Municipal News & Jobs

The leaders of the state’s new Water Program Task Force say they are committed to finding elusive solutions to the state’s long-simmering water crisis. Sen. Kenny Titus, a Republican attorney from Wamego, and Rep. Jim Minnix, a Republican farmer from Scott City who chairs the House Water Committee, appeared alongside Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly at a ceremony in Hays to outline their vision for the task force. The two lawmakers will co-chair a bipartisan group that includes business leaders and conservationists. Their mission: Evaluate risks to water quality and quantity, build a management system that addresses those risks, and secure a dedicated revenue source to ensure the plan, like so many before, doesn’t just sit on a shelf.
Read more: The Eudora Times

The Lawrence Police Department has rolled out a new program asking residents and businesses to register their security cameras on a list or integrate them for realtime access by police. Some community members worry the system could infringe on privacy.  Voluntary participants in the program can register their security cameras and contact information with the police department, allowing police to see where cameras are located and request footage if a crime occurs nearby.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

A meeting date has been set for Park City to vote on the project agreement for the $500 million Champtown mixed-use entertainment destination, making way for the development to receive key incentives from the state. During its meeting on Tuesday, Park City City Council set a public hearing for Aug. 26 to present and vote on the agreement. It has to receive two-thirds of the vote to pass.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal – Local Wichita News

The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled this month that Riley County District Court judge’s decision to affirm the approval of an amended planned unit development application for Liquid Art winery by county commissioners was valid. While the court saw the merit of Prairiewood Holding’s appeal, their final opinion upholds Judge Grant Bannister’s decision.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Uncertain of the legality of products found in Carlsons’ Grocery in Marion, police seized 160 cans and bottles of THC beverages Saturday. Bearing names such as “Nowadays,” “Drink Easy,” “Drinking Buds,” and “Happi,” some come in flavors such as raspberry honeysuckle. The containers say that the minimum age to buy the product is 21 and that it contains no alcohol.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Improvements are coming to Rural Water District No. 1. The district was in hot water earlier this month after Tampa and Ramona residents reported dark-brown water coming from their taps.
Last week, water board chairman Donald Mueller and operator Autumn Chisholm were joined by staff members from the Kansas Rural Water Association to induce flushing of large pipelines in hope of removing discolored water from the system.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

Lawrence Municipal Court for the next month will allow people to pay off $50 in fines with $15 worth of school supplies as part of an annual initiative. The supply drive began Wednesday and runs through Saturday, Aug. 23. It’s “designed to help individuals with outstanding fines while supporting local school children and families,” according to a city news release. The program only applies to existing traffic and parking fines, not future fines, and downtown meter citations issued after Jan. 1, 2025 are excluded, according to the release. Donating toward another person’s fines is an option.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Area residents make their way around the Garden City Farmers Market July 19, browsing and buying items from vendors. Foot traffic at the event is picking up as vendors with produce have began participating.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Dennis Alexander rode a lawn mower up and down St. Mary’s Cemetery rows on a recent summer day. Alexander is one of the volunteers at the cemetery who keep it running, make sure the grass is cut and perform other kinds of maintenance. Alexander will take over the cemetery sexton role when the current sexton, Carrol Langenhorst, steps down. Langenhorst is in charge of the cemetery and its maintenance. He said he recently got Alexander to start taking care of his responsibilities. “I don’t believe in throwing in the keys and walking away,” Langenhorst said. “It’s totally unfair to dump the job on someone else, especially a volunteer job.” Langenhorst has volunteered at the cemetery since 1983.
Read more: Harvey County Now

The City of Newton held a 15-minute work session to discuss updates to the city’s building codes. The city has been working in recent months on new versions of the international building code and international existing building codes it plans to soon adopt. The local codes also include numerous revisions and amendments made by city staff. The work session was meant to give developers and property owners a chance to speak on the proposed changes.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Measles cases have spread to 12 counties in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2025 Kansas Measles Case Data dashboard. Two cases previously counted in Haskell County were reassigned last week to Seward County, health officials said in a correction on the dashboard, which was updated Wednesday. Seward County has no active outbreak-associated cases at this time.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

As the Kansas City area prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of fans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many local cities are discussing whether – and how – to make it easier to house them. Portions of the 2026 World Cup will take place in Kansas City between June 11 and July 19, 2026. Jackson County leaders estimate that 650,000 people will travel to the Kansas City region during the hotly anticipated global soccer championship. However, legislators noted, as of June 2025 only about 65,000 hotel rooms exist within a hundred-mile radius of the city.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

After Lea Rookwood and her husband had their first son, they knew they could not get a traditional family pet. Her son had terrible allergies, and he would break out in hives around dogs. So, they decided to get a pig. Shera, now seven, is the Rookwood’s family pet. An American Mini Pig from Idaho, she lived with the family first in California, and now Kansas. TOP VIDEOS Now, though, the Rookwoods are being forced to remove Shera from their home by their new neighborhood’s homeowners association. The Rookwoods moved into a house they purchased in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood in Shawnee, Kansas, in the middle of May, and they received a Notice of Violation from the HOA on June 7.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Western Kansas is the place for a quiet, rural lifestyle. But with that comes shortages when you need to see a doctor. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that largely due to this difference in access to health care, rural residents are more likely to die early than urban residents.
Read more: News

A Southeast Kansas fire department welcomes a new apparatus to its fleet. The Columbus Fire Department officially welcomed home its new rescue truck this week. It comes from Texas and costs $135,000.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The Manhattan city commission on Tuesday heard a revised housing development proposal following the county unanimously striking down the Reinvestment Housing Incentive Districts proposal.
The original proposal would have made use of the RHID state program’s funds. The county’s veto of the project in June took that funding off the table for future projects. The new project, the Workforce Housing Sales Tax Proposal, will rely partly on sales tax funds.
Read more: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

Housing prices have increased by almost 50% in Topeka over the past 10 years alone. 27 News looked at housing price data collected by real estate company Zillow in the City of Topeka. The data shows that since 2014, the price of a house in the Capital City has increased by more than $91,000. Since 2005, homes in Topeka have increased by almost 50%.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach claims in a recently published opinion that Johnson County commissioners acted beyond their authority when they approved a November ballot question asking voters to renew the county’s existing public safety sales tax. … Namely, Kobach says that mental health services and emergency medical services do not qualify as public safety projects.
Read more: KC Star

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.

Because the resolution tries to fund measures that do not qualify as public safety projects and it would fund different projects than that for which the existing tax was enacted, a court would find that the Board has exceeded its authority and that the resolution is null and void.
Read more: AG Opinion 2025-13