Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Pratt County honored for county lake work

Pratt County has won the 2019 Kansas Public Improvement Award (PIA) for counties in the 10,000 and Under population category. The PIA competition, sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Kansas for 58 years, is unique because it recognizes engineering projects for their benefit to the citizens of a community and not for engineering design. Pratt County won for the Pratt County Lake Improvements project.

Century II in limbo as planners craft riverfront proposals for apartments, offices

Planners working on redevelopment scenarios for the east bank of the Arkansas River say they will present some proposals that preserve the roundhouse at Century II, and some where it will be torn down.

But none of those proposals will recommend continuing to use it as the city’s performing arts center.

Planners expect to recommend that the city build a new convention center and a new performance center and maybe convert Century II, which now serves both functions, for some other use.

(Read more: Local News |)

Mission, Roeland Park agree to annexation arrangement for land at Johnson Drive and Roe

Following a public hearing this week, the Mission city council approved the de-annexation of .7 acres the northeast corner of Johnson Drive and Roe Avenue. City Administrator Laura Smith said discussion of annexation and de-annexation between Mission and Roeland Park has been ongoing since 2018. Roeland Park leaders will still need to formally consider the annexation proposal.

Roeland Park sold the lot to Sunflower Medical Group in July 2019, and SMG intends to build a medical office building on the space. City limits of Mission and Roeland intersect in that particular corner, and the two cities have been discussing the benefits of annexation and de-annexation, Smith said.

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Halstead overrun with cats, humane society spaying and neutering

Feral cats are running rampant in Halstead and residents are fed up with the problem.

“I know I see cats everywhere…There are a lot of cats here in Halstead,” says Ethan Harvey, who lives in Halstead.

So many, Harvey says he has to watch out for them anytime he walks the streets.

Cynthia Sutcliffe works for Caring Hands Humane Society and says the cats are Halstead’s biggest problem, so she decided to tackle it.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

City of Lawrence moves excessive-force lawsuit against police department to federal court

The City of Lawrence has moved an excessive-force case involving its police department to federal court and requested that the case go to trial.

Last month, a motorist who was shot by police after a traffic stop turned violent filed a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court claiming that police used excessive force against him and that the city failed to properly train its officers. On Wednesday, attorneys representing the city moved the case to the United States District Court of Kansas City, Kan., and requested a trial by jury.

‘Affordable’ Housing An Elusive Target Impacting Community Growth

Ask anyone involved in economic development or any employer what is the number one factor that drives community growth and one item will almost always be at the top of that list – housing.

Make that affordable housing.

That’s not an issue unique to just Scott City, but nearly every small community in Western Kansas and for that matter across the state.

Scott County Development Committee Director Katie Eisenhour feels that Scott City has done far better than most communities to fill the need for more housing.

Students in Eureka skip classes to help beautify their town

Hundreds of kids cut class this week in Eureka, Kansas but it was all for a good cause.

The students teamed up with community members for a local initiative to beautify the town. The school partnered with Myreka for the fifth year in a row. It’s an initiative that has been working on cleaning up main street and other areas of town. The goal is to make Eureka more attractive to residents and encourage growth in the community.

Source: Fox Kansas.

Residents share ideas for future of downtown Lawrence, including more housing, green space and river access

Lawrence residents at a meeting Wednesday envisioned a future downtown that included additional housing, more green space and improved access to the Kansas River.

The next phase of the development of Lawrence’s Downtown Master Plan began Wednesday evening with a workshop at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, where residents were asked how downtown should look and function in the years to come. The new master plan will cover downtown land use and development for the next 15 to 20 years, including issues such as building heights, parking, transportation, infrastructure, beautification and streetscapes.

Baldwin City to host 62nd annual Maple Leaf Festival this weekend

Baldwin City has spent the last week putting on its festival face.

Crews have been placing orange “no parking” placards along downtown streets, as well as portable toilets and ready-to-assemble barricades at key intersections. They’ve marked off the sites for the hundreds of vendors whose wares will be for sale to the more than 30,000 expected visitors Saturday and Sunday to the annual Maple Leaf Festival.

Founded in 1958, Maple Leaf has grown to be one of the largest fall festivals in the state.

City of Pittsburg officials see positive outcome in switching health plans

A local city is reaping the benefits of a self-funded employee health plan.

A spokesperson with the company that offers the City of Pittsburg employee health insurance plan, IMA, recently gave city commissioners an update on the plan that went into place back in 2015. She says employee premiums haven’t increased in five years and claims are currently running 24 percent lower than expected.

City manager Daron Hall says that’s a far cry from the situation they were in before the city switched providers.

New electronic-voting machines unveiled to local government officials

Local voters will be seeing new voting machines at polling places this year.

New electronic-voting machines were unveiled to local government officials during a meeting Thursday afternoon.

The old machines have been replaced simply because the technology being used needed to be updated.

“We started those (the previous voting machines) in 2006,” Rich Vargo, the clerk for Riley County, said. “Their life cycle was projected to be eight years, so we got an extra four years out of them. They had gone beyond their life cycle. And of course with anything new (technology-wise), there’s newer security measures.”

Each machine costed a little over $3,000 with a total of over $1 million spent on the new technology.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

DA asks Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell to report past gifts; won’t file charges

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett is not filing charges against Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell. But he is asking him to report past gifts he received from a company that’s helping design Wichita’s new water treatment plant.

Bennett’s investigation into Longwell’s gifts started after an Eagle story said that Longwell steered what could become the largest contract in the city’s history to his friends and golf partners.

Those friends and their companies spent hundreds of dollars entertaining the mayor.

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

Douglas County no longer will prosecute simple marijuana cases

Responding in part to what he described as changing societal attitudes, Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced Thursday his office no longer will prosecute simple marijuana offenses.

According to a news release, Branson said he made the decision after examining policies in several cities including Lawrence, Wichita and Kansas City, Mo.

“I do not feel it is fair or just for Douglas County to criminally charge citizens with something they can do with virtually no penalty in the city of Lawrence and other surrounding communities,” Branson said.

Wells launches write-in campaign for Wichita mayor

Lyndy Wells, third-place finisher in the August primary, announced his write-in candidacy Thursday for the upcoming mayoral election.

And he’s convinced he can win, he said.

“I am confident that I can win this. Otherwise, I would not do it. And I have been counseled by friends and supporters who have said don’t do this,” he said at a news conference Thursday afternoon in front of the Historic Sedgwick County Courthouse.

(Read more: Local News |)

A new life found: Five siblings came to Newton on an ‘Orphan Train’

Don Schroeder had quite a story to tell this week at Newton Public Library, one he told in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

His father, John A. Lingenfelter, was one of five children who were treated at Bethel Deaconess Hospital in May of 1919. Those five children, four girls and one boy, came to Newton on an “Orphan Train.”

“These are stories I have heard all of my life,” Schroeder said.

Hutch trail system to expand

Hutchinson’s trail system will add a link.

…

According to a memo by City Director of Parks and Facilities Justin Combs, the new concrete trail will extend approximately a thousand feet from the playground to the east, on the south side of East 43rd Avenue. It will continue under K-61 and end at the driveway of 3103 E. 43rd Ave.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Wichita middle school technology teacher receives national award

Wichita Public Schools announces a national award for a middle school technology teacher.

Stephen Smith, a technology teacher at Allison Traditional Magnet Middle School will receive a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the district says.

The National Science Foundation administers the award on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The Wichita school district says the award “recognizes outstanding teachers for their contributions to the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science.”

Smith’s recognition include’s a citation signed by President Donald Trump and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. Smith will travel to Washington, D.c. to accept the award.

(Read more: KWCH News)

USD 428 trying to get bond information out to everyone

After Terry Wiggers with SJCF Architecture passed along survey results from what voters liked and disliked about a failed $44.87 million school bond, many of the USD 428 Board of Education members were surprised that some residents were not aware of the bond issue details.

Several comments from the online survey at greatbendschools.net mentioned they were not educated on the purpose of the bond. With 55-percent of the vote against the first bond question, the district and SJCF will be tasked with figuring out how to get information to everyone, and not just those following on social media, reading the newspaper, or listening on the radio.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Fort Scott city officials visit Nation’s Capitol to encourage legislators to invest in community

Fort Scott city staff visit the Nation’s Capitol encouraging legislators to invest in the community.

The Community Development Director, Robert Uhler says the trip was to raise awareness about the Southeast Kansas town at both a state and federal level.

He met multiple federal legislators, including senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts, and state representatives Steve Watkins and Roger Marshal. Uhler pushed for more funding towards the many historical sites in the region, in hopes of keeping Fort Scott’s history alive.

City of Fort Scott applies for development grant to promote city expansion

The city is looking get a Community Development Block Grant. It’s given to communities across the state of Kansas to enhance livability by providing financial, technical or business assistance.

If the city gets the grant they plan to use it for a new 100-foot ladder truck for the fire department. Fort Scott’s expansion is bringing taller buildings to the area. That means fire fighters need to be able to reach higher than before.

“We have more apartments downtown now, downtown buildings. We’ve had a developer in that’s bought some buildings and working on another one now, there’s primarily apartment,” explained Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou. “A truck like this would make it much safer if we could get it if we have to go in there and rescue someone.”