Author: Brandon Peoples

County officials approved a request from Luckey Holdings, LLC to rezone the area from A1 — Agricultural to R2 — Intermediate-density residential. The move paves the way for a future residential subdivision at the southeast corner of Junietta Road and Moody Road. “(An) R2 district allows all uses that are permitted in R1 and a slightly higher density of use, including up to a fourplex or quadplex structure,” County Planner Bridget Snow said. Commissioners shared concerns Monday about potential issues with drainage and road access. Currently, Junietta Road does not extend east of the school property and Moody Road does…

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday passed a resolution signaling its intention to collect more tax revenue in 2026. The measure, which passed 4-1, allows the city government to exceed what’s called the “revenue-neutral rate” (RNR) by up to 2 mills. That step is required by the state when a city wants to bring in more revenue than it did the previous budget year. A mill is $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in assessed, taxable property value. The city’s RNR is 53.109, so commissioners will not be able to raise the mill levy above 55.109. Commissioner John Matta was…

Manhattan residents can stroll around with an alchoholic beverage within a boundary downtown starting on Third Thursday. As previously reported, the Manhattan City Commission on June 17 voted 3-2 to establish the year-round common consumption area, referred to by downtown officials as the “outdoor refreshment area.” The CCA will be an established boundary that will allow visitors to purchase alcoholic beverages from participating businesses and freely roam about from business to business. “So 365 days of the year in this designated zone, on Poyntz from Third Street to Fifth Street and on north and south Fourth to the alleys and…

A new hotel project in Manhattan’s Aggieville district will begin construction on Monday. In a Friday news release, BHS Construction announced it plans to start the Hampton Inn project at 12th and Laramie Street. City officials in January approved $20 million in bonds for the hotel along with an amended development agreement with Midtown Land Company, LLC. The hotel will feature 105 rooms along with a 100-stall parking garage. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

The Manhattan City Commission will consider several items when it meets Tuesday for its first legislative meeting in nearly a month. In a state-required step, city officials will consider a resolution to exceed the calculated revenue-neutral rate of 51.156 mills for the 2026 budget. That figure is the minimum required to generate the same amount of property tax revenue the city received in 2025, based on assessed valuations. The resolution sets a maximum mill levy rate of 56.109, 3 mills higher than the 2025 mill levy. As previously reported by The Mercury and KMAN, city staff proposed levying $2.5 million…

The focus centered around employee wages, departmental funding and tax rates. County staff have proposed a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for all county employees. After discussion Monday, county commissioners reached consensus to exclude themselves from the COLA and address their compensation separately. “If the commission feels that there’s a need to increase the salary, I would do it as a vote and come up with a number,” said Commissioner Merl Page. “I don’t want it built in, something that’s hidden in 50 some pages.” Key changes in the budget include adjustments to departmental funding, such as moving a personal property clerk…

A Manhattan woman sustained a minor injury in a Monday crash on I-70 in Wabaunsee County. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 35-year-old Stephanie Stallings was traveling in the eastbound lanes of I-70 near mile marker 336, shortly before 11 a.m. when her Toyota Camry was struck by an unknown vehicle that swerved into her lane. The incident caused Stallings to lose control of her vehicle and it came to rest against a tree line. Stallings was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka with a minor injury. A passenger, 36-year-old Deandra Brown, also of Manhattan was not injured. The…

Authorities say no injuries were reported following an apartment fire in Junction City Wednesday afternoon. The Junction City Fire Department says crews responded to a fire on the outside of an apartment building at 1541 Ash Street that also spread to the second and third story apartments and into the attic. Five families were displaced as a result of the fire. They’re being assisted by the American Red Cross. A cause had not been determined by Wednesday evening. The fire remains under investigation.

An expansion project for the Islamic Center of Manhattan is one step closer to being put into place. The Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board approved a request Monday to replat two lots as a one-lot subdivision. The Islamic Center plans to construct a new community center on the property. According to the proposal, the plat will limit access to two existing driveways on Hylton Heights Road and eliminate the existing driveway on Claflin Road. The plat will dedicate “no access” across the site’s frontage on Claflin Road and add an additional 10 feet of right-of-way along Claflin. To view the…

Individuals and families who utilize Manhattan’s public recreation centers are now required to pay for admission. New membership fees went into effect Tuesday and are available on a monthly or annual basis. Aaron Stewart, director of Manhattan Parks and Recreation, said the move is necessary to offset some of the department’s rising expenses. “The rec centers were recovering right about 25% with all of the rentals, and that’s still very much a piece of the cost recovery for those facilities,” he said. “We were just trying to capture about another 10% to get it to about 35%. That’s where these…