Municipal News & Jobs

The Marion County Board of Commissioners met on Monday, March 10 to discuss the Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) lighting in the Sunflower Wind project area, which is located between Marion, Peabody and Florence. Planning/Zoning/Environmental Health Director Sharon Omstead opened the session by giving background to the packed room which included the board, Marion County Administrator Tina Spencer, Country Attorney Brad Janz, Orsted (the company that handled the Sunflower Wind project) representatives Danny Sears-Greer, Jase Sherwood, Joshua Svaty and Zoe Weinstein and members of the public. Omstead explained that the wind farm was required to install the ADLS lights and use them, which they did. “However there was a warranty issue, and the lights weren’t working as we had hoped. And so they default to blink so that’s a safety factor,” said Omstead. “This has been going on for a while, and Orsted has been kind of battling out this warranty issue. It’s a new technology, it’s just taken a long time to work out the kinks. So the commission requested that Orsted come in and talk about why it has taken so long.”g.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press

The Kansas Supreme Court, overturning decisions by two lower courts, has ruled in favor of a developer who sued the city of Shawnee five years ago over the city council’s denial of a large apartment project. The high court announced its ruling on Friday in favor of Austin Properties, a development company that wants to build the 29-acre Woodsonia West multi-family development off Kansas Highway 7. The decision throws the project’s fate back to the city, though it’s unclear when Austin might bring the plan back before the city council. The decision stems from a lawsuit Austin Properties filed in 2020, alleging the city acted unreasonably and unlawfully by denying the Woodsonia West plan.
Source: Johnson County Post

Iola has an official flag. Councilman Max Grundy helped design the flag, which incorporates blue and white stripes emanating from a clock face, styled in the manner of Iola’s distinctive courthouse clock. The time shown on the clock — 3:04 — was set to note Kansas was the 34th state inducted into the Union, Grundy said.
Source: The Iola Register

The Kansas Department of Commerce made a deal with officials in Peabody to allow completion of a $1.5 million infrastructure improvement project designed to spark economic renewal in the central Kansas town. The community of less than 1,000 people was deeply shaken six months ago by alleged financial mismanagement of economic development aid and the mysterious death of a local consultant involved in monitoring state grant funding awarded to the Peabody Main Street Association.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Retaining and recruiting young, aspiring teenagers and adults looking to enter law enforcement can be a tough challenge for any rural police department. Looking to tackle the challenge, the Girard City Council and Girard Police Department have continually explored several options in an effort to grow its force.
Source: – Latest Stories

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.

Across the globe, Women’s History Month is traditionally celebrated each March. And in this corner of the world, there is certainly some history to take note of – particularly on the Derby City Council. For the first time ever, the Derby City Council features three female council members – with Elizabeth Stanton, Kristi Truitt and Jenny Webster all serving out terms currently. Per the city’s records (dating back to 1961), they make up three of the 14 total female city council members in Derby’s history – accounting for 12% of all council members who have served in that same timeframe.
Source: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news,news/* of type article

Starting this week, Lenexa voters will begin receiving ballots in the mail to determine the future of a key funding stream for some of the city’s most visible infrastructure projects. From March 12 to April 1, residents will be able to vote on renewing Lenexa’s 3/8-cent sales tax through a mail-in ballot. Originally approved by voters in 2008, the sales tax has served as a funding source for some major city projects over the past decade-and-a-half. Revenue generated by the tax has helped fund ongoing street maintenance projects, park improvements, city facility renovations and trail construction.
Source: Johnson County Post

A new year turns over a new page for the Towanda Public Library who welcomed a new director last month. The rural town of Towanda grappled with drama over the winter as residents filed complaints against the Towanda Public Library with claims of rude staff and minimal operating hours. During a heated City Council meeting, it was agreed upon by the residents’ demands that change needed to be made to ensure the library is inclusive, welcoming and open during times that residents are able to access it. In addition to the resignation and reappointing of the board’s president and a board member, a new director was hired. Since then, the library has taken on new hours and expanded their activity offering with aspirations to host even more. These steps were taken to secure the library’s future and to work towards bringing the community together.
Source: Butler County Times-Gazette

A Senate bill seeks to prohibit conflicts of interests by banning local government officials from voting on major development projects in which they have a “substantial interest.” Senate Bill 66, introduced by Republican Sen. Mike Thompson of Shawnee, attempts to increase local-level transparency. Thompson, and other proponents, argue that local officials often vote on projects that would personally benefit them because they’re not required to recuse themselves. Supporters see the bill as increasing government transparency and constituents’ confidence, while opponents see the bill as overly broad with its definition of “substantial interest” and hypocritical, since the Legislature would not have to follow the same rules.
Source: Butler County Times-Gazette

When former Harvey County Administrator Anthony Swartzendruber announced his resignation in November, he still had an eye for working in government. Swartzendruber accepted the position of Finance Director for the City of Hesston, officially beginning back on Jan. 6. “In the preceding months, I had heard that there may be a future staff transition in the City of Hesston’s Administration department,” he said. “In turn, I started a conversation with City of Hesston and let them know that if a public finance position was available in the future, I would be interested.”
Source: Harvey County Now

Members of a House committee on Monday scrutinized a Senate plan to expand the use of STAR bonds to redevelop struggling malls. The proposal is part of Senate Bill 197, which would extend the state’s STAR bonds program through 2028 with revisions that include the elimination of eminent domain authority and new requirements for recording visitor data. The Senate passed the bill 32-8 on Feb. 19, with eight Republicans opposed. Sen. Jeff Klemp, R-Lansing, testified before members of the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee, where he revealed that he was responsible for adding the mall development provision to the bill. He said he had the dilapidated mall in Leavenworth in mind, and that more than a dozen other malls across the state would meet the criteria for a STAR bond project.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Property tax relief is something people are pushing for across the state. The legislature is considering putting new caps on property tax increases. How much you pay in property taxes depends on how much money your local taxing entities need for their budget. Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita, and Wichita Public Schools are all examples of tax entities. The state is considering reform that would limit how much those property taxes can go up year over year. There are two bills to highlight here. Both roughly cap property tax at the previous year’s levels plus inflation.
Source: KSN-TV

Cowley College and the City of Arkansas City are teaming up for a Community Cleanup Day on April 5 from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers from across the community will join forces to beautify Arkansas City by removing debris, bundling branches, and assisting residents in need. Community members, student organizations, and Cowley College employees are encouraged to participate and join us in making a difference. Volunteers will gather at Wilson Park at 7:30 AM for assignments and return at noon to wrap up the event. Participants are asked to bring their own rakes and garden gloves to assist with cleanup efforts.
Source: Local – Cowley Post

A pair of electric-powered school buses, acquired by USD 257 through a $690,000 EPA grant, have been online since January. “Is it running?” USD 257 Transportation Director Aaron Cole says this is a frequent question when people first see the district’s new electric buses in action. “They are very quiet,” he said, compared to the traditional diesel models. Thanks to a $690,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USD 257 has adopted clean energy for its school transportation. The district used the funding to purchase two electric buses, along with a dual charging station. The grant was made possible by the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which was created through former President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The initiative, designed to modernize the nation’s school bus fleet, prioritizes electric vehicles (EVs) in an effort to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: The Iola Register

The Lawrence school district will make up snow days this year by tacking minutes onto the end of school days and adding a day and a half day to the end of the year. So far during the 2024-25 school year, the district has canceled nine full school days for inclement weather, and an additional day for Deerfield Elementary School last week because of a power outage. The Kansas State Department of Education forgives local districts the same number of inclement weather hours or days they build into their calendars and use.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence school board members on Monday approved a contract with Jeanice Swift to serve as the permanent superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools. Swift was named the district’s 10th superintendent last month, pending a formal contract. The negotiated contract, which runs from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2028, includes an annual salary of $235,000, with 2% raises each year “unless there are major (exceeding 0.5% projected annual revenue) reductions in local, state or federal revenues or an unforeseen financial crisis which adversely affects the funding of schools.”
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.

Freeman Health System plans to have a new hospital finished in about 24 months as officials break ground Friday morning. Hospital officials had renderings on hand as they put shovels to dirt.
There will be thee phases to the project, starting with utilities and internal roads. Then crews will start construction on an ambulatory surgery center with a medical office building on the second floor. Phase three will be the hospital building itself. The Freeman hospital will be near the intersection of East 600th Avenue and North U.S. 69, north of Frontenac.
Source: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

The City of Topeka is reviewing how it does homeless camp abatements after a man was injured with machinery during one of the city’s cleanups. City of Topeka staff are reviewing policies and procedures following the incident. Now, the Behavioral Health Unit and the Property Maintenance Unit will mark all cleared tents with an ‘X’ to let machine operators know they have been checked.
Source: KSNT 27 News