Municipal News & Jobs

Round after round of rain led to widespread flooding in south central and eastern Kansas on Tuesday. Water pooled on roads as drivers tried to make it through, only to stall their cars out. One part of Wichita that always floods is Bleckley Drive. Tuesday was no different. The city is currently working to fix the issue, but many people got stranded in high water, including a woman in her 80s. Right in the middle of the storm, cars were stranded in every direction. The Wichita Fire Department moved boats in to rescue those trapped in unreachable cars. The water sometimes flooded up through the windshields, and people were still driving through.
Source: KSN-TV

Tuesday’s flooding prompted evacuations in Butler County. There have been evacuations in southwest El Dorado, with firefighters going from house to house by boat to pull people out of their homes. Even a senior living center was evacuated. As of 10 p.m., the rain has mostly died down, but waters are still high north of El Dorado. Cars on the streets look more like ships on the ocean. With the raging rapids on what used to be Main Street, reaching homes further down the hill is almost impossible without boats.
Source: KSN-TV

Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena is punching above its weight, ranking as the 18th busiest arena in the world among venues of its size, according to Billboard Magazine’s Midyear 2025 Report. Among arenas with a capacity between 10,001 and 15,000, Intrust also ranked 10th in the continental U.S., thanks to strong ticket sales from October 2024 to March 2025.
Source: KSN-TV

A Manhattan-based development company is setting its sights on a small town in rural north-central Kansas this year where it plans to inject life into some aging historic structures. Tyler Holloway with Frontier Development Group (FDG) has some big ideas for downtown Marysville. Specifically, he and his workers hope to transform a block of historic structures tied to the local Koester family into new living areas for local tenants called the Broadway Lofts.
Source: KSNT 27 News

City leaders are looking to put $291,000 more into Hotel Topeka. Following two executive sessions in a special meeting on Monday, the Topeka Development Corporation decided it will move forward with requesting another round of funding. Since the city owns the hotel, it is required to make up for any operational losses from Hotel Topeka. At the end of last year, the TDC approved the budget with a net operating loss estimated at $870,000. Since Hotel Topeka is not generating enough revenue to cover its expenses, the city needs to invest more money into the hotel to help make up the deficit.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Despite hearing from more than a dozen people in opposition, Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted 3-1 to stop livestreaming their meetings on YouTube. The Kansas Legislature this session passed a change to the Kansas Open Meetings Act (in HB 2134) to state that “A public body or agency that voluntarily elects to live stream their meeting on television, the internet or any other medium shall ensure that all aspects of the open meeting are available through the selected medium for the public to observe.” The law goes into effect July 1.
Source: The Lawrence Times

University of Kansas and state legislative leadership broke ground on major renovations at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Hutchinson on May 23, part of a bold campus master plan to support its competency-based curriculum and to expand programs to meet the training needs of partners in public safety.
Source: KU News

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider adopting a resolution to no longer livestream their meetings on YouTube rather than stream the entire meetings, including the general public comment periods. The Kansas Legislature this session passed a change to the Kansas Open Meetings Act (in HB 2134) to state that “A public body or agency that voluntarily elects to live stream their meeting on television, the internet or any other medium shall ensure that all aspects of the open meeting are available through the selected medium for the public to observe.” The law goes into effect July 1.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Two new firefighters are set to join the Pittsburg Fire Department.   After two weeks of hands-on and classroom academy training, Aaron Ruth and Rendan Russell completed their final exercise on Friday.
Source: – Latest Stories

Wichita police officers Donald Bailey and Shawn Isham were watching a suspected drug house in 2020 when Gina Wilson parked a vehicle in the driveway, entered the residence, reappeared a few minutes later and drove away. The officers followed Wilson before pulling her over on Greenfield Street, allegedly for twice failing to properly use a turn signal. Wilson denied committing the traffic infractions, but informed officers she didn’t have a valid driver’s license. What happened next as Wilson stood on the curb with police officers was closely examined by the Sedgwick County District Court, Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court. In the end, Wilson lost her bid to exclude evidence of a drug offense and the state’s highest court exposed a disagreement regarding constitutional rights of individuals subjected to searches and seizures by law enforcement.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Merriam city leaders are assessing whether to tear down its entire historic downtown as it mulls new flood risk management plans for Turkey Creek nearby. For nearly 25 years, the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been working on flood risk mitigation efforts along Turkey Creek, which runs along the border of the downtown area.
Source: Johnson County Post

The Olathe Police Department is moving forward with plans to build a new police shooting range near Interstate 35 and 167th Street, after receiving the city council’s approval earlier this month. The Olathe City Council approved rezoning to make way for the new shooting range at its meeting on May 6.
Source: Johnson County Post

When Derek Buckridge rides a mountain bike down a trail through the woods, there’s a type of reverie that comes with putting all of his focus toward staying on two wheels. “You just kind of get lost in that blissfulness of nature and the adrenaline,” he said. “I get that (feeling) with trail building too.” As a construction supervisor for the Johnson County Park & Recreation District, that’s the type of feeling he wants to recreate for others as he supervises the building of biking and hiking trails across Johnson County. In his role with JCRPD, Buckridge helps volunteers with a local nonprofit Urban Trail Co. build and maintain the county’s system of single-track trails used by both hikers and mountain bikers.
Source: Johnson County Post

The Geary County Food Pantry officially opened its new facility to the public on Thursday, May 29th, welcoming a long line of guests eager to access food resources. Located in Junction City, the new 3,800-square-foot building, built by Hutton Construction, more than doubles the size of the previous location.
Source: KCLY Radio

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced that nearly $4 million in EPA Brownfields Grants have been awarded to support environmental cleanup and redevelopment efforts in Kansas. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the announcement alongside EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek, and Mitchell County Economic Development Director Emily Benedick.
Source: KCLY Radio

Coffey County Commissioners were told that their application for $1.9 billion in Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) grant funds was denied; throwing the construction of a proposed Burlington computer chip factory into question. On May 19, commissioners heard from County Counselor Wade Bowie, II, about CHIPS funding. According to Bowie, the transition between the Biden and Trump administrations likely resulted in the denial.
Source: KSN-TV

An area fire department provides hands-on training, giving recruits a chance to prepare for what they’ll see in emergencies. Pittsburg Fire Department recruits entered a live house burn as part of the department’s new training initiative. Surrounding fire departments also came to observe and learn. The simulation included smoke, sirens, and fire, designed to reflect real-life situations. This approach helps trainees practice and learn under pressure, which in turn will help them become firefighters.
Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

A local renter-led advocacy group plans to present the Douglas County Commission an ordinance to guarantee tenants legal representation in eviction cases.  Lawrence Tenants hope for the ordinance to be on the commission’s agenda for consideration by August. The proposed TRTC ordinance would cover every tenant regardless of their income; cover any legal proceeding where a tenant could lose their housing or housing subsidy; provide legal representation; and require that the county contract with nonprofit legal providers for the service, according to Sprague’s presentation. 
Source: The Lawrence Times

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that in partnership with the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation and Sunflower Foundation, the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $298,825 in Towns Grant funding to support 32 small-scale projects across Kansas. The funded projects are quality-of-place investments that create quick, meaningful results in rural communities across the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Kansas law allows a school district board of education to expend funds to improve leased property. General obligation bonds may fund improvements to leased properties that are necessary for school district purposes. However, capital outlay funds may not be used to improve leased properties.
Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that nearly $600,000 has been awarded in the latest round of Tourism Attraction Development Grant funding, bringing the total awarded this fiscal year to more than $1 million. The new grants will support 32 communities through 21 projects aimed at developing new or enhancing existing tourism attractions across the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Iola City Council members will decide soon whether to allow extended fireworks sales now that they’re allowed by the state. The Iola City Council will decide at its June 9 meeting whether to allow extended fireworks sales, although prospects look iffy. Currently, fireworks sales are allowed in Iola from outside the current eight-day window, from June 27 through July 5. State lawmakers extended the sales dates from June 20 through July 7 from temporary facilities, or year-round sales from permanent structures.
Source: The Iola Register

The City of Garden City is thrilled to announce the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bob Halloran Community Park, a new recreational space designed to promote inclusivity and community engagement.
Source: Garden City, KS – News Flash

Recent rainy weather has led to water levels at Cheney Reservoir rising more than a foot since a low point in mid-May, but more precipitation is needed to ease drought restrictions in Wichita heading into summer. Even with the U.S. Drought Monitor removing Wichita from its drought distinction, the watering restrictions in the city will remain in place for the foreseeable future due to still-low levels at the reservoir, which is the source of Wichita’s water.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Cheery chatbots offering help with property valuation appeals or tax bills won’t be popping up on the Johnson County website any time soon. But artificial intelligence is beginning to seep into the county’s administration in various other ways — enough so that commissioners and county technology experts recently began crafting a policy for how it will be used and overseen.
Source: Johnson County Post

A pilot program intended to make it easier to build homes in Overland Park from a group of pre-selected designs is nearly ready to launch. Earlier this month, city staff told the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee that preparations for the pilot program were wrapping up and that it could be available in June or July.
Source: Johnson County Post

Over the next few weeks, Wyandotte County commissioners will need to decide whether to freeze property tax revenues for a second consecutive year. And at least one local official said it’s time for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to stop playing games with taxpayers over the matter.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Cheney Lake is now up over a foot since the beginning of May thanks to the abundance of rain. According to the latest data from the National Water Prediction Service, that lake is at 1,414.85 feet as of 7 a.m. Thursday. At the beginning of the month, the lake was at 1413.7 feet. The lake is measuring at 6.75 feet below normal. The City of Wichita remains in Stage 2 of its drought plan. The conservation pool is just around 62.75%. The next drought trigger is when the conservation pool drops to 50% of its capacity.
Source: KSN-TV

It’s been ten days since a tornado tore through the town of Plevna in Reno County. The EF-3 storm left a path of destruction, but the damage does not meet the threshold required for state or federal disaster aid. According to Adam Weishaar, director of Reno County Emergency Management, nine homes were destroyed and about 20 others sustained damage on May 18. Roughly half of the affected homes were uninsured. Despite the devastation, the extent of the damage still falls short of qualifying for assistance.
Source: KSN-TV

The City of Emporia is topping off its new state-of-the-art fire station. The final beam was installed on Wednesday for the new Emporia fire station. Work on this facility has been ongoing for several years, and is a huge upgrade for the city’s fire department. The Emporia Fire Department worked out of the Civic Auditorium basement for the past 85 years. A city commissioner said the long-awaited upgrade will benefit fire crews and Emporia locals alike.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Bikers from around the world are gathering in Emporia for this year’s annual Unbound Gravel race. The Unbound Gravel race officially kicks off on Thursday, May 29 and lasts through to Sunday, June 1. Around 5,000 riders are expected to participate in the various races offered through Unbound, including the 350-mile race.
Source: KSNT 27 News

State transportation officials say an upcoming railroad crossing repair project in Wamego will result in traffic disruptions at the local level and a big detour for some. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced on KanDrive that work crews are getting ready to start the repair project at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 and wrap it up by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3. Workers will be repairing a railroad crossing that sits between U.S. Highway 40 and the Wabaunsee/Pottawatomie County line.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Iola City Council members will decide soon whether to establish a land bank to allow the city to take in properties for future development projects. City Administrator Matt Rehder told City Council members Monday he plans on bringing a formal proposal to their June 9 meeting. A land bank is a community-owned entity established to acquire, manage, and repurpose vacant, abandoned, or foreclosed properties. In essence, the land bank would serve as a means to take neglected land and put it back into productive use within the City of Iola.
Source: The Iola Register

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.

Drivers in part of central Kansas will have to deal with a lengthy detour route this summer for a highway project that is set to last for months. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) released its plans to shut down part of K-177 Highway on KanDrive earlier this month. The closure runs from Council Grove south to Strong City in Morris and Chase Counties. KDOT workers will close K-177 between these two cities starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 16, according to KanDrive. The closure is projected to end on Friday, Nov. 14.
Source: KSN-TV

In the wake of the destruction, donations of all kinds, from food and water to clothes, have flooded into Grinnell after an EF-3 tornado passed through the town. While residents are grateful, physical donations are not always the best way to help. The Hometown Grocery Store has not been a grocery store since the tornado; it has been converted into a makeshift clothing bank. The generosity of people donating clothes, food and water has been overwhelming in both good and bad senses of the word.
Source: KSN-TV

A local company is introducing 3D printed homes to help keep up with the high demand for affordable housing in Topeka and other parts of the state. Trident Homes hosted an open house at Stone & Story Real Estate on Wednesday, May 21. While browsing today, one visitor says she sees the appeal. “It’s been great to see scaled models of the homes,” said Ashley Beason. “I’m definitely looking for energy efficiency, affordability, also I love the design, they seem to bring in a lot of natural light.” Interested buyers can sit down with Trident to lay out their home’s vision. The company will take care of the rest.
Source: KSNT 27 News

The City of Emporia is currently considering a new fee that would be used to help with needed stormwater improvements across the community. During the Emporia City Commission regular study meeting Wednesday morning City Engineer Jim Ubert proposed an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) structure that would be tailored to Emporia as a “fair way to pay for future stormwater improvements.” According to Ubert the city has a significant backlog of said projects which totals roughly $18 million. He says the new structure would allow the city to fully address these issues over time rather than simply taking a “band-aid” approach, which it has had to do in recent years, given that there is no dedicated revenue stream for said projects. Ubert explained how the structure would work during an interview with KVOE News.
Source: d2430

Drought-stricken governments in west-central Kansas have escalated their fight for water rights from state to federal court, which could impact how cities across the state handle future disputes. The cities of Hays and Russell, located in neighboring counties just off of Interstate 70 near the middle of the state, sued the nearby Edwards County in 2024 for blocking a planned water transfer. The cities do not have enough water to supply future residents. They concocted a plan beginning in 1995 with the purchase of the 7,000-acre R9 Ranch in Edwards County. The ranch contains 32 water rights the cities wanted to use for their public water supply. The cities say the county has been opposed to the project since before the property was purchased, but county officials have cited concerns over a large amount of water being transferred out of a prominent agricultural community.
Source: Kansas Reflector

On May 21st, Grow Clay County announced they received a $500,000 Goldstein Foundation Challenge Grant to support the building and expansion of the Clay Center Multi-Generational Life Center. Natalie Muruato, Grow Clay County Director, said they hope to start construction on the Life Center around August 1st. This generous Grant could greatly help in building the best facility possible for the community. The caveat to this Challenge Grant is that it is a matching challenge grant. With this, community support is needed more than ever to take full advantage of this opportunity by the anticipated construction date. Muruato said they will continue to fundraise.
Source: KCLY Radio

Wichita city officials have directed contractors to stop testing the water at the new $574 million Wichita Water Works treatment plant amid what they called “performance mechanical issues.” The water plant is more than six months behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget. TOP VIDEOS The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard The latest issues were discovered in the plant’s clarifiers — large tanks where unfinished water is churned and allowed to settle to separate solids and contaminants from the water before it is treated further. They are an essential part of the water treatment process needed to make sure the water is safe to drink.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |