Salina’s city commission will consider allowing liquor sales in the city on Sunday.

The possibility arose during a meeting Monday, when the commission approved an ordinance that allows microbreweries in the city.

During discussion of that ordinance, commissioners considered whether to allow Sunday liquor sales. Current Salina law prohibits Sunday sales at liquor stores and other places that sell packaged alcohol.

Commissioner Randall Hardy says he thought the current law was a restraint of trade. Other commissioners also indicated they would support Sunday sales.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

A local town in Sedgwick County is struggling with its ambulance service and says they deserve better. The city of Cheney just wants the same service everyone else in the county gets.
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“If it took 17 or 19 minutes for an ambulance to get to you and you were in Downtown Wichita, I think you’d go berserk,” explained Cheney Fire Chief Brad Ewy. “Where here, we’re just getting accustomed to it and it’s not a good thing.”

The ambulance station at US 54 and Andale Rd. that used to serve Cheney is now shuttered. Sedgwick County moved that ambulance to Goddard, something many Cheney residents aren’t happy with.

(Read more: KAKE – HomePage – Headlines)

Topeka City Councilman Chad Manspeaker expressed frustration Tuesday that direction given to governing body members last week limits their ability to communicate with constituents on zoning matters.

Still, Manspeaker said he thought the city was acting appropriately by having governing body members forward constituent emails on such matters to city attorney Chad Sublet, who can let constituents know their council members aren’t being unresponsive — they just aren’t allowed to respond by law.

(Read more: News)

A bill that bans use of state money to advocate for or against gun control won approval in the Kansas House and was sent to the governor Tuesday.

The measure passed 83-28.

It’s intended to block local and state government from hiring lobbyists to advocate for gun control. But it could also prevent the state from advocating on behalf of the state if federal lawmakers were to debate gun restrictions.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: Top Stories)

A losing candidate in April’s Roeland Park mayoral election has asked the council to censure one of its own members, Megan England, over a campaign flyer circulated last month.

Linda Mau lost the mayor’s race in April to Joel Marquardt by a wide margin. Her focus Monday night, though, was on England, whom she accused of being behind an anonymous campaign flyer that targeted Mau.

(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

After more than a decade of discussion, Mission is getting set to rebuild its main street, Johnson Drive. But some downtown merchants are anxious about parking, while others complain about costs and disruptions.
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On weekdays, 17,800 vehicles rumble through downtown Mission, which is the half-mile stretch of Johnson Drive between Nall and Lamar avenues.
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Until through traffic was diverted to Shawnee Mission Parkway in the 1950s, Mission was one of the last towns eastbound travelers passed through on their way to Kansas City on old U.S. 50.

Johnson Drive was then downgraded to a state highway before the Kansas Department of Transportation decommissioned it in 1979. Ever since, Mission has been responsible for maintaining the street, which has been challenging.

“What it is is a two-lane brick road that got paved over,” said Mayor Laura McConwell.
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Rebuilding Johnson Drive has been under discussion for much of her 11 years in office, McConwell said, but the city is just now getting around to it because other issues have jumped ahead, such as flood control.

(Read more: Kansas City Star: Front Page)

A major hotel chain will bring more than 900 new jobs to Wichita under the terms of a forgivable loan approved Tuesday morning by the Wichita City Council.

Starwood Hotels, a hotel and leisure company that owns brands such as Westin, Sheraton and Four Points, pledges to create 907 jobs over its first five years in the former Wichita Mall and Office This location at 4131 E. Harry.

It will be Starwood’s largest American call center.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: News Updates)

The Victoria City Council voted 5-0 in its regular meeting Monday night to keep all of its share of a county sales tax, which will go into effect no sooner than Oct. 1.

Councilman Jerry Brungardt said there are no specific plans yet on how to use the revenue from the tax; that will be discussed at the next meeting. The city’s share is estimated at $580,000 for the five-year tax.
“We’re just going to take a step back and take a look and assess the situation, what the city needs,” Brungardt said.

(Read more: The Hays Daily News)

The cities of Wichita and El Dorado have opened informal talks about the purchase of water from El Dorado lake, according to two city sources and an El Dorado city official.

The city sources – speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid affecting the talks – confirmed that the talks have begun. However, the Wichita officials stopped short of calling the talks actual “negotiations,” saying the two cities are fairly far apart.

The main difference, according to the Wichita officials, is the type of water Wichita would buy – El Dorado wants to sell the city potable water – suitable for drinking – and the city wants to buy water to use in its equus beds groundwater recharge project.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: Top Stories)

Just a reminder… you can find municipal job listings under the “Resources” menu tab at the top of our website. And, local governments are welcome to submit their own for free by emailing the listing to info@citycode.com.

Kansas agencies and volunteers were preparing for what they anticipate will be a request for help from Oklahoma after a tornado swept through Moore, Okla., on Monday afternoon.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, one volunteer with the Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross was scheduled to leave Tuesday. The reason more aren’t being immediately sent is because Oklahoma officials are still assessing damages and need, officials said.

“We are just not getting any information in terms of specifics,” said Bev Morlan, regional executive director of the Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross. “ …We expect to get requests for volunteers to go, but it takes time.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: News Updates)

The Topeka Police Department would like to remind citizens that summer time brings an increase in the number of companies utilizing door-to-door solicitors to sell security systems.

With this increase comes an increase in inquiries, as well as complaints, about some of the methods used by some businesses.

(Read more: News)

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday are set to approve a new budget for the city’s Community Development Block Grant program — which funds everything from home rehabilitation to neighborhood newsletters — that is 5 percent less than a year ago, in part anticipating sequestration cuts.

“It has been a tougher process this year,” said Danelle Dresslar, community development manager for the city. “We still don’t have the final numbers yet on how much federal funding we’ll receive.”

City officials, however, are estimating funding for the program will drop to about $1.14 million, down from about $1.2 million a year ago.

(Read more: LJWorld.com stories)

In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry. In many other places, there no longer is enough water to supply farmers’ peak needs during Kansas’ scorching summers.

And when the groundwater runs out, it is gone for good. Refilling the aquifer would require hundreds, if not thousands, of years of rains.

This is in many ways a slow-motion crisis — decades in the making, imminent for some, years or decades away for others, hitting one farm but leaving an adjacent one untouched.

Read more in the New York Times.

Riley County Counselor, Clancy Holeman shared updates on House Bill 2052, better known as the concealed carry bill, during Monday’s county commission meeting. The bill has been discussed during previous meetings, but Holeman had updates to share.
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Commission Chair, Dave Lewis mentioned he is concerned with sporting complexes, as many fans can get heated with referees.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Kansas Division of Emergency Management urges Kansans to stay on alert for more storms after at least five Kansas counties received damage from tornadoes and strong winds over the weekend.

“We were fortunate that no one was hurt in the storms that hit the state over the weekend, but these storms along with the deadly tornados in Oklahoma Sunday, are a good reminder to all of us to be prepared and to heed the warnings of local officials,” said Angee Morgan, deputy director of KDEM.

(Read more: WIBW – HomePage – Headlines)

The City of Wichita is not planning to collect debris from this weekend’s storm. Collections have occurred in the past when there has been significant tornado, ice storm or other inclement weather events. Property owners are responsible for disposing of debris, none of which should be placed at the curb unless arrangements with a private hauler have been made.
A list of solid waste haulers is provided on www.wichita.gov. The four following Wichita locations are accepting storm debris for a fee.

(Read more: KAKE – HomePage – Headlines)

From hushed whispers to raucous laughter, officers chatted as they waited for their turn at the line.
Then it was pure business, the focus on two things: speed and accuracy.
Failure at either one meant harsh penalties for participants in the Kansas Peace Officers Spring Shoot at the Hays Police Department’s shooting range.
Thirty-six officers took to the pistol range last week, hoping to win either individual or team awards.

(Read more: The Hays Daily News)

Despite legislative efforts to reform the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) in 2011, the plan’s funding status remains seriously low.   A new paper from Kansas Policy Institute scholar Barry Poulson, Ph.D., makes clear that the reforms undertaken thus far were not enough to address the structural deficiencies in KPERS.  In fact, new Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards will make the current deficiencies much worse.
While a funding ratio (value of assets in the plan divided by a measure of the pension obligation) of 80 percent is generally considered a barometer of a pension system’s health, KPERS has a 59 percent funded ratio as of the most recent KPERS year-end report, and that will decrease to 46.1 percent under the new GASB standards. 

(Read more: Gardner News)

Reno County Buy, Sell, Trade on Facebook is like an online garage sale.

Browse through the items posted on the group’s Facebook page, and you’ll find furniture, lawn mowers, jewelry, clothes and cars for sale.

But over the past few months, some of the group’s members – of which there are now more than 13,400 – might have noticed some expensive guns for sale in between the postings of kids’ toys and household goods.
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Although it’s legal to sell guns online through websites like Craigslist and even social media networks, Reno County Sheriff’s officers say they’ve caught people selling stolen guns, big-screen TVs – even stolen paint – on Reno County Buy, Sell, Trade. Both the sheriff’s office and a local gun dealer note that there are risks involved when buying a gun from a stranger who isn’t licensed to sell weapons.
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Reno County Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Lutz acknowledged that sheriff’s officers monitor Reno County Buy, Sell, Trade and have recovered many stolen items. …
Lutz acknowledged that the sale of guns online is “perfectly legal” unless the seller is a federally licensed firearms dealer and is required to do a background check first.

(Read more: Hutch News)

The Kansas Supreme Court wants to know how well a variety of “specialty,” or “alternative,” courts across the state are performing and whether state standards should be adopted to guide their operation.

Specialty courts that deal primarily with drug and truancy issues have been created by counties or judicial districts operate under guidelines developed by those local jurisdictions.

Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, of the Kansas Supreme Court, has appointed a 13-member commission to study the specialty courts and determine whether it would be appropriate to standardize their operation.

(Read more: Hutch News)

Friday was Bill Keefer’s last day as Augusta’s City Manager.
A large crowd attended a farewell reception for Augusta City Manager Bill Keefer. After leading Augusta for 16 1/2 years, he is leaving for the City Manager position in Grove, Okla.

(Read more: augustagazette.com)

A $200,000 forgivable loan for a call center creating 900 jobs with an average annual salary of almost $24,000 heads the agenda of Tuesday’s Wichita City Council meeting.

The council will consider the grant for Starwood Hotels, a hotel and leisure company which owns brands such as Westin, Sheraton and Four Points. The company pledges to create 907 jobs over its first five years in the former Wichita Mall and Office This location at 4131 E. Harry.

Under the terms of the loan agreement, Starwood pledges to create 532 full time jobs in its first year at an average per-hour wage of $11.45 minus overtime. That translates to an average wage of $23,816 and a total payroll of $12,670,112, according to city documents.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: Top Stories)

Unlike some, these guys don’t mind working on a Saturday.

Buddy was even howling, so eager was he to get to it at Andover Central Park.

He joined fellow members of the Sedgwick County Emergency Management K9 Search Team for weekly training to keep skills sharp.

Buddy, a yellow Labrador retriever, is used for area searches. Full of energy, he can search large areas quickly, his handler, Rod Routon, said.

“He covers a lot of area,” Routon said. “He loves doing it.”

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: News)

Kansas state government could be barred from lobbying against gun control in Washington by a gag rule designed to prevent local governments from lobbying in favor of gun control at the Statehouse.

The state Senate on Friday gave its final approval to House Bill 2162, which would prohibit state-appropriated funds from being spent “on any activity designed to influence the enactment of legislation, an appropriation, a regulation, an administrative action, or an executive order proposed or pending before the federal government, Kansas Legislature or local government legislative body relating to gun control.”

Following the 31-6 vote to pass the bill, Sen. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park, confirmed that the provisions would apply not only to local governments and state agencies such as the Board of Regents lobbying in Topeka, but also to state agencies lobbying in Washington.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: News)

Officials from across the state gathered Thursday at the Harvey County Courthouse to discuss water issues — conversations dominated, unsurprisingly, by the state’s continuing drought.
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The Kansas Water Authority met for most of the afternoon Thursday at the courthouse. …
One of the issues discussed at the meeting was the Kansas Water Plan, used by the state to address current water resource issues and to plan for future needs. Goals for the plan’s five-year update include improving the state’s water quality; ensuring each citizen has a reliable water supply; reducing vulnerability to extreme events, such as flooding and drought; developing and maintaining state and local water infrastructure; and improving recreational opportunities available to citizens.

(Read more: thekansan.com)

San Juan Capistrano has its dainty, graceful swallows, and Kearney, Neb., its famed migration of majestic sandhill cranes.

In Marion, it’s the returning turkey vultures that are largely welcomed each spring.

“Aren’t they something?” Pam Bowers said as she watched three vultures slowly circling high above the city park this week. “Most of us appreciate the chance to watch them. They’re so graceful.”

(Read more: Wichita Eagle: News)

A Community Improvement District (CID) for the Hobby Lobby and Blockbuster properties along Johnson Drive was stopped by the Mission City Council this week in what could be a reversal of direction on sales tax help for developers.
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The CID petition filed by Block Properties would have resulted in an additional one-cent sales tax to fund renovations to Mission West shopping center (Hobby Lobby, Taco Bell, Avelluto’s and attached businesses), the Blockbuster building on Johnson Drive and the Runza restaurant. …
[Council member] Andre has often questioned the CID projects and how tax money is used to support private property improvements. … Andre said he does support CID funding, but prefers it is used for public infrastructure or projects that change the “status quo” and that the market demand cannot cover.

(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Andover has a decision to make.

Will it continue to be mostly a residential community for commuters to Wichita, or will it move toward being a self-contained city with more intensive commercial and office development?

The community will tackle that question this year as it begins to update its 10-year comprehensive plan, essentially a road map for its future.

The update comes as the city continues a steady evolution, marked largely by extensive development of residential communities and followed by new schools.

Some have compared Andover to Derby 15 or 20 years ago.

Read more in the Wichita Business Journal.