Municipal News & Jobs

Sedgwick County commissioners unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new applications for large-scale solar projects at their meeting on Wednesday. The temporary red light comes as the county considers two applications for massive solar energy developments, though the pause won’t affect those projects. Commissioners supporting the moratorium said the current applications can be used as a case study to test the county’s regulations and application process. Commissioner Jeff Blubaugh said the public brought several concerns to his attention, which he felt called for more questions and prompted his support of the half-year break.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Salina Police Department is investigating a crash that left an e-bike rider in critical condition. Shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, police and fire crews were dispatched to the area of South Centennial Road and Sunflower Lane for a report of a cyclist struck by a car. Upon arrival, crews found a 66-year-old man with critical injuries. Police said the man was riding an e-bike south on Centennial Road when he was struck from behind by a vehicle.
Read more: KSN-TV

Reno County commissioners spent nearly two hours at Monday’s meeting discussing whether to ban battery energy storage systems and data centers in certain parts of the county. After an intense debate, two proposed motions to impose the bans were ultimately rejected. Community members showed up and spoke from the audience, generating a back-and-forth between them and commissioners.
Read more: KSN-TV

It’s been over a year since half of a Kansas town was wiped out by a powerful EF3 tornado, and now it’s receiving federal funds to help its recovery. On Wednesday, the federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Grinnell is receiving $300,000 for repairs or replacement of roads, curbs and road signs damaged by the May 18, 2025 tornado. The $300,000 was part of $77 million in federal funding approved by FEMA in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Jewel Maier, Grinnell’s city treasurer and administrator, told KSN in April that the funding had been held up by staffing shortages at FEMA.
Read more: KSN-TV

At the end of a relatively short meeting early this week, the Girard City Council applauded the efforts of a former city councilman to help the city look its best. Mayor Nick Cheney noted former councilman Dennis Everett’s work to repair the fountain at City Hall. “I want to thank Dennis Everett for buying the pump for the water feature up front and installing it,” said Cheney. “He also fixed the broken light for the flagpole out front.” Summer officially arrives this weekend, which means more activities and more visitors in town.
Read more: Morning Sun

The Topeka City Council discussed recommendations regarding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could help create 229 affordable housing units across the city Tuesday night. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee received six applications. Of those, three projects were recommended to receive funding. The three projects include:
SENT, Inc.
Wible Property Development LLC
Highland Park REO LLC
“We have three projects that we are recommending funding, just under a million dollars, that will roughly create around 229 additional affordable housing units in our community,” Carrie Higgins, Housing Services Division director.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Beginning Thursday, June 25, the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program (SEK-CAP) is to start accepting applications for the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program. The TBRA program, funded through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, provides rental subsidies, security deposits, and utility deposits to eligible people and families, who may receive up to two years of assistance in Allen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Elk, Labette, Linn, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson Counties.
Read more: Morning Sun

Hutchinson City Council Member Steve Garza said he changed his mind on data center development in the city and discussed the council considering a 10-year moratorium on data center development Tuesday evening, during the council comments portion of the meeting. After attending a special Reno County Commission meeting Monday evening, Garza said he learned new information and what residents thought concerning data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) development. He added that he considered proposing an election to decide the fate of data center development, as well as outright banning it. However, banning development could lead to potential legal issues for the council.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Opponents of data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS) will have a town hall meeting Monday evening, June 22, just outside Haven. The meeting, organized by the “No BESS or Data Centers in Reno County” group on Facebook, is scheduled for 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s Lighthouse building, 8513 E. Arlington Road. A flyer for the meeting says information about hazards of those industries will be presented, along with how people can be involved in opposing them in the county.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Panasonic’s Kansas electric vehicle battery plant will convert part of its operations to build batteries for data centers, company officials announced. Panasonic leaders announced the company’s shift to focus on developing devices and infrastructure equipment for artificial intelligence uses and data centers at a June 8 investors day presentation.  Yuki Kusumi, CEO of Panasonic Holdings, said the company will invest about $3 billion between fiscal years 2027 and 2029 to advance its work on devices and systems that support AI, including enhancing production capacity.  Panasonic opened its 4.7 million-square foot plant in De Soto in July, but ramping to full capacity was delayed by Trump administration changes in support for green energy and electric vehicles.  The project received nearly $830 million in tax credits from the state of Kansas.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

At the risk of sounding cliché, Majed Al-Ghafry wants Lawrence to know that he is a public servant through and through. The “smile of the entire community” keeps his fire lit. The Lawrence City Commission selected Al-Ghafry as the new city manager Tuesday, and he flew to town this weekend to meet with his new team and house hunt. He’s enjoyed patronizing local restaurants, like Aladdin Cafe and Merchants, and he’s already delighted in Sylas and Maddy’s ice cream — twice. Al-Ghafry said the city manager job in Lawrence is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He wants to bring his values of ethics and compassion to the role, and to address the trust gap between the city and its residents with transparency and no side deals. Being a city manager, he said, is a privilege, not a right.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Topeka will soon take legal action against AT&T. On June 16, the Topeka City Council unanimously approved initiating litigation. The council didn’t discuss the litigation as the line item was within the consent agenda. City communications director Daniel Garrett said the city is suing due to a breach of contract. “Under the franchise utility agreement with AT&T, they are required to relocate infrastructure within 180 days, if notified of a conflict with public infrastructure,” Garrett said in a statement. “AT&T failed to relocate certain infrastructure within the contracted time. The delay caused additional costs on a City construction project on SW Fairlawn, and the City is seeking compensation for those costs.”
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Rural Kansans could see longer drives to access healthcare or fewer health services because of hospital closures. A report found that Kansas has 28 rural hospitals at immediate risk of closure. More rural Kansas hospitals are at risk of immediate closure than in any other state. That’s according to a recent report by the non-profit policy organization Centers for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. It found that out of the about 100 rural Kansas hospitals analyzed, 69 are at risk of closure and 28 are at immediate risk.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

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.

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.

A single data center would pay millions in local taxes and fees each year.
Read more: LJWorld

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.

Ten to 15 buildings and a facility that uses an amount of electricity equal to a third of the capacity of Jeffrey Energy Center. Those are some of the specifications of a proposed data center in Pottawatomie County that members of the county’s planning commission have heard so far. Beltline Energy, the Atlanta-based developer brokering the deal, has said that it wants to build a large-scale data center near Jeffrey Energy Center, a power plant north of St. Marys that’s owned by Evergy, and sell to another company. Beltline reps have held meetings to lay out some of their plans, but they have not submitted an application to the government, in part because the land they’re considering using is zoned for agricultural use and couldn’t be used for a data center without a change in the regulations. The county is currently working on draft regulations for such facilities.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

City commissioners debated proposed revisions to Manhattan’s workforce housing sales tax policy Tuesday night. Commissioners pushed back against removing certain requirements and references to workforce housing, which was meant to give the commission more discretion on a case-by-case basis. “The whole rationale for having a policy is to have a set of standards … that our developers can be looking at,” Mayor Susan Adamchak said. The discussion focused heavily on how to define affordability targets, how strictly to cap income eligibility and whether the program should prioritize ownership, rental development or a mix of both.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Starting next year, the outdoor country music and camping event Country Stampede Kansas will be held at the newly opened Gilley’s Gambling Hall in Park City, Kansas. Kustom Entertainment Inc., a live entertainment and music festival company, announced a multi-year partnership agreement with Gilley’s to produce and host music festivals throughout spring, summer, and fall seasons beginning in 2027.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Newton could soon have a common consumption district in the downtown. The Newton City Commission heard a recommendation from its Main Street Board to designate an area that roughly follows the Downtown Business District as an area where alcohol can be consumed in public. “The number one business people have wanted to see in our community was a brewery,” Choose Newton/Main Street Kansas Coordinator Jen Lehman said. “Something like this can be seen as an incentive, if we already have something like this in place.” The City of Newton already has common consumption outlined in its city code. However, the city has never designated an actual district. The proposed district varies slightly from the downtown business district, as it adds Military Park and removes areas like schools and the county jail.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Newton resident Meagan Waltner used to wait until her two children ate to eat. If there were leftovers, she ate something. If not, she didn’t. That was around 2009, when she raised two kids as a single mom. What’s going on with the economy now reminds her of what it was like then. Now, her children are grown, and one lives at home. She’s having trouble making ends meet. “I’m working right now,” she said. “I’m not getting as many clients as I need, so things are really tight.” She’s a therapist at a group practice and is self-employed. Sometimes, she goes to bed hungry. “I hope to get back to where I need to be,” she said about her economic status. “I have a feeling a lot of people are experiencing that.” They are. Bills are going up, but paychecks are not.
That’s one of the reasons Salvation Army of Harvey County Case Manager Tisha Green attributes to more people getting food from their Harvest of Love Food Pantry.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A federal plan to reduce flood risk of Turkey Creek in downtown Merriam may require up to a decade of additional planning and construction, as well as the removal of 17 buildings. After four years of design work and $6.5 million, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revealed 65% of its plans for flood mitigation in downtown Merriam — namely, 740 feet of levee, more than 6,000 feet of floodwall and the replacement of both the Merriam and Johnson Drive bridges. The city of Merriam has yet to sign onto the Corps’ plan, and is simultaneously mulling a flood mitigation plan from a separate, private entity. That private engineering firm’s plan calls for demolishing all of historic downtown between the Johnson Drive and Merriam Drive bridges. Alongside the flood mitigation efforts in downtown Merriam, the city is also in the middle of a downtown master plan to guide future redevelopment in the area.
Read more: Johnson County Post

For the past year, Madison Moore has managed to bring a piece of Hawaii to landlocked Johnson Countians. Her love story with baking started early, in a junior high economics class. She got a KitchenAid mixer after that, and began whipping up baked goods for her family and friends. Today, her Hawaiian-inspired baked goods have worked up a following by making appearances at farmers markets in Lenexa and Mission. This winter, her bakery, Mahalo Mornings, will start a new chapter further south. Madison Moore and her father, Tim Moore, plan to open Mahalo Mornings’ new cafe in downtown Olathe by the end of this year — the bakery’s first brick-and-mortar storefront. The bakery will join multiple new tenants at the County Square Commons redevelopment, just off Santa Fe and Cherry streets in downtown Olathe.
Read more: Johnson County Post

News that England’s national team will stay in Prairie Village while training for the World Cup created a stir when it hit in February. But now that the team’s arrival is imminent, England fans and ex-pats are wondering if they’ll have any chance to glimpse their standard bearers in person. They also say they don’t expect mobs of the team’s supporters — who have a long-standing reputation for, shall we say, passionate revelry — to descend on Johnson County. The problem is, none of England’s group stage matches take place in Kansas City. Even if the team comes out on top, their knockout games would be in Atlanta, Mexico City, Miami, or the final in New Jersey if they go that far, according to an ESPN sports analysis.
Read more: Johnson County Post

When it came time to cut the ribbon at the opening of the new Overland Park Farmers’ Market space in the Clock Tower Landing area, city officials were surprised by the size of the crowd. “We did not anticipate this many people being this excited,” said Bryan Toben, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, to the assembled group. Part of what makes it more accessible than the old space is that part of the construction involved flattening out what used to be a 10 to 12-foot grade change from the top to the bottom of the market area, just off Santa Fe Drive, behind the iconic clock tower. To get up to the new Clock Tower Landing area, visitors can use stairs or a ramp. Other amenities include more bathrooms, increasing from two to 12 stalls with an additional family restroom. The change also provides some added bonuses for vendors, with shade in the summer, heat in the winter and numerous places to plug in equipment such as refrigeration units and cooking gear.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The Manhattan City Commission, with a 5-0 vote, approved a resolution that opposes the suggested incorporation of the City of Green Valley in Pottawatomie County. The resolution will be submitted for Pottawatomie’s Board of County Commissioners June 11th public hearing.   If approved by Pottawatomie County, the area would become its own municipality with authority over local governance matters, rather than remaining solely under Pottawatomie County jurisdiction.
Read more: KCLY Radio

The Hutchinson Planning Commission voted Tuesday, June 9, to recommend temporary zoning requirements for large-scale data centers and utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in order to give the city time to make permanent regulations. If the Hutchinson City Council approves the proposed temporary regulations at its July 7 meeting, the city will prohibit large-scale data centers and utility-scale BESS in all residential districts and require conditional use permits for them in commercial and industrial zoning districts but would permit BESS used for on-site needs and server rooms serving a main use at the same location.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

In a rare public appearance Wednesday, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Wichita businessman Phil Ruffin outlined his vision for his Gilley’s entertainment complex in Park City after recently securing the popular Country Stampede music festival. Gilley’s will partner with the Lenexa-based Kustom Entertainment (NASDAQ:KUST) to produce and host music festivals throughout 2027, including the three-day Country Stampede festival that will relocate to Gilley’s next June as part of a multi-year agreement.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Nine residential units in South Hutchinson will receive cash incentives from Reno County, aimed at reducing their price and increasing residential development in the city. The South Hutchinson City Council approved nine $7,000 incentives at its regular meeting Monday, with six payments for homes to be completed and sold by the end of 2027 and three for homes to be sold by the end of 2028. All homes will be built by Free State Builders in the Prairie Ridge subdivision , near Bluestem Drive off west Blanchard Road.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Young trainers took on the Greenbush Pokemon Gym Challenge, aiming to “catch ’em all” as they visited four themed gyms on the way to the champion gym. Organizers said the event was designed to give families a fun experience while encouraging creativity, movement, problem-solving and positive student engagement.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

Children met some of their community heroes during a special storytime event at the Frontenac Public Library on Thursday. Members of the Frontenac Police Department and Frontenac Fire Department visited the library, showing children their vehicles and talking about how they serve the community.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

Eighteen Kansas communities will share in nearly $14 million in funding to support infrastructure projects. Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that over $10.1 million in federal Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act funding will be paired with over $3.6 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and the Build Kansas Fund, along with $165,000 in local funds. The money will support improvements at multiple Kansas airports, as well as energy grid improvements.
Read more: KSN-TV

Marquette Mayor Hank Kugelman said the day after severe storms brought a new challenge: cleaning up debris in the heat while dealing with the outage.
Read more: KSN-TV

A 10-megawatt data center has been operating in Pittsburg since January, bringing new revenue streams to the city while raising questions among some residents about future expansion and community input.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas.
Read more: KCUR News

Although some projects already have secured city approvals and land purchases, others face legal challenges and are working through planning with local governments.
Read more: Kansas City Business Journal

Data center regulations under discussion by the Pottawatomie County government would impose limits on noise, limit the height of the data center buildings, and prohibit any perceptible vibrations. Any data centers also would have to submit a plan to “mitigate the depletion of water,” document how much water they’re using, produce a plan to mitigate the impact of the development on plants and animals, and allow annual inspections by the county to assure compliance. And they would have to be located within 1,000 feet of an existing high-voltage power transmission line. Those are some of the highlights of a new nine-page set of draft regulations being considered by the county’s planning commission, a volunteer board that provides recommendations to the Pott County Commission on land-use issues.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Emily Roush is all too familiar with the struggles facing rural grocery stores. Emily, an Iola native, and husband Kaden have stressed creativity and flexibility in keeping their own small grocery afloat in a community of 180 in rural Smith County. It’s why customers hungry for high-quality, locally produced meat, (and now a wide selection of gluten-free products) will travel from miles around to Main Street Mercantile, which aside from a local co-op station, is Lebanon’s sole business. The Roushes also have taken a novel approach to other issues most folks don’t think about, such as ensuring grocery orders are large enough to keep suppliers happy, but not too large for such a small population base. Others have taken notice.
Read more: The Iola Register

Galena residents say foul odors and smoke from a nearby landfill are harming their quality of life and raising health concerns. Residents of Galena, Kansas, are complaining about a smelly construction and demolition landfill outside of the city that they say is impacting their quality of life and could affect their health. They’ve been complaining about two odors — a rotten-egg smell that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment identified as hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). The second odor is a smoky smell from a smoldering fire that started last year The smells are coming from different sides of the landfill, but the Kansas Department of Health and Environment believes the smoldering side is exacerbating the hydrogen sulfide gas emission. THE LANDFILL is operated by Jordan Disposal and started as an emergency dumping ground for debris from the devastating 2011 Joplin tornado.
Read more: The Iola Register

The first council meeting of June came with a wide variety of agenda items. The meeting began with the council approving previous meeting minutes and agendas, as well as approving a financial audit presented from the Loyd Group. The meeting continued with Haven resident Nikolas White, who requested a hearing after receiving a citation in regard to the length of his lawn. White told the council he had plans of growing a pollinator-friendly yard. “The idea is to turn the entire lawn into a pollinator-friendly ecosystem with a mix of vegetables, flowers and grasses all working together in a symbiotic relationship,” White said to the council. Mayor Adam Wright showed initial concern, as White’s house is a corner lot, and for safety reasons, the lawn should stay trimmed. Wright initially stated White could turn his fenced-in backyard into a pollinator friendly yard, but Council Member Sherri Schneider raised concern. “Anybody with a fence in their backyard that won’t mow their yard, they’re just a habitat for snakes and rats and all the things that we’re trying to keep out,” she said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Public commenters urged the Lawrence City Commission to adopt a temporary moratorium on data center development while the city studies the issue and creates permanent regulations. About 50 people attended Tuesday’s public comment period, with some overflowing into the City Hall lobby. Several speakers said a moratorium would protect residents from unwanted developments near neighborhoods and farmland. Some expressed concern that large-scale data centers could strain water and electricity supplies, increase noise and light pollution and alter the character of surrounding land. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday selected Majed Al-Ghafry to serve as the next city manager following contract negotiations led by city staff. Mayor Brad Finkeldei said Al-Ghafry’s background and experience fit the bill for Lawrence’s city manager position. “Beyond his education, his experiences in public works, economic development and management of large and complex projects in multiple cities will serve Lawrence well in the coming years as we move into what I call the execution phase of our planned growth,” Finkeldei said. Vice Mayor Mike Courtney echoed Finkeldei’s sentiments.
Read more: The Lawrence Times