Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

KCK outfits 30 officers with body cameras as police department evaluates vendors

About 30 police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, will be outfitted with body-worn cameras from different companies for the next month, the department said Monday.

The officers will receive training from each company and report their experiences with the cameras as part of a multi-vendor evaluation.

Police officials then expect to pick a company to buy from, the department said in a statement.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Canton festival aims to draw crowd

Canton is gearing up for its fourth annual Canton Heritage Days, which will be held Sept. 28 and 29.

“it’s a good time,” said organizer Terry Gribble. “The proceeds from different events … we put back into the city.”

This year, the event’s registration fees will go towards constructing new bathrooms in Canton’s city park.

Canton Heritage Days will start with a 5K run/walk. Registration starts at 7 a.m. Sept. 28 and the races begin at 8 a.m. in the city park. Adults are $20; children ages 12 and under are $10.

County OKs ‘floating playground” at lake despite protest vote from Archer

A divided Shawnee County Commission voted to budget more than $200,000 Monday to provide a “floating playground” for Lake Shawnee’s Adventure Cove.

Commissioner Bob Archer cast the dissenting vote, describing it as “a protest vote against the inequality and unfairness of parks and recreation programs and opportunities in southwest Shawnee County.”

Commissioners Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook were in the majority as commissioners voted 2-1 to approve a project budget of $208,725 to acquire the floating playground, which will include necessary concrete anchors.

Former Garden Plain water operator pleads guilty to making false report

The former operator of the water system in the Sedgwick County town of Garden Plain pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Wichita of falsifying a report on the quality of the city’s drinking water, authorities said.

Arthur Wolfe, 64, of Norwich, pleaded guilty to one count of a making a false statement in a report to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Stephen McAllister, U.S. Attorney for Kansas, said the report is required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Wolfe certified a bacteriological report in falsely represented water samples taken at the water treatment plant as samples taken at other locations, McAllister said.

This JoCo district wants to tear down and rebuild more schools. Why not just renovate?

In the past couple of years, the Shawnee Mission school district has torn down five grade schools and constructed six new ones. Now officials are eyeing which ones to rebuild next.

In Johnson County, it’s an issue that doesn’t come up as much in the newer school districts to the south and west, where buildings are generally decades younger than the half-century-old schools that were recently demolished across Shawnee Mission. Districts such as Blue Valley and Olathe are either constructing brand new schools are updating and refreshing existing buildings.

But in Shawnee Mission, it’s simply more cost effective to knock down the aging, problematic buildings and replace them with bright, modern schools, complete with flexible classrooms and the latest technology, said district spokesman David Smith. Voters in 2015 approved a $233 million bond issue to help pay for the six new buildings.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Hundreds convene on JCCC campus for first-ever Metro KC Climate Action Summit

Hundreds of local officials and residents came together on the campus of Johnson County Community College on Saturday for the inaugural Metro KC Climate Action Summit, which brought together elected leaders and climate experts to discuss ways the region can take action on climate change.

“We hope that people obviously leave inspired,” said Mike Kelly, Roeland Park mayor and Climate Action KC co-founder, of the event. “We hope they can understand a little bit more about what they can do in their own sphere of influence — whether that is in their home, in their business or in their city — but also that we inform people and engage people in our larger process, which is a climate action plan for all of metropolitan Kansas City.”

Registered attendees had a day packed with breakout sessions, guest speakers and an environmental expo. Experts in a variety of fields shared their views on how and why others in their areas should take action against climate change. For example, Christopher King, a retired brigadier general, discussed how climate change affects the United States’ national defense system.

Newton Fire/EMS receives grant

After several attempts to secure grant funding for new equipment, the Newton Fire Department was successful in getting an Assistance to Firefighters Grant that will mean new breathing equipment.

Newton Fire/EMS has received a $154,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant will be used to purchase National Fire Protection Association-compliant self-contained breathing apparatus, spare bottles and masks.

Newton’s application was one of more than 8,400 in a competitive process. Chief Steve Roberson gave credit to the department’s budget support team for their diligence in pursuing grant funding.

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

Reduction in homeless shelter capacity raises question: Where can people legally sleep?

For Lawrence’s homeless with nowhere to go at night, their new beds consist of a park gazebo, the dry concrete next to a building or a patch of ground along the Kansas River. Others opt not to sleep at all.

“Some walk the streets to stay awake, for safety, because they don’t want to lie down to go to sleep,” said Loring Henderson, director of a downtown drop-in center for the homeless at 10th and Kentucky streets. Those homeless people, Henderson said, opt to take short naps during the day because they fear being assaulted or having their possessions stolen if they sleep out in the open at night.

Fair board’s group chat conflicts with KOMA

The Kansas State Fair Board has been using a group chat for the past two years to communicate with its members during the fair.

While the conversations were “inconsequential,” State Fair general manager Robin Jennison said, he acknowledged its use is likely a violation of the Kansas Open Meeting Act.

Max Kautsch, an attorney who advises for the Kansas Press Association, said use of such an app or group chat is clearly a violation of the law.

“It’s a classic example of why the Open Meeting law exists and is interpreted the way it is: to prevent a body from doing the business of the body behind the public’s back, which is what is happening here,” Kautsch said.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Citizens help seek the direction for Derby’s future

Derby resident Lisa O’Hair spent a bit of a recent afternoon examining concepts for the city’s future at the Vision Derby 2040 Design Studios event.

She said it was time well spent and got to make a point of wanting to make the city a more environmentally friendly one.

“We love Derby but it’s not that ‘green,’” she said.

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O’Hair said she and her family, who have lived here for 4-1/2 years, would like to see more emphasis on the environment, including opening up space for community gardens and additional stress on recycling.

(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

UTVs soon will be allowed on Paola city streets

The ordinance defines a UTV as any vehicle designed for off-highway use which has: a width no less than 48 inches; an overall length, including the bumper, of not more than 135 inches; four or more wheels; low pressure tires; side-by-side seating; a steering wheel; non-straddle seating; manufacturer-provided foot controls for throttle and braking; occupant restraints and rollover protective measures.

Under the revised ordinance, which council members unanimously approved, UTVs will be allowed on city streets with posted speed limits less than 45 miles per hour. There are a number of conditions listed, including the fact that the UTV must be equipped with lights, turn signals and reflectors and be inspected each year.

Drivers must have a valid unrestricted license, and the UTVs must be registered with the Paola Police Department, which will give the owner a registration sticker to place on the vehicle. The sticker will be valid through Dec. 31 of the year that it is issued.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Derby passes conditional smoking ban in parks

It’s going to be tougher to smoke in Derby’s parks.

At its Sept. 10 meeting, the City Council approved an ordinance banning smoking and vaping from outdoor gathering areas and within 20 feet of those spaces.

The ordinance also added e-cigarettes to Derby’s Clean Indoor Air Ordinance and put the same restrictions on vaping as smoking. That part, however, didn’t spark the same examination as the subject of smoking in the parks.

(Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

Reno County administrator input session draws just one

Just one person showed up Friday for a public input session with the group helping Reno County select its next county administrator.

The resident emphasized a need for experience and someone with the ability to communicate at all levels…

The man, who Commissioner Ron Hirst said was a former volunteer with the Reno County Health Coalition, also suggested a need for someone able to coordinate equally well with department heads and elected officials, someone who has clear leadership ability and who can direct projects and staff.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Parsons talks about plan to check on rentals

The first step in a rental inspection program in Parsons likely will be creation of a registration list, which could begin as early as January.

Rob Gartner, city building inspector and code enforcer, talked to city commissioners about the research he has done in other cities’ programs Thursday during a work session.

After years of intermittent discussion, the city of Parsons took a step toward instituting a rental inspection program to ensure units in town are safe for tenants. The commission approved a 2020 budget in August after adding money for a part-time building inspector with the goal of starting inspections next year.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

‘This is spiraling downward:’ Overland Park questions if Metcalf blight will ever be fixed

When Overland Park officials last year approved tax incentives to revitalize a blighted area off Shawnee Mission Parkway, they expected to replace two crime-ridden motels with a new luxury hotel, restaurants and retail.

Instead, they’re getting a car wash.

City Council members called it the latest broken promise from the developer who pledged to clean up the Metcalf Crossing site, at 7240 Shawnee Mission Parkway, at the northwest corner of the intersection with Metcalf Avenue. The developer was supposed to demolish the two run-down motels by last December. But they’re still standing, empty.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

County’s 5-year plan for waste management addresses plastic bags, food waste

Grocery store plastic bags won’t be taxed any time soon, but the county will likely look into it in the next couple of years because of the high level of public interest.

County commissioners on Thursday approved a five-year strategic plan for managing waste that goes into the landfill. Among the items in it was a feasibility study to find the best way to reduce the number of single-use plastic bags that end up in the landfill or, mistakenly, in the recycling bin.

Managing the loose plastic bags generated some of the most impassioned discussion among county staff and members of the Solid Waste Management Committee who wrote the recommendations, said Craig Wood, solid waste management coordinator. The committee is made up of local government leaders, environmental organizations and private waste-related businesses.

Winfield to map out future

Public meetings will be held in the future to gather information from Winfield residents on the city’s comprehensive plan update and a master plan for parks, trails and recreation.

More details were discussed about the comprehensive plan update and the master plan during the commission work session Thursday afternoon.

This process of creating the plans will involve the governing body, the city planning commission, steering committees, the public and the city park board, said David Foster of Foster Design Associates in Wichita, which is helping the city with the plans.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Kansas Offers Plenty Of Jobs, But Not Enough People To Take Them

Over the last five years, almost 15,000 workers disappeared from the Kansas workforce.

During the same timeframe, the state is growing economically, with a recent monthly report showing 14,000 jobs created in the last year and unemployment at 3.3%. That’s below the national rate.

Despite the good news, Kansas officials see a long-term challenge: having enough employees to fill the state’s jobs, especially in high-demand careers like nursing and accounting.

The total labor force in Kansas peaked in 2009 at 1.521 million, likely driven by the economic downturn that caused people to enter the labor force who otherwise wouldn’t be working. That tapered off, and by the middle of 2014, Kansas’ workforce was 1.493 million.

(Read more: Hays Post)

$750,000 grant to WPD for state of the art gun crime center

Wichita police are hoping a new federal grant will help curb violent crime in the city.

Police say this grant has been in the works for months, and now, it is finally approved.

“The gun crime intelligence centers have been in formation for the last couple of years and the cities where they’ve been started, there’s been a significant decrease in crime,” says Chief Gordon Ramsay.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Students provide ‘miracle’ for Ellis homeowner

For the dozen Fort Hays State University students in Ellis on Saturday morning, it was a day of giving to the surrounding community.

For Evelyn Fisher, it was much more.

“In my world, this is a miracle,” she said, as she watched the students painting the exterior of her home on 10th Street.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)