Municipal News & Jobs

The Wichita City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to install a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 9 near Kellogg and Edgemoor. The box will be like the one added in Garden City last year. It would allow a parent or parents to give up a baby legally, anonymously and safely. The boxes are strategically placed in places like fire stations.
Read more: KSN-TV

Monday marked 19 years since the first recorded EF5 tornado hit Greensburg, destroying 95% of the town. The “EF” stands for Enhanced Fujita, which replaced the original Fujita scale in 2007. The last F5 tornado to hit the U.S. was the 1999 Oklahoma City tornado. The Greensburg tornado struck on May 4, 2007, killing 12 people and injuring 63 more. The storm destroyed 961 homes and businesses, left 216 with major damage, and caused minor damage to another 307 structures. In months and years following the tornado, the city devoted itself to building back as a green community. Just one year later, the town became 100% powered by renewable energy.
Read more: KSN-TV

The El Dorado City Commission is giving voters the chance to decide the fate of a 1% sales tax. The commission voted 5-0 on Monday to put the question on the August ballot. If approved, the tax would help support the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital. City officials hope it can sustain access to quality healthcare and support the town’s growth. David Dillner, El Dorado’s city manager, said the private hospital may not be top of mind for most residents, but to some, its services could mean the difference between life and death.
Read more: KSN-TV

Kansas politicians are grappling with how to lower property taxes. Pratt thinks it has a solution, trading one tax for another. The city commission is considering putting a sales tax question in front of voters in an August special election. The commission is considering two options to raise Pratt’s current 9% sales tax, according to Mayor Kyle Farmer. The first would increase the sales tax by 0.5% with a city property tax reduction of 13.285 mills. The second is a 1% sales tax increase with a city property tax reduction of 26.570 mills. The city calculates that a half-cent sales tax would save $153 in property taxes on a home valued at $100,000, while the full percent would save $306.
Read more: KSN-TV

Students and staff of schools across the U.S. are reeling after learning that a well-known hacking group breached private information in the database of Instructure, which powers education technology systems like Canvas. The breach poses security risk to dozens of colleges and universities, as ShinyHunters, the gang taking credit for the incident, has reportedly sent extortionary messages to Canvas users. Canvas is used by schools nationwide for assignments and grade tracking. TechCrunch reported on the news on Tuesday, after a member of the group shared a sample of the data they’d allegedly accessed.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

A proposed data center in Pottawatomie County drew a large crowd of residents during an open house hosted by Georgia-based Beltline Energy in Wamego on Wednesday, May 6. The company is exploring plans for a data center project in the county, an idea that has surfaced in multiple Pottawatomie County Planning Commission meetings in recent months. During the open house, representatives from Beltline Energy outlined potential economic benefits of the proposal, including increased tax revenue and high-paying construction and operations jobs. However, many residents attending the meeting voiced strong opposition to the project, citing concerns about water use, environmental impacts, noise and light pollution.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The Hutchinson City Council approved temporary test amendments for data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) zoning. Additionally, they would begin the process of introducing permanent text amendments for data centers and BESS. The vote was unanimous. Under these rules, large-scale data centers and BESS would not be permitted in any residential areas. These amendments will be taken before the planning commission, and a public hearing will be held before they are brought back before the council for approval.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Haven City Council voted four to one in favor of holding a sales tax election on Aug. 4. Council Member Nicole Sander was the only dissenting vote. The ballot measure would be a 1% sales tax, without a sundown date. The council heard a presentation on the topic from financial advisor Joey McLiney. The city is hoping that a sales tax might help pay for electric infrastructure improvements.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Big Kansas Road Trip brought hundreds of curious visitors to Humboldt this weekend. Organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating Kansans about Kansas, the trip to Humboldt seemed to check all the boxes. “It was a wonderful day,” said Monica Frye, Explore Kansas Program Manager. “So many people found great things to explore in Humboldt. They realized it was a unique, bright and welcoming community.”
Read more: The Iola Register

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday faced public calls for a moratorium or ban on battery energy storage systems and data centers, following a work session where they heard research on fire risks and rural water limits. No local projects have been proposed, but county commissioners in July 2024 asked staff members to look into how those land uses should be addressed in county codes.  Planner Karl Bauer presented research Wednesday showing these uses are undefined in the county’s code outside of solar accessory rules, meaning that battery energy storage systems, or BESS, would already be allowed in the county alongside a solar farm to store extra energy harvested during the day to output during peak usage. The county’s current zoning restrictions would subject BESS to restrictions to avoid fires and noise disturbances.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The Phillipsburg Fire Department has been honored with the Gold Helmet Department distinction by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), marking a significant milestone in the department’s commitment to personnel safety and long-term health. The prestigious recognition is reserved for fire departments that enroll at least 50% of their active personnel in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer.
Read more: The Sunflower State Radio Network

Taxes for those visiting Topeka is about to get higher. On May 5, The Topeka City Council voted to increase the transient guest tax percentage that was going to decrease in the next couple years. Mayor Spencer Duncan said those on the Transient Guest Tax Committee have had some talks about raising the percentage to stay current. “This is an effort to just simply get in line with what the rest of the cities in our area and our size throughout Kansas are already doing,” Duncan said. “It’s an effort to stop the decrease of this, which is the current move of we don’t make any changes. It really is that simple.” The new 8.5% tax will be implemented in 2027.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Topeka settled two lawsuits for $1.025 million. On May 1, the city announced two settlement deals: one with Topeka police administrators Jana Kizzar and Colleen Stuart and the other with Capt. Jennifer Cross. “The settlement agreement and related payment is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the City,” a city press release stated. “The City is committed to treating all employees fairly and respectfully in accordance with its Personnel Manual and applicable laws.” The money used for these settlements will come from the special liability fund, which is separate from the city’s general fund.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

The Hutchinson Board of Education again decided to put off a resolution for another school bond at its meeting on Wednesday. Members started discussions after reviewing community survey results and looking at what an updated school bond could look like. Based on the 1,200 survey responses, the community thought the former $110 million school bond was too expensive and had too many projects. Others were in favor of a different approach that would focus on updating and maintaining existing schools.
Read more: 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.

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.

Cawker City is one of four places nationwide featuring balls of twine that residents say hold size records. When farmer Frank Stoeber began making a ball out of the twine that littered the floor of his barn on Dec. 24, 1953, he had no idea that ball would one day grow into a popular tourist attraction.
Read more: CJonline

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.

Newton High School seniors Toby Spreier and Izabella Hinojos know what it’s like to be tased. It’s not because they’re on the wrong side of the law; it’s because they’re in training for employment on the right side of the law. One of the highlights of his internship was taking part in a ride-along with an officer who got a call to do a vehicle check in Sedgwick. It turned out to be a hit-and-run DUI suspect, he said. Both have internships at the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, with Hinojos doing it for a year and Spreier for a semester.
Read more: Harvey County Now