Government Stories

Kansas City city hall

City challenges startup leaders to swap social media for in-person dialogue on regulation

Editor’s note: Rick Usher is a member of the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s policy committee, and Sarah Shipley is a board member for KCSF, the parent organization of Startland News. This piece was independently produced. There’s a void of shared awareness between city government and the startup community, Rick Usher said. That’s why government officials and leaders…

iKan, Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, John Thomson, PayIt CEO, and Donna Shelite, interim Kansas chief technology officer

Say goodbye to the DMV? Gov tech firm PayIt launches iKan app with State of Kansas

Kansans can now renew their vehicle registration with a touch on their phones thanks to a KC-based government tech firm’s new iKan app, Gov. Jeff Colyer said Thursday. Designed by PayIt, the iKan platform is designed to allow users to interact with multiple state services in a self-service, intuitive experience from their phones, tablets, and…

Mayor Sly James, State of the City

State of the City: Mayor challenges startup community to be more inclusive in hiring

As a growing piece of Kansas City’s business fabric, the startup community should better reflect the diverse creative and tech talent working within the city, Mayor Sly James said Tuesday following his State of the City address. “There are a lot of entrepreneurs who, for example, make bow ties, who make clothing, who do things…

Predictive tech

Predictive tech gives KCMO smart weapons in the fight against potholes, crime

Kansas City is tackling its pothole problem using technology that aims to predict where they’ll emerge next, city officials said. The proactive approach also is targeting Kansas City’s crime rate. Government officials from Kansas City, Missouri, shared details about their experience with smart, predictive technologies during a panel discussion Tuesday afternoon at the Smart Cities…

Luke Norris OpenCities

PayIt exec departs to launch Australia-based OpenCities office in KC

An executive with Kansas City-based PayIt has departed the company to open an area office for another government tech firm. Previously head of local government solutions at PayIt, Luke Norris now is leading the Kansas City office of Australia-based OpenCities, which is a provider of website and digital services for governments across the world. “The…