Eyes, ears on 2026
As we enter 2026, the City of McPherson looks to build on the momentum of the community’s growth and progress. We’re excited to get started with our 2026 objectives and initiatives, aligning with our overall strategic vision, “A Growing Community Everyone Wants to Call Home.” We — as a municipal organization — are excited to serve that vision as we get started in the new year. In November, the City hosted a group of local leaders, sharing key elements for the year ahead. Objectives ranging from internal development and efficiencies to infrastructure upgrades were outlined in the 2026 plan. This will set the tone for our path ahead. But perhaps the most important part of all of it is maintaining a strong relationship with everyone in the community. That’s where we all can play a part, and put forth an effort to move us forward. One of the biggest things we need to do is stay informed. More importantly, we need to stay educated, and not rely solely on misrepresentation or misinterpretations of the facts. Unfortunately that task isn’t so simple. We’ve developed a very bad habit of blindly sharing and engaging with erroneous distortions. The real information always has been there, but it’s gotten lost in a cloud of endless scrolling. Let's challenge ourselves to share only trusted news sources. In a sense, we’ve become over-reliant on the myriad of social technology available to us. So our mission becomes clear in the future. While we are going to place an increased effort on information delivery, we should also see increased opportunities for us to engage as members of a community. We can and should be involved and informed on the decisions being made that will shape the present and future of McPherson. We should see more opportunities to do that going forward.
- Nick McQueen Community Information Coordinator
Your new home awaits
The City of McPherson has several programs and incentives for those wishing to make their dream of owning a home a reality in McPherson. One of those programs recently changed in terms of availability. The Homebuyer Cash Assistance Program is available to those who qualify, offering a one-time $5,000 cash payment at time of closing. Who’s eligibile?
- Those purchasing a single-family, owner-occupied home within McPherson City Limits.
- Those who don’t currently own a residence in McPherson and haven’t owned one in the past 30 months.
- The property is in a platted development with paid current taxes and assessments.
Funding is limited to $50,000 per calendar year, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Per Ordinance No. 3450, the program renews annually with the approval of the City of McPherson’s annual budget.
Give the City of McPherson a call to take advantage of the opportunity to either purchase your first home in McPherson or make the move to call McPherson your new home. To read more and to apply, click here.
Deerfield South Estates
In additions, homes in the Deerfield South Estates continue to be constructed, and are available with significant price reductions with down-payment assistance available to those who qualify. To read more about this project, click here.
Holidays wrapped
Another great holiday season came and went. The McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau provided a report on participation in this year’s Holiday Light Tours on the McPherson Trolley. The trolley carried more than 1,150 riders through various neighborhoods on both ticketed and private trolley rides. The tickets for next year's trolley rides go on sale Nov. 2, 2026. Be sure and follow the McPherson CVB on Facebook. With a mix of good weather and some cold sprinkled in, thousands made their way through Lakeside Park to view the annual Lights from the Heartland display. The Park Department tracks the number of vehicles during certain hours during the holidays and will provide a final number to the McPherson City Commission on Jan. 6. The Park Department introduced not only some new elements into the display this season, but also a pair of new holiday-spirited contests to add to the fun. McPherson EMS was crowned the winner of the annual Battle of the Badges in the light displays. Five first-responding agencies — along with the McPherson Police Department, McPherson County Sheriff’s Office, the McPherson Fire Department and McPherson County 911 — participated, each decorating a shelter in the park. Through December, park-goers voted for their favorite with EMS coming out on top. Also new in 2025 was the McPherson Great Light Fight, highlighting several residents who put their own displays into a public vote in the following four categories. Three addresses combined for the four awards.
- The Brightest Display — 726 E. Simpson Street (You’re radiating joy!)
- The WOW Factor — 806 S. Elm Street (You blew our minds — and our eyes!)
- The Griswold Effect - 817 N. Myers Street (You’re the Clark of McPherson’s holiday vacation!)
The City of McPherson would like to extend a special thank you to those who participated and voted. And also offer a huge thank you to those who volunteered to either hang lights in the park or assist with the takedown. This awesome amenity would not be available without incredible community support. Information on how to volunteer next year and become involved in the event is available through the park department office at 620-245-2565 or by emailing Recreation Specialist Shawna Smith at shawnas@mcpcity.com. Follow the McPherson Park Department on Facebook.
More winners crowned
In addition to the Holiday Light Tours, the McPherson CVB teams with WalMart Supercenter to offer free gingerbread houses to the community on a first-come, first-served basis.
Families take home the gingerbread houses and some choose to participate in the annual decorating competition. The top three then earn a $50 gift card.
Blue Santa Success
Each holiday season, the McPherson Police Department collects donations to make the Blue Santa Program happen. There are numerous donors, volunteers and other organizations — like staff and teachers at McPherson USD 418 — who combine to make it happen, making holiday gifts a possibility for so many.
Odds/Ends
Crews battle industrial blaze
The McPherson Fire Department responded to a commercial structure fire reported at Johns-Manville in the 1400 block of 17th Avenue on Dec. 24. The following information was provided by the McPherson FD. The MFD responded with three Engine companies and a command vehicle, and Galva Fire Department responded with an additional Engine company and a command vehicle. Upon arrival, fire crews found a commercial structure with smoke showing. All facility personnel had safely evacuated. Crews made an interior fire attack. Upon entering the fire area, crews found a fiberglass production oven overheated. In addition to excessive fire in the oven, the fire had extended into the exhaust stack for the oven. Crews were able to cool the oven and extinguish the fire in the exhaust stack. The oven was then shut down by facility personnel. The cause of the fire was accidental. No injuries were reported during the incident. Galva Fire Department, McPherson County Sheriff’s Department, and McPherson EMS, assisted at the scene. A total of six fire apparatus and 14 personnel were on scene.
Tree disposal
There is still time to drop off your used natural Christmas Tree if you haven’t had a chance to dispose of it properly. The City of McPherson Park Department has designated a portion of the parking lot at the McPherson Water Park at 511 N. Lakeside Drive as a dropoff location. Each week, the Park Department staff will chip trees and create mulch available for anyone to come and grab. Only natural trees are allowed and please remove all decor before dropping them off.
Kansas Day
The McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau will team up with the McPherson Museum and Maxwell Wildlife Refuge to celebrate Kansas Day on Jan. 29 at the McPherson Museum, 1111 E. Kansas Ave. From 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the groups are planning various activities and have various food offerings.
Celebrate Kansas Day and take a walk through McPherson’s history in one trip.
New Mayor will take the reins
With the Nov. 4 general election, unopposed candidate Jim Loving officially was voted in as the next mayor of the City of McPherson. After 16 years, current Mayor Tom Brown’s last meeting will take place Jan. 4, 2026, with Loving being sworn in Jan. 13, 2026, and taking over mayoral duties. Join the City of McPherson for a come-and-go reception celebrating Mayor Brown and welcoming Mayor-elect Loving from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at the McPherson Community Building.
Loving is a retired executive with 40 years in the energy industry. He moved to McPherson in 1993, beginning his career with and eventually becoming president of NCRA.
He spent a short time with the organization in Minneapolis, Minn., before ultimately returning to McPherson in retirement.
TCGC, Year 35
Turkey Creek Golf Course has started its prize drawing leading up to one lucky winner collecting a lifetime membership to the public course as part of its 35th anniversary celebration. Throughout 2025, patrons were able to purchase tickets for a chance at the membership and a host of other prizes. On Jan. 2, staff at TCGC drew 35 names. Each week, names will be eliminated from the running by drawing. However, all 35 will walk away with some sort of prize before the big winner is announced Feb. 1. TCGC staff is using the following schedule for those who purchased tickets and were one of the 35 names drawn.
- Drawing of 35 Tickets — January 2 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 5 Tickets — January 5 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 8 Tickets — January 9 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 12 Tickets — January 12 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 5 Tickets — January 16 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 1 Ticket — January 19 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 1 Ticket — January 23 @ 12:00 PM
- Eliminate 1 Ticket — January 26 @ 12:00 PM
- WINNER ANNOUNCED — February 1 @ 2:00 PM
Patriotic All Schools Day
The McPherson County All Schools Day committee announced in November the theme for the 2026 ASD celebration.
The theme for the 113th event will be “A Star Spangled Celebration.” The executive committee opened the annual button design contest, inviting all area residents to participate.
The selected design will be featured on the official All Schools Day button. For more information, visit the All Schools Day Facebook page.
Stay informed
The City of McPherson recently switched from CivicReady to Everbridge as its emergency alert notification system. In a continued effort to collaborate with local and area agencies, the City now will be a part of the South Central Kansas regional notification system. Residents in 14 counties — including McPherson — can receive critical emergency alerts and community news by signing up.
This system allows allows users to choose how and where they receive notifications, including home, mobile or business phones, email or text messages. You can sign up for alerts by clicking here.
Change in fees
At the beginning of each year, the City of McPherson Commission adopts a fee resolution for the next 12 months. These are the fees associated with various services offered by the City and are collected to offset various costs associated with providing the services.
Some of the highlighted changes for 2026 included creating a line for mobile food vendors at $100, reducing the cost of sewer recovery rates to $25 and altering costs associated with the rental of Lakeside Cabin. You can look at the entire fee resolution by clicking here.
Food truck rules
The City of McPherson Commission has adopted a new ordinance establishing regulations for mobile food vendors. The ordinance outlines definitions, licensing requirements and operating conditions. The ordinance took effect Jan. 1, 2026 and aims to balance the growing demand for mobile vendors with the need to ensure public safety and minimize disruptions to the community. More so, the ordinance is intended to make the application and inspection process easier and more attainable. One of the biggest notes comes in the inspection process. Those wishing to operate within he City limits must go through the annual inspection from the McPherson Fire Department, but can also submit a current copy of a report completed by another authority (i.e. a neighboring municipal fire inspection). For more information, click here.
Project updates
Northview sidewalk
Crews are back to work after the holiday season on the the Northview sidewalk project that runs from Main Street east to Veranda.
Many of the ADA ramps have been poured on the north side of the road while the ditch has been filled on the south side of the road after the installation of the new underground drainage.
This phase of the project is part of an alternative transportation grant awarded to the City of of McPherson from the Kansas Department of Transportation, while Disability Supports also chipped in to help fund sidewalk work being done on the south side of the road.
Small test
The City of McPherson Street Department sampled a product called Reclamite Preservative Seal on a short section of the recently rebuilt Myers Street.
Reclamite is designed to restore asphalt components, maintain flexibility and ductility, seal the surface from air and water, and stop raveling and stripping of aggregate. When applied at periodic intervals it extends the life of the asphalt and avoids more extensive and costly preservation methods such as chip seal, overlays and total rebuilds.
Credits:
Created with images by tuomaslehtinen - "Abstract and modern gray background with brighter bent lines.,Copy space.,4k resolution." • HNKz - "Abstract grey background poster with dynamic waves.,technology network illustration." • Andy Dean - "Hands Framing Custom Kitchen Design Drawing and Square Photo Com" • tuomaslehtinen - "Abstract and modern gray background with brighter bent lines.,Copy space.,4k resolution." • tuomaslehtinen - "Abstract and modern gray background with brighter bent lines.,Copy space.,4k resolution." • tuomaslehtinen - "Abstract and modern gray background with brighter bent lines.,Copy space.,4k resolution." • juni studio - "A line of themed food trucks at a vibrant city festival, selective focus on the closest truck" • tuomaslehtinen - "Abstract and modern gray background with brighter bent lines.,Copy space.,4k resolution."