Municipal News & Jobs

The previous goal set a target of having all city facilities powered by renewable energy by 2025 and having 100% of residential and commercial businesses citywide powered by renewable energy by 2035. However, the city has not come close to meeting those goals. It missed the 2025 goal, and only about 3% of its facilities are currently powered by clean energy. Because of this, city sustainability staff suggested repealing the old goal and setting a new goal of climate neutrality.
Read more: LJWorld

The city is making temporary changes to its short-term rental rules from May 25 to July 26 ahead of the influx of visitors for the six World Cup matches set to take place in Kansas City. But even with the relaxed rules, code compliance manager Treni Westcott said that renting out a room for any period less than 30 days would require a short-term rental license.
Read more: LJWorld

Cyndra Kastens, former city administrator in Anthony, is in her third full week in Valley Center. She was hired in January to replace Brent Clark. “The first two weeks were great,” Kastens said. “My priority goal was to meet with all the city directors as well as engineering teams to start getting up to speed on department activities and Valley Center projects.” Kastens said the city is prepared to face its challenges.
Read more: AV News

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced two Kansas Main Street communities have been awarded funding through the Residential Opportunities On Main Street (ROOMS) program. Projects in El Dorado and Seneca will receive $50,000 each to create a total of 18 new residential units in the upper floors of downtown buildings. “As we continue expanding the state economy by bringing more businesses and workforce opportunities to rural communities, the need for quality and affordable housing also continues to grow,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Through the ROOMS program, we are preserving the history of our downtown districts while creating more livable spaces for current and future residents.” Last summer, five communities were awarded ROOMS grants, resulting in 29 new upper-floor housing units in downtown communities and generating nearly $9 million in private investment.  
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

We’re excited to share a new opportunity for our downtown business community — and we want to make sure this information reaches as many business owners as possible. The Kansas Department of Commerce has released the SIGNS Grant, which helps fund new or upgraded storefront signage for downtown businesses. The City of Coffeyville is preparing an application and is currently identifying interested downtown businesses who would like to participate.
Read more: Coffeyville, KS – News Flash

On Monday, the Iola City Council gave final approval to revisions to the transient vendor ordinance. The changes, which were suggested by Council member Joelle Shallah last year, clarify what is considered a local resident for fee purposes. A local resident is defined as a person living in the city limits of Iola and having any trailers or such registered in Allen County with an Iola mailing address. The revisions also include an increase in application fees from $10 to $30 reflecting what the city has to pay the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for background checks required for applicants. This is part of the overall license fee.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Is Kansas the middle of nowhere? A place with nothing to attract people to come, live, work and play? Today we’ll meet a man who was born and raised in the western United States. As he transitioned to work remotely in his career, he has found he can do his work from virtually anywhere — and has chosen to live in rural Kansas.  Mike Ball is a software developer working remotely from Kingman, Kansas. He grew up in Oregon, studied economics at Oregon State, and took training on software programming. He worked in Las Vegas and then Arizona. Ball worked as an independent software development consultant for 11 years. Then one of his clients asked him to come on board full-time with the company. When the Covid pandemic began, everyone in that company transitioned to work remotely. While in Arizona, he and a friend had come to Kansas to visit his friend’s sister who had moved to Kingman. “I really liked Kingman,” Ball said. When his company transitioned to remote work, Ball opted to make the move to Kansas.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Several dozen people turned out Friday afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new fire/EMS station in Sedgwick. The groundbreaking comes nine years after the city relinquished its EMS services because it couldn’t staff the department. In March, 2017, Halstead EMS agreed to cover Sedgwick and did so until January 2025, when Sedgwick revived its dead service. Not only did City Administrator Kyle Nordick get the program off the ground, he promoted Fire Chief Zane Hansen last summer to also serve as the EMS director and found a Community Development Block Grant for $650,000 in January of last year to help pay for the new station.
Read more: Harvey County Now

As zoning demands continue to rise in Jackson County, commissioners have agreed to hire a separate zoning administrator to keep up with the workload. The decision came after county appraiser and zoning officer Kate Immenschuh previously told commissioners that an increase in zoning duties has strained her staff and caused them to fall behind on appraisal duties. During the commissioners’ meeting on Monday, they unanimously agreed to advertise for a full-time county zoning administrator. The top responsibility of the new position will be to administer and enforce zoning regulations in the county’s comprehensive plan, as well as serve as a liaison to the planning commission and board of zoning appeals.
Read more: The Holton Recorder

Helmets will become a requirement for anyone under 18 riding an electric-powered scooter, bicycle or other device in Leawood, the city council has decided. The Leawood City Council last week approved the new rule, which will go into effect after its legal publication. Although the vote was 5-3, every councilmember went on record backing helmets for juvenile riders. The disagreement was over whether the helmet rule should also apply to non-electric bikes, scooters, skateboards or other wheeled devices. The new rule does not specify the type of helmet, but says it must be designed to prevent injury and be properly fitted and secured to the head. It applies to passengers as well as operators, riding on streets, sidewalks, trails and public rights-of-way within the city.
Read more: Johnson County Post

After years of declining enrollment, Olathe Public Schools will be closing more schools — and is gearing up to decide which ones. At the Feb. 5 board of education meeting, district leaders shared a multi-phase plan to determine how many and which schools will close. Once those determinations are made, the district will redraw boundaries and consolidate schools. According to the district, enrollment peaked at 30,216 students in 2019. The district now has 28,140 students. Projections show enrollment dropping to just under 26,000 students over the next 15 years — a decrease of about 4,000 students from its peak. Officials have pointed to slowed birth rates, rising housing costs and an aging population as key factors in the decline.
Read more: Johnson County Post

On February 3rd, Clay Center City Council approved an ordinance to allow utility vehicles within city limits. Work-site vehicles, golf carts, and micro utility trucks will be eligible for in-town use. Drivers must register their vehicles and display their registration sticker clearly on the left side of the vehicle. In addition, an affixed flag needs to be displayed six feet off the ground. City Attorney Dusty Mullin, said the flag needs to be visible while the vehicle is in motion.  The ordinance goes into effect April 1st. 
Read more: KCLY Radio

The McPherson Fire Department gave the public a chance to see its two newest trucks on Thursday. The trucks — also called brush trucks or wildland attack units — give firefighters a faster, more agile vehicle that can more easily maneuver rough terrain compared with traditional fire engines, making them ideal for battling wildfires. They each hold 600 gallons of water. “It does improve efficiency,” Fire Chief Chad Mayberry said. “It allows us to stack the two trucks on the fire line potentially.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Help is on the way for rural Kansas communities in need of housing. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) announced nearly $14 million in funding for development across the state, targeted at medium-income households. The funding comes through two programs operated by the KHRC: the Moderate-Income Housing (MIH) program and the Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credits (KHITCs). According to the KHRC, the Kansas Legislature created the MIH in 2012 to serve those people who have high enough salaries to not be eligible for public housing but don’t earn adequate money to comfortably navigate the housing market.
Read more: KSN-TV

No official date was mentioned and there are still some things to finalize, but the main decision has been made. The Americus City Council voted 4-0 to discontinue the town’s police department Tuesday. Mirroring a conversation KVOE News had with City Council President Nicky Nuessen last week, City Council member Bill Harmon says the board did all it could — but it had to make a tough choice.
Read more: KVOE

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County has approved what could be a $450 million incentive package to help finance a new stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are building a 65,000-seat, $3 billion domed stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2031 season. The stadium and an adjacent $325 million entertainment district are expected to take up about 235 acres near the Kansas Speedway. In Johnson County, the Olathe City Council approved another Chiefs-related development earlier this week. The team headquarters and training facility would take over a 165-acre development costing around $400 million, KCUR reported.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Reno County Commissioners were critical Wednesday, Feb. 11, of legislation introduced last week in Topeka that would limit local governments’ authority regarding land use and taxation. Commission Chairman Ron Hirst said it was important enough that he brought it up before business items on the commission’s meeting agenda, citing two specific bills: House Bill 2728 and House Bill 2745. H.B. 2728 was introduced Feb. 5 by District 97 Rep. Nick Hoheisel on behalf of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a lobbying group whose members include Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell USA. H.B. 2728 would forbid counties, cities, and townships from adopting moratoriums on any energy facility development—including electricity generation and battery storage—longer than 30 days without approval of the Kansas Corporation Commission, and such moratoriums would require additional approval from the KCC to extend beyond 120 days. It was referred to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications. No hearing was set as of Wednesday.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

How Hutchinson’s combined sales tax rate compares to other cities in the region will depend, in part, on whether voters approve a March 3 referendum for a 0.75% sales tax, although some nearby cities will have higher rates regardless of the election’s outcome. Hutchinson City Council set a March 3 special election on whether to institute a new 0.75% sales tax, which would increase the combined sales tax rate in the city from 8.25% to 9% on non-food items. If voters approve the referendum, the new 9% rate would still be lower than McPherson, whose tax rate is increasing from 9% to 9.5% on April 1, and Salina, whose combined sales tax rate is 9.25%. Looking further afield, it would also be lower than the rate in Manhattan, which is either 9.15% or 9.45%, depending on whether one is shopping in Riley or Pottawatomie County, respectively.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Four 11-year-old boys tugged at the heartstrings of Humboldt Council members Monday night in their request for a skate park.  “Right now, a lot of kids our age don’t have many places to go after school or on weekends,” Elisha Ivy read from a prepared statement. “Most of the time we end up stuck inside on phones, tablets or video games. A skate park would give us a safe place to be active, hang out with friends, and do something healthy instead of being on electronics all the time.” Standing with Elisha were Trev Johnston, Tripp Korte and Ryker Roach.  In their consultations with grown-ups, the boys figured a skate park would cost around $7,000 to $10,000.  When queried by new Council member John Lassman where they thought a skateboarding park should be located, Elisha’s father, Milton Ivy, said Cannon Park would be ideal, noting a “75-by-75 space that would be ample.” Council members appeared to wholeheartedly support the idea, saying that the Council’s recreation committee would study the proposal.  
Read more: The Iola Register

In her annual report to Iola City Council members Monday, economic development director Camille Lavon said her focuses include strengthening existing businesses and entrepreneurs. Hit the ground running? Camille Lavon arrived as economic development director for Iola and Allen County last summer, going at Usain Bolt-like speed. In the six months since, Lavon has garnered a greater appreciation for what the economic needs are in an increasingly tumultuous climate, particularly for southeast Kansas. She noted, in response to a question during Iola’s City Council meeting Monday, that Iola stacks up favorably with other communities across the region in terms of economic viability.
Read more: The Iola Register