Municipal News & Jobs

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