cash payments made to the city and covered up the crime by recording only a portion of some checks made out to the city. In this way, prosecutors allege, Coker made the city’s books appear to balance.

Former Kansas sheriff’s deputy sentenced for lying about machine gun

A former deputy with the Hamilton County Kansas Sheriff’s Department was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison for lying to investigators about a missing machinegun, according to U.S. Attorney Stephan McAllister. Robert W. Doty, 60, Guymon, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of lying to a federal investigator. In his plea, Doty admitted that in March 2018 he was interviewed by an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The agent was investigating a report by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that an Uzi machinegun was missing from its inventory.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Downtown grocery TIF district approved

A downtown Kansas City, Kansas, grocery redevelopment TIF (tax-increment financing) district was unanimously approved at tonight’s Unified Government Commission meeting.

At a public hearing, two comments were heard in favor of the TIF district, from a Strawberry Hill resident and the Downtown Shareholders. There were no opposing comments.

Katherine Carttar, who will be the UG’s interim director of economic development, said the downtown grocery redevelopment district includes the entire block between 5th and 6th streets, from Minnesota to Armstrong avenues. A resident of the Strawberry Hill neighborhood said, “Downtown Wyandotte has been a food desert for too long.” This has affected the residents and businesses, he said.

(Read more: Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!)

Sheriff arrests county’s former economic development director

Former Marion County economic development director Teresa L. Huffman was arrested Monday on a charge of misuse of public funds.

Huffman, who posted a $10,000 surety bond and was released from jail four hours after her arrest, was charged in district court Thursday.

County clerk Tina Spencer said Huffman allegedly misused $46,870.89 in county money.

According to Spencer, Huffman worked for the county from November 2006 through May 2017, serving as county economic development director most of that time.

According to the complaint, Huffman knowingly misused public funds “by using, lending or permitting another to use public money in a manner not authorized by law, by a custodian or other person having control of public money by virtue of such person’s official position.”

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

A brick wall on historic 1870’s building fell away, now City of Newton looks help owner move forward

There is a bit of a mess in the 500 block of Main Street, where about two weeks ago a portion of a brick wall fell away from the 519/521 building, leading to the closure of the sidewalk and one of two southbound traffic lanes in the middle of downtown. A portion of the brick facade fell away from the building Sept. 24 — tearing off an awning and closing the sidewalk and a portion of the southbound traffic and parking lanes on Main Street. The commission learned that city staff has been working with the building owner in the past two weeks, not only to get the street reopened but to work through challenges as the result of the building being part of a historic district and listed on multiple registries. According to a search of the Harvey County Appraiser’s records, the building was constructed in 1890. City staff believes the building was constructed even earlier — in 1878. “What fell off of the building is the 1930′s facade, which is what was called the buildings period of historical significance,” Kelly McElroy, assistant city manager for the city of Newton said. “The original brick that you see underneath is from the 1870s. What they are working to determine is with the rest of the facade that is left, what is the structural condition of that brick.”

Options for the building may include removing the 1930s brick, reinforcing the 1870s brick and moving forward. If that is not an option, it may be necessary to tear the wall down and rebuild it from the ground up. City staff has been looking for possible grant funds to assist with the reconstruction of the building due to its historical listings.

“Unfortunately the monies available at the state level, even though they would be awarded in November and December, would not be available until summer of the next year — and you can not start the project until the grant is awarded. That is not an option, we can not leave it like this all winter,” McElroy said.

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

Miami County endorses agreement to house Franklin prisoners

The Miami County Detention Center soon could start housing prisoners from another county.

County commissioners on Wednesday, Oct. 3, approved an agreement with Franklin County that would allow prisoners to be transferred to Miami County to alleviate overcrowding in the Franklin County jail.

The agreement calls for Franklin County to pay Miami County $45 per day per inmate. Franklin County commissioners have already signed off on the agreement. Any compensation Miami County would receive to house prisoners from another jurisdiction would go into the county’s general fund, County Administrator Shane Krull said.

The Miami County Detention Center, 209 S. Pearl St., can accommodate up to 96 prisoners, with each cell capable of holding two inmates. The detention center averages around 60 to 65 prisoners a day, Undersheriff Wayne Minckley said.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Osawatomie enters home stretch of sidewalk project

The second phase of the Osawatomie sidewalk project was moving at a steady pace last week, much to the delight of some residents who used Facebook posts to express those sentiments and display photos of the work.

Kansas Heavy Construction workers spent the week installing sidewalks on the north side of Main Street, starting at Seventh Street and working west. By Thursday, Oct. 4, crews had reached the John Brown Memorial Park entrance.

Residents weren’t the only ones heralding the progress. City officials were pleased to be moving forward, after red tape that had tied up the project for months was untangled in September.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Prairie Village city councilman highlights support of local faith leaders for non-discrimination ordinance

Chad Andrew Herring is highlighting the support of Prairie Village faith leaders for the proposed non-discrimination ordinance he and fellow Prairie Village City Councilman Tucker Poling will introduce on Monday.

The duo had planned to introduce the measure, which would provide legal protections for LGBTQ individuals in matters of housing, public employment, and service from businesses that are not provided under current state or federal law, last month. But an unexpected slew of late absence notifications forced the cancelation of that meeting due to a lack of quorum.

Now, with the proposed NDO set to come before the council for a first discussion Oct. 15, Herring is taking preemptive measures to dispel any notion that there is widespread objection to such ordinances on religious grounds. He posted letters of support for the Prairie Village NDO authored by leaders from five Prairie Village churches and one synagogue.

Wichita to replace Lawrence-Dumont Stadium

Wichita plans to raze the 84-year-old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium this fall and replace it with a new $75 million stadium that will play host to a AAA minor league team.

(Read more: Local News |)

Topeka Police Department receives international recognition at conference

The Topeka Police Department received international recognition at a recent conference.

TPD attended The International Association of Chiefs of Police in Orlando with around 50,000 other law enforcement leaders and agencies from around the world.

The police department was first recognized for its work in the Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships program with the Department of Justice, said Gretchen Koenen, TPD public relations specialist.

A video of the recognition created by the DOJ can be viewed here.

TPD was also recognized as a featured agency and a video was created to tell the story and mission of the TPD along with the city of Topeka.

Students from Fort Scott Community College Building Trades Program build gazebo for Community Health Center

A gazebo built specially for the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is getting its final touches in preparation for building day on Thursday.

The structure is being built as a community project by Fort Scott Community College’s Building Trades students at the Southeast Kansas Career and Technical Education Center of Crawford County.

In a few short months, the students measured, cut and designed a gazebo which will sit near the pirate ship playground equipment which CTEC students also built. The materials for the gazebo project were purchased by CHC/SEK, which construction trades students assembled inside CTEC’s construction labs. Arma High School CTEC student Colin Monaghan said he remembers his parents promising to go to the park after a “stressful” doctor’s visit. Monaghan said he’s glad he could help make it easier for parents when they are faced with those types of visits.

“I absolutely love this,” he said. “It’s good for everyone and making an impact on many people.”

(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)

Saline County applies for grant to renovate Senior Center

The Saline County Commission voted Tuesday to apply for a grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC) to help pay to renovate the Salina Senior Center.

Senior Services Director Rosie Walter will apply for $60,200 in grant funds and Saline County will provide $60,200 in matching funds for the project. The community development block grant is administered by KDOC’s Kansas Small Cities Program.

Walter said the funds would be used to remodel two restrooms at the Salina Senior Center, replace the toilet fixtures and plumbing in all of the building’s restrooms, and restore or replace the building’s roof. Commissioner Bob Vidricksen said he supports the proposed renovations.

“I obviously think it’s important to update our facility over there,” he said. “We’ve gotten into this business of senior services, and we need to make our facilities equitable and feasible to use for the senior citizens. I think it is money well spent in the long run.”

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Rivers, creeks overflow banks after heavy rain across Kansas

At least one Kansas school district has canceled classes and many roads are closed as rivers and creeks overflow their banks.

The closures come as the National Weather Service issues a flood warning for a large swath of central and eastern Kansas. National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Ketcham said that the weather system is a “beast.” The Sedgwick school district near Wichita has called off classes for at least two days as a creek floods, forcing some residents to sandbag around their homes. Superintendent Larry Roth told KWCH-TV that the district wants to ensure buses are safe and that it can get students home as water rises.

Amtrak also is closing its route between Hutchinson and Topeka through Wednesday morning and rerouting passengers on buses.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

Hoisington City Manager Jonathan Mitchell comments on how the city handled over 9 inches of rain

The city of Hoisington has received 9.35 inches of rain since last Friday. City Manager Jonathan Mitchell was live on the 7:07 News Wednesday morning on 1590 KVGB and 97.7 FM to talk about how the rainfall impacted the city and how improvements to Blood Creek over the years have helped mitigate flooding issues.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Leavenworth County Commissioner proposes work session for funding mental health program for schools

A Leavenworth County commissioner proposed Tuesday that commissioners schedule a work session to discuss a proposal for funding a mental health program for schools.

This past summer, Kim Knight, an assistant principal at Leavenworth High School, appeared before the County Commission with a proposal for a program for school districts contracting with a mental health provider to provide services for area students for suicide prevention and other mental health issues. The program would provide services to students in the Leavenworth, Lansing, Easton, Basehor-Linwood and Tonganoxie school districts.

Knight asked that a question appear on an election ballot to see if voters would approve a 2-mill increase to the county’s tax levy. She proposed that, if approved, the money generated through the tax increase would be used to fund the program.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Former downtown Overland Park car wash coming down to make way for 20 new parking spaces

Demolition crews today are at work taking down the former car wash in downtown Overland Park to make way for more parking.

The city purchased the former Dyna-Jet Car Wash for $600,000 earlier this year as it sought to address continued parking issues in the area. Once demolition is completed, crews will resurface the site, which sits due north of the Farmers Market structure, and create a parking lot with 20 new spaces.

The city posted video of the demolition in progress earlier today.

Haysville works to compromise over political signs

The issue easily took up most of the night at the Haysville City Council meeting Tuesday.

“My biggest concern is the state overstepping their bounds,” Steven Crum said.

Crum is a Haysville city council member but also a state representative. He said he advocated to repeal the law in the previous session and the majority of the Kansas House of Representatives voted to do just that. However, the bill died in the Kansas Senate. “I think cities and counties should be able to choose when they want these signs displayed,” Crum said. “So I have more of a problem with what has happened at the state level with it than what the city’s doing right now.”

The city decided to try to comply with both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Kansas statute. Councilman Russ Kessler made the first motion to adjust the ordinance which led to hefty discussion. That discussion led to an order to city staff to write up an addition to the ordinance allowing temporary signs to remain up longer during election season, as per state law.

Kessler said he was happy with the compromise and had no concerns.

“I think it’ll be positive for the city to comply with state statute and it sounds like we will be complying once this new ordinance is written and approved,” he said. Haysville Mayor Bruce Armstrong has been critical of the state law saying he’s not concerned his city hasn’t been following it since it’s not constitutional.

He was pleased with the compromise but said he thinks the legislature needs to address the law and he’d encourage an opinion by the Kansas Attorney General as well.

(Read more: KWCH News)

New Prairie Village park will need to remove church steeple

A new Prairie Village park, soon to be under construction, will need to remove the church steeple saved from the original Faith Lutheran Church. The steeple was saved in hopes of incorporating into the new North Park.

Fort Scott receives update on fiber optics installation

Representatives of the Girard-based Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative updated the Fort Scott City Commission on Oct. 2 on the company’s continuing plans for a fiber optic buildout within the city.

In late 2017, the company began working with the city on installation of fiber. The company is currently finishing up fiber work in Pittsburg and plan to have multiple teams in Fort Scott in the coming weeks and months performing installation of fiber optic cables underground.

“The city has been fantastic to work with,” Craw-Kan General Manager Craig Wilbert said. “We’ve done some limited work around town. Things are starting to happen in Fort Scott. We’re getting ready to break ground in 2019.” City Manager Dave Martin thanked the company for its commitment to Fort Scott.

“We are excited you are here to provide this service for our residents,” Martin said. “We’ve tried to work and bring companies to the table … but they haven’t due to cost. We need it.”

(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

Goddard moves closer towards STAR Bonds

The Goddard STAR Bond Development moved closer to fruition after the Goddard City Council passed an amendment that reassigned master developer rights for the project.

Master development rights for five years were reassigned from Goddard Destination Development to Goddard Sports, LCC, a company owned by Wichita entrepreneur Rodney Steven. The agreement calls for construction on Phase I of the development to begin no later than Dec. 31 of this year.

According to the Times-Sentinel, Phase I includes a 123-room IHG Holiday Inn; a 60,000 square-foot indoor aquatic center with 10 lap lanes, 600-spectator seating, an indoor water park; four competition softball/baseball fields; and a Genesis Health Club.

Construction on the natatorium, ballfields, and health club is expected to be finished by the end of next year. Construction on the hotel is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2020.

(Read more: Area | derbyinformer.com)

Topeka councilwomen object to removal of vote on neighborhood funding

Topeka Councilwomen Karen Hiller and Sylvia Ortiz expressed dismay Tuesday evening that city manager Brent Trout plans to no longer let the city’s governing body vote on how to distribute financing for two programs that benefit neighborhoods.

“I think it’s wise for us to be involved,” Ortiz said regarding the authorization of funding for Neighborhood Empowerment Grants and Stages of Resource Targeting.

Trout told members of the city’s governing body — consisting of the nine council members and Mayor Michelle De La Isla — that because they had approved a 2019 city budget authorizing the funding amounts, he considered it within his authority to award the funding without them voting on the specifics.

Ortiz, who has been on the council since 2005, and Hiller, a councilwoman since 2009, said they had always voted on whether to award the funding in the past.

In authorizing the empowerment grant funding, Trout followed a recommendation made by a review committee made up of three city staff members and five representatives of neighborhood organizations. In authorizing the SORT funding, he followed a recommendation made by Topeka’s Citizens Advisory Council, which consists of neighborhood residents.

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Have a project coming up that needs financed? As registered Municipal Advisors, we are able to discuss, different financing options, structure, and timing.
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Ottawa adopts new Impact Fee Policy

Ottawa recently adopted an Impact Fee Policy as part of their city code.

As stated in the purpose section 13-701:

The City of Ottawa encourages the development of each part of the City to its highest and best use for the maximum benefit of all citizens. The use of impact fees helps properly assess the costs of necessary infrastructure between the city at large and those specific properties which may derive a direct benefit. There are times that the use of impact fees is more desirable to the City than using the Kansas General Improvement and Assessment Law (K.S.A. 12-6a01 et seq.). However, the use of impact fees should be governed by a set policy adopted by the governing body to ensure consistency and fairness for all under the law.

Ottawa city officials took sample language from other cities and modified it to fit their needs. View the full Impact Fee Policy online.

View the largest online library of city codes in Kansas at www.citycode.net.

Township road grader operator rescues pair stranded in high water

A township road grader operator rescued two people in a car stranded in floodwater in Reno County Tuesday evening.

Then firefighters conducted a second rescue – after the equipment operator dropped them at a nearby house, which was unreachable to EMS because of the high water.

The pair, an 83-year-old Abbyville man and his 56-year-old daughter, who lived on Sterling Road, were attempting to get the man home, but kept running into roads closed by high water, said Reno County Sheriff Sgt. Lance Smith.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Osawatomie Addresses Excess Water Issues Caused By Rainfall

With heavy rains affecting Osawatomie, please know the City of Osawatomie is closely monitoring its ponding areas near the levee as well as river levels.

The city has received a tremendous amount of rain in a very short time. As a result, four stationary pumps have been running since yesterday, and three more have been brought in to handle excess water. Right now, the biggest concern is interior drainage since the Marais des Cygnes and Pottwatomie Creek are both full. The city’s storm water systems can no longer handle this large amount of runoff through gravity
and discharge it into the river.
Everything is being done at this time to keep up with the ongoing rainfall.
City officials are also continuing to monitor Pottawatomie Creek water levels, both visually and by river gauge. Based on current weather data, there is a 50-percent chance the stop-log gap closure on the southwest side of the levee, where rail traffic passes through, could be closed. However, based on current river level projections, the gap closure at the South Sixth Street levee opening should remain open.

(Read more: Osawatomie news)

Saline County Commission approves disaster declaration

The Saline County Commission approved a disaster declaration Tuesday morning in anticipation of potential flooding in North Salina, New Cambria and Mentor. The declaration covers all of Saline County and is effective for seven days.

“The Board of County Commissioners of Saline County, Kansas, finds that certain conditions have caused or imminently threaten to cause widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property in disaster proportion and proclaim that a state of local disaster emergency exists in Saline County, Kansas,” the declaration states. “Flooding conditions have created obstructions or will create obstructions, which endanger health, safety, and welfare of persons and property within the border of Saline County, Kansas.”

(Read more: News – Salina Journal)

Southwest Sedgwick County residents keep a close eye on rising Ninnescah River

The Ninnescah River was rapidly rising on Tuesday afternoon after heavy rains have inundated the area after the last few days.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Town of Sedgwick prepares for flooding

Residents of Sedgwick were sandbagging homes on Tuesday as Sand Creek started to flood the town. Ridge Road through Sedgwick was also closed due to high water.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)