info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wasinger promoted to Manhattan assistant city manager

info2022-03-07T07:47:35-06:00March 6th, 2022|

City manager Ron Fehr on Friday announced the promotion of Jared Wasinger from assistant to the city manager to assistant city manager. Wasinger will help with the day-to-day management of city operations, including supervising staff and administrative policy, working with Fehr and deputy city manager Jason Hilgers on various projects and redevelopment activity. Wasinger also will serve as the designated representative on the Riley County police board and staff liaison to the city-university special projects fund committee. “I believe Jared will continue to have a positive impact within the organization and the community by assisting with day-to-day project management as well [...]

School leader: ‘What’s going on in our larger community?’ Lawrence’s enrollments decline even as the city’s population grows

info2022-03-06T20:58:42-06:00March 4th, 2022|

Take a drive in the countryside northeast of Lawrence, and be prepared to find something that many Lawrence residents likely would deem odd. There, along Kansas Highway 32 in adjacent Leavenworth County — just a bit past Linwood and that community’s livestock auction barn — is a big, new building under construction. It is a new elementary school for the Basehor-Linwood school district. In Lawrence, the idea of needing to build a new elementary school is an odd thought. Talk in recent weeks has been dominated by the idea of closing elementary schools in Lawrence. But others could argue that the [...]

Treasury yields remain lower after jobs report, investors flock to safety amid Ukraine crisis

info2022-03-04T09:13:22-06:00March 4th, 2022|

Treasury yields slumped on Friday as investors continued to buy safe-haven assets amid Russia-Ukraine conflict. The decline in yields came even after a strong jobs report. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dropped 10 basis points to 1.736%. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond fell 8 basis points to 2.142%. ... 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%. Nonfarm payrolls for January grew by 678,000 and the unemployment rate was 3.8%, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That compared to estimates of 440,000 for payrolls and 3.9% for the jobless rate. Source: CNBC - Bonds

Sticker shock time? JoCo mailed more than 200,000 residential appraisal statements

info2022-03-04T08:55:44-06:00March 4th, 2022|

If you own a residence in Johnson County, it’s likely that its appraised value has increased since last year. In fact, 97.5% of residential properties increased in value, Johnson County Appraiser Beau Boisvert told the Johnson County Commission a few days before the county began mailing more than 200,000 residential appraisal statements on Feb. 28. Only 2.4% of residential properties declined in value. Behind the numbers, Boisvert said, is a lack of inventory. Source: Joco 913 News

New street sweeper gets clean sweep from commission

info2022-03-04T08:44:01-06:00March 4th, 2022|

Arkansas City streets may soon appear cleaner, due to the purchase of a new street sweeper. The commission gave its approval Tuesday to buy a 2021 Ravo Vac Sweeper from Red Equipment in Independence, Mo., at a cost not to exceed $255,000. Public Services Superintendent Tony Tapia said that the new sweeper is a much-needed replacement, and will do a much better job than the current unit. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Sedgwick County leaders push for state mental hospital to be built in Wichita

info2022-03-04T08:42:08-06:00March 4th, 2022|

"The folks that that are waiting to go to Larned is 22. I think our longest one waiting here is right around 180 days.” That is how many people are sitting in the Sedgwick County jail waiting for a mental health evaluation, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. Its a situation he says highlights a problem here in Kansas, a lack of bed space at the state's two mental health hospitals. A problem with a potentially simple solution. Source: KAKE - News

Harvey County issues burn ban, seeing an increase in fires this year

info2022-03-04T08:41:42-06:00March 4th, 2022|

Harvey County is under a burn ban until Sunday, and fire officials said it’s to try and help ease the stress firefighters are feeling. The Chief of Newton Fire and EMS Steve Roberson says, the department has seen three times as many fires this year compared to last. It is also seeing a recent increase in daily calls due to grass fires. “When we start dealing with increased fire loads due to grassland indexes going up…like yesterday, we were working on four different incidences, that’s on top of our regular 12 calls a day,” Roberson said. Source: KAKE - News

First Johnson County Whataburger about to open. It will pay police to direct traffic

info2022-03-04T08:41:24-06:00March 4th, 2022|

The first Kansas Whataburger will open at 11 a.m. Monday in Johnson County. The location, at 8420 W. 135th St. in Overland Park, was formerly a Salty Iguana Mexican Restaurant. Whataburger has opened two other metro locations that have attracted lines of cars stretching for blocks for the grand openings. The company said it will pay for Overland Park police and private security to help manage traffic flow during the latest opening. Source: KC Star Local News

More than 97% of Johnson County homes increased in value this year. Here’s why it matters

info2022-03-04T08:40:58-06:00March 4th, 2022|

Market values for homes are increasing in Johnson County. The county sent out valuations to homeowners earlier this week, and if it seems like your home’s appraisal value went up, it probably did. These kinds of assessments are based on statistics that indicate the ongoing trends in the market area, and they affect how much you pay in property taxes. When evaluating property, the county appraiser looks at a number of homes sold in the area and considers factors like the square footage, location, additions like porches, patios, garages, the finish of the basement and more to see how much a [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for March 3, 2022

info2022-03-04T08:40:37-06:00March 4th, 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.

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