Ashcraft notes 40th year with city

6 Tuesday, August 6

Ashcraft notes 40th year with city

info2024-08-06T08:56:53-05:00August 6th, 2024|

In the mid-1980s, Dennis Ashcraft, fresh out of Cloud County Community College where he majored in agricultural science, had come back to his native Holton to start a career — but what that career would be was yet to be determined. “I’d graduated from college and I wanted to stay in this area,” Ashcraft said. “A position came open at the city’s wastewater treatment plans, so I applied for it, thinking I could do that until I figured out what I wanted to do.” On July 1, 1984, Ashcraft began his tenure with the city. Forty years later, he smiles and [...]

6 Tuesday, August 6

Logan Burns hired as Great Bend City Administrator

info2024-08-06T08:54:55-05:00August 6th, 2024|

Great Bend Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns has been named the new City Administrator, effective Monday, Aug. 12. The decision was approved at the Aug. 5 City Council meeting with a 6-1 vote, following a 20-minute executive session where council members discussed the position. This Friday will be the last day for the current City Administration, Brandon Anderson, who announced his resignation in July. Councilman Davis Jimenez attended the meeting via telephone and was the only council member voting “no” to the appointment. Councilwoman Jolene Biggs was absent. During the meeting, Anderson mentioned a change of other department heads. Darren Doonan [...]

6 Tuesday, August 6

Voters will decide the fate of Great Bend’s 1/2-cent sales tax

info2024-08-06T08:53:39-05:00August 6th, 2024|

A half-cent sales tax that went into effect in 2020 is set to end in 2025 unless Great Bend residents vote for it to continue. At Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting, a resolution was passed that will place the question on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election. As soon as the resolution was approved, the City was ready to post information about the sales tax on its website, greatbendks.net. Brandon Anderson, attending his final meeting as City Administrators, said the half-cent sales tax was set up by the City Council with input from the public to give 45% [...]

5 Monday, August 5

City Commission to vote Aug. 6 on new City Manager for Manhattan

info2024-08-05T11:00:38-05:00August 5th, 2024|

The City of Manhattan is pleased to announce that the City Commission will vote on Tuesday, August 6 to appoint Danielle Dulin to serve as Manhattan’s ninth City Manager, with an anticipated start date of Monday, October 14. Dulin was selected following a nationwide search conducted by Strategic Government Resources (SGR) that produced a field of 50 candidates and an extensive interview process involving four finalists who visited Manhattan. “The process went smoothly, and we were very pleased with SGR’s services. The high quality of our candidate pool speaks to Manhattan’s tremendous appeal,” said Mayor Susan E. Adamchak. “Our community will [...]

5 Monday, August 5

Goessel Council hears strong opposition to wind turbines

info2024-08-05T10:57:51-05:00August 5th, 2024|

Goessel city council met on July 14 and reviewed the survey the city had conducted about wind turbines. While many of the respondents do favor other forms of alternative energy, the overwhelming majority do not favor wind turbines. The survey asked about a buffer around the city, and most of the respondents would like a 10-mile buffer. Mayor Evan Esau said he has sent a letter to the other cities in the county to ask their opinion about wind turbines and a buffer. Council member Amanda Voth said the next county planning and zoning meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22. Community [...]

5 Monday, August 5

With journalists scarce, Wichita Documenters keep eyes on public meetings

info2024-08-05T10:55:23-05:00August 5th, 2024|

The journalism industry is in crisis, and there aren’t nearly enough reporters around to cover all the public meetings they used to attend. So what if a small army of citizens could be recruited to attend and make a record of those meetings? That’s kind of the idea behind Wichita Documenters, a program launched earlier this year. Retired librarian Sharon Ailslieger is one of the Documenters. “I believe in civic engagement, and I think people should be aware of what’s going on in their government, especially at the local level,” Ailslieger said. Affiliated with the national Documenters Network, Wichita Documenters is [...]

5 Monday, August 5

City of Bel Aire enacting water restrictions

info2024-08-05T10:48:50-05:00August 5th, 2024|

Beginning Monday, the City of Bel Aire will join Derby and Wichita in enacting water restrictions. Bel Aire gets its water from Wichita and the Chisolm Creek Utility Authority. Because Bel Aire receives water from Wichita, the city will be enacting the same restrictions on water usage. The restrictions will be in place for the next two months, after which the restrictions will be reevaluated. Source: KSN-TV

5 Monday, August 5

Haysville says its water supply is secure

info2024-08-05T10:47:08-05:00August 5th, 2024|

The City of Haysville is addressing residents concerns about its water supply. The City says the public has been asking about the water supply following the announcement of water restrictions in Wichita and Derby. Both are now in Stage 2 of their drought response plan, with mandatory restrictions going into effect Monday. Haysville Public Works says the city’s water supply comes from five local wells and is stable and secure. Low water levels at Cheney Lake and other water sources do not affect the supply. However, the public works department says residents should still be mindful of their water usage and [...]

5 Monday, August 5

Derby enters phase 2 of water conservation

info2024-08-05T10:45:47-05:00August 5th, 2024|

The City of Derby has moved to phase 2 of its water conservation plan following Wichita’s Thursday announcement of mandatory water restrictions beginning August 5. Mandatory restrictions will also go into effect Monday for Derby, which receives its water from the City of Wichita. The City of Derby will also take steps to conserve water, including monitoring its daily usage, repairing all leaks within 24 hours of detection, flushing hydrants and water mains, washing vehicles only in emergency situations, and making efforts to repurpose the water used in those instances. “Let’s all try and do our part to help the entire [...]

5 Monday, August 5

City asks community to help choose next Topeka Police Chief

info2024-08-05T10:44:26-05:00August 5th, 2024|

Topekans met with the city for the second time to say what they hope to see in the next police chief. The City of Topeka held its second of three input sessions for the community to say what they would like to see in the next police chief. The City Manager offered three available times throughout this week and into the weekend, as well as an online survey to try and reach as many people as the city can. These sessions and survey let people voice their opinions on what they would like to see in the police chief to help [...]