For many years, Jackson County road and bridge crews have maintained an estimated 50 miles of roads on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and county commissioners are now seeking reimbursement for that work. Since 2008, the county has spent an estimated $3,657,626.52 on labor, materials and equipment to maintain those roads, according to Scott Kieffaber, county public works director. Kieffaber recently presented county commissioners with a list of road work and repairs completed on those roads since 2008, along with their associated costs. While working with BIA officials to identify which bridges in the county were being maintained by the Tribe, Kieffaber received a map from the BIA showing which roads within the reservation boundaries were designated as BIA routes and which were county routes. After reviewing the map, Kieffaber determined that about 50 miles of BIA routes were being maintained by the county’s road and bridge department.
Read more: Holton Recorder

Johnson County officials are threatening legal action against a Prairie Village man, saying he reneged on a credit card payment used to secure a hand recount of a much-discussed ballot question to “abandon” city government last November. In a Jan. 8 letter obtained by the Post, Peggy Trent, the county’s chief counsel, told John Cantrell, the Prairie Village resident who requested the recount, that he must repay the county $4,828.46 for the cost of the recount by February 6. If he doesn’t pay by then, Trent warned the county “may pursue any or all legal remedies available.” In the letter, Trent said that after the recount was completed in November, Cantrell reversed his credit card authorization to pay for the recount “without any legal basis to do so.”
Read more: Johnson County Post

The City of Hays is in the running for the 2025 Community of the Year Award from Community Playmaker. The city is one of three finalists for the annual award from the publication marketed to city and county governments. The other finalists are Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Monessen, Pennsylvania. In Community Playmaker’s announcement, it cited Hays’ recent investments in a new multimillion-dollar high school, partnerships with Fort Hays State University and local businesses, the Accessible Recreation Complex, the Bob and Pat Schmidt Community Center, along with community events like the Wild West Festival and Oktoberfest as among the reasons the city was singled out for recognition.
Read more: KSN-TV

The City of Arkansas City has reorganized its Neighborhood Services Division to form a new Community Development Division, bringing all development-related services under one coordinated team. “This reorganization allows the City to better align planning, development and enforcement functions under one division,” said Shana Adkisson, city spokesperson. “By coordinating these services, we can improve efficiency, provide clearer guidance for residents and developers, and better support long-term growth and neighborhood revitalization.” The new division aligns planning and zoning, permitting, building inspections and code enforcement, supporting the City’s Comprehensive Plan and City Commission goals.
Read more: Cowley Post

One of the first things South Hutchinson City Administrator Jeff Schenk pursued when he took the position more than two years ago was rebranding the city’s image. “I want us to be a good neighbor, and it took a while for everyone to get on board with the rebranding,” Schenk said. “But now it’s starting to pay off.” The good neighbor mantra isn’t just new logos on the city’s website and other materials, it’s the overriding philosophy when it comes to not just how the city provides services to its residents but to its relationships with other Reno County governing bodies and how it works with existing businesses and to bring new businesses into the city, he said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune