Kansas Municipal News
Quarry near De Soto to expand mining work, over neighboring residents’ objections
Owners of a rock quarry south of De Soto got approval to expand mining operations last week, over the objections of neighbors who said the blasting and dust are creeping too close to their homes. Officials of Martin Marietta, which owns the Sunflower Quarry, maintain they have been good neighbors and have taken pains to limit blasting and inform nearby residents about their operations in western Johnson County. On Thursday, they asked the Board of County Commissioners for permission to expand their mining area because of increased need for crushed rock in construction projects.
Source: Johnson County Post
Manhattan City Crews Hauled more than 2,000 tons of Snow after Winter Storm Blair
Manhattan city crews and contractors plowed over 42 million cubic feet of snow following Winter Storm Blair, which, with 15 inches, delivered the second-highest single-day snowfall in city history, surpassed only by 18 inches in 1900. Between January 4 and 13, crews plowed 500 lane miles, equivalent to the distance from Manhattan to Denver, and hauled more than 2,000 tons of snow from areas including Aggieville, downtown, and major roads. They also used 400 tons of salt to treat city streets. The 42 million cubic feet of snow could have filled the City Pool 468 times or Bill Snyder Family Stadium 400 feet deep. The last time Manhattan saw more than 10 inches fall in one day was February 5, 2014.
Source: KCLY Radio
Kansas Agricultural Land Values Stabilize After Years of Growth, With Regional Variations and Economic Pressures Ahead
Non-irrigated cropland prices in Kansas increased by 3.8% last year, while pasture and hay ground saw a 2.7% rise, according to the 2024 Kansas Agricultural Land Values and Trends report. Kansas State University farm economist Robin Reid explained that these figures suggest land prices are stabilizing after years of rapid growth, with some regions even experiencing declines. As margins tighten and farm income decreases, Reid anticipates that land values could continue to decrease.
Source: KCLY Radio
Local firefighters awarded during ceremony for bravery, heroic actions
Some local firefighters were recognized during a ceremony in Pittsburg Friday night. According to the city, community members came together to recognize the bravery of local firefighters during its inaugural awards ceremony. “Every day, our crews leave a lasting impact on someone’s life. It may be something that seems small to us, like waving at a child as we drive by or stopping to chat in a store. Or it might be something monumental, like performing life-saving operations. Regardless of the scale, I am deeply proud of every individual who wears the title of Pittsburg Firefighter,” said Chief Taylor Cerne.
Source: KOAM News
New developments in effort to build $2 billion semiconductor facility in Bel Aire
Federal funding has been offered to help build a nearly $2 billion semiconductor assembly and test plant in the Wichita area, according to Sen. Jerry Moran. But there are still a lot of questions about whether the plan will come to fruition or if it will be on the scale of the initial proposal. Moran’s office says that CHIPS funding was offered to Integra but did not say how much. Earlier this month, KSN reported that Micross Components bought Integra, and the state said the sale would not affect the CHIPS application. Moran’s office says he has had conversations with the Micross CEO and was told that the company did plan to grow in the Wichita area and was deciding if the CHIPS funding fit into their business plan.
Source: KSN-TV
Liberal hires from within for city manager position
The City of Liberal has hired from within for the open city manager position. Scarlette Diseker has been hired as Liberal’s new city manager. Diseker has been with the city since 2022, previously serving as Director of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and the interim city manager since Oct. 1. Diseker is a Liberal native. Before being employed by the city, she worked for over 20 years at First National Bank, now an Equity Bank.
Source: KSN-TV
Sedgwick County to launch Property Fraud Alert service
The Sedgwick County Register of Deeds is launching a new service to help property owners. The service is called Property Fraud Alert. It will notify subscribers each time a document, such as a real estate deed, mortgage, lien, or easement, is recorded with their name on it. Citizens can enter as many personal, business, and trust names as necessary. Sedgwick County says that while the service will not prevent fraud from happening, it will provide an early warning. This way, property owners can take action as soon as possible.
Source: KSN-TV
Ogallala Aquifer drops by more than a foot in parts of western Kansas
Aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday. The Kansas Geological Survey earlier this month completed its annual campaign to measure the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies the western one-third of the state with water. The Ogallala, the largest underground store of freshwater in the nation, has been declining for decades because of overuse to irrigate crops in otherwise arid parts of the state.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka gets recognition for being ‘bicycle friendly’
The capital city is being honored for its work to make Topeka a better place for people to bicycle. Tuesday, Jan. 28, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Topeka for its efforts to create a better place for people to bicycle. Topeka was honored with a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Topeka is one of 459 communities nationwide involved in a movement to create safer streets for everyone.
Source: KSNT 27 News
What did winter storm Blair cost Topeka?
In early January, northeast Kansas was blanketed with history’s third-largest single-day snowfall. What did it cost the city? From Jan. 4-5, the City of Topeka saw 14 inches of snow during the blizzard. Starting on Jan. 4, city crews started working 24-hour operations in 12-hour shifts. Crews worked until Jan. 13 plowing streets and treating residential neighborhoods for ice. According to the Kansas Open Records request, the total cost for equipment, labor, materials, contractors and fleets was $972,685.
Source: KSNT 27 News
House panel signs off on amended property tax bill
A top legislative priority for House Republicans got out of a committee Tuesday with the panel approving a bill that would cut the state property tax levy for schools by 1.5-mills. The House tax committee amended the bill to ensure that the revenue loss from cutting the 20-mill tax levy would be backfilled with revenue from the state general fund. The proposal is estimated to cost about $823 million over five years.
Source: Sunflower State Journal
Secretary of state backs bill validating voided school board bond election
The secretary of state on Tuesday got behind a bill that would allow a small western Kansas school district to secure funds from a bond election that was invalidated by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Clay Barker, deputy secretary of state and general counsel for the agency, testified before the Senate local government committee on a bill that would validate a bond election held by Greeley County Public Schools last May.
Source: Sunflower State Journal
House will not take up amendment to limit property valuation increases, Hawkins says
Despite more than 60% of Kansans supporting constitutional limits on property tax valuations, Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins says the Kansas House of Representatives will not take up the amendment recently passed by the Senate tax committee. According to State Affairs, Hawkins said late last week that even if the full Kansas Senate passes Concurrent Resolution 1603, it will not get a vote in the House.
Source: The Sentinel
New Pott Co. commissioner is confident in new, expanded board
Pottawatomie County Commission Chair Terry Force tried Monday to alleviate any concerns or anxiety about the new board. After thanking every one for attending, he said, “This is a learning time for us all. It’s an anxious time for some group leaders and employees (wondering what) four brand new commissioners are going to do to us. Rest assured. This group here has a diverse background. A lot to offer. “Collectively this will be an extremely good and effective board,” he continued “I don’t know of anyone with an agenda. We just want Pottawatomie County to be the best place to live for tomorrow and years to come. We’re not here for heads to roll, just to make sure this county is run properly following the policies in place. If the policies don’t fit, we will look at them and adjust as necessary.”
Source: themercury.com
Municipal Bond Trends for January 27, 2025
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.
Leawood pet owners with only 2 fur babies no longer have to license them
…councilmembers weighed the costs of administering the annual license tags and the burden to residents and decided that the revenue from the tags and late fees fell short of supporting the cost of running the program.
Source: Johnson County Post
Topeka officials want Manhattan, Lawrence to join its metro area
Topeka officials on Friday pitched an idea to Manhattan area leaders: Why not join forces make one big metropolitan area?… The benefit is showing a higher population to be able to compete for businesses and economic development projects or programs that might have a higher population cutoff than any of those cities has on its own.
Source: themercury.com
Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America’s largest in recorded history
As of Jan. 17, public health officials reported that they had documented 66 active cases and 79 latent infections in the Kansas City, Kansas, metro area since 2024. Most of the cases have been in Wyandotte County, with a handful in Johnson County.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for January 24, 2025
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.
Treasury yields drop as investors look for safety after AI sell-off in stocks
U.S. Treasury yields fell on Monday as investors sought out safe-haven assets amid a massive stock market sell-off. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped seven basis points to 4.557%, while the 2-year Treasury yield was last trading at 4.225% after falling close to five basis points. One basis point equals 0.01% and yields move inversely to prices. Stocks tumbled on Monday, with the Nasdaq Composite being hit hard by a large decline in the technology sector. Last week, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek released an open source AI model that reportedly outperformed OpenAI’s in several tests. The company said it launched the large-language model in December for less than $6 million, causing investors to question the billions of dollars they have spent to build and train AI models.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Johnson County park district will end bike rental program
The “cruiser” style bicycles that were for rent at three Johnson County parks will be going away this year, as the park district board mulls how to replace a service that consistently lost money. The governing board voted to cancel the contract with BikeWalkKC for the program that allowed visitors to rent bikes by the minute at Shawnee Mission, Heritage and Meadowbrook parks. Park staff will bring back options for other bike services — which could include mountain bikes — at the board’s March meeting. Rental revenues have not covered the operating costs of the program for every quarter since the program began in 2021, according to a county spreadsheet. By the end of four years, the total gap was about $300,000.
Source: Johnson County Post
Panasonic is hiring for new De Soto plant, hopes to be ready for production this spring
A little over two years ago, local, state and federal officials gathered in a dirt lot on a windy day to celebrate construction beginning on Panasonic’s new electric vehicle battery facility in western Johnson County. Officials gathered again earlier this month to celebrate the plant — only this time inside the 4.7 million-square-foot facility. But there’s still a ways to go before the facility is fully operational. As of this month, Panasonic is just slightly behind its previously stated hiring goals, and it’s still unclear if it will meet its anticipated timeline for opening.
Source: KC Star Local News
Single-family home construction in Lawrence continues to decline as home prices rise
Construction of single-family homes in Lawrence continued to decline in 2024, reaching a new low with only 57 permits granted by the city. After averaging in the mid-100s for years, single-family home construction dropped off considerably in 2022 and fell even lower last year. “It’s just been even worse than what we would have anticipated,” said Bobbie Flory, executive director of the Lawrence Homebuilders Association. At the same time, sale prices for single-family homes have continued to rise.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Kansas House looks to cut property tax that funds public schools by $800M over five years
Public school advocates are asking lawmakers to proceed with caution as they consider slashing the statewide property tax that directly funds public education. Legislation in the House would lower the state rate from 20 to 18.5 mills in the next fiscal year, which starts June 1, and then freeze the annual tax collections at the current level for future years. The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates the impact would be $823.6 million over five years, assuming property values grow by 5% each year from 2026 to 2030. Debate Wednesday in the House Taxation Committee centered on concerns that the Legislature would return to a familiar pattern of lowering tax collections to the point that lawmakers eventually would cut public school funding and instigate another legal battle. The Kansas Supreme Court has repeatedly forced the Legislature to abide by a constitutional mandate to adequately and equitably fund public schools. Last year, the Supreme Court released jurisdiction over the most recent case, elevating fears by public schools that the Legislature could again pull the rug out from under them.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Mystery odor in Galena sparks concern among residents
A suspicious odor is in the air in the city of Galena. It has residents puzzled, and city leaders working to get to the bottom of it. City officials and residents say the odor is more potent in the early morning and in the late evening. “Smells like a combination of gas and rotten eggs and whatever else. I don’t know,” said Alumbaugh. Galena mayor Ashley Groves says for months the city has worked hand in hand with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help solve the mystery.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Parsons deputy chief prepares for FBI National Academy
A member of the Parsons Police Department is joining the FBI National Academy. Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd will join the 10-week program this summer. He was nominated by former police chief Jason Sharp back in 2017 and his nomination was reaffirmed in 2018 by the current police chief Robert Spinks. He tells us the process usually takes around 3 to 5 years to get in – and started when he was first nominated. The program includes a comprehensive coursework in intelligence theory – terrorism and terrorist mindsets – management – behavioral and forensic science – law and law enforcement communication.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Senate Tax Committee approves capping annual valuation increases to 3%
The Kansas Senate Tax Committee cleared the first hurdle for major property tax reform in the state by approving a proposed constitutional amendment limiting yearly increases in property valuations to 3%. If approved in both the Senate and House by 2/3 majorities, Kansas voters would go to the polls in November to decide the fate of SCR 1603.
Source: The Sentinel
Law restricts township fire station efforts
Soldier Township’s fire station is about 50 years old, but the laws governing how it could issue bonds for a new station are even older, and are preventing the community from even considering putting a question to its voters to fund a new station. …current laws on townships cap how much they can bond for.
Source: CJonline
Douglas County commissioners vote to require zinc monitoring for future solar projects
…solar energy projects use piers coated with zinc to support their solar panels. The new rule states that wells will have to be dug upstream and downstream of future solar projects and samples will have to be taken to see if zinc has gotten into the groundwater from those piers.
Source: LJWorld
Solar farm in Valley Center?
Under the ordinance, solar farms could only be located on properties that are zoned industrial. And a six-foot fence would be required around the entire development, among other requirements.
Source: Ark Valley News
Manufacturer to move U.S. operations to Winfield
A Swiss-based manufacturer of railroad track technology will move its U.S. operations to Winfield, it was announced Tuesday. … The company expects to initially hire 15 employees for its Winfield location…, with an additional 10 employees added per year over the next five years.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Prosecutor seeks to recruit lawyers
With only one law office left in the county, and that being a half-day satellite office of a McPherson County office, Marion County’s 11,690 residents are seriously underserved…. Newly installed county attorney Michelle Brown has ideas to recruit lawyers to the county.
Source: Marion County RECORD
Nurses wanted for rural communities
Kansas, especially in rural areas, faces a shortage of nurses that is expected to become worse, a recent Kansas Nursing Workforce Center report shows. … [Marion hospital] chief executive Alex Haines … explained that the hospital’s efforts to recruit and retain nurses is to involve them in decision making, ensure their pay is fair market value, and waive staff members’ patient responsibility for care they get at the hospital.
Source: Marion County RECORD
Marion revives historic district
An effort to get Marion’s downtown designated as a historic district — opening the door to tax credits to pay for building improvements — will continue after a five-year hiatus touched off by 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Marion County RECORD
Renovations ‘seem to create more energy,’ Marysville developer says
Marysville’s iconic Koester Block rust-brick buildings, which date to the town’s early days of the 19th century, stand to see new life once housing is added to their upper stories.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Sand Creek path a huge project, both difficult and ‘cool’
The City recently received an offer for an estimated $3 million from the State of Kansas to help extend the Sand Creek trail by 1.2 miles and connect its two pieces.
The City has had plans and estimates for the project, but until now, no funding existed, and solving the exact details was not something to spend staff time on.
Source: Harvey County Now
Lt. Governor Toland Announces Rural Economic Development Grant Recipients
Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the award recipients for the Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program. In this round of funding, more than $250,000 was distributed among 12 recipients across the state. “Through the SEED grant program, we’re helping our small and rural communities grow stronger and become more resilient,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These investments will drive economic development, enhance local services and create a more prosperous future across the state.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Building community
The chief has a vested interest in taking care of his town. For the past three years, Adelman and his two part-time officers have done a lot to gain the trust of Mulberry’s 400-plus residents using what Adelman calls proactive police work. Since Adelman became chief, Mulberry’s crime rate has dropped significantly. He and his officers have taken the time to learn everyone’s name, instilling a sense of community that was lost for a time.
Source: Morning Sun
���Happiness is a warm puppy���
A local city is distributing free straw to help citizens insulate outside dog houses and pet shelters during some of the coldest days of the winter, so far. A yearly occurrence, the city of Arma is giving free straw to area pet owners as a way to keep their pets from freezing during the winter season. According to assistant city clerk Vanessa Kent, the straw is acquired by the city from Blue Ribbon Farm & Home, an animal feed store in Pittsburg.
Source: Morning Sun
USD 383 to outsource groundskeeping to local contractors
The USD 383 school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to outsource mowing and upkeep services to two outside companies, making up for staff shortages and saving the district some cash.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Andover Mayor Price says connection to El Dorado lake can help solve water problem
With Wichita increasing their water rates, which passes onto Andover residents, Mayor Ronnie Price says the issue could be solved by connecting Andover to the El Dorado Lake. The Wichita City Council approved a 6.75% rate increase for water on Tuesday, December 3, effective with bills issued on or after January 1, 2025. Low-volume water users will see their bills rise by $3.21, mid-volume users will experience a $4.79 increase, and high-volume users will face an increase of $9.59. The rate increase comes due to inflation, operational adjustments, and other challenges.
Source: Andover American
Local governments should provide better access to information
The City of Arkansas City is a model in providing public access to its City Commission meetings and information about those meetings in advance so that residents know what their local representatives are up to and how their tax dollars could and are being spent.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
City Hall might finally get into historic district
Arkansas City’s downtown historic district be reshaped with the removal of some properties and the addition of others — City Hall, the police department and Ben Givens Park. Arkansas City commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday authorizing the city to apply for a $25,000 Historic Preservation Fund Grant from the National Park Service to change the boundaries.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Winfield to study future usage of city hall, police station
A study to determine the future use of Winfield City Hall and the current police station was approved 3-0 Tuesday by Winfield city commissioners at their regular meeting. The study was approved with Agora Architecture of Winfield, for a total of $44,950. The study will be funded with capital improvement sales tax dollars. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Swiss rail company coming to Winfield
Schwihag, a global leader in railroad equipment and track design, has selected Winfield as the location for its new U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility. The site is located at 1108 Industrial Blvd. in Winfield, in the former Fluid Kinetics building.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler