All city buildings in Gardner will have touchless toilets and lavatories, after the Gardner City Council approved an additional $6,100 at their Nov. 16 council meeting. At the Nov. 2, 2020, regular council meeting, $42,985 plus a ten percent contingency was approved for installation of touchless flush toilets and lavatories and was approved by Johnson County for reimbursement through CARES funding. The agreement was for the conversion of manual lavatory fixtures to touchless fixtures utilizing automatic eye technology, and included the removal and replacement of 29 stool flush valves and spuds, five urinal flush valves and spuds, and 34 lavatory faucets. [...]

The State of Kansas continues to see revenue growth over the same month of the last fiscal year. October’s total tax receipts were $596.6 million, an 11.7 percent or $62.6 million increase over the estimate. That is 7.9 percent or $43.6 million, more than October of Fiscal Year 2020. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Kansans and threaten our state’s economic uncertainty, Congress must pass an economic relief bill,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “While the positive revenue trends are encouraging, the future of this revenue growth will be tied to the support we get from Washington and to every Kansas [...]

During the Oct. 8 Edgerton City Council meeting, Alexandria Clower was sworn in as the new city clerk. She replaces Chris Clinton, who had been serving as interim city clerk since February. Clower has served the City of Edgerton as the customer service representative and municipal court clerk for the last two years. Prior to her work in local government, Clower served as a bank teller at Central Bank of the Midwest in Edgerton for five years. She has extensive knowledge about the community and excellent communication and organizational skills. Donald Roberts, Edgerton mayor, and city council members commended Clower on [...]

Voters can decide whether to allow liquor by the drink to be sold without requiring establishments to sell food at the Nov. 4 election. Prohibition was approved in Kansas in 1917 and lasted until 1948. In fact, three Kansas counties are still “dry,” and 67 require the 30 percent food sales. Wyandotte, Douglas and Shawnee do not have the food requirement. Source: Gardner News

Gardner’s social media policy was amended by the council at their Oct. 5 council meeting. The changes to the policy give the city administrator and public information officer more authority to oversee social media for boards, commissions, committees, the city Council and mayor. ... Amended language to the policy includes allowing the city administrator or public information officer to contact an elected or appointed official requesting they stop commenting on a particular issue. Source: Gardner News

Construction on Edgerton’s new pedestrian trail along 56 Highway began the last week of July. The new asphalt trail will run from 1st Street to 7th Street when fully complete, but work will be broken up into two phases. The first phase will connect 1st Street to Edgerton Elementary. The second phase runs from the school to 7th Street. The new trail will drastically improve safety for pedestrians and provide important connections to the businesses along 56 Highway. This spring, Edgerton City Council members approved a cooperative purchasing agreement with Johnson County from Max Rieke Bros. and Updike Paving Corp for [...]

The City of Olathe recently launched the new Open Data Portal, the city’s central location for interactive maps, data sets and more. Through this portal, members of the public can visualize city data in maps, charts and dashboards, and developers can also tie their own applications and services into city data. Interactive maps available to view on the Open Data Portal include: Capital Improvement Projects; Planning and Development Map; Road Construction Map; Crime Map; and Snow Plow Tracking Map. Each of the maps include filters that let residents find the exact information they’re looking for. This is particularly useful when looking [...]

Despite dire predictions regarding tax collections due to the COVID-19 lockdown, both Edgerton and Gardner have seen an increase in sales tax revenues year to date. “After all the doom and gloom that was predicted, it’s a pleasant surprise to see sales tax collections coming in above last year’s numbers,” said Karen Kindle, Edgerton finance director. “As essential businesses, LPKC played a significant role as the largest contributor of city sales and keeping the Edgerton economy running. We’re in good financial shape, but we will continue to monitor these revenue sources and make changes if needed.” Gardner has also seen an [...]

In the interest of transparency, the Gardner Police Department recently released a statement comparing their use of force policy to Campaign Zero’s 8 Can’t Wait campaign. “I have had several citizens ask about it, so we thought it would be a great idea to be transparent about how we operate,” said Jay Belcher, GPD chief. Interest in police use of force policy has grown since the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota, who’s death while in police custody has led to nationwide protests, including a peaceful march in Gardner earlier this month. ... Belcher said GPD has done [...]

Despite the recent pandemic, and with some changes, area fireworks shows will proceed. Edgerton fireworks show will be held July 3 at Martin Creek Park with updated daily activities and cook out. Currently, Gardner and Spring Hill have not announced a headliner or daily events planned for Independence Day, although fireworks are permitted. (Read more: Gardner News)