Municipal News & Jobs

The Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center at 1715 N. Waldron St. opened for business Tuesday, Visit Hutch announced. The hotel has 112 guest rooms, an indoor pool, and a fitness center, and it will have an Old Chicago restaurant on site. As of Tuesday, Old Chicago’s website said the restaurant was “coming soon.” It also has 14,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, with a grand ballroom and five breakout rooms, designed to host events ranging from corporate conferences to weddings and community celebrations, Visit Hutch said in the announcement.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Wichita water and sewer customers can expect to see larger rate increases the next two years than originally anticipated. The increase is mostly caused by a continued climb in operations and maintenance costs, as well as the expected loss of two wholesale water customers. The city had been set to increase water rates by 6.17% next year. City Council members heard two new rate increase options at a workshop Tuesday.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

A petition to repeal Salina’s ban on pit bulls was presented to the city manager on Monday. If it gets enough signatures, the city commission would be required to either pass an ordinance repealing the ban or call for a special election for citizens to vote on the ordinance. Tyler Sartain and Debrah Corrales with Salinans Against Breed Specific Legislation, say the decades-long ban is ineffective and causing overflow in local animal shelters.
Read more: KSN-TV

A controversy that’s consuming several southeast Kansas communities is coming to a head in Crawford County. That controversy… solar farms and all that comes with them, both the good and the bad. Crawford County currently has a moratorium on solar energy projects that was put in place last year. The town of Mulberry presented an annexation resolution to Commissioners last week for residents who want to have their property incorporated into the town, escaping the county’s moratorium on solar energy. Some of those residents, as well as others opposed to the annexation, spoke to commissioners today.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Community leaders recognize that wages for many jobs in Hutchinson and Reno County lag those in regional and peer communities, some as much as 12% to 18%, said Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce CEO Debra Teufel. “It’s one of the hard realities we share with employers,” said Teufel, noting they’ve relied on data from Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research to make the point.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

One plan comes from a company that proposes putting small reactors 1 mile underground to directly power facilities such as data centers. The other comes from a company envisioning a utility-scale plant with a battery design that makes it capable of storing power.
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.

According to the resolution, individuals from local faith-based organizations, referred to as “clerics,” will be scheduled by a county staff person on a voluntary basis. Clerics can be of any faith background.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

The Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates by a quarter point at its meeting this week and could cut at the next two meetings as well, according to the October CNBC Fed Survey.
But there were concerns among the 38 survey respondents about the lack of data from the shutdown, an artificial intelligence bubble, still-high inflation and whether politics is playing a role in the Fed’s decisions.
Read more: CNBC

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office said Monday that Bucklin City Council members will pay $100 in civil penalties and undergo additional training on the Open Meetings Act as part of a consent agreement.
Read more: KSN-TV

Kansas is implementing a new firearm detection program in schools using artificial intelligence and human verification. The Kansas Legislature has allocated $10 million for a private vendor to provide the detection software.
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.

While Kansas remains one of the last states in the nation without legalized medical or recreational marijuana, THC-infused drinks have evaded scrutiny from officials.
Read more: Hays Daily News

Riley County officials will soon consider new regulations on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas, which they hope will address community concerns and improve oversight of properties listed on platforms such as Airbnb or VRBO.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Kansas Supreme Court issues opinion justifying law enforcement’s search of a vehicle as it explores a range of cases raising constitutional issues.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news,news/* of type article

Bourbon County Commissioners reviewed a proposed noise ordinance during a special meeting Thursday night, ultimately agreeing to have the county counselor review the ordinance and discuss the matter further during their regular meeting Monday.
Read more: Fort Scott Tribune Headlines

The Overland Park Police Department and other local first responder agencies have rolled out a new program designed to help individuals who are neurodivergent better communicate with first responders in emergencies. The idea is to allow individuals who are neurodivergent — that is, people who have autism or other neurological function differences, like ADHD or ADD — to voluntarily place reflective stickers provided by the police department above the lock on a front door. That way, if a first responder comes to their residence, they will be better informed of the needs of the individual they are trying to help. Additionally, the police department started a blue envelope program, which is intended to provide the same kind of information but at traffic stops. (An individual can hand a blue envelope to a first responder and provide information about an individual’s specific needs.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Residential streets around Prairie Village are peppered with lawn signs with vague political slogans about the issues facing city hall. Some blue signs with a yellow stripe plead with neighbors, “Stop the drama. Vote no.” Across the street, there might be a house with a red sign that says, “Less division, more consensus. Vote yes! A better way for PV.” The signs refer to the single question that will appear on Prairie Village ballots this year, and it’s seemingly a big one. “Shall the City of Prairie Village, Kansas abandon the mayor-council form of government?”
Read more: Johnson County Post

The national morning show Fox & Friends featured Abilene, Kansas, this morning in its Main Street U.S.A. segment, sharing with more than 1.3 million viewers why Abilene continues to shine as one of America’s Best Small Towns to Visit. Former Abilene resident and Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy returned home to highlight the people, places, and pride that make Abilene special. More than 200 residents lined the streets for the live broadcast, which showcased the community’s historic downtown, locally owned businesses, and patriotic spirit.
Read more: KCLY Radio

It’s just about lunch time at the Goddard Senior Center when a familiar face walks in. Melvin Ormiston is here for a fresh meal and the smiles and conversation that come with it. “I started coming here about six months ago,” said Ormiston, whose wife passed away last year. “It gets me out of the house, and most of the meals are very good.” Ormiston is one of thousands of senior center members in Sedgwick County. The centers date back to the early 1980s, when voters approved a ballot initiative by nearly 2-to-1 to fund aging services. Today, those centers provide services like meals, exercise classes and social events for people 55 and up. Members of the Sedgwick County Commission agree senior centers are essential services worth funding. What they haven’t been able to agree on over the years is how to fund them. With funds lagging behind inflation in recent budgets, officials are looking into new options for divvying up money to the county’s 19 senior centers.
Read more: KLC Journal