Kansas Municipal News
Lenexa might expand its winter homeless shelter months after rejecting permanent plan
Despite cries that Lenexa would become “the Mecca” of homelessness, the city’s Planning Commission approved a change that could allow its temporary cold weather homeless shelter to serve more people — just months after the city rejected a plan for a permanent shelter. The commission also recommended a cap on the total number of individuals that can be served within city limits as well as stricter enforcement protocols if participants break the rules. The City Council will make the final decision during its Feb. 18 meeting.
Source: KC Star Local News
Abilene Votes Yes to Sales Tax Question to Fund Recreational Facility Improvements
Abilene residents voted to add a 0.35% sales tax to help fund multi-sport recreation fields and other recreational improvements during the February 4th Special Election held at Holm Automotive. The question, which was previously denied during the primary election, garnered a total of 741 voters. Of the 741 votes, 425 voted yes, with 316 no votes. Of the total registered voters in Abilene 16% participated in the Special Election, either at the polls or in early voting.
Source: KCLY Radio
Historic Kansas school built in 1904 set to reopen with new purpose
Workers are transforming an old school in Chase County into additional housing for the community. 27 News reached out to Frontier Development Group (FDG) to learn more about its work to transform historic structures in Kansas into modern living spaces. One major project underway this year is at a former school located in Cottonwood Falls. Tyler Holloman with FDG said this property is currently under construction, with a grand opening set for sometime in early 2025. He said more than a $2 million investment is being made in the old structure to bring it in line with the modern era and turn its inside into a place people want to live in. The end goal is to reopen the school as the Cottonwood School Lofts.
Source: KSN-TV
Pittsburg initiative aims to strengthen neighborhood identity
The city of Pittsburg is making efforts to bring a community’s touch to neighborhood names. Now hitting one year, Pittsburg’s Neighborhood Advisory Council has continued its efforts of connecting neighborhoods in the area. Also known as the “NAC,” one of its completed projects was establishing a neighborhood map that defined boundaries of neighborhoods and established names for each.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Homeless camps in Topeka could be cleared with ordinance changes
Topeka city leaders made changes to a camping ordinance Tuesday night, setting the stage for additional homeless camp cleanup operations. The Topeka City Council approved changes to a local camping ordinance on Feb. 4, paving the way for the removal of additional homeless camps. An estimated 20 homeless camps are now under threat of being cleared out under these changes.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Solutions Summit: Ellis County needs to tell its story better
Ellis County has many assets, but it’s not always the best at telling its own story. About 30 community members met Tuesday in Hays … From those discussions, the group identified four action items. The chief among those was developing a marketing plan for Ellis County.
Source: Hays Post
Valley Center set to expand mowing responsibilities
All property owners in Valley Center will be required to mow the rights-of-way on their properties if the city council gives final approval to a new ordinance next week.
Source: AV News
Municipal Bond Trends for February 5, 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.
Whatever happened to plans for northwest bypass linking Goddard, Maize?
The northwest expressway, a major highway that would connect Maize to Goddard, is getting a second chance at becoming reality after stalling years ago.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Developer remaking long-vacant Prairie Village Macy’s asks city for $23M in tax incentives
Public incentives may be used to help finance a prominent Prairie Village redevelopment. On Monday, during a committee meeting, the Prairie Village City Council will discuss the potential for issuing up to $23.3 million in industrial revenue bonds to redevelop the Macy’s building at the Shops of Prairie Village.
Source: Johnson County Post
Comprehensive survey is live
Attorney Joshua Albin, of the Wichita-based Adams Jones Law Firm, confirmed on Tuesday that the electronic version of the County’s comprehensive survey will go live on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 8 a.m. The survey will be available through a QR code on the County website and social media pages and in the next few days, it will be posted in high traffic areas, such as check-out lines. Residents will also begin receiving a postcard with the code.
Source: Morning Sun
Johnson County proposes airport transit for ‘completely unprecedented’ World Cup crowds
With less than 500 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Johnson County is exploring how to expand its transit system to help tackle one of the Kansas City metro’s biggest challenges that will come with the crowds next summer — including a potential bus service to the airport and a route from the county to the soccer festivities.
Source: Joco 913 News
Salina Regional Airport to Launch Daily Nonstop Flights to Houston in May
Salina Regional Airport (SLN) will launch daily nonstop United Express flights to Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) starting May 2, 2025. Operated by SkyWest Airlines using a 50-passenger Mitsubishi CRJ-200 jet, this new route expands Salina’s existing service to Denver and Chicago, connecting travelers to United Airlines’ global network.
Source: KCLY Radio
Author argues reform and community action can help cities including Wichita battle the housing crisis
Author and founder of the nonprofit Strong Towns Charles Marohn addressed a packed conference room at the Kansas Leadership Center in downtown Wichita Tuesday night. “We have two conversations going on right now when it comes to housing,” Marohn said. “In one of these conversations, housing prices must fall. They must fall and they must fall dramatically in order to get people into homes. In the other conversation, housing prices cannot be allowed to fall, because if housing prices fall, all kinds of calamity results to our economy. This is the essence of what we call a housing trap.”
Source: KLC Journal
Sedgwick County begins fraud alert program
The Sedgwick County Register of Deeds Office has started a new online system to notify property owners of possible fraud. The Property Fraud Alert is a free service that county residents can subscribe to, and the system will notify them each time a document is recorded with their name on it. County officials said this won’t prevent fraud from happening, but it will provide an early warning system for property owners to take action as soon as possible. In many cases, victims of mortgage fraud or identity theft have been unaware that their home or identity has been stolen.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Hesston superintendent excited to return
After just a couple years away, Ben Proctor is excited to return as Hesston’s superintendent. Last week, the board interviewed Proctor, who now works for the Kansas Department of Education, and Pete Bastian, who is the current superintendent of Belle Plaine schools. On Monday, Feb. 3, the board approved Proctor’s contract. He will take over as superintendent starting July 1. Proctor said he’s ready to return to the district.
Source: Harvey County Now
Mural effort aims to beautify skyline, city
A fundraising effort is underway to change the skyline of Newton. The Newton Community Foundation and Newton Murals and Arts project seek to create a 128-foot-high, 7,600-square-foot mural on the west side of the Ardent Mills grain elevator, transforming the elevator‘s rounded grain bins into the spines of books. The mural will serve as a backdrop to Newton’s newly completed public library.
Source: Harvey County Now
Bonner Springs considers expanding TIF district for Mattel-anchored park
Bonner Springs will consider expanding an established tax district to support the creation of a Mattel-anchored theme park near the Kansas Speedway. In 2017, the city created the Westgate Redevelopment District, covering about 75 acres at the southwest corner of State Avenue and North 118th Street. The tax increment financing district was created to support a $130 million mixed-use project developed by Triple R Properties LLC, but those plans never materialized. Arizona-based developer Epic Resort Destinations now requests that the City Council expand the existing TIF district by adding a combined 108 acres to the west and south, which would support its Destination KCK development. The City Council will host a public hearing to review the request on March 10. The proposed $490 million Destination KCK would sit between the Kansas Speedway to the east and Wyandotte County Park to the west, catty-corner from the American Royal’s under construction headquarters.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
This Kansas town will pay you to move there
A town in Kansas is working to grow and is looking for new residents. Phil Griffith and Ben Cutler, both made names for themselves in the world of finance, are hoping to revive their hometown of Neodesha. Located about 100 miles from Wichita, Topeka, and Tulsa, Neodesha was the site of the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi.
Source: KSN-TV
Parsons Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd inspiring next generation of officers
One of Parsons’ finest has dedicated 20 years to the city’s police department. Action 12’s Damara Hale spoke with Chief Deputy Dennis Dodd about being the change. “It’s someone who’s broken that cycle, where things are going good and they’re making a difference.” Since he was born, Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd has wanted to make a difference in the city where he was raised.
Source: KSNF/KODE