Junction City, Kansas

JUNCT ION C I TY , KANSAS Capitol in Topeka, and another 65 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri. Since the late 1800s, the City has been closely aligned with nearby Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army Post, and once the longtime home of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, also known as the “Big Red One.” For the last several years, Junction City and its population of 23,000 have struggled with what many communities of its size would rightly consider a burdensome, if not an insurmountable quantity of public debt. Yet, the story of what this city’s leaders have been doing, and what they continue to do, to pay down what the city owes, while still addressing the needs of its citizenry, is a testament to grit, determination, and prudent leadership. “When we talk about Junction City,” says City Manager, Allen Dinkel,” I think we have to look back about 16 years, because what we’re doing now is predicated on what happened in 2004, up till now.” According to Dinkel, at that time, the City was planning for a large amount of Admin Team