Kansas Municipal News
Zoning moratorium among items up for consideration when Lyon County Commissioners convene Thursday
Lyon County Commissioners will consider signing a resolution that would establish a moratorium and suspend any applications related to zoning, land use and building permitting within Lyon County during their regular action meeting Thursday. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the Lyon County Planning and Zoning Board to review zoning regulations related to medical buildings. It was reported earlier this month that Stormont Vail Health had purchased land to build a new multi-million dollar medical facility in the county, however, calls for confirmation from KVOE to Stormont have not been returned. Commission Chairman Rollie Martin tells KVOE News the resolution being considered Thursday was drafted by the county commission and not by any local or outside agency. Consideration of the resolution comes the same week it was announced that mediated conversations between Stormont and Newman Regional Health had come to a close. Martin declined further comment until after Thursday’s meeting.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Equipment super load coming to Emporia soon
Just how big is the equipment super load moving through Emporia on Tuesday morning? The city of Emporia Facebook page says the boiler is 22 feet tall, 22 feet wide and 216 feet long — or over 70 yards. It also weighs 660,000 pounds. The equipment stopped in Madison overnight on its way from Oklahoma to California. It is using Kansas Highway 99 north to reach Emporia. The city of Emporia has already made several traffic adjustments, temporarily disabling the stoplights at 12th and Merchant starting Monday and detouring northbound traffic on Merchant — starting at 12th — east to Burlingame Road once the load leaves town Tuesday morning. The city’s Public Works Department is also taking this opportunity to work on the Commercial Street traffic signals at fifth and Seventh, starting at 8 am Tuesday. There will be traffic control present at both intersections. 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative has also planned for service interruptions south and north of Emporia, including Road L north to US Highway 56.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Diverse event schedule helping Emporia tourism efforts: ‘We have found our home in the unexpected’
Late spring and early summer are typically busy times when it comes to Emporia’s event schedule, and this year has been no different. Emporia has seen record-setting participation with Unbound Gravel, as well as heavy attendance for the Pro Disc Golf Association Masters and Dynamic Discs Open disc golf tournaments. This week has the National Teachers Hall of Fame induction process and Emporia Pride overlapping. Next week has the Kansas Shrine Bowl. Visit Emporia Director LeLan Dains says it’s important to have what he calls diversity in the event schedule. That diversity has helped to drive Emporia’s transient guest tax receipts to record levels the past two years. The city of Emporia also recently increased the transient guest tax, also known as the hotel bed tax, from 7 percent to 8 percent. Dains says the May 2024 transient guest tax receipts were the highest in the history of Emporia tourism at $108,000, in part because of that rate increase. Dains says the Visit Emporia budget comes from those funds and gets used for marketing and communications, as well as investments in the Emporia Arts Center and Emporia Granada Theatre and specific events.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
City looking at staff reductions to address revenue shortfalls
As Manhattan faces a revenue shortfall, one city official suggests staff reduction could be a solution. The city will have just over $1 million in revenue remaining near the end of 2025, and officials previously have said they’d rather not see numbers dip below $10 million in the general reserve. Interim city manager Jason Hilgers said reducing staff has been an effective solution in the past. “There are different ways we can look at revenue,” Hilgers said. “But I think historically, pressure really comes on reductions in people because people are primarily what compromises the city. It’s individuals out delivering services as opposed to a lot of contractual services or commodities that are engaged, embedded in our budgets as well.” Other city officials have offered some solutions. Commissioner Karen McCullough suggested raising the mill levy, while commissioner John Matta cautioned against the approach because it could raise taxes. New commissioner Jayme Minton has said the city needs to get its financial situation under control. Hilgers said the city may have to pursue staff reduction, though cutting off services could be a major issue. He said officials usually look at reducing the size of their government departments so the city can decrease some of its financial obligations.
Source: themercury.com
City commission adopts 20-year parks and rec master plan
The Manhattan city commission at Tuesday’s meeting unanimously approved the adoption of the Move MHK! parks and rec master plan. The plan includes long-term goals and visions, including updates to various parks and prioritizing the construction of an indoor aquatics facility. The plan and Tuesday’s vote didn’t approve any specific action. (City commissioners in recent meetings have been considering putting a sales tax measure on the November ballot to fund an indoor aquatics and rec facility. That specific proposal is separate from the master plan.) Commissioners adopted the master plan, which the Move MHK! steering committee and parks and rec advisory board recommended for approval. The plan included four additional recommendations from the advisory board. The recommendations are revisiting the combined indoor pool and rec facility versus an aquatic-only facility; revisiting the proposed City Park location; forming an intergovernmental partnership with the Manhattan city government, Riley County government, USD 383 and K-State regarding an aquatics facility; and requesting clear financial costs. Commissioner Karen McCulloh said she wants to support the advisory board’s decision to include the recommendations.
Source: themercury.com
Work set to begin this year on ‘Gorilla Rising’ improvements
With a new downtown site chosen for Pittsburg State University’s Kelce School of Business, and funding secured from private and public sources, work is poised to begin on the Gorilla Rising project. The $50 million initiative, announced last year, will move the college of business downtown, embedding upper-level business students in the Pittsburg business community. It also will transform the historic Besse Hotel, which has been vacant for many years, into student apartments on the upper floors, with a mix of public and office space, including the Center for Reading, on the first floor. About 60 student housing units will be located on the upper floors of the Besse Hotel. Work began there this week to prepare it for renovation. The site for the college of business has changed since planning for the project began, from Fifth and Broadway to 216 N. Broadway. That site was previously home to the All Aboard Foundation. The existing building will be razed and a new building suited to student and faculty needs will be built in its place. The site also allows for parking in a lot next to the building.
Source: www.joplinglobe.com
Parts of Kansas once tried to secede and form ‘West Kansas.’ It helps explain our politics today
Secession movements in places like eastern Oregon continue to make headlines today, but back in the 1990s, parts of western Kansas made an effort to secede that previewed the political divisions that still cause people in the U.S. to consider cutting ties from their governments. In Kansas, the effort involving nine southwest Kansas counties all started with a disagreement over school funding policies. After people in western Kansas felt a new school funding law adversely affected rural schools, some residents of the nine counties were so upset that they petitioned to leave the state. They proposed a new state called West Kansas. In the heart of one of those counties, tucked behind endless rows of corn and milo, Sharon Concannon takes a trip down memory lane, thumbing through a book of newspaper clippings and documents from the time. The navy blue book’s cover exclaims, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore” in large white letters. The laminated book documents the reactions to a secession movement that grew out of the region 30 years ago.
Source: KAKE – News
Olathe church’s plan to build splash pad and playground could fill parks ‘gap’
Splash pads and pickleball courts may be on their way to south Olathe. During its meeting earlier this month, the Olathe Planning Commission unanimously recommended rezoning for a new recreational area on the property of Living Hope Church of the Nazarene, 18550 W. 175th St. The church’s plans envision a playground, splash pad, four pickleball courts, walking trails, canopies and parking for church congregation activities, all on the northwest corner of West 175th Street and South Ridgeview Road. Once complete, the area would be open to the public but owned by Living Hope Church. The city staff’s report on the proposal states, “This project helps meet several goals of the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan including improving the City’s parks and recreation provisions for the surrounding areas and addressing a gap in recreational fields such as pickleball courts and splash pads.”
Source: Johnson County Post
One key to a good life: Community helped Lenexa with details of this 2024 parks plan
Trails, pools and pickleball courts all have big roles in how Lenexa exercises and plays. And those vital elements of a good life just got a refresh in the city. “The benefits and importance of parks and recreation are almost endless,” said Lenexa Parks & Recreation Director Logan Wagler. “Parks and recreation is vital for fostering healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities. It provides numerous physical, mental, social, environmental and economic benefits, making them essential components of urban and suburban planning. “Investing in parks and recreation facilities ensures a higher quality of life for all residents, promoting overall well-being and community cohesion.” Lenexa City Council this spring adopted the 2024 parks and recreation master plan after more than a year of research and community input. Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers is pleased with the community response.
Source: Joco 913 News
City of Manhattan facing shortfall in revenues
The city of Manhattan is facing a revenue shortfall, which could affect the city in several areas over the next few years. A number of solutions to the problem has been discussed such as raising the mill levy which was proposed by commissioner Karen McCulloh. Others like commissioner John Matta has cautioned against an approach due to the possibility of a tax increase. Commissioner Jayme Minton has said the city needs to get its financial situation under control. Interim city manager Jason Hilgers says that the solution that has been used in the past is reductions in staff. Hilgers says that this may have to be a solution as cutting off services could be a major issue for the city. The city has just over $1 million in revenue remaining near the end of 2025. City officials have stressed repeatedly in the past that they would rather not see revenues dip below $10 million in the general reserve. Hilgers said that the city usually looks at reducing the size of staff in government departments so the city can lower some of its financial obligations.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Sedgwick County Files Disaster Declaration for Park City Fire
The fire at the Evergreen Recycling Plant continues to burn and Sedgwick County has signed a disaster declaration regarding the fire for at least the next seven days. The disaster proclamation will allow the county to seek additional state resources to fight the fire, which is contained but could continue to burn for several days. Sedgwick County Emergency Management has said air support from the state should be flying in from Salina to help fight the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Saline County looking for input on broadband access in the community
With surveys of the community about broadband access still out and available for people to respond to, Saline County is hosting several community forums on the topic this week. … “The analysis will cover the types of broadband services available, usage patterns, and, most importantly, gaps in coverage,” the county said.
Source: Salina Journal
Petition filed seeking to keep city of Topeka from raising taxes without public vote
Petition drive organizer Earl McIntosh said he submitted 2,445 more signatures than required Monday on a petition seeking to ban Topeka’s city government from raising property taxes without a public vote. McIntosh said 5,386 people signed the petition he turned in to county election commissioner Andrew Howell. … The petition seeks to ban Topeka’s city government, without a public vote, from assessing more property taxes in any given year than it collected the previous year.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for June 24, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
Municipal Bond Trends for June 21, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.
100 years on, the Shawnee Fire Department continues to evolve
Since beginning as a one-truck, volunteer-run department in 1924, the Shawnee Fire Department has lived by the philosophy of always evolving and adapting — whether it’s during an escalating emergency or expanding to meet the needs of a growing city. “To look at where we came, from an all-volunteer (group) to a combination department…I mean, (it’s) leaps and bounds,” said Deputy Chief Corey Sands, a 27-year veteran of the department. “I can’t imagine where we’re going to go in that much time moving forward.”
Source: Johnson County Post
Prairie Village to increase police pay to keep up with other JoCo departments
The city of Prairie Village is poised to increase police officer salaries in two phases over the next 18 months in an effort aimed at retaining, recruiting and competing more with other Johnson County police departments. At Monday’s city council meeting, City Administrator Wes Jordan said the Prairie Village Police Department is at “a critical crossroads,” with 12 vacant positions, including three traffic and three patrol officers.
Source: Johnson County Post
Panasonic’s battery plant is already transforming De Soto, Kansas. It’s only halfway built
Once completed, the $4 billion, 4.7-million-square-foot facility will be the largest battery manufacturing plant in the world, said Jeff van Heel, who runs construction on the site. Van Heel, Panasonic Energy of North America president Allan Swan and other executives hosted a media tour Thursday of the construction site. When production equipment installation is included, the facility is a little less than 50% built out, van Heel said. But officials plan to start production gradually in the parts that are fully ready, so that the company can start making the batteries in the first quarter of 2025.
Source: KCUR News
Governor Kelly Announces $57M to Secure Water Supply for Dodge City, Support the Ogallala Aquifer
Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $57 million is being invested in Dodge City to upgrade its existing water treatment process and infrastructure. The project advances the Kelly administration’s work to address the state’s water quality and quantity needs. “By exploring every avenue for investment into our water infrastructure, we are making progress to address Kansas’ water crisis,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “When we work together – pooling resources across federal, state, and local government – we can significantly impact the future of water for the region.” The project will strengthen the city’s process of discharging treated wastewater into the Arkansas River streambed. There, it will infiltrate into the Ogallala Aquifer and provide additional groundwater at the city’s existing well sites. Once complete, 4,147 acre-feet, or 1.3 billion gallons, of recycled water is expected to be available annually. “The WaterSMART award from the Bureau of Reclamation and the funding commitment from the Build Kansas Fund will further solidify Dodge City as a leader in water conservation management and will help protect the Ogallala Aquifer for generations,” said Nick Hernandez, City Manager for Dodge City.
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas
Saucers and aliens revive Geneseo
There is something strange going on in a small town smack dab in the middle of Kansas. The unusual activity hinges on a little-known collection that the town had kept secret for over forty years. On July 6, the third annual Kansas UFO Day celebrates flying saucers, aliens, and all things outer space at the Geneseo City Museum in Rice County. The legendary images of Gort and Klaatu from the 1951 movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” are coming to the museum. Gort will be installed on the grounds at a full height of 8 feet, accompanied by “photo op” statue that museum-goers can stand behind, representing Klaatu. With a 40% contribution from an Attraction Development Grant from the Tourism Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, the museum directors have moved forward to bring Gort & Klaatu to the UFO Capital of Kansas. The statues are being built by B & B Metal Arts in Hoisington.
Source: Great Bend Tribune