Author: Brandon Peoples

Eight of the nine candidates seeking a seat on the Manhattan city commission participated in the first candidate forum of the election season on Saturday, hosted by the United Kansas Party at Manhattan Public Library. Among the key topics discussed was workforce housing and differing approaches to solving the city’s affordable housing challenges. Incumbent Peter Oppelt suggested ongoing reviews of zoning regulations, including parking minimums for new structures. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

City officials will review proposals and suggest potential strategies for trash service consolidation in Aggieville and continue budget discussions at Tuesday’s work session. In 2024, city staff first proposed five site locations for compactors to be installed to serve the district. The estimated cost to construct those compactors is between $1.4 million and $1.6 million. City administrators are looking at potentially issuing a request for qualifications to select a waste management contractor to plan, design and implement a solid waste program specifically for Aggieville. That company would assist the city in putting together site specifications, outlining the procurement of five…

The city of Manhattan will implement new utility billing software to modernize customer service and streamline operations. City commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract with Spry Point Services Inc., which includes a one-time implementation fee of $509,600 and an annual software cost of $104,600. The city will also spend $60,000 for a Spry Point employee to come to Manhattan to migrate data to the new software. Costs will be paid out of the city’s water, wastewater and stormwater funds. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday approved reconfiguring three lots for an addition to the Acacia fraternity at 2005 Hunting Ave. Commissioners voted 3-0-1 to advance a replat, which approved easements and rights-of-way for the residential lots north of Lee Elementary. Commissioner Susan Adamchak recused herself from the vote since her family has previously owned property in the neighborhood. Commissioner John Matta was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. Neighbors urged commissioners to reject the plat. They said they fear the move will pave the way for demolition of two homes in favor of new parking lots for the Acacia facility. To…

The Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board on Monday unanimously approved a final plat for the Acacia fraternity complex at 2005 Hunting Ave. The board voted 6-0 to advance the issue to the Manhattan City Commission, which will vote on the matter as part of the consent agenda at Tuesday’s meeting. The final plat would consolidate portions of that property with two lots to the west, to accommodate a future addition to the fraternity. The back portions of 2015 and 2023 Hunting Ave. will be split off and combined with the fraternity lot. The properties are located north of Lee Elementary…

The fate of a proposed quarry expansion near Wheaton won’t be known until at least next week. Pottawatomie County commissioners voted 4-1 Monday to table action on a conditional use permit sought by Hamm Companies to expand current operations in Sherman Township. Commissioner Merl Page opposed. The decision came after staff requested additional time to review and update the proposed resolution and conditions. Citizens, including Kaylene Plummer, of Westmoreland, expressed concerns about the impact of heavy truck traffic on local roads. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more Pottawatomie County news.

The Manhattan Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday advanced, on a 2-1 vote, a request from the Manhattan Mennonite Church to reduce the number of off-street parking spaces for a planned new church building at 821 Poyntz Avenue. City code requires places of assembly, such as churches, to have one parking space per five people based on the occupancy of the space. Since the church would have a maximum occupancy of 220, city code would require 44 spaces. The church sought an exception to reduce the number of spaces to 20, since the size and layout of the lot makes…

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday will consider a new vendor for its utility billing software as well as an incentive package for the Unger housing redevelopment project. City officials are planning to enter a master subscription agreement with SpryPoint Services, Inc. after current vendor Central Square withdrew support from their customer portal in 2021. The city currently utilizes Paymentus to accept online payments but their software doesn’t provide detailed billing information for customers. According to agenda documents, the city began searching for a new vendor last October and settled on SpryPoint based on its customer portal, interval data management…

Officials with Riley County EMS are adjusting to their newly opened headquarters facility at 1115 Charles Little Road. The new 15,000 square foot facility officially opened in June. Among the significant upgrades has been the department’s ability to modernize supply chain and medication management. “We used to do that with systems and processes that were based in paper, and to kind of take a giant leap into the 21st Century, we have a lot of technology and systems and processes that support that technology in the new station,” Assistant Director Josh Gering said. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.…

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday directed city staff to cap the mill levy increase for the 2026 budget at 1.75 mills, trimming back the previously proposed cap of 2 mills at last month’s budget work session. That would take the mill levy to 54.859 and could mean as much as an 8.5% average increase in property taxes for Manhattan residents, based on a 5% average increase in existing, single-family home valuations. For example, a homeowner who paid $610.75 in property taxes on a $100,000 home in 2025 would pay $662.42 on a home worth $105,000 in 2026, or  8.45%.…