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Halstead Fire gets hoses checked

info2022-04-14T01:24:02-05:00April 14th, 2022|

The Halstead Fire Department completed the annual testing of all its hoses on Monday. In the past, the department has done hose testing during a training night, but this year for the first time, they hired a company to do it for them. Division Chief Doug Hoffman credited Burrton Fire Department with doing the research to find FireCatt, a professional hose testing company out of Michigan. Halstead piggybacked while they were in the area. “We looked at it and considered the labor-saving aspect,” Hoffman said. “They do it in one day and they’re done.” Burrton was going to have their hoses [...]

Wichita renters feeling the effects of inflation

info2022-04-14T01:12:57-05:00April 14th, 2022|

Inflation is paving a tough road ahead for renters in Wichita. Director for the Center for Economic Development Business Research at Wichita State University Jeremy Hill said, he’s been following rent rates in Wichita since the start of this year. He said since January 2020, rent in the Midwest has outpaced the average rent across the United States. “Instead of the nation growing a lot faster in rental prices, it is the Wichita market going a lot faster than the nation,” Hill said. Demetri Dehncke-White chose to move when facing a rise in rent. The struggle to find a new place [...]

UG opens door for Homefield’s first $130M in STAR bonds, setting stage for 2022 groundbreakings

info2022-04-14T01:10:11-05:00April 14th, 2022|

Officials in Kansas City, Kansas, have signed off on multiple bond measures necessary for developers of the $648.1 million Homefield project to hit approved deadlines coming at the end of the year. Commissioners with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas recently greenlit up to $160 million in sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds for the roughly 400-acre project near 94th Street and State Avenue. Of that total, Homefield LLC can unlock as much as $130 million in public benefit for its multi-sport Homefield Building, Perfect Game youth baseball complex and related infrastructure. The developer must first attract $195 million in [...]

Prairie Village considers $1M for park upgrades over next 5 years — Here’s when and where

info2022-04-14T01:00:44-05:00April 14th, 2022|

The Prairie Village City Council will soon consider approval of a more than $1 million capital improvement program plan for city parks, but the proposal does not include funding for planned work at Harmon Park, the city’s most prominent park. The big picture: The parks and recreation committee wanted to tackle the city’s entire park system with the next five-year capital improvement plan. Otherwise, some city parks wouldn’t see improvements for more than five years, Councilmember Lauren Wolf said. Source: Prairie Village Post

Fort Scott welding class helps Louisburg expand Hometown Heroes program

info2022-04-13T23:53:18-05:00April 13th, 2022|

Dee Young raised a welding helmet to examine her handiwork on a Monday night in early March. Young and several other members of Fort Scott Community College’s night welding class on the Paola campus are playing a key role in the expansion of the Hometown Heroes banner program in Louisburg. The program began last fall and quickly sold all 44 banner spots on light poles in downtown Louisburg, organizers said. Because of the program’s popularity more banners are being added for 2022. To accommodate the overflow, most of those banners will be displayed on flag holders in the green space between [...]

Manhattan OK with city employee pay increases recommended in salary study

info2022-04-14T07:10:32-05:00April 13th, 2022|

The Manhattan city government appears ready to move forward with raises for its employees after commissioners on Tuesday gave their informal OK. Based on a consultant’s recommendation, city administrators support giving raises to 77% of city government employees, which would cost $2.1 million in additional annual spending. The city hired Allen Gibbs Houlik (AGH) of Wichita to conduct a total rewards study to examine compensation for Manhattan government employees compared to other private and government agencies in the area. Based on a new classification system, market data, employee tenure and job performance, AGH said 23% of employees would have no adjustment, [...]

Fed’s Waller sees likelihood of multiple half-point interest rate hikes ahead

info2022-04-13T23:34:06-05:00April 13th, 2022|

Getting inflation under control will require raising interest rates at a faster pace than normal even though the pace of price increases probably has peaked, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Wednesday. That means the central bank likely will hike short-term rates by half a percentage point, or 50 basis points, at its meeting in May, and possibly follow it up with similar moves in the next several months, Waller told CNBC. The Fed normally increases in 25-basis-point increments. "I think the data has come in exactly to support that step of policy action if the committee chooses to do so, [...]

Wichita Eagle Commentary: When Wichita stadium STAR bonds fall short, guess who pays

info2022-04-14T07:14:37-05:00April 13th, 2022|

Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds — better known as STAR Bonds — are public debt issued by the city, to get public money to pay for private development projects. That bond debt has to be paid back. The loan is supposed to be paid off using sales tax money generated by the new development. But things go wrong. And when they do, it’s taxpayers who end up paying. STAR bond debt is tricky, because you can’t easily find the numbers. Let’s look at the new Wichita baseball stadium and its $42 million in STAR Bonds. Source: Wichita Eagle

USDA Invests $2.55 Million to Support Rural Health Care Providers in Kansas

info2022-04-13T14:04:01-05:00April 13th, 2022|

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting State Director for Rural Development Kansas Dan Fischer today announced the awarding of $2.55 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants, benefitting 10 communities in rural Kansas. “The USDA mobilized our staff and resources to respond rapidly to the COVID-19 needs of rural health care providers in Kansas,” Fischer said. “USDA is helping to insure rural health care providers stay strong during the pandemic and will remain strong in the future.” The grants the USDA is awarding will help rural hospitals and health care providers implement telehealth and nutrition assistance programs, increase staffing to administer [...]

BASE Grant Awards Announced

info2022-04-13T07:47:26-05:00April 13th, 2022|

With hundreds of applicants, BASE Grants were awarded to 35 entities. See the list here. If you would like to discuss other funding options for your projects (other grants, federal funding, bonds, loans, etc.), please reach out to us at Ranson Financial for further information.

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