Kansas Municipal News
Have an idea to activate the Arkansas River? Let the city know by Friday
Lots of people say they wish Wichita would utilize the Arkansas River better, and the city agrees.
“We’ve been wanting to activate the river,” says Troy Houtman, director of the Park and Recreation Department.
The question, he says, is, “What kind of things could we do?”
That might be some sort of barge service with a floating restaurant or bar, a dinner cruise, a water taxi or a tourist ride with fun facts about the city from downtown to Delano. Houtman says the city is open to ideas, so it put out a request for qualifications several months ago.
(Read more: Carrie Rengers: Business Columns & Blogs |)
Overland Park becomes largest city in Kansas to add LGBTQ protections
Despite lingering skepticism about the strength of a city-level nondiscrimination ordinance, Overland Park officials on Monday agreed to prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
The vote came on the eve of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday hearing arguments over whether federal civil rights law protects LGBTQ people from job discrimination. A ruling is expected by next summer, in which the justices will determine whether it is legal to fire employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Overland Park leaders warned that the city’s ordinance could become moot depending on the outcome of the closely watched federal cases. Officials called for state and federal laws prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination, arguing they would be more effective.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
City manager: ‘Quivira water impairment claim should have little effect on R9’
The Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources (KDA-DWR) will host two public meetings on Monday, October 21, 2019, to share information related to upcoming action responding to the impairment complaint by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
Water rights owners in the area were sent notice this week of the KDA-DWR plan to regulate water rights. The meetings will review the anticipated regulation and the ongoing work with local stakeholders to develop a Water Conservation Area (WCA) that will provide flexibility in use for those regulated water rights.
Groundwater Management District 5 and the R9 Ranch in Edwards County (owned by the cities of Hays and Russell as a long-term water supply) are included in Zone A.
(Read more: Hays Post)
City of Phillipsburg names new Community Development Director
The Phillipsburg City Council recently hired Phillipsburg native Scott Aust as the city’s new Community Development Director.
A 1985 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, Aust earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University.
For more than 20 years Aust worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota covering government, growth and development, business and community issues. Most recently, he served as the Director of Communications for Finney County Economic Development Corporation in Garden City, Kan., and also oversaw the operation of the Greater Garden City community information website and social media platforms.
(Read more: Phillipsburg, KS)
Kansas governor launches design of economic development strategy
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says she’s launching the state’s first formal strategy in 30 years to strengthen economic development.
Kelly pledged Monday to work with industries and economic development specialists to write a comprehensive plan to speed economic growth. A report is expected by March 2020.
The project will be coordinated by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the McKinsey consulting firm.
Secretary of Commerce David Toland says the state has lagged in key economic indicators such as GDP growth, population growth and labor participation.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Leavenworth County eyes comprehensive plan
The process for creating a new comprehensive plan for Leavenworth County continues. And those who are involved in the process held an open house last week for members of the public.
Krystal Voth, deputy director of the Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning Department, said 85 people attended Wednesday’s open house.
“We had really good engagement,” she said.
Once completed, the countywide comprehensive plan will touch on topics such as future land use, zoning, infrastructure and economic development.
(Read more: News – Kiowa County Signal – Kiowa County, KS)
Law Enforcement Center lobby new look celebrated
The final touch, at least for now, of a new display in the McPherson Law Enforcement Center came this week — a plaque acknowledging the work of those who created a display of Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run T-shirts now displayed on the walls of its lobby.
Hangng the T-shirts was a senior project for Bethany College student Molly Achterberg, a criminal justice major who is from Minneapolis.
Achterberg cut and framed the T-shirts, which were donated by former McPherson Police Chief Dennis Shaw.
(Read more: News – McPhersonSentinel – McPherson, KS)
Kingman Hospital’s $2.5M project to expand rehab, specialty clinic spaces
Kingman Community Hospital plans to launch a $2.5 million, year-long renovation project this spring.
The project will expand its rehabilitation and physical therapy options, double its specialty clinic space and make needed mechanical and electrical upgrades at the 50-year-old facility.
The work also will result in the relocation of the agency’s business and medical records offices out of the hospital to its neighboring Medical Arts building, said hospital CEO Shannan Flach.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Rural homeowners at odds with Clinton Lake Project Office over what caused Aug. 1 flooding
As Mike Perryman watched floodwaters surround his home in rural Douglas County while his wife and daughter were still inside, he wondered what could have caused such a disaster.
While he was aware of the 8 to 10 inches of rain in the weather forecast the night of July 31, seeing the often-shallow Washington Creek quickly fill with water did not make sense to him. Additionally, the water of the creek, which normally heads north to flow into the Wakarusa River, was then flowing the other direction.
“Everything was running back (south),” he said. “It started going back through low points along the creek and back into our properties.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Lawrence City Commission to discuss policies regarding immigrants, request to make Lawrence a sanctuary city
The next time federal immigration agents come to Lawrence, city leaders say they want no surprises when it comes to the role of local police.
At its study session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will discuss potential policies regarding how Lawrence police handle requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and otherwise interact with undocumented immigrants.
Mayor Lisa Larsen, who requested the study session, said that while police have a general practice, she thought a written policy regarding how police handle such situations would be more transparent for residents and allow the policy to be publicly debated.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Lawrence Planning and Development Services Director Scott McCullough to resign
The city’s top urban planner will soon resign, and the city plans to conduct a national search for his replacement.
The City of Lawrence announced the resignation of Planning and Development Services Director Scott McCullough Thursday evening. McCullough has accepted a position as director of community development in Lenexa, according to the news release. McCullough’s last day with the city will be Nov. 1.
McCullough started with the city in August 2007 and has been involved in several key projects during his tenure, according to the release.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Lenexa sticks with its vision — and finds its center
City officials foresaw the benefits of a new civic and business center. It just took a while for it to materialize — and now it’s paying off big. After a fitful start, Lenexa City Center is coming into its own, mixing government, civic, retail, office and housing. In other words, the city created a new gathering place for residents.
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The nearly 200-acre Lenexa City Center — a public-private development — covers all four corners at 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard.Located near the geographic center of Lenexa, the project is home to office buildings, multifamily housing, single-family home developments, boutique retail and restaurants. It also houses services for city residents, including City Hall, a public market, an aquatic center, a recreation center and a Johnson County Public Library branch that opened in June.
(Read more: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals)
Is a resurgence in the works for downtown Shawnee?
Overland Park’s downtown has gone from quaint to contemporary. Lenexa built a downtown from the ground up. And while the hearts of other Johnson County cities are transforming, Shawnee’s downtown has remained stagnant.
But many say that’s starting to change.
Millions of dollars of new investment — from private developers, business owners and the city — are breathing new life into the area that many said has been depressed for decades.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Derby gets prime spot on plane’s nose
One of the KC-135 air refueling planes at McConnell Air Force Base has a piece of Derby attached to it – literally.
In what is termed a nose-art ceremony, the city’s official 150th anniversary logo was unveiled on the pilot’s side of the aircraft at the base on Oct. 2 in front of an appreciative crowd of U.S. Air Force, Derby and elected officials.
The audience also included David Craig. And for the Derby resident, the ceremony had an extra special meaning as he was a crew member who flew on this very same aircraft back in 1978, a plane with tail number 357 that he called “an old friend.”
(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)
Pressure builds in Kansas for new vaping and tobacco laws
A national outbreak of a vaping-related lung illness is increasing pressure in Kansas to consider new regulations for vaping and tobacco products.
One of the suggestions getting attention is raising the age for purchasing nicotine products from 18 to 21, in part because federal officials say 40 percent of vaping illnesses across the country have be reported in people under 21, The Kansas City Star reported .
The push to reconsider nicotine regulations is fueled by an increase in vaping-related illnesses reported nationwide. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control reported 1,080 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in 48 states and one U.S. territory. Eighteen deaths have been recorded in 15 states.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Wichita council members can take unlimited gifts. It’s not like that everywhere
Tulsa’s elected officials aren’t allowed to take gifts that could be used to influence them.
Colorado Springs sets its dollar limit at $59. Oklahoma City requires disclosure of gifts over $300.
But Wichita’s mayor and city council members are free to take unlimited gifts.
A Wichita Eagle review of cities across the region found ethics codes that prohibit specific behavior by elected officials that would leave them open to improper influence. Some states even require local officials to receive ethics training.
(Read more: Politics & Government News |)
Design companies present findings on Big Pool
Garden City commissioners heard an update on the facility set to replace the Big Pool this week, reviewing the problems with the current pool, what attractions the community has shown interest in and what is coming next. Commissioners and city staff sat in on a meeting Tuesday morning with representatives from facility designers…
(Read more: News – Wellington Daily News – Wellington, KS)