Kansas Municipal News
Merriam becomes latest JoCo suburb to allow accessory dwelling units. What are they?
A new housing option is now allowable under the city of Merriam’s municipal code. The Merriam City Council last week voted 7-0 to approve an ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units, sometimes called mother-in-law suites, within city limits. Councilmember Reuben Cozmyer was absent. Other Johnson County cities like Olathe, Overland Park and Westwood already allow accessory dwelling units.
Source: Johnson County Post
City, county to vote on health funds for 29th & Grove caught in state bureaucratic struggle
As Kansas state lawmakers begin another legislative session, $2.5 million they allocated last year for health testing of communities impacted by groundwater contamination has yet to be touched. That may change next week, as the city of Wichita and Sedgwick County are set to take key votes. The county will vote Wednesday on whether to sign an agreement with the state that will release some of the dollars, while the city will vote Tuesday on whether to provide a portion of matching funds needed to make state money available.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
As more states adopt traffic enforcement cameras, here’s where Kansas stands
Technology is helping some states and cities crack down on dangerous driving. In particular, traffic cameras have spread throughout the nation. These are intended to ensure that drivers fully stop at red lights and maintain posted speed limits, which help motorists avoid major safety threats. About 340 communities throughout the United States have red light cameras, and 278 have speed cameras, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wichita delays strict rules for operating golf carts on city streets, seeks public input
Wichita has paused a recently passed city ordinance regulating the use of golf carts in city limits. The ordinance received initial approval last week on a 4-3 vote and was slated to receive final approval Tuesday. As written, it would be the most restrictive regulations for golf carts in the state. It allowed for carts to be driven on city streets with posted speed limits of 30 mph or less, but restricted driving to 18 or older. It also prohibited golf carts from being driven in the city’s core area — downtown, Old Town and Delano — and from crossing arterial streets.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wichita updates master plan for bicycles
The Wichita City Council has approved an update to the city’s Bicycle Master Plan. The update was prepared throughout 2024 and it’s a ten-year plan for infrastructure, policies and programs to provide for safe, comfortable and convenient. The city has added 70 miles of bikeways since the 2013 plan was adopted. The 2024 update calls for another 81 miles of bikeways over the next decade. The Bicycle Plan also looks to connect important destinations like parks, schools, recreation centers and retail areas. It will also look to connect Wichita’s pathway system with bike networks in neighboring communities like Derby and Andover.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Kansas towns request $600M in first two years of water project grants
Kansas communities in the last two years have requested more than $600 million for water needs, stunning state officials as they work to allocate funds to a fraction of the projects. Dawn Buehler, chair of the Kansas Water Authority, told members of a Kansas House committee Tuesday that the state’s two new water grant programs, funded by the Legislature in 2023, have received almost 600 applications for funding in their first two fiscal years. For the fiscal year that ended in June, the state received requests totaling more than $380 million. But the state had just $18 million available. This year, the state has received requests totaling $227 million but has just $27 million to spend.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Grain Belt developers tell lawmakers how the transmission line will benefit Kansas
While it won’t drop off electricity to substations in Kansas, the Grain Belt Express transmission line will bring savings and improve reliability for residents, developers of the project said Thursday. Representatives from Invenergy, the Chicago-based company developing the Grain Belt Express, appeared before committees of the Kansas Senate and House to answer questions about the project, which is expected to carry renewable energy from southwest Kansas through Missouri and Illinois, ending at the Indiana border. Using high-voltage direct current technology, the 5,000-megawatt line will carry as much power as three traditional power line networks, Invenergy representatives said. It can also reverse its flow to provide power in the case of emergencies.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Halstead Planning and Zoning considers changes to battery storage regulations
After receiving feedback on proposed regulations, the Halstead Planning and Zoning Board reviewed a draft policy. This was the latest step in an ongoing process to create regulations for a potential battery energy storage system (BESS) in Halstead. The city received a request from Concurrent to build a battery storage facility in the industrial park, which Concurrent would then sell to a company who would utilize the facility. After spending over a year researching the concerns around a facility, the board published a draft of its proposed regulations for a battery storage facility. These regulations included requirements for noise limits, runoff prevention and fire suppression. It also requires a company to have plans in place for emergencies, like a fire or explosion, and decommissioning procedures for shutting down a facility. The regulations also require construction of the facility to be complete within 24 months of final site plan approval.
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas City faces a new economic ‘border war’ as sports and stadium deals loom
More than five years ago, Kansas and Missouri declared a truce. The two states had for years engaged in a bloodletting competition to lure businesses to their side of the Kansas City region — handing out lucrative incentives to move a corporate headquarters just a few miles across the state line. These deals brought no new jobs to the region. They sacrificed millions in taxes that could have gone to hire more teachers, pave more roads or invest in public safety. They did nothing to improve the regional economy. It was, as many called it, a race to the bottom. Suddenly, that race came to a halt. In 2019, the governors in both states recognized the futility of these battles and agreed to stop the poaching. Since then, most economic development officials in the region say, the truce has worked.
Source: KCUR News
Pittsburg Police, Fire participate in Battle of the Badges
The Pittsburg Police Department and the Pittsburg Fire Department are going head-to-head during Battle of the Badges. The two agencies will team up with the American Red Cross for a blood drive and chili feed. Attendees will be able to vote on their favorite chili, while giving back and donating during the blood drive.
Source: KOAM News
Route set for 2025 Biking Across Kansas
The 2025 Biking Across Kansas route has been set. The annual ride is non-competitive and is for capable riders of all ages. It has been held each year along different routes across the state since 1975, except in 2020. This year, hundreds of bikers will travel across north Kansas from the Colorado to Missouri state line. The route will start on U.S. Highway 36 at the Colorado state line and utilize some county roads, portions of Kansas Highway 9, and U.S. Highway 24 before returning to U.S. Highway 36 for the rest of the route. Riders will travel 475 miles over eight days.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Kansas sheriff wants help designing new patch
The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is asking the community to use their creativity to help design the new sheriff’s office patch. The WCSO is asking residents to help design a patch to be worn by deputies to represent the county. The Sheriff’s Office said it should stand as a symbol of the 166-year history of the county. “We look so forward to seeing all the creativity and passion you may conjure & we shall proudly wear on our shoulders this new sewn symbol of that which already rests within our hearts that will be made, by you,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City says freezing temperatures are putting pressure on pipe infrastructure
The City of Topeka is busy working on water main breaks following the sudden drop in temperature. City Infrastructure Communications Specialist Amanda Knowland said, since Friday, Jan. 17, city crews have responded to 38 calls for no water and emergency shut-offs for broken pipes. “Extreme weather is one of the highest contributors to water main breaks,” Knowland said. “Sudden drops in temperature freeze the ground, putting pressure on pipes.” Knowland said that in January city crews have repaired 36 water main breaks. She said city crews worked an “unusually high” number of breaks in January 2024 at 154 total.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Grinstead set to retire in July following six years as USD 284 Superintendent concluding 30 plus year career in education
USD 284 Chase County is searching for its next Superintendent. That’s because current Superintendent Glenna Grinstead is set to retire at the end of the current academic year following more than 30 years in education. Grinstead has led the district for the past six years following time as a teacher and principal at USD 452 Stanton County in Johnson City and USD 401 Chase-Raymond. Regarding her decision to retire, Grinstead says it was the “hardest decision” she has ever had to make, however, she felt the time was simply right.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
New administrator, counselor hired
Nemaha County has hired a new County Administrator and County Counselor following the resignations of Mike Miller and Brad Lippert. The previous board of the Nemaha County Commission, including Ben Glace, Jason Koch and Dylan Keim, approved the two hires during their regular commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The new Nemaha County Commission board includes Ben Glace, Jason Koch and Joseph Dalinghaus, effective Monday, Jan. 13.
Source: Sabetha Herald
Panasonic hiring as De Soto EV battery plant gets set to start production
With the first production of lithium batteries for electric vehicles expected in only a couple of months, federal, state and local officials on hand were in a celebratory mood. Some reminisced about the excitement of negotiating the tax incentives. Others looked forward to the economic boon and thousands of jobs the project is expected to create. De Soto Mayor Rick Walker remembered the “heavy sense of uncertainty” that overshadowed the site when the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant stopped production and compared it to today.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
How an Oklahoma City sales tax fuels the city’s ‘renaissance’
Oklahoma City’s claim to fame may be its stockyards and oil fields, but today it is also a growing city of over 700,000 residents and home to hundreds of high-tech aerospace and aviation firms. Fueling the city’s evolution is a one-cent sales tax established in 1993 that is dedicated to public facilities projects. David Holt was elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 2018 and in 2019 led the planning process for the fourth voter-approved renewal of the sales tax, which will provide a projected $1.1 billion over eight years to fund parks, senior and youth centers, public transit, sidewalks and bike lanes, among other projects.
Source: Smart Cities Dive – Latest News
Municipal Bond Trends for January 21, 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 17, 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.
Opening eyes to town’s highlights
An effort to remind the residents of Little Sweden, and maybe visitors, too, of some of the culture in the city is now underway. The second annual Lindsborg Cultural Crawl has begun and continues until Feb. 8, giving people the opportunity to not only visit seven nonprofit cultural organizations in the city but also a chance at winning some prizes.
Source: Salina Journal