Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Ambulance official guarantees move will boost response times in Shawnee County

A pilot program Shawnee County commissioners established Monday will enable ambulances in some circumstances to not carry paramedics, thus helping bring a quicker overall response to calls, an official with the county’s ambulance service provider said.

“I guarantee you we will see improvement in response times,” said Jon Antrim, regional director for Kansas for Colorado-based American Medical Response.

Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook voted 3-0 Monday to revise the county’s contract with AMR to temporarily waive — for six months, from Sept. 1 through Feb. 29 — the requirement that AMR get a paramedic to the scenes of all its calls within specific amounts of time spelled out in its contract.

‘Mowing with Cops’ tour stops in Topeka, aims to counter negative police stereotypes

One lucky family just south of Ward-Meade Park now has a freshly mowed lawn thanks to Rodney Smith and Topeka police.

Smith is the founder of Raising Men Lawn Care Service. Earlier this month, he embarked on a 50-state “Mowing with Cops” tour, in which he travels across the country mowing lawns for the elderly, the disabled, single parents and veterans. Each time he stops to mow a lawn for free, Smith invites police officers in that community to help.

Smith spent Monday afternoon in Topeka. He arrived in the capital city around 3 p.m. — following a morning spent mowing in Des Moines, Iowa, and a mid-day stop in Kansas City. Upon arrival, Smith met with Topeka Police Department officers. They chose to mow the overgrown lawn of a single mother of four whose lawn mower has been broken since the beginning of summer.

KDOT secretary urges Kansans to think of transportation in terms of 2045

Kansas’ secretary of transportation convened Monday a meeting in Topeka to draw input from local officials on immediate highway, airport and rail system needs while driving the conversation toward what that complex network might look like in a quarter of a century.

“We are in a time of great transformation in transportation,” aid Julie Lorenz, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation. “There are a bunch of trends that are beginning to combine and collide.”

She said the challenge was to design a Kansas system for 2045 that accommodated a projected 11.6% growth in population, but dealt with the potential of having half of all residents living in Sedgwick and Johnson counties. Demand for a modern communications highway — broadband running under KDOT right-of-way — will intensify in rural areas, she said.

Shawnee businesses cite need for stronger workforce, government responsiveness

When it comes to the future of the city of Shawnee — and the growth of business and economy — workforce density and government responsiveness were two key elements identified as needs of the business community.

About 40 members of the business community in Shawnee met in a business focus group Aug. 20 to talk about the challenges and opportunities of growing and maintaining a business in the city. The focus group is part of the city’s first strategic visioning process, Imagine Shawnee.

Wichita, home of fatal ‘swatting’ case, launches alert system for gamers and police

Wichita police will begin placing alerts on addresses where potential swatting targets could be living, the department announced Friday.

The program is voluntary and open to any person who thinks they could fall victim to swatting, a false report to law enforcement meant to draw a large police presence to a particular address. The practice has been growing in popularity on the fringes of the online gaming community, including a case in Wichita that ended in tragedy.

In Wichita’s swatting case, police shot an unwitting and unarmed man on his front porch after Tyler Barriss, 26, called from California and reported a murder and hostage situation at 1033 W. McCormick, the former address of a gamer involved an online dispute.

Walmart, Gardner community offer ‘cool’ help to homebound couple (part of the Gardner Samaritan Project)

Gardner Mayor Steve Shute is collaborating with community leaders to form the Gardner Samaritan Project, an initiative he outlined in his State of the City address last May to assist people in need.

But after a local couple’s air-conditioner quit working as temperatures climbed, city officials tackled the problem in a way that served as a prototype for the larger initiative — which will connect those in need with volunteers and organizations in a position to help.

After the couple contacted the city because they couldn’t afford to replace their broken window unit, the city turned to the local Walmart Supercenter, where manager Albert Stutzman and claims manager Denise Hastings were willing to help.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Fire chiefs detail response to Tyson fire in Holcomb

Two weeks after a fire shut down one of the area’s top job creators, Holcomb and Garden City emergency officials are reflecting on what made their response a success.“The public around Holcomb comes through anytime we ask,” said Bill Knight. “It was the same thing here.”Knight is the chief of the Holcomb Community Fire Department, one of the entities responsible for combating a fire in the Tyson Fresh Meats plant earlier this month.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

Leaders hope new park will stimulate growth in downtown Baldwin City

Construction will start next month on a new park in Baldwin City that local leaders hope will stimulate more development downtown.

Earlier this month, the Baldwin City Council approved the design for the so-called Lotatorium, as well as a construction contract not to exceed $670,000. The project will add sidewalks, a stage, a big-screen TV, a splash deck water feature and restrooms to the now-empty lot in the 700 block of High Street, which has long been a site of community events.
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The Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce, the Lumberyard Arts Center, the Baldwin City Academy of Dance and Voice and the library have drawn residents and businesses to downtown, Simoneau and Simmons said, and Simmons is hopeful the Lotatorium will attract even more private developers.

“There are empty lots downtown,” he said. “Business people want to make money. When they see all those people, they will see the opportunities and invest in downtown.”

KCK/WyCo sales tax revenues continue downward trend

Sales tax revenues were down about 8 percent during the second quarter of 2019, according to a financial report Aug. 19 at the Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting.

According to Debbie Jonscher, UG deputy chief financial officer, revenues were down six-tenths of a percent than the previous quarter primarily because of the sales tax coming in 8 percent below the target.

She said the UG now has adjusted the sales tax revenue target down in the amended budget.

(Read more: Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!)

Your mega guide to fall festivals: Middle of Map returns, along with beer, chili, art

If it seems that every town must have a fall celebration and every food product deserves its day in the sun, a look at the area’s autumn lineup of fairs and festivals will do little to dispel that belief.

Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, Liberty and Raymore are just a handful of the region’s municipalities that will be dancing in the streets in the coming months. Meanwhile, there will be events celebrating products from the lowly hedge apple to spinach and chili.

And, of course, beer, wine and barbecue will be common themes.

City seeks citizens’ input as to Derby’s future

The planning of the city’s future continues. The next event in the Vision Derby 2040 process is what is known as the “design studios” and will be facilitated by city staff and urban planners from RDG Planning and Design, which is handling the project.

At the event, participants may have their ideas drawn up and designed for what is being called “the roadmap for the next 20 years.”

There will be a series of design studio meetings in September at The Venue at Madison Avenue Central Park.

More state funding means more raises for Great Bend teachers

Going inside the numbers from USD 428’s approved budget for the 2019-2020 school year, the charts show the Great Bend school district gave teachers an across the board raise of 4.5 percent. The district was able to give raises despite the mill levy remaining nearly flat from the previous year.

USD 428 Assistant Superintendent John Popp says Great Bend received more money from the state this school year.

“We have an increase in per-pupil funding from the state,” said Popp. “That should allow us to have more money to pay for raises. The issue always with that is if we have a decline in students, but Great Bend has been steady for a long time.”

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Butler Community College to offer Volvo curriculum — one of first in U.S.

Butler is expanding its curriculum to include luxury cars.

Volvo and Butler Community College officially collaborated in August in an effort to strengthen the auto mechanic workforce and develop a pipeline for the car company. The agreement was made possible in part by Eddy’s Volvo Cars of Wichita, serving as the sponsoring dealership, and Volvo’s Car University Program designed to embed Volvo system technology into top accredited auto tech programs in the country, according to a BCC news release.

The collaboration makes Butler Community College one of the first collegiate Volvo Training programs in the country. Butler’s faculty will be trained in the latest Volvo technologies, and Butler’s auto tech students will have hands-on access to training. The Volvo curriculum, to be launched this fall and embedded into the existing curriculum, will become standard for all auto tech students at Butler.

Police will start voluntary swatter alert system in Wichita

Wichita police will begin using a system that places alerts on addresses where potential swatting targets could be living.

Swatting involves someone making a hoax emergency call to send law enforcement officers, particularly SWAT teams, to a particular address.

The program announced Friday is voluntary and open to people who think they might be a victims of swatting.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

Johnson County Library celebrates ten years of its award-winning early literacy program

Johnson County Library celebrates the tenth anniversary of 6 by 6, Ready to Read, its award-winning early literacy program, with a series of special programs and activities. The festivities kick off on September 16, 2019 with a Birthday Party at Oak Park Library, and activities continue throughout the week, including a concert by José-Luis Orozco on September 20 and workshops for caregivers and educators that include KDHE clock hour credits.

Money available: SCCF grant applications due soon

The deadline for South Central Community Foundation grant applications is just a week away on Aug. 31.

This year, all grant applications are being done online at sccfks.org than go to the grant applications tab. Applicants have to log on and create a user name and password. Once that is done, everything else is self explanatory. Its the same questions and format as last year, said Holly Rooks, SCCF director.

Grants are available for 501(c)(3) organizations including churches, schools, city and county government. There is a $1,000 limit for applications and there is a list online of things that cannot be applied for.

(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)

School district contemplates property purchase to expand

The USD 470-Arkansas City School District is considering buying more property near the high school, after recently purchasing a former church building.

The school board is being asked approve purchasing the property and house at 2304 W. 15th St., an 1.8-acre parcel just west of Bulldog Stadium, formerly owned by Donna Avery. It is currently owned by the Bob and Patricia White Revocable Trust.

The district was given a first option on the property after being contacted by a representative of the trust. Information about the property was reviewed by the board in executive session during the Aug. 12 meeting.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

OP may allow more public comment at meetings. But it won’t decide till after election

Overland Park officials have agreed to study whether to let the public speak at meetings about issues not on the agenda — something almost every other municipality in the area allows. But some City Council candidates worry that Johnson County’s largest city won’t decide on the matter until after the November election.

“It does not need to continue for two or more months,” said 5th Ward Councilman Faris Farassati, who is running for reelection and has spearheaded the push for an open public comment period. “Voters in November need this piece of information. They need to know how (council members) are going to vote about their First Amendment rights. I think it needs to be quite clear that voters have the right to know their reasoning.”

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Douglas County Commission approves six-month halt on applications to subdivide rural land

Rural residents of Douglas County who want to divide their land into residential lots may have to wait half a year before they can get that process started.

The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on the county’s processing of applications for certificates of survey outside of the county’s urban growth area. Submitting an application is the first step in the process of dividing a large parcel of land — in this case, one that’s 20 acres or larger — into smaller residential lots.

According to the county’s resolution outlining the moratorium, any new applications will not be processed until Feb. 21, 2020. But the resolution also says the commission has the authority to bring the moratorium to an end before that if it chooses to do so.

Douglas County Commission selects interim county administrator for permanent role

The Douglas County Commission will forgo a search to fill its vacant county administrator position and will instead appoint interim County Administrator Sarah Plinsky to the permanent position.

At their meeting Wednesday, commissioners unanimously approved directing the county counselor to begin contract negotiations with Plinsky.

Plinsky has been serving as the interim county administrator since December, when the previous administrator, Craig Weinaug, retired after working for the county for 26 years. When Weinaug left the position, he said the county would conduct a search to find his replacement.