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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2018-08-05T16:28:50-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Sedgwick’s new fire truck now in service

The City of Sedgwick purchased a 2009 LaFrance fire engine from the city of Whitewater toward the end of last year. The vehicle now has Sedgwick’s name on it and has been on one run so far, according to Fire Chief Zane Hansen. Hansen learned of the truck through a co-worker who works with the Whitewater fire department. The truck has only 600 hours and Sedgwick purchased it for $80,000. The cab is custom built and the truck has been in service for a few weeks now.
Source: Harvey County Now

House panel endorses fewer restrictions on sales of weak liquor in Kansas

The pandemic has been good for liquor store business, a lobbyist told a House panel Wednesday, but the industry is concerned the boost in sales will be temporary. Amy Campbell, executive director of the Kansas Association of Beverage Retailers, said the state has 35 fewer liquor stores than it did in 2017 because of a 2019 change in state law that allows grocers and convenience stores to sell beer. The boost in sales is connected to people staying away from drinking establishments, and the restrictions some counties have placed on the hours of operation for bars and clubs. More Kansans have chosen to quench their thirst at home than before the pandemic.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Sedgwick Co. will allow restaurants, not serving alcohol, to remain open to in-person dining without limits

Sedgwick County Commissioners voted to amend the health order to allow restaurants, not serving alcohol, to remain open to in-person dining without any limitations on hours of operation.  All other provisions within the Minns order will remain. The order requires people must still be masked and maintain six feet of social distancing. Businesses and organizations are responsible for ensuring that individuals comply with the order’s mask-wearing, mass gathering, percentage of fire code capacity limitations, and social distancing requirements. Businesses are expected to make efforts to comply with fire code capacity limitations included.
Source: KSN-TV

Kansas unveils online map to guide residents to COVID-19 vaccine providers

Kansas officials on Wednesday unveiled an online map designed to help people figure out who to call and where to go to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The map is part of a larger website that also provides information about the current phase of vaccine rollout and who is currently eligible to get the vaccine. Doses are currently reserved for people ages 65 and older, individuals in prison and other congregate settings, and critical workers. The anticipated rollout of the “Find My Vaccine” platform arrives amid a six-week decline in new cases of COVID-19. Still, the pandemic remains a serious threat. On Wednesday, the Kansas Department for Health and Environment reported 86 more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the 11-month death toll to 3,895.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Atchison City Hall to reopen

With COVID numbers trending in a slightly better direction and vaccinations now occurring, Atchison City Hall will be reopened to the public, but just for access to the customer service and police records windows. The building doors will be unlocked during normal business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) beginning on Monday, Feb. 8. Even with the doors open, if residents or visitors need access to any other departments or offices, those will be done by appointment only.
Source: Atchison Globe Now

Governor reports progress in COVID-19 vaccine efforts

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said Wednesday the state has vaccinated 198,350 residents for COVID-19, and that represents almost seven percent of the state’s population. At her weekly news conference at the Statehouse, the governor said the state is expecting to get 18,525 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week, along with 18,525 second doses.  Moderna is planning to provide 25,700 first doses and 17,800 booster doses. She said that adds up to 80,550 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, compared to the 45,000 doses that the state was getting a couple of weeks ago.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Emporia moves forward with pickleball court project, Flint Hills Crossing CID

After reviewing information on the project last week, city commissioners officially approved Wednesday a memorandum of understanding with the Emporia Country Club allowing the construction of a public pickleball facility on the premises. The six-court facility (which will be considered a city park upon completion) will be on the current site of the country club’s unutilized tennis courts, directly adjacent to its parking lot. Additional ingress and egress easements have been approved by the ECC as part of the agreement, giving the city additional access (and maintenance obligations) for nearby sidewalks and one or more ECC parking stalls for public use. Barring any weather or complications due to the pandemic, construction should begin in the spring with an estimated completion date of late July.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Johnson County city could ban people from some medians. Would it push out panhandlers?

Merriam officials could ban pedestrians and panhandlers from medians at the city’s busiest intersections, citing safety concerns. The City Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit pedestrians from standing or sitting on medians at nine high-traffic intersections, other than to legally cross the street. Police Chief Darren McLaughlin said the city has noticed more people and groups standing or collecting money at the intersections — where more than half of the city’s crashes occur each year. McLaughlin said the law aims to cut down on car crashes and generally ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists.
Source: Joco 913 News

No longer ‘critical’: Wichita hospital status upgraded as COVID patient count drops

The coronavirus pandemic status is no longer “critical” at Wichita’s two major hospitals as the number of COVID-19 patients has dropped to its lowest level in three months. The Sedgwick County Health Department on Monday changed its area hospital assessment status to “cautious.” It had previously been listed as “critical” since early November, when intensive care units became filled to capacity and hospitals were forced into contingency operations. County officials have not defined either “critical” or “cautious,” so it is unclear exactly what led the status to be upgraded.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Sedgwick County relaxing COVID-19 rules on restaurants, bars, stores and sports events

In a sign that things are getting better on the COVID front, Sedgwick County’s health officer is relaxing restrictions on bars and restaurants, stores, mass gatherings and sports. Dr. Garold Minns and County Counselor Mike Pepoon announced several changes to the county’s anti-COVID orders Tuesday, including: Relaxing the curfew on bars and restaurants from the current 11 p.m. closing time to midnight.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Sedgwick County Zoo completes its largest capital fundraising campaign

Sedgwick County Zoo officials said Tuesday it had completed its $15.1 million capital campaign that will pay for a new entryway and a new leopard exhibit. “All sectors of our community really came through for this effort,” said Sheryl Wohlford, chairperson of the Zoological Society board. “Trying to raise funds during a global pandemic was certainly a daunting challenge. But this community loves the zoo and values the impact it has on our region and the mission it upholds. We are most grateful.” It was the largest capital campaign in the zoo’s 50-year history.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Pottawatomie County continues to see housing boom, rise in non-subdivision construction

It’s no secret that housing continues to boom in Pottawatomie County. New home builds in 2020 were relatively on pace with previous years, according to Planning and Zoning Administrator Stephan Metzger, with an uptick particularly in non-subdivision home construction. In 2020, 46 houses were built outside of subdivisions in the county, the highest total since at least 2000. Metzger says as urban sprawl continues, it’s important the county keep an eye out if it’s something they want to control.
Source: 1350 KMAN

New city manager Jeremy Frazier sees opportunities for Fort Scott

Jeremy Frazier moved into city hall Monday as Fort Scott’s new city manager. Frazier makes his way to Fort Scott from Oklahoma, where he has lived most of his life, except for a few “short stints” in Maryland. … He graduated from high school in a town similar to Fort Scott. “Fort Scott actually has more going for it,” Frazier said. “In fact, a lot more going for it.”
… “I think Fort Scott residents probably underestimate the amount of chances they have in their community,” Frazier said. “I say that from my personal experience. I’m excited to see all the things that can be done.”
Source: Fort Scott Tribune

Shawnee considers creating citizen board to review bias complaints against police

The Shawnee Police Department is proposing to launch a new advisory board that would, among other things, look into complaints of officer bias. The proposed Community Advisory Board for Racial Profiling Review and Policy Development would focus on the following objectives for the Shawnee Police Department: advise and assist in policy development, education and community outreach, and communications related to the preemption and prohibition of racial and biased-based policing “In an effort to provide another means of transparency related to Police Department operations, the Board would be used to review and advise the Chief of Police regarding the investigation process and resolution of complaints regarding racial and other biased-based policing,” according to a city memo.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Johnson County residents looking for vaccine doses can check out Kansas’ Find My Vaccine Map

Johnson County residents looking for a way to get vaccinated now have another tool at their disposal: Kansas’ new Find My Vaccine Map. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s interactive map shows a list of COVID-19 vaccine providers who may be able to administer doses to eligible people in the first two phases of the statewide vaccination response. The new online tool from KDHE includes information on providers who are administering vaccines, broken into three categories: providers that have recently received a batch of vaccines, providers who have not received recent shipments and providers who are not publicly sharing their vaccine dose availability. As of Tuesday, nearly all providers listed in Johnson County had no public information available.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Some question Kansas’ system to appoint election officials

Some people are questioning a Kansas law that allows the secretary of state to appoint election commissioners in the state’s most-populated counties. The questions come after Secretary of State Scott Schwab fired Sedgwick County’s election commissioner for accessing a voter database when working from home while undergoing treatment for cancer. Critics question why voters can’t choose the person who oversees elections in Sedgwick, Shawnee, Johnson and Wyandotte counties just as they do in 101 other counties in the state. Schwab’s spokeswoman Katie Koupal said the current system “maintains the delicate balance of protecting local election officials from potential conflicts of interest while also holding them accountable” to county leaders who set their budgets.
Source: KSN-TV

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