Putting people first
When people ask me what makes McPherson special, my answer isn’t our robust industry, our two colleges, or our state basketball championships. My answer is simply “the people.” In my almost 7 years in McPherson, I have fallen in love with many things in town. Yet, what I love most are the good-hearted, industrious, caring people I have met.
As the City heads into year two of a five-year strategic plan, one of our continued priorities is to “Grow Relationships.” This means working better together as an organization, as well as working better together as a community. We envision a growing community everyone wants to call home. To get there, we believe that we need to communicate regularly and align our visions into a unified direction. In 2026, the City plans to be more intentional about coordinating with other community organizations and entities — with our schools, our colleges, our non-profits, our businesses, etc. We also plan to revitalize our town hall meetings to gather more community input and direction from our citizens. At the end of the day, it’s the people who make this town great. It’s the people who manufacture goods and build homes and teach our children, it’s the people who move business forward, it’s the people who have the ideas that make our city better, it’s the people who stand up for what’s right, and it’s the people who make us feel like we belong somewhere – that we matter. My prayer for 2026 is that the City continues to put people first as we strive to live up to our title of public servants.
Thank you Mayor Brown
Approximately 300 people were on hand Jan. 6 as the City of McPherson honored outgoing Mayor Thomas Brown and welcomed new mayor James Loving. The City — with help from the McPherson Industrial Development Company (MIDC) — hosted a come-and-go reception at the McPherson Community Building to celebrate. Several regional and state representatives spoke about Mayor Brown and his 16-plus years of service to the City of McPherson in the mayoral role. Mayor Brown called to order his final City Commission meeting on Jan. 13, handing the reins to Loving. Brown was saluted by members of the McPherson Fire and Police Department and rang the fire department bell, a signal of the end of service. The City of McPherson extends another heart-felt thank you to Mayor Brown for his unwavering service to the citizens of this community. Well done sir.
Watch as Thomas Brown leaves his final meeting as Mayor of McPherson, video courtesy of the McPherson Police Department.
Mayor Jim Loving
Jim Loving brings four decades of leadership experience, including 20 years as President of NCRA. His career reflects a steady commitment to responsible management, safety, and collaboration. Jim has been an active community leader, serving on the boards of McPherson College, the McPherson Hospital, the YMCA, and the Community Foundation. His civic service highlights his dedication to strengthening McPherson, the place he calls home. Below is a Q&A with Mayor Loving conducted after just his second full City Commission Meeting as Mayor of McPherson.
Q: As you get things started, what’s the most exciting opportunity for McPherson to grow and thrive? A: Right now, this spring, the MIDC is going to take a look with a facilitator at where McPherson wants to be in the future. They’ll talk to all the organizations — the City, Main Street, the Chamber, BPU, the colleges — everyone in town. We’ll see how everyone is thinking the dream City is going to look. Then from there, we can make a generalized plan on how to get there. This plan of getting everyone together is what I’m really excited about. What I see now — being away for a while and coming back — is a lot of the different organizations are all doing good things, but they’re working independently, or in silos. This concept of getting everyone aligned to the future can provide some great opportunities for McPherson.
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Q: If you were on a panel introducing McPherson to a stranger and they asked you “What makes McPherson, KS unique?” What would be your answer? A: McPherson is a safe, prosperous City. We have a large industrial base for our size. That gives us some opportunities some towns our size can’t accomplish.
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Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing our community, and how should the City prioritize its resources to address them? A: Our biggest challenge I’ve listened a lot about is workforce housing — affordable housing. I don’t think this problem is unique to McPherson. It’s everywhere. Inflation on houses — the prices of homes — has gone up faster than wages. It puts first-time homebuyers at a disadvantage. The price of entry to buy a home keeps going up. Referring back, we need to work together to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make first-time homes affordable.
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Q: How will you engage with residents and gather feedback to inform your decisions? A: I’m on many community boards, so I get to listen to the people running the different organizations. That’s a tremendous information base. I didn’t have much of a campaign running unopposed but I listened a lot. And I will continue to listen. And I ask questions. What I have to do is make sure I’m getting a fully-diverse City-wide opinion, and actively seek those out.
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Q: Mayor Brown served in this role for a long time. In what ways do you see yourself building on that legacy, and where do you see yourself bringing a different approach? A: Mayor Brown left the City in a good place both financially and with the assets and programs we have. Everything is good. I’d like to just continue that and one thing I pride myself in is I like efficiency. I’d like us to be more efficient as an organization. Continue on the same path and do it more efficiently.
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Q: How will you go about building trust with residents who might be skeptical about municipal government? A: I hope to meet people face to face. There are so many ways to communicate in the technological world, but I think if we meet face to face, listen to concerns and provide transparency in everything we do so we’re working all from the single source of truth. Misinformation gets used. The more we can meet face to face and be transparent about our moves and why we make moves, I hope that will build up that trust.
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Q: What role do you see for community partnerships and collaborations in achieving City goals? A: Partnerships are critical. That’s one of the secrets to McPherson’s success. I just talked today about the MRC, a joint venture between the school system, the City and the YMCA. We’ve accomplished things in the recreation area that others can’t accomplish because we’ve shared resources. There are many examples of collaboration where we work together — City and County, City and hospital — there are just a lot of different things that are just critical to our success.
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Q: What role do you see City staff playing in helping carry out your vision, and what do you value most in the relationships between elected officials and staff? A: City staff will carry it out. They’ll do the work. The Commission needs to set the vision for the City. The City has a piece in all this but will not and can not solve all the problems, but we have a place. The commission then gets out of the way and lets the employees work to get us to where we want to be.
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Q: How will you go about balancing competing interests and priorities among different community stakeholders? A: We have to work together — common theme. We have to talk, assess what is best and safest and then be transparent about why we’re coming to that conclusion.
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Q: Given the current economic climate, what is your approach to managing the City’s budget and finances? A: I listen to the news and one channel says the economy’s doing great and the other channel says we’re doing not so great. Everyone’s costs are going up. There's no question. City expenses are going up. Taxpayers’ payments are going up. What we have to do is get as much done for as little as we can. We have to do it right, but we have to be efficient in how we operate.
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Q: Looking ahead to the next 4 years what’s one thing you’d like to see accomplished in McPherson that would make you feel like you’ve made a meaningful impact on the community? A: McPherson’s economy has always been good. Employment rates and everything has been good because of our industrial base. When I leave this role, I would hope we have a thriving economy because that’s good for everyone. A rising tide lifts all boats. A good economy is good for everyone. A big piece of that is workforce housing. If we have better workforce housing and better workforce training, we’ll have better workers, workers trained for the future with wages up, and the City will be in a good place.
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Q: What is a local hidden gem in McPherson the people might not know about or know enough about that you think they should? A: In the past, we’ve talked a lot about the Globe Refiners and that’s an interesting gem. That’s all been done. But I think the thing everyone needs to understand is the BPU. The public utilities. The foresight people had decades ago to have a city-owned utility and set up the deal we have is just incredible. Those low electric rates brings the industry and the jobs and makes McPherson very unique among Kansas towns.
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Q: Is there an item on your desk that serves as a reminder of what’s important? A: I don’t carry it with me, but it’s been with me for over 45 years. It’s a phrase cut out of a newspaper. It reads “a smooth trail may get you there faster, but a rough trail teaches you more.” Whenever things are tough, I think about that. I’m learning. I didn’t do it the easy way, but we’re learning and we’re moving ahead.
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Q: A fantastic meal is someone else’s treat. Health, calories and cost are not an issue — what’s on your dinner plate. A: There would be a salad, two veggies (green beans and corn), baked potato, and then I’m going to say a steak. But if my wife, Dawn, is reading, I meant to say a slice of salmon.
Successful completion
On Jan. 6, 2026, Megan Unruh with the South Central Kansas Economic Development District (SCKEDD) joined the McPherson City Commission for a public hearing to close out the 2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). During this round, the City’s collaborative effort with participating residents successfully rehabilitated 12 homes and rebuilt a block of Walnut Street in the southwest McPherson target area. The grant was a $500,000 award through the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC) with $200,000 going toward the street reconstruction and $300,000 toward various home modifications or repairs. The grant is specifically designed to provide housing rehabilitation for low-to moderate-income individuals. McPherson has successfully completed four CDBG projects, with the next application deadline looming. For the 2022 grant, the City met the goal of rehabilitating 12 homes with a local contribution of $18,387 from homeowners or landlords and a City contribution of a little more than $19,000. Six homes were owner-occupied and six were rentals. The total project impacted 29 low- to moderate-income housing residents in the target area. That number impacted includes the street reconstruction. The City and SCKEDD received the final monitoring letter in January, confirming a good standing with the KDOC for future grant applications. To read more about the CDBG, visit here.
Odds/Ends
Lots of rubble
In late December into January, the City of McPherson contracted with Air Capitol Recycling to crush concrete for the City's stock on land in the south side of McPherson. Whenever necessary, the City crushes old concrete to create product for future projects. This method saves the City money on materials for various projects where crushed concrete is utilized. With this round, the expectation was about 8,000 tons of crushed concrete. The City, though, ended up with 11,612 tons at a cost of $127,734.20.
First snow
The City of McPherson was hit with its first big snowfall of the year. Some areas reported 6-7 inches of fluffy, dry snow. The City of McPherson Street Department and Public Lands & Facilities Departments spent the Jan. 24-25 weekend clearing snow. The street department worked through the night on Friday and Saturday to keep priority paths cleared and followed with cleanup in residential areas. You can view the City of McPherson's snow and ice removal policy for reference in future snows. Click here.
Sidewalk maintenance
The City of McPherson's Sidewalk Maintenance Program has been a successful way to eliminate trip hazards and improve sidewalks for the general public, without the individual property owners having to bear the entire expense.
On Jan. 26, the City Commission approved and earmarked $15,000 to be put toward the program in 2026. The program is available for property owners to apply to help with the costs of replacing sidewalks throughout the community.
The program helps offset some of the expense by reimbursing property owners for the cost of materials for qualifying sidewalk repairs. Funding for this program is determined annually and is awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Planning for some spring or summer improvements? Read more or find out if you qualify, click here.
Making connections
Local biking/hiking enthusiast Kurt Wagner and a team of volunteers constructed a new bridge on one of the riding routes in McPherson. The new bridge connects an area in the FoxFire addition of the single track trails at Deerfield and Avenue A. Local groups work often with teams in the Public Lands & Facilities Department to improve facilities.
Outdoors survey
Kansas State University wants to hear from residents and how communities across the state value their outdoor amenities and opportunities. Participating in this 10-15 minute survey can help shape the future of outdoor recreation in Kansas. From the survey: “The purpose of the 2027-2037 Kansas Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) is to take a comprehensive, forward-thinking approach to improving outdoor recreation across the state. This plan will provide clear findings to help public agencies, non-profit partners, and other stakeholders make informed decisions about recreation infrastructure, funding priorities, and community engagement.” Click here to participate.
Watch out for thin ice
The City of McPherson continues to remind residents of the dangers of venturing out onto ice on various waterways through the City and region. Temperatures fluctuate this time of year and falling through thin ice can have fatal consequences. The City continues to remind parents to have talks with their children about the dangers.
Fire call
Release from MFD: The McPherson Fire Department was dispatched at 5:23 a.m. to the report of a structure fire in the 1100 Block of East Kansas Avenue. McPherson County Emergency Communications had received multiple calls for smoke in the area. Responding officers with the McPherson Police Department identified smoke coming from the roof eaves of the two-story structure at 1107 E. Kansas Avenue.
McPherson Fire Crews responded initially with 2 Engine crews and 3 Command vehicles. Upon arrival, crews made entry and found a fire on the second floor of the structure that had burned through a portion of the floor and the ceiling as well and had extended into the attic. Additional crews were requested from Galva and Inman Fire Departments as well as two additional apparatus and personnel from McPherson Fire. Crews determined that the building had been vacant at the time of the fire. The building is owned by the McPherson Museum and the interior is set up for a haunted house that operates in October of each year. The set up for the haunted house hampered efforts to access the fire. A portion of Kansas Avenue was closed during the firefighting efforts. Damage was contained to the interior of the structure. The fire was determined to be under control shortly after 7 a.m. and mutual aid crews were released from the scene. Kansas Gas Service, the McPherson Board of Public Utilities, and McPherson EMS were on scene during the incident as well. Five fire apparatus and 3 command vehicles with a total of 24 fire personnel responded to the scene.
The MFD has long awaited the arrival of two new brush trucks in its fleet. This equipment will help the department respond to rougher terrain to help better serve the surrounding area. The department will host a “push-in celebration,” at McPherson Fire Station 2, 1705 N. Main Street, on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. Click here for the event page. Station 2 will also be available for community tours during that time.
Stay alert
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.
Deerfield South
Homes in the Deerfield South Estates in Southeast McPherson continue to go up. These homes are available with significant price reductions with down-payment assistance available to those who qualify. Now is the perfect time for those thinking about purchasing a home in McPherson. To read more about this project, click here.
first response Call numbers
McPherson Fire Department
City of McPherson Fire Department Chief Chad Mayberry on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, provided the department’s annual report for 2025. Speaking to the McPherson City Commission, Mayberry explained call numbers by type and locations throughout McPherson County and all of the department’s Mutual Aid services. (Photo of Station 2 courtesy of Hutton). Numbers slightly rose in 2025, partly due to mid-year shifts in response. Beginning July 1 in 2025, the department began responding to all medical calls rather than simply providing assistance. That change saw an increase of nearly 120 calls for service for the year. Of the 1,767 calls, 1,563 were within the City of McPherson limits. Mayberry also highlighted some of the department’s accomplishments, namely increasing its staffing to seven per shift that accompanied the official opening of Station 2 on North Main Street. View the Chief's report presentation in PDF format here.
McPherson Police Department
On Jan. 6, McPherson Police Chief Mikel Golden updated the Commission on call numbers for the PD and the McPherson Animal Shelter. Number of calls for service was slightly lower in 2025 with 13,534 total calls. Those numbers have been on a downward trend since 2021. The PD worked a total of 1,875 cases in 2025 — nearly identical to 2024. Among 3,029 traffic stop, the department issued 1,398 tickets. In addition, the department made 408 arrests from warrants and various calls. The department began tracking calls related to mental health in 2020. In 2025, the MPD responded 42 times to calls related to mental health. Of those, Golden noted, 41 checked themselves into the hospital to receive support and one had to be taken into protective custody in 2025. Speaking about the Animal Shelter, Golden noted the shelter adopted out 220 dogs and had a live release rate of 97 percent in 2025. The McPherson location also is the only pet crematorium in the area and the facility performed 633 relations in 2025 — 386 private and 247 non-private. The shelter has plans to upgrade equipment in that portion of the facility in 2027. Full PDF report for the PD can be found here.
McPherson EMS
McPherson Emergency Medical Services Director Will Moore on Jan. 27 provided the Commission with an update on medical calls throughout the City and county. Calls were slightly down for the EMS in 2025, but the department responded to 2,503 calls with the busiest day of the week being Friday and the busiest time of day being the 2 p.m. hour. Moore indicated too the EMS had a number of calls cancelled en route. With the fire department responding to more medical calls, often the FD is the first on scene and has the capability to call off the need for ambulance services. The McPherson EMS is not a City department, but is partially funded in operations by the City’s budget. You can see the full report of the numbers here.
Project updates
In design
City of McPherson Public Works Director Eric Duerksen provided the McPherson City Commission in mid-January with updates on the design phase of a few potential upcoming projects. First on the list was updates to Hickory Street in McPherson as project plans are being reviewed and utilities are being coordinated. The department is aiming for a potential start in April of 2026 with a public meeting in the planning stages for all the affected residents. Secondly, there is preliminary design in place for sewer improvements in the 400-500 blocks of Tulip Street. In addition, surveying has been scheduled for an upcoming Kansas Department of Transportation project on West Kansas Avenue (U.S. Highway 56). Part of the City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP), work on this project isn’t likely to occur until 2027 and occur in two phases from Maple Street to the U.S. Highway 81 Bypass. The final update came on the Avenue A Trail, Phase 3, which continues progress on the 10-foot sidewalk in the area of Centennial Drive and Avenue A.
Northview sidewalk
Work is on a bit of a standstill on the Northview 10-foot sidewalk project due to weather. Forms were placed on the south side for a new 5-foot sidewalk and crews began placing ADA ramps on the 10-foot sidewalk on the north side of the road before the cold weather set in. This phase of the 10-foot sidewalk runs from Main Street east to Veranda, while the 5-foot sidewalk on the south side of the road will run from Main Street east to Grimes. The project is the result of a Transportation Alternatives Grant through the Kansas Department of Transportation. Read more here: https://www.ksdot.gov/.../mul.../transportation-alternatives
Happy Birthday Kansas
The McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau teamed up with the McPherson Museum and the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge to put on a Kansas Day event at the museum on Jan. 29, celebrating Kansas' 165th birthday. Friends of the Maxwell Refuge were on hand to sell bison burgers, while the CVB and museum provided some Kansas-themed activities. The CVB also provided cookies and coffee in the afternoon. Participants created Kansas crafts and were able to partake in a Kansas-themed scavenger hunt throughout the museum.
Celebrate with a birthday card
The Convention & Visitors Bureau is on a mission to collect a birthday card from all 50 states by July 4, 2026. Handmade or store-bought, is hoping to receive one from anyone and the first one from each state in return will get a special McPherson card and commemorative gift.
Change in meeting schedule
Beginning in February, the City of McPherson Commission intends to alter its schedule of regular City Commission meetings. On Feb. 3, 2026, the Commission voted to approve Charter Ordinance 48, stating the Commission will convene twice a month. The City's existing ordinance requires the Commission to meet at least every other week. This new Charter Ordinance will make that language clearer, specifically setting the meeting requirements to be twice a month. To supplement that — each year — a resolution will be considered that outlines the meeting schedule for the upcoming year. The change in schedule aligns McPherson more with meeting frequency utilized by other Kansas municipalities. Meetings will take place at 8:30 a.m. in the Municipal Center City Commission Room at 400 E. Kansas Ave., immediately followed by a study session in Conference Room A/B. The meeting schedule for 2026:
- February 3, 2026
- February 17, 2026
- March 3, 2026
- March 17, 2026
- March 31, 2026- Skipped meeting.
- April 7, 2026
- April 21, 2026
- May 5, 2026
- May 19, 2026
- June 2, 2026
- June 16, 2026
- July 7, 2026
- July 21, 2026
- August 4, 2026
- August 18, 2026
- September 1, 2026
- September 15, 2026
- October 6, 2026
- October 20, 2026
- November 3, 2026
- November 17, 2026
- December 1, 2026
- December 15, 2026
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