McPherson – Week of April 22 2025

McPherson Adopts Lead Service Line Identification Ordinance

McPherson Celebrates New Fire Station Opening While Police Substation Upgrades Progress

Avenue A Railroad Work to Close Crossing Temporarily, Elm Street Drainage Makes Progress

McPherson County Updates Fireworks Policy Following State Law Change

McPherson County Streamlines Payments with New Mobile Platform

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1. McPherson Adopts Lead Service Line Identification Ordinance

McPHERSON, KS — The McPherson City Commission unanimously approved Ordinance 3442 on Tuesday, establishing new requirements for identifying lead service lines in the city's water distribution system. The ordinance, which adds Section 586 to Chapter 18, Article 9 of the city code, will require property owners to conduct lead service line inventories when applying for plumbing permits for systems existing as of July 1, 2025.

Under the new ordinance, property owners or qualified contractors must inspect service lines from the water meter through to the building's interior plumbing and submit written reports of their findings to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). During the meeting, BPU representative Josh Bedel clarified that while homeowners remain responsible for service lines from the meter to their homes, the ordinance's primary purpose is identification rather than mandating replacement. The city has already conducted training for staff and local plumbers and created QR code resources to streamline the inventory process, as part of its effort to comply with federal requirements for maintaining comprehensive records of lead service lines in municipal water systems.
Source: City of McPherson

2. McPherson Celebrates New Fire Station Opening While Police Substation Upgrades Progress

McPHERSON, KS — The City of McPherson celebrated the official opening of its new Fire Station Two last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the project has delivered a bonus for taxpayers. During Tuesday's city commission meeting, Fire Chief Chad Mayberry reported that Finance Director Richard Miller's reconciliation of construction figures revealed the project finished under budget, with total savings of $32k. The commission approved several change orders reducing contract amounts with various vendors, including Mattress Haven, DreamSeat, and First Wireless.

In related infrastructure news, Chief Mikel T. Golden provided an update on the ongoing improvements at the police substation during the same meeting. The chief reported that a tree was removed from the property the previous day, safety cones have been placed around the remaining stump until grinding can be completed, and a new roof has been installed on the facility. Most significantly, electrical work is scheduled to begin this week.
Source: City of McPherson

3. Avenue A Railroad Work to Close Crossing Temporarily, Elm Street Drainage Makes Progress

McPHERSON, KS— The railroad crossing on Avenue A between Park Street and Maxwell Street is scheduled for a temporary closure from April 29th to May 3rd, as Union Pacific Railroad prepares to replace the frequently troublesome crossing. According to reports from the city commission, this long-awaited project is moving forward, with work currently in progress on the tracks. Materials for the replacement are already being delivered to the site, as noted during the April 15th meeting. Traffic control during the closure will be managed by railroad contractors. Meanwhile, the Elm Street drainage project continues to advance, with all storm sewer installation complete. Officials expressed confidence during Tuesday's meeting that the Maple-Euclid intersection, which is currently undergoing subgrade preparation, will be reopened in time for the May Day festivities, weather permitting. The city's Street Department was also commended for their progress on the Sycamore Street reconstruction, which will be completed in two phases with the first segment set to begin Wednesday.
Source: City of McPherson

4. McPherson County Updates Fireworks Policy Following State Law Change

MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — The McPherson County Board of Commissioners voted Monday to update the county's fireworks policy in response to recent changes in Kansas state law. During their April 21 meeting, commissioners approved modifications to align with Senate Bill 199, which extends the seasonal sales period for fireworks stands from June 20 through July 7, replacing the previous window of June 27 to July 5. The board also approved a change to public notification requirements, waiving the annual notice requirement for operators who maintain the same location and ownership in consecutive years. "All of the operators that I spoke with and all of the ones from last year had to do a public notification where they had to go out a thousand feet, notified the public they were doing it, they were getting the responses back, nobody got any responses back," explained Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Kinsey. The policy update comes after the county recorded 13 fireworks stand applications outside city limits last year.
Source: McPherson County

5. McPherson County Streamlines Payments with New Mobile Platform

MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — McPherson County commissioners unanimously approved a contract with PayIt payment platform during their Monday meeting, aiming to modernize how residents pay for county services. The new system will provide standardized online and in-person credit card payment options across most county departments, addressing concerns from constituents who previously had to use cash after being unable to pay with cards. IT Coordinator Jeff Butler, who presented the proposal, emphasized the platform's security features including AWS government web servers. The implementation requires a one-time $7,000 startup fee, while participating departments will cover their own point-of-sale equipment costs totaling approximately $7,000 for 14 terminals. Residents using the service will pay transaction fees of $2 plus 2.5% for credit/debit transactions or $1.25 for bank transfers, with PayIt handling any potential fraud issues. "We did take time to research this pretty thoroughly," Butler noted, mentioning that three other Kansas counties currently use the platform. While Planning and Zoning will continue using their existing system due to high integration costs, other departments, including the Sheriff's Office, will begin implementing the new platform immediately.
Source: McPherson County

No sports update today but exciting news coming soon!

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Sources

1. City of McPherson: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfMcPhersonLocalGovernment/videos/1570367843633555
2. City of McPherson: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfMcPhersonLocalGovernment/videos/1570367843633555
3. City of McPherson: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfMcPhersonLocalGovernment/videos/1570367843633555
4. McPherson County: https://www.mcphersoncountyks.us/949/BOCC-Recent-Agendas-Minutes-and-Video
5. McPherson County: https://www.mcphersoncountyks.us/949/BOCC-Recent-Agendas-Minutes-and-Video