Municipal News & Jobs

A fire west of Lakin and south of US Highway 50 Tuesday afternoon temporarily closed the highway down. According to the Kansas Forest Service and Kearny County Emergency Services on social media, aviation and ground resources from Kansas Forest Service, as well as the Wichita County Fire, Grant County Fire, Hamilton County Fire, Garden City Fire Department, Kansas Forest Service, Kansas Division of Emergency Management, as well as many others, assisted in fighting the wildfire.
Source: Western Kansas News

The Kansas Department of Commerce today launched the Supporting Innovative Growth through New Signage (SIGNS) grant, a new initiative aimed improving the appearance and appeal of retail and commercial business signage in downtowns across the state. The total funding amount available is $250,000 and will be distributed to support innovative, high-quality signage projects. “Downtown districts are the heartbeat of our rural communities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Through the new SIGNS grant, we’re directly investing in locally owned businesses and their ability to attract more customers while preserving the charm and character of their historic downtowns.” Eligible applicants are businesses or building owners, municipalities, Main Street organization, economic development groups, chambers, foundations, tribal organization and other nonprofit community entities. Communities can apply for funding ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, with a required cash match based on the community’s population:
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced today $250,000 is available under the Residential Opportunities on Main Street (ROOMS) grant program to support new upper-floor housing in commercial buildings in Designated Kansas Main Street communities. “Last year’s initial round of ROOMS funding resulted in 34 new housing units across the state and nearly $6 million in total investment,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Another year of funding allows for us to continue breathing life into communities across this state and growing economic opportunities for generations to come.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Municipals were firmer once more Tuesday, as U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended mixed ahead of the Trump administration’s looming announcement Wednesday of even more tariffs.
Source: The Latest

Lime Micromobility has removed its shared electronic scooters and bikes from Overland Park streets, the second major e-scooter and bike vendor to pull out of the city in the last year-and-a-half following a similarly abrupt exit from Bird. Lime was in the middle of a pilot program with Overland Park that had replaced the one ended early by Bird in November 2023. In its first year last year, Lime recorded upwards of 8,000 rides in Overland Park, and according to city officials, there was no indication that the company was thinking of permanently pulling its vehicles off city streets. Under the pilot agreement, Lime would have been allowed to deploy up to 400 of its e-scooters and e-bikes in city limits through the end of 2025 with an option for expansion. Instead, the devices have been removed from the city, and it is unclear when — or even if — they’re coming back.
Source: Johnson County Post

A recent incident in Prairie Village in which an infant was left in critical condition after being bitten by a pit bull has once again put the city’s breed-specific rules for dogs in the spotlight. Five years ago, after an emotionally fraught public discussion, the Prairie Village City Council opted to lift the city’s ban on pit bulls. Other Johnson County communities have also made this move in recent years. What has been the impact? Drawing firm conclusions is hard because dog bite incidents remain relatively rare in Prairie Village. Serious incidents like the one earlier this month that left the infant hospitalized are rarer still.
Source: Johnson County Post

Lenexa will see its sales tax live for another 20 years after voters approved its continuance during the April 1 election. According to unofficial election results, 8,691 Lenexa residents approved the tax’s continuance, while 2,257 voted no — representing just 24% of the city’s registered voters. The measure needed a simple majority vote to pass. Lenexa’s three-eighths cent sales tax is a 20-year tax that takes three-eighths of one percent of purchases (38 cents in a $100 purchase) within the city limits. The funding goes toward road and sidewalk improvements, storm water facilities, street lighting, and the development and maintenance of parks and recreation facilities.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

The Gardner Edgerton School District will see several district-wide upgrades after voters passed its school bond — with 2,236 people voting in support and 1,581 people voting against the bond, according to unofficial election results. A little over 3,000 residents within the district’s boundaries cast their ballot for the April 1 election, representing just over 19% of the district’s registered voters. With voter approval, the $100 million bond will help fund construction of a new elementary school, convert Sunflower Elementary into an early childhood learning center for students with special needs, construct a new district office, upgrade security features across campuses, and make improvements to common spaces at the high school.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Westwood residents voted by a slim majority to reject the sale of a city park as part of a controversial commercial development project, a win for a group of citizens who had pushed for voters to have a say in the park’s fate through a petition and a months-long legal battle. According to unofficial election results, 441 people voted against the sale, while 394 people voted in favor of the change. Of Westwood’s 1,432 registered voters, 837 people turned out during this special election — representing a little over 58% of the city’s voters.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Some people have dreams of escaping their hometowns as soon as they can. Adam Jones was much the same. He graduated from Peabody-Burnes High School in 2004, leaving town and not returning until 2025. Now he’s willing to put his body through the ringer to raise money for the community that raised him. He’s taking his homecoming as an opportunity to become one part of the effort to support his hometown. Now that he’s back in town, he’s found new drive, working with the Peabody School District to find a way to help. They settled on the issue of food insecurity. “The moment that I heard it, I was like okay, yes, this is what I want to do. I want to do a fundraiser for this. The triathlon came to fruition from that,” he said. On his 39th birthday on April 23, Jones plans to swim 3.9km, cycle 39 miles, and finish with a 3.9km run.
Source: KSN-TV

New construction in Wichita could be affected by additional tariffs from Canada because much of the soft lumber in the United States comes from the north. The National Association of Home Builders says two essential materials used in home construction, softwood lumber and gypsum, are sourced mainly from Canada and Mexico.  Wichita builders use Canadian lumber for home construction, which has a current tariff of 14.5%. Former President Joe Biden set that tariff rate in 2024. If a 25% tariff is added on top of that, the Wichita Area Builders Association’s CEO says that will cause more uncertainty in the builders’ community, raising concerns about supply and demand and the costs associated with construction.
Source: KSN-TV

Dozens of Pittsburg Community Middle School students braved the cold this morning to make a positive impact on their community. This is the Kiwanis Builders Club’s fourth time volunteering with the Miners Hall Museum in Franklin. Today, they spread new rubber mulch on the playground surface at Franklin Community Park. Students learned the rewards of working hard while making the playground safer for kids to play on.
Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Appeals of Sedgwick County’s new property appraisals are running almost double the volume of previous years through mid-March. County Appraiser Mark Clark isn’t surprised. About 87% of residential property owners and 73% of commercial property owners saw an increase in their property valuations for 2025. Homes experienced an average increase of 9%, and commercial property values grew by 11% on average.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

A Topeka-based manufacturing company cleared the first hurdles on Tuesday, as it looks to expand into Manhattan. City commissioners unanimously advanced an economic development application and incentives package for PTMW, Inc., which plans to lease a speculative industrial warehouse facility in east Manhattan. Morgan Padgett, PTMW’s senior vice president of accounting, told commissioners Tuesday, the company builds pre-fabricated metal enclosures, used in critical infrastructure, such as power delivery or generation and energy storage.
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

A long-vacant lot in Valley Center’s downtown is being eyed for a new development opportunity. The half-acre property sits along the city’s Main Street and has been envisioned to turn into a new mixed-use commercial development with uses like apartments and retail. Valley Center’s City Council approved a memorandum of understanding, a non-binding agreement, at its March 18 meeting with the property owner for the city to buy the lot.
Source: Wichita Business News – Local Wichita News | The Wichita Business Journal

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.

Chickens, ducks and quail will be allowed to live in Marysville as a result of a 5-3 vote at Monday night’s council meeting. An ordinance and a policy resolution that sets licensing fees were approved after almost three months of discussion, committee review and citizen comment.
Source: www.marysvilleonline.net

Perhaps the biggest news to come from the annual joint meeting between the Hesston City Council, USD 460 and Hesston Recreation and Community Education on March 27 was the announcement from Hesston City Administrator Gary Emry of his impending retirement and the movement of Jason Thrasher from City Clerk to City Administrator. The transition came during a time of succession within the City government including the hiring of Anthony Swartzendruber as Director of Finance.
Source: Harvey County Now

Changes could be coming to EMS response in rural parts of the state. A house bill headed to the governor’s desk would change the number of trained medical providers required to be in ambulances. One key part of House Bill 2280 affects counties with a population of less than 30,000 people. They’d be required to have one person trained as an EMT or paramedic, with the ambulance driver only required to be trained in CPR. This is being done to make EMS staffing more flexible for smaller communities, but some say it raises concerns about the quality of patient care in critical situations.
Source: KSN-TV

Abilene will be teeming with treasure hunters this weekend as hundreds of geocachers from across the country descend on the city for MOGA 2025 — the Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure — hosted by the Flint Hills Geocachers. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game where participants use GPS-enabled devices to locate hidden containers, known as geocaches, which typically include a logbook and occasionally small trinkets.
Source: KSN-TV

As a legal battle continues over water rights in central Kansas, two communities involved are celebrating a $15.8 million grant that could help them. Hays and Russell are getting the Build Kansas Grant to help pipe water 70 miles from a ranch in Edwards County. The two towns bought the R9 Ranch in the 1990s. The ranch includes billions of gallons of irrigation water rights that could supply Hays and Russell for up to 75 years. In 2016, the towns applied for the right to transfer the water. However, Edwards County and the Water Protection Association of Central Kansas (Water PACK), a trade association whose members hold water rights surrounding the R9 Ranch, are fighting the transfer. They are concerned that losing that much water could dry up the local economy.
Source: KSN-TV

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.

With the severe weather early this morning, many in Baxter Springs spent today cleaning up damage. The west side of Baxter Springs saw downed power lines, fallen trees, and damaged homes. One Baxter Springs resident’s mobile home was blown nearly two feet off its foundation. The man was thankfully unharmed, and was able to reach out to his family for support. They told us how the Baxter Springs community has come together in the storm’s aftermath.
Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Pittsburg city leaders are working with the school district to promote safety and health. “This would provide us a safer opportunity for our students,” said Tom Stegman, Pittsburg USD 250 chief operations officer. Twentieth and Rouse streets. one of the busiest intersections in the city of Pittsburg. is just up the road from Meadowlark Elementary School. Currently, there are no sidewalks in the area.
Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Topeka is offering to pay half of the cost to fix your sidewalks. While some people tell 27 News they think the city should be in charge of the cost of sidewalks, it’s actually the property owners’ responsibility. The 50-50 Sidewalk Repair Program was re-introduced this year to help people with the cost of repairs. Some neighborhoods went a step further and applied for the Topeka Dreams grant. This grant allows people to receive even more money from the city to make repairs.
Source: KSNT 27 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.

What exactly a mini-golf entertainment concept planned for near 95th Street and Metcalf Avenue will look like now is uncertain after an Overland Park committee declined to advance the developer’s application for public incentives. Bob Johnson, a Polsinelli attorney representing the owners behind Tap Ins at the Greenhouse, told the committee this week that some city support is necessary to ensure the full vision for the project comes to fruition. Notably, Johnson said escalating construction costs created by the Trump administration’s tariffs and uncertainty with labor costs in the construction workforce amid the White House’s immigration crackdowns are creating headwinds for the project.
Source: Johnson County Post

A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction to a woman who sued the Gardner Edgerton School District after she was barred from district facilities following an incident in which she sent photos of signage on a teacher’s classroom to the prominent social media account Libs of TikTok. The judge’s order allows Carrie Schmidt, a mother of two children in the Gardner Edgerton district, to once again attend school events and set foot on school property without administrators’ express permission. Schmidt was banned from entering school facilities after an incident on Feb. 3 in which she took photos of a Gardner Edgerton High School teacher’s classroom outside of school hours, including an image of a sticker that said “Safe Space for All” and a flyer promoting the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance.
Source: Johnson County Post

The community of Eskridge in northeast Kansas worked to save a cat that had been stuck in a tree for hours on Wednesday. The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office posted about the rescue on Facebook. They said the cat was 43 feet high and in the tree for 14 hours. The office and Eskride firefighters devised a plan, and Evergy sent a lineman, Mark Tomlinson, who used his truck to bring the feisty cat down.
Source: KSN-TV

The number of measles cases reported in Kansas more than doubled in the past week, and the outbreak may have a possible link to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico, a state health official spokesperson said Thursday. As of Wednesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 23 positive cases of measles, up from 10 they reported last Friday. The measles outbreak is concentrated in the southwestern part of Kansas, with the disease spreading to three additional counties this past week. It now includes cases in Grant, Gray, Haskel, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

USD 410 Director of Nutrition Services Jeanie Guhr and UDS 410 Superintendent Clint Corby grill burgers for students during a “Hometown Burger” barbecue event the district recently held to thank contributors for making it possible to use local beef for USD 410 lunches. While many jokes are often made about school lunches and whatever “mystery” meat they are made of, There is no question about what the meat is or where it comes from for the students of the USD 410 Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh School District. This is because the district has started a program where they connect with local farmers to provide locally raised meat in their lunches.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press

The Rush County Sheriff’s Office said 54 animals were rescued from “poor living conditions” during an investigation this week into a report of a stolen firearm. Two people were arrested. While at the La Crosse home, deputies discovered poor conditions and numerous animals inside. They obtained a search warrant, and the animals were removed with the assistance of a veterinarian and three animal control officers from Hutchinson. They were then placed in the care of six separate facilities. Deputies also found the firearm that had been stolen from a home in La Crosse.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Topeka is rolling out a new communications tool to help locals find answers to their questions fast. The City of Topeka announced on Tuesday, March 25 that it has created a new hotline for people who have questions about city services. People will soon be able to call “311” for non-emergency needs. Callers will be sent directly to the city department best suited to answer the questions they have. City Manager Robert Perez said the 311 hotline should help streamline customer service.
Source: KSNT 27 News

LaHarpe residents gathered Tuesday evening for a community conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. The discussion focused on improvements to infrastructure, roads, housing, economic development, and civic engagement.
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.

Wichita is looking to cash in on its own waste. The city is moving forward with plans to sell off biogas, mainly methane, from one of its wastewater treatment plants. Waste that gets pumped into treatment plants creates biogas, which is known to be able to be converted into renewable natural gas, or RNG.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Amazon is expanding its footprint in Kansas with plans to build a 176,000-square-foot last-mile facility that will create roughly 100 jobs in Bel Aire. The city said Tuesday that the online retail giant has bought 20 acres in the Sunflower Commerce Park in Bel Aire to meet growing customer demand. This marks the company’s third facility in the Wichita metro area, a city of Bel Aire news release said.
Source: Homepage

Rep. Blake Carpenter (R-Derby) recently pitched a novel idea to lawmakers that he says could eliminate state property tax collections within eight years without cutting any services the state provides. In a nutshell, here’s how it works: The Legislature creates a board that is empowered to review and eliminate sales tax exemptions, boosting state revenues to the tune of $2 billion per year. That money flows into a Freedom From Taxes Fund, which grows until it reaches a point where annual interest is enough to fully offset the 21.5 mills the state assesses to fund public schools. Eventually, the fund could be large enough to offset income tax collections as well.
Source: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news/area_news of type article

Harvey County decided to move forward with a City of Newton partnership for road improvements along East First Street from Spencer to Oliver. The county first heard the request in mid-March, when city commissioners approached the county, asking for a partnership on the project. The city commissioners said this would be a show of unity between the two governing bodies and would be a good signal for developers considering the area.
Source: Harvey County Now

The Shawnee Mission school board could soon finalize new procedures aimed at addressing disparities in school-based donations. One goal of the move is to more closely scrutinize funds raised to pay for additional staff positions. To prevent inequity in donations that may allow some schools to gain educational advantages over others, the school board’s policy committee on Monday afternoon reviewed a draft of an updated district donation policy as well as a procedure for reviewing so-called community-funded staff positions.
Source: Johnson County Post

The idea to bring a single citywide trash hauler Merriam may soon come to fruition. The Merriam City Council during a Monday work session directed city staff to negotiate a single waste hauler contract with GFL Environmental Inc., a Canadian waste hauler that services several other northeast Johnson County cities. Out of four companies that offered bids, GFL came in as the lowest bidder at just more than $830,000 a year. That contract would translate to a monthly cost of about $23 per residence (about $3 more to cover administrative costs, as allowed in state statute).
Source: Johnson County Post

So far in 2025, Parsons police officers have responded to 190 animal-related cases and seven bite cases. In 2024, the department responded to 1,293 animal-related calls and recorded 24 animals bite cases. On Tuesday, March 25, Officers responded to a report of multiple people being bitten by dogs by Daylight Doughnuts. EMS provided care to the victims and authorities took the dogs to Parsons Pet Hospital for a required quarantine.
Source: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article