info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Marion County’s new EMS building is ready for business

info2022-04-25T07:07:57-05:00April 24th, 2022|

EMS Director Travis Parmley informed the Marion County Board of Commissioners on Monday that the new building, located in Hillsboro, is completed, and they should be all moved in by the end of the day. Those on duty were able to sleep there that night. There is still landscaping to be done and some other small projects, but overall, the building is ready. The project has been in progress for months and the board and Parmley expressed appreciation that the building was complete. On other building news, Parmley and the board discussed the Annex remodel and various bids for work that [...]

Shawnee City Council will vote on prohibiting coliving housing

info2022-04-25T07:08:36-05:00April 24th, 2022|

After neighborhood and city official resistance to two coliving homes in Shawnee, a revised ordinance will go before the City Council on Monday to approve new definitions in single-family residential districts. Last month, the Shawnee Planning Commission proposed that city staff could require unrelated tenants to be subject to one lease per household or to restrict subleases within single-family homes. Rather than discourage transiency by imposing a lease requirement, the staff suggested redefining a “single housekeeping unit” as no more than three unrelated tenants who share a kitchen, household activities or responsibilities, according to city documents. Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Kansas law enforcement routinely produces error-filled reports on seized cash, property

info2022-04-25T07:09:03-05:00April 24th, 2022|

A push three years ago for more accountability from Kansas law enforcement agencies that seize cash, cars and contraband — often without filing criminal charges against the owner — has generated a wealth of new information. On examination, however, the numbers often don’t add up. A review of nearly 2,000 reports filed so far found widespread inconsistencies in the way seizures are reported. More than half of the law enforcement agencies have failed to report some of their seizures as required and have done so with the blessing of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is charged with gathering and posting [...]

Manhattan to discuss replacing finance, administrative system

info2022-04-25T07:11:10-05:00April 24th, 2022|

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday will discuss potentially replacing the government’s finance and administrative hardware and software. The work session starts at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. Since September, city administrators have been working with Government Finance Officers Association, a nonprofit membership association, to analyze the state of city’s financial system and its related business processes. The city has used its current system for more than 24 years, and Central Square, the company that produced the system, is phasing out support. According to agenda documents, the current system is outdated and lack the functionality and interconnectivity found in modern systems. [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for April 21, 2022

info2022-04-22T07:02:51-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Cowley County commits to better worker pay

info2022-04-22T06:57:22-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

Cowley County commissioners approved a new pay plan for county employees Tuesday night in front a packed meeting hall full of county employees. The pay plan was developed after a months-long process that involved a team led by county administrator Lukas Goff, county department heads and a study conducted by McGrath Human Resources Group. That study found 69 percent of the county’s pay scale was below average market pay rates, leading to a very high turnover in employees in every department over the past several years. The county’s goal now is to reach 50% of workers within the average market rate. [...]

Big Kansas Road Trip offers ‘adventures a la carte’

info2022-04-22T06:52:41-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford in southeast Kansas will be the showcase counties for the Big Kansas Road Trip, May 5-8. Organized by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Kansas Sampler Foundation and local county leaders, the event is designed to provide the public first-hand experiences with what there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy, and learn in these rural communities. People will choose what they want to do and when. There is no organized caravan or a single itinerary. A Big Kansas Road Trip color guide will be available at information centers in the three counties or people can go online to find [...]

Explore Southeast Kansas with a coloring book

info2022-04-22T06:51:54-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

Explore Crawford County is introducing new coloring books focusing on various local attractions, not just in Crawford, but surrounding counties as well. The first issue of the books will debut at the upcoming Big Kansas Road Trip the first weekend of May. The idea for the coloring books is the brainchild of Chris Wilson, communications manager for Explore Crawford County (formerly the Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau). He has been developing the idea since before the pandemic. “The idea came when I saw coloring sheets at the Miners [Hall] Museum,” says Wilson. “They had these mining coloring books for the [...]

Salina’s mayor has found ways to serve the city he chose as home

info2022-04-22T06:48:45-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

Despite not being born or raised in Salina, Dr. Trent Davis has done as much as he can to make the city better for the people and citizens he calls neighbors in this place he’s made home for the past 23 years. ... Even before being appointed to the Salina City Commission in 2014, to fill a vacancy at that time, Davis was already getting involved in making changes in the city that was relatively new to him “The organization I’ve probably worked the most with over the years (in Salina) has been the NAACP,” Davis said. ... Being involved in [...]

Recycling plants change waste into renewable products

info2022-04-22T06:46:33-05:00April 22nd, 2022|

A recycling center that’s operated in South Hutchinson for a quarter-century, helping the environment by diverting trash from the county landfill into markets for reuse, has managed to keep up with the times. Earlier this year Stutzman Refuse Disposal (Stutzman Recycling) added robotics to part of its sorting line in response to industry demands for higher sorting purity. Another local recycling plant with an even longer history in Hutchinson also continues expanding, taking in more paper and cardboard waste every year and turning out dozens of products. But while plant upgrades have made it easier in many ways for residents to [...]

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