[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6650640,"mediaKeyId","2503414-b50477d16870ecd53d8804cbcc1a101f","parentId",2503414,"title","Kansas Municipal Utilities outlines training, mutual aid and energy-storage pilot to House committee","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1519000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2503414-b50477d16870ecd53d8804cbcc1a101f&start=1519&end=1519","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2503414-b50477d16870ecd53d8804cbcc1a101f/thumbnail_1519000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650640/Kansas/Kansas-Municipal-Utilities-outlines-training-mutual-aid-and-energy-storage-pilot-to-House-committee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650640-1aff2a262fd9ba5d3811dc99fb2f12c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775412635&Signature=Hygh7bve3RjDkY5A8FFwIdqTXoXYcXYl4yII7esCWf5h9EbOdvqpsUJvx1Hc0~r51JEFh9Icd0dp0yXIQAMyCRbjFDCdrm5dB4gKYAl4Aai487kwQWs-1ji98CQToqJ8GnfWVuaiZYFgeiWBd6RYwxED5b1z~dPpkFgVgrMF2B~SUbx-FZCjituwqzJR4iQl~~KvIe0nSjoMMrJjkN0PeB~WhnKEx8VCDOgTtYx7UOjxp4x2dIb8~GTLeN1eoJb8GAZNcsak3qtLksgf0Wrm0aP-Eu~EXsfJ9ggf8edWqQiiiLxcxcMJ7w8H~BI4Lut~z80fmxSE7AbY3PFg1f0ZeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Committee on Local Government ","date","2025-03-05T16:42:04.98Z","article","Representatives of Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) briefed the House Committee on Local Government on the association’s services, including workforce development, a training center in McPherson, mutual aid capabilities and an energy-storage pilot that officials said has produced measurable savings for a participating community.

Greg Dumars, KMU’s vice president of operations and a longtime former city manager, told the committee KMU now serves about 214 member utilities across Kansas and neighboring states and operates a 35-acre training center in McPherson that opened in 2016. The center hosts classroom and hands-on instruction; KMU reported more than 170 events and about 5,500 visitors last year and said it offers programs such as a line-worker apprenticeship (about 66 enrollees), CDL/Class B training tailored to utility work and mobile-crane operator certification.

On funding, KMU staff said the association’s revenue model is a mix of membership dues, fee-for-service work and grants. Dumars described how dues are assessed: electric dues are based on a three-year rolling average of annual megawatt-hour sales, natural gas dues use a three-year rolling average of MCF, and water and wastewater dues are based on certified population figures.

KMU staff outlined mutual aid operations under the Kansas Mutual Aid Program, established in 2007 in response to the Greensburg tornado and a statewide ice storm that year. Mutual aid coordinates personnel and equipment across municipal utilities during large-scale events; KMU said most aid requests historically come from the electric sector.

On water and wastewater, KMU emphasized an ongoing shortage of certified operators and the organization’s role in training and certification prep. KMU’s director of water services, Katie Miller (referenced in testimony), has participated in workgroups on operator certification and provided testimony supporting water-certification legislation in the past. KMU staff said they are pursuing more flexible testing and training options, including online testing, to reduce travel burdens on operators in small systems.

The committee also heard technical details about an energy-storage pilot. KMU representatives described the Solomon Energy Storage project, a battery installation that has been used in Minneapolis to avoid running an expensive diesel generator during peak demand and to sell dispatchable energy back into the SPP market. KMU told the committee the project saves about $341,000 annually in avoided diesel costs and market revenue; Josh (KMU staff) said utility-scale battery projects are estimated to last roughly \"between 10 and 20 years,\" with newer systems likely to offer longer lifespans.

Committee members asked about specifics including the training center location (McPherson), funding and program delivery. Representative questions also covered certification reciprocity, KMU’s role in statewide regulatory discussions and how mutual-aid activations are prioritized during widespread outages. KMU told the committee it would continue to work with state agencies and local utilities and offered tours of its McPherson training center.

No committee action or vote was taken on KMU’s presentation; the item was presented for information and discussion.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Local Government 03/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives of Kansas Municipal Utilities detailed training programs, a McPherson training center, mutual aid operations, workforce development and an energy storage pilot at a House Committee on Local Government hearing, emphasizing water operator certification needs and local utility support services.","taxTitle","Committee on Local Government, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",19122,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":42,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6650644,"House Committee on Local Government validates Greeley County USD 200 bond election, clears way for $4.6 million projects",1344,1344000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2503414-b50477d16870ecd53d8804cbcc1a101f&start=0&end=1344","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2503414-b50477d16870ecd53d8804cbcc1a101f/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6650644/Kansas/House-Committee-on-Local-Government-validates-Greeley-County-USD-200-bond-election-clears-way-for-46-million-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650644-c0fb1684f26629448369092529e2bfed/orig.mp4?Expires=1775412635&Signature=iq8poWwlDnKBT1w2yRjZ9PD1bvXHY2QC2YGGeXVfAOUqJsmrxLHJZxC7c02SzkkyC9nwysu4W7ZXP24erFw6QCiymDGzWM49sUQpyF6N1lIX3P1szaP3P9Q0n2zNmOOCm1owsjdvp97eq3-cIp3elq1vrY0hOptrToqsk1UXXqiUJLtfB8sfeKJYgCOTZ6HET8zQYhnDLH6pzSKU6et60Y~nrZsiJwR~EjD9~pld3QlKBXX3FcBzO6qoaE1IPX9anuYz4dgks2skARxNDQtFpjAXXy49bwEuRIzY4WX05kWDj5PZk~48v-wJ9b5ik9oXQTtJE6YswNBtV8eGGgG-3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Committee on Local Government voted to pass Senate Bill 2 on an emergency motion, validating a May bond election held by Unified School District 200 in Greeley County and allowing the district to issue up to $4,600,000 in bonds for a new gymnasium, an accessible playground and ground-level locker-room improvements.

Supporters told the committee the district’s electorate approved the question last spring but the attorney general advised the election could not be certified because the Greeley County clerk did not publish the statutorily required election notice on a county website. Clay Barker, general counsel for the Kansas Secretary of State, said the 2023 change to the notice statute had caused differing interpretations and that the Senate amendment to Senate Bill 2 clarifies the requirement by saying a county must publish notice on its website only “if there is a website.”

The bill would validate the election and authorize USD 200 to issue bonds not to exceed $4.6 million for the purposes listed in the bill. Barker told the committee the legislature has precedent for validating local elections where technical irregularities left the result uncertified and cited the long-standing statutory principle that “the real will of the people may not be defeated by a technical irregularity.”

Local officials and community proponents said the lack of web posting did not mean residents were unaware of the election. Representative Jim Minnicks said Greeley County is a consolidated community on the Colorado border of roughly 1,500 people that relies on a single local newspaper for notices. Christy Hopkins, owner and editor of the Greeley County Republican, told the committee the paper ran multiple notices and that the May election drew about 36% turnout and passed with about 51% support.

John Neehooz, superintendent of USD 200, described the project details the bond would fund: a new gymnasium, an ADA-accessible playground that goes beyond minimal accessibility standards and locker-room renovations to create ground-level locker rooms (current locker rooms are down a flight of about 10 stairs). Neehooz also said the district’s enrollment is roughly 241 students and that district officials reported the notice omission to the attorney general after learning of it; no election contest was filed in court.

Senator Bill Clifford, who helped carry the bill in the Senate, told the committee delays had contributed to increased costs for the district and emphasized the project’s accessibility improvements. Shannon Kimball of the Kansas Association of School Boards said KASB supported the bill and the Senate committee’s amendment because the school board does not control county websites and should not be penalized for a county office’s failure to publish.

Committee members approved an emergency motion to suspend the rules and pass Senate Bill 2 out of committee and place it on the consent calendar; the committee approved the motion by voice vote. The bill previously passed the Senate 39–1 and contains an early effective date upon publication in the Kansas Register, allowing the district to begin bond issuance when the law becomes effective.

Votes at the committee hearing were taken by voice; the record shows the motion to take emergency final action and advance SB 2 was approved and the bill was added to the consent calendar.","The House Committee on Local Government passed Senate Bill 2 on an emergency motion to validate a May bond election in Greeley County, allowing USD 200 to issue up to $4.6 million in bonds for gymnasium and accessible playground and locker-room upgrades after the attorney general had questioned the election’s statutory notice.","actionData","errors"]

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Kansas Municipal Utilities outlines training, mutual aid and energy-storage pilot to House committee

House Committee on Local Government validates Greeley County USD 200 bond election, clears way for $4.6 million projects