New city commissioner hopes to give back to her community

3 Wednesday, January 3

New city commissioner hopes to give back to her community

info2024-01-03T13:06:34-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

Melanie Watson began her role as city commissioner on Dec. 12 and said she sees it as a way to give back to her community after the support she received while going through a difficult time in her life. Watson was the victim of domestic violence that eventually led to a violent attack from her husband after she filed for divorce. “I knew there would be consequences for me, physically, when I was trying to leave, I remember praying to God asking him not to kill me or disable me to the point I can’t care for my children,” Watson said. Watson [...]

3 Wednesday, January 3

Longtime Shawnee HR director Liz Barnard retires

info2024-01-03T13:04:59-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

After 28 years in public service, the City of Shawnee’s human resources director has retired. Having watched Shawnee grow for almost three decades, Liz Barnard said she’s proud of her time in the city. “It was just a treat to serve the City of Shawnee for so many years,” she said. In Barnard’s tenure, she said she worked with four mayors, 46 councilmembers and more than 500 employees. It all went by in a blur, she said. “They say the days are long, but the years are short or something like that,” she said. “It’s true.” She also said she saw the city expand and evolve. “When [...]

3 Wednesday, January 3

Wichita city council approves new ordinance to stop landlords from retaliatory evictions

info2024-01-03T13:02:31-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

Tuesday morning the Wichita City Council approved a new ordinance that allows landlords to be fined up to $2,500 for evicting a tenant when they complain about terrible living conditions. "In this case we have people who reached out over the years that are tired of a lack of response from their landlord and then when the city comes out and inspects a finds a violation and writes them up, they end up getting evicted. Well that's not right," said Brandon Johnson, the city council member for district one. Johnson says this is an ongoing issue which is why the city [...]

3 Wednesday, January 3

Green light: City Council approves ordinance updates needed for new downtown parking plan

info2024-01-03T13:00:43-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

A revamped approach to public parking in Wichita's core has cleared a key step. The City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of ordinance updates necessary for the city to move forward with a long-discussed plan that will include increases to parking fees and meter technology updates in the downtown, Old Town and Delano areas. Local government and economic development officials have said modernizing public parking in the core is an important component for Wichita's expected downtown growth spurred by a planned $300-million biomedical campus and other major projects. The Council approved the plan itself in March 2023. Among other components, it allows the city to collect [...]

3 Wednesday, January 3

Municipal Bond Trends for January 2, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-01-03T12:23:49-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

3 Wednesday, January 3

‘Stars are aligning’ for a Kansas water conservation plan, Kelly says

info2024-01-03T07:19:12-06:00January 3rd, 2024|

Gov. Laura Kelly said she is planning to spend a significant amount of political capital on water during the upcoming legislative session. The aquifers under several western Kansas towns are depleted beyond the minimum threshold for aquifer density, meaning what remains couldn’t support things like center-pivot irrigation. Other areas are luckier, with an estimated 25 to 100 years of water use. Still, those areas need to change water use to be able to support agriculture long term. Kelly said since the water shortages reached crisis levels, there hasn’t been a politician in the unique position she’s in as a second-term governor [...]

31 Sunday, December 31

New guide documents historic structures in unincorporated areas of Douglas County — barns, farmsteads, cabins, outhouses and more

info2023-12-31T09:02:55-06:00December 31st, 2023|

The guide is the product of a 12-year study by the county’s Heritage Conservation Council, and it documents around 2,400 historic resources in the unincorporated areas of the county. That includes the grain bin, buggy shed, stone fences and farmhouse on Coffman’s land — but also a diverse mix of other structures throughout the county, from a turn-of-the-century Victorian-style house in Marion Township to a potato barn in Grant Township to a cabin at Lone Star Lake. It’s all part of an effort to bring more attention to these old buildings, keep them in good condition and highlight structures that property [...]

29 Friday, December 29

Goessel Council honors long-time council member

info2023-12-29T12:06:51-06:00December 29th, 2023|

The Goessel city council met on Dec. 12, a week earlier than usual, because of a school concert on the regular meeting date. This was the last meeting for long-time council member Dean Snelling. Mayor Evan Esau presented a plaque to Snelling and thanked him for his 10 years on the council. Esau talked about Snelling’s expertise and said, “We’re going to miss you.” No other current council members have been on the council as long as Snelling has been. He has served with the leadership of several different mayors. Turning their attention to another matter, the council welcomed new part-time police officer [...]

29 Friday, December 29

City approves continued reduced rates for licensed daycares

info2023-12-29T12:05:48-06:00December 29th, 2023|

A continuation of the reduced electrical demand charge program for licensed daycare facilities was approved by the Garden City Commission at their regular meeting on Dec. 19. Mike Muirhead, Garden City Public Utilities Director, said the program was initially approved on Sept. 20, 2022 for licensed childcare facilities within the city that are on the Church and School rate, but the minutes of that meeting did not specify if the program was to be a one-year credit or if it would be an ongoing program and if it was, when the commission would reevaluate its continuance. The program works by reducing $1 from [...]

29 Friday, December 29

Kansas Tops Nation in Economic Growth Over Fall 2023

info2023-12-29T12:04:52-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly today celebrated that, according to data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Kansas economy grew by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter of 2023 — the fastest rate in the nation. This improves on an already impressive record of economic growth; in the 2nd quarter of 2023, Kansas’ economy grew at the second-fastest rate in the nation at 7.4%. “This data shows that our efforts to support businesses, create a stable economy, and grow our workforce are paying off,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Now, Kansas is outstripping the entire nation in economic growth and attracting business investment. [...]