Kansas Municipal News
County to consider $6.8 million radio system
Miami County Commissioners are poised to consider purchasing a $6.8 million 800 megahertz radio system from Motorola to replace a VHF radio system that has caused heartburn for many first responders, dispatchers and other county officials.
The conditions of the VHF system had deteriorated to the point where the County Commission declared a state of emergency Aug. 14 in order to seek immediate assistance.
County commissioners have already discussed plans to move to a state-of-the-art 800 megahertz system, and commissioned a study by Tusa Consulting Services in December 2018.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
Regents name Jay Golden 14th president of Wichita State University
Today the Kansas Board of Regents voted to name Dr. Jay Golden as the 14th president of Wichita State University.
“The regents are excited to announce Dr. Jay Golden as the next president of Wichita State University,” said Regent Shane Bangerter, KBOR Chair. “The Regents are confident that Jay is the right president to lead Wichita State in the future and continue to advance the university as a leader in higher education and applied learning. I’m grateful to interim president Andy Tompkins for his leadership during this transitional period. I’d also like to thank the search committee for its outstanding work in identifying great finalists for the board.”
(Read more: The Salina Post)
Fed cuts interest rates, but indicates a pause is ahead
The Federal Reserve approved an expected quarter-point interest rate cut Wednesday but indicated that the moves to ease policy could be nearing a pause.
In a vote widely anticipated by financial markets, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee lowered its benchmark funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%. The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but is also tied to most forms of revolving consumer debt.
It was the third cut this year as part of what Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has characterized as a “midcycle adjustment” in a maturing economic expansion.
Along with the decrease came language pointing to a higher bar for future easing.
Read more: CNBC.
Landfill fire impacts air quality in McPherson
The McPherson Fire Department continues to monitor air quality after a fire at the landfill began Sunday.
On Sunday, the McPherson Fire Department received a report of a fire at the landfill, located at 1431 17th Ave. When the fire department arrived on the scene they found a large fire fully engulfed.
Chief T.J. Wyssmann said upon arrival the fire department began spraying the area with foam. He says fighting a fire in a landfill is particularly difficult and poses some unique challenges.
(Read more: McPherson Weekly News » Local News Category Feed)
City employees will support Operation Holiday with “No Shave November”
The Derby Police Department, along with other city employees, will participate in “No Shave November” to raise funds for Derby Operation Holiday.
In order to sport a full beard from Nov. 7 to Dec. 7, city employees will need to donate $20 each to Operation Holiday, which provides food and toys to those in need within the Derby Public Schools district.
Aside from forgoing shaving, all police officers and other city employees who pay the donation will be able to wear a summer uniform, and civilian employees will be able to wear jeans every day.
(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)
Not forgotten: Years-long effort helps preserve county’s history
Not long ago, many of the county’s citizens worried that its
history was being lost.Old cemeteries and burial sites were plowed over to make
way for farms. Records of the area’s early settlers were often
lost, destroyed, or simply nonexistent.So the county commission asked then-clerk Marquette
Eilerts to take on a years-long project, a book that would list,
organize, and identify family and public cemeteries and grave
sites in the county.“Family Cemeteries and Grave Sites Located in Marion
County” maps the locations of 85 cemeteries, including
township, church, and family burial plots.
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)
USD 475 pursues grant funding for a new elementary school on post
Members of the OEA evaluation team, with Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Shrader, listen to a briefing concerning possible replacement of Jefferson Elementary School on Fort Riley.
Members of the Secretary of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment recently visited Geary County Schools on Fort Riley as part of their determination on whether to renovate or replace Jefferson Elementary.
“This can be characterized as part three of a four part process. Part one was a concept brief given to OEA last February. Followed by a formal proposal submitted in April.” stated David Wild, USD 475 Chief Operations Officer.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Seaman school board approves salary schedule, ensures every teacher receives $1,000 raise
The Seaman Unified School District 345 Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve an updated salary schedule for the district’s teachers — and ensured every teacher would get at least a $1,000 raise.
The approved salary schedule results in a new base salary of $40,000, up from last year’s $38,350. From there, teachers could see potential raises yearly based on teaching experience and increased education. The district’s salary cap now sits at $60,550.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Early Voting Numbers Up In Wichita Elections
With days to go before Election Day, early voter turnout numbers in Wichita are already up over the last mayoral election amid a highly contested race.
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman says last week’s early voting at the county election office in downtown Wichita surpassed the total number of early votes cast in the 2015 city election.
She says there is also a 90 percent increase in the number of requests for mail-in ballots this year compared to the 2015 race.
(Read more: RSS Feed)
Leawood takes title of best small city in America for second year in a row; Shawnee and Lenexa fare well in rankings
For the second year in a row, the website Wallethub had named Leawood the best small city in America.
The website, which focuses on personal finance issues, released its annual rankings of cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 this week, and a variety of factors again put Leawood at the top of the mix.
Among the considerations that gave Leawood an edge among the 1,200 cities compared for the rankings were its exceptionally low levels of poverty, highly educated population and relatively affordable housing. Leawood scored second overall in the “affordability” categories, and finished among the top 100 in the “economic health” and “education and health” categories. It fared worst in the “quality of life” category, which measured things like commute time, entertainment options and access to fitness centers and parks, coming in at 722nd out of all the cities measured.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Shawnee changes charter ordinance to allow debt financing for purchase of streetlights
Shawnee leaders have agreed to add a provision to the city’s charter ordinances that will allow the city to borrow money to purchase the city’s streetlights.
The charter ordinance change permits the city to debt finance the acquisition of streetlights from Every Metro Inc. (formerly KCP&L) through the issuance of general obligation bonds.
City Attorney Ellis Rainey said he was concerned there was some misinformation about the charter ordinance change, so he wanted to provide clarification: By itself, it does not authorize issuance of any bonds or authorize any projects.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
City submits application for federal loan essential to new water treatment facility
The city of Wichita has submitted its application to the Environmental Protection Agency for a federal loan expected to fund about half of the cost for the city’s new water treatment facility.
The city plans to secure $269.7 million in financing from the loan, which is nearly 55 percent of the total budget released Monday.
The financing, provided through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, could pay for the project’s design, construction, owner’s representative services and additional hard costs associated with the Northwest Water Facility, a news release from the city says.
(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)
Dogs on the force in Hutch
Two Hutchinson police officers had a special request for new Police Chief Jeff Hooper. With help from Cause for Paws in Hutchinson, the request became a reality.
Officers James Sanders and Cory Schmidt man the two K9 units with the department. Their partners are Tank, a German Shepherd, and Nika, a Belgian Malinois. Sanders and Schmidt became interested in becoming K9 officers through two different avenues.
“Growing up in Newton, Kansas, I saw their K9 unit and it’s just something that always appealed to me,” Schmidt said. For Sanders, he found his love for working dogs and their service in the military. “My first experience with K9s would have been in the Marine Corps,” Sanders said. “I spent about 12 years doing combat arms, so I had the opportunity to see dogs work. It always interested me.”
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Pilot program in Wichita will permit federally deputized officers to wear body cameras
On Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas will launch a pilot program with the Wichita Police Department allowing local and state officers who serve on federal task forces to use body-worn cameras while serving arrest warrants, or other planned arrest operations, and during the execution of search warrants.
The pilot program, which will also go into effect in Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Oakland, Calif., was announced by the Attorney General on Oct. 28, 2019. It allows – for the first time – federally deputized task force officers to use body-worn cameras.
“Local and state officers are critical members of our federal task forces,” U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. “This policy recognizes and supports their contributions by respecting their policies regarding body cameras.”
(Read more: KWCH News)
Shawnee changes charter ordinance to allow debt financing for purchase of streetlights
Shawnee leaders have agreed to add a provision to the city’s charter ordinances that will allow the city to borrow money to purchase the city’s streetlights.
The charter ordinance change permits the city to debt finance the acquisition of streetlights from Every Metro Inc. (formerly KCP&L) through the issuance of general obligation bonds.
…
Mayor Michelle Distler said the city’s charter ordinances had authorized the city to issue general obligation bonds to pay for streetlights in 1955, but that authority was taken out in 1987.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Leawood takes title of best small city in America for second year in a row; Shawnee and Lenexa fare well in rankings
For the second year in a row, the website Wallethub had named Leawood the best small city in America.
The website, which focuses on personal finance issues, released its annual rankings of cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 this week, and a variety of factors again put Leawood at the top of the mix.
Among the considerations that gave Leawood an edge among the 1,200 cities compared for the rankings were its exceptionally low levels of poverty, highly educated population and relatively affordable housing.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Humboldt council member honored for community and League support
Annually, the League of Kansas Municipalities seeks to honor a special individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to their community and the League. This year, the League honored Aikins Aikins, city councilmember for the city of Humboldt.
“She has committed a lifetime of service to the Humboldt community,” said City Administrator Cole Herder, who nominated Aikins for the award. “She has been active in Dream Humboldt, a group working to revitalize Humboldt. She has been a dedicated member of the Chamber of Commerce, her church, and Humboldt Healthy Ecosystems. She was a driving force in the renovation of the Neosho River Park, starting with a safe fishing dock and stairs to the dam. She still continues to spend countless hours maintaining flower beds in the park.”
(Read more: www.chanute.com)
Preparing for Drones to Fly in Cities
Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are regulated for aircraft safety and flight operations under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Many cities, municipalities, and states add their own regulations related to their areas of traditional authority. Traditional city and state authorities include:
- planning and zoning for land-use,
- determining take-off and landing locations for drones,
- law enforcement operations and community safety, and
- privacy policies and considerations.
Cities will not be on the sidelines as drones take flight. Updates to current regulations and safety decisions at FAA are in progress, but to get ahead of the next transportation technology shift, cities should prepare and consider their role to make the most of this new technology.
(Read more: CitiesSpeak)
Resident suggests roundabout be installed to slow Yoder Road traffic
A Reno County man whose granddaughter’s car was rear-ended while waiting to turn left off of Yoder Road earlier this month asked the Reno County Commission to consider installing a roundabout at Yoder and Trailwest roads.“People drive like idiots,” said Leonard Yoder in making the request at the start of Tuesday’s County Commission meeting. “There’s got to be a way to slow down the traffic. …
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Substantial local, state incentives in play for the new USDA jobs in Kansas City
A combination of public subsidy from Kansas City and its port authority to assist in the relocation of two federal agencies to downtown could reach up to $26 million.
The USDA announced earlier this year that the Kansas City region beat out 135 other cities to host the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Research, which combined account for about 500 jobs.
The USDA, through federal the landlord, the General Services Administration, started scouting locations in both Kansas and Missouri. On Friday, The Star reported that an office building at 805 Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Kansas City was the likely destination for the USDA jobs.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)