Lyon County Commission approves six-month moratorium on medical facility zoning applications

28 Friday, June 28

Lyon County Commission approves six-month moratorium on medical facility zoning applications

2024-06-28T12:06:43-05:00June 28th, 2024|

The Lyon County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution establishing a moratorium on certain types of zoning, land use, and building permits related to medical facilities within the unincorporated areas of Lyon County Thursday morning. The resolution, presented by County Counselor Molly Priest, highlighted the lack of specific definitions and guidelines for medical facilities in the county’s existing zoning regulations. Priest said the resolution was crafted County Zoning Director Sam Seeley. “Our zoning regulations do not contemplate the breadth of medical facilities that exist today,” Priest said. “There are at least eight different types of medical facilities defined at state and [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Admire to celebrate new multiuse court with ribbon cutting, community festivities

2024-06-28T12:04:47-05:00June 28th, 2024|

The City of Admire is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. July 3, to mark the completion of its new multiuse sport court. This event signals the final step in a project that has been eagerly awaited by the community. Following the ceremony, people are invited to join in a potluck dinner, enjoy a game of horseshoes, watch a spectacular fireworks display, and socialize with family, friends, and neighbors. The new multiuse court, designed to accommodate pickleball, basketball, and tennis, was made possible by a $30,000 implementation grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. This grant [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Tax change creates headaches for county clerks

2024-06-28T12:03:04-05:00June 28th, 2024|

Homeowners may see a break on their property taxes this year but the change is creating extra work for the County Clerk’s Office. The tax relief package adopted by the Kansas Legislature at the June 18 special session changed the School Finance Levy Residential Exemption. Beginning in tax year 2024, the amount of residential property exempt from that statewide levy will increase from $43,049 to $75,000 of appraised value. County Clerk Bev Schmeidler told the Barton County Commission on Tuesday that her office was notified of this change on Friday afternoon and given until July 1 to update their abstracts, values, [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Johnson County wants and needs a homeless shelter. But who will pay $500K a year?

2024-06-28T12:01:09-05:00June 28th, 2024|

Operating the proposed homeless shelter in Lenexa would require annual funding not only from Johnson County but also its cities, under a new plan, totaling almost $500,000 in public money, presented to county commissioners on Thursday. The idea sparked a heated discussion among commissioners, as leaders work to push forward the long-needed shelter, but have yet to secure any financial commitment from cities to help run it. The board voted 4-3 to move the discussion forward about a fund that would require $62,000 a year from the county. The plan also asks for varying amounts from each city, based on population, [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Leawood officials keen to add veterans memorial on city hall grounds

2024-06-28T11:59:34-05:00June 28th, 2024|

A proposal to designate part of the grounds of Leawood City Hall as a veterans memorial plaza got a favorable reaction from city councilmembers last week as they met in a special work session. A temporary committee that had been meeting since November recommended the city hall location near the entrance flagpoles and the bubbling rock fountain because that area would require only minimal upgrades and because it already has space for gatherings. Councilmember Debra Filla said the location seems to be a good fit. “It’s that ‘Eureka’ moment of doing it right here in the courtyard which is a beautiful [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Overland Park sets rules for parking in city EV spots, adds 2 more chargers

2024-06-28T11:58:13-05:00June 28th, 2024|

Overland Park will require all vehicles parked at public electric vehicle charging stations to be actively plugged into the charger. Earlier this week, the Overland Park City Council voted 10-0 to approve the new ordinance in the city’s traffic code. Earlier this year, Overland Park started solidifying its electric vehicle plans by adopting its 95-page ​​Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. That plan fell short of formalizing any policy decisions, but it laid out recommendations aimed at helping the city “implement a thoughtful strategy identifying needs and best practices” for EVs. It also suggested departments in which Overland Park could potentially expand its [...]

28 Friday, June 28

‘A line in the sand’ — SMSD considers prohibiting cell phones during school

2024-06-28T11:56:15-05:00June 28th, 2024|

A district-wide ban on smartphones in the Shawnee Mission School District will be considered as part of the district’s five-year strategic plan, administrators said Monday. The idea is listed under the technology category of the plan, which was presented to the board at its regular meeting. The item concerned creating a development guide to age-appropriate use of technology including “personal devices.” Although it did not specify smartphones, incoming superintendent Michael Schumacher acknowledged a ban on cell phones during school hours would be first on the list of things to consider as the school year begins in August. Schumacher also stressed that [...]

28 Friday, June 28

School board approves sale of Park Elementary to Wichita for $1

2024-06-28T11:55:00-05:00June 28th, 2024|

The Wichita School Board voted 6-1 on Thursday to approve the sale of Park Elementary to the City of Wichita. The school, located at 1025 N Main, is now set to sell for $1 to the City. The vote comes just weeks after the City announced the former school is set to become a multi-agency resource center for the homeless. In March, the school board voted to close six Wichita schools due to a $42 million budget shortfall. Source: KAKE - News

28 Friday, June 28

Wichita firework tents hope for big year after city legalizes aerial fireworks sales

2024-06-28T11:53:44-05:00June 28th, 2024|

There are big changes coming to Wichita this year, and firework tent owners are hoping it will mean more sales than ever. It’s one of the busiest days of the year for firework tent owners like Teresa Lybarger. After doing it for over a decade, she says she knows there won’t be much sleep ahead of the first day of sales Thursday. “You spend all day long, and sometimes into the night to get all your fireworks in the right place, to get all your lights, to get everything in order to be able to open up the next morning,” said [...]

28 Friday, June 28

Kansas’ effort to lure Chiefs, Royals puts STAR bonds in the spotlight

2024-06-28T11:51:25-05:00June 28th, 2024|

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a supercharged tax incentive deal aimed at enticing the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to move across the state line. During a special session, Kansas lawmakers expedited plans to allow temporary changes to the sales tax revenue (STAR) bond program. This comes despite data from existing STAR bond developments giving mixed signals about the program’s performance. The economic tool that lets municipalities issue bonds to finance developing big commercial entertainment and tourism projects throughout the state. City or county governments identify potential STAR bond district boundaries and submit the proposed map to the Kansas [...]

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