Crawford County Emergency Medical Service (CCEMS) personnel are driven by a desire to serve their community. Like police and firefighters, these men and women are there
to care for and comfort those in need. According to Randy Sandberg, director of Crawford County EMS, the county has eight ambulances at its disposal. Three of these are typically in service at any given time. The remainder are used as back-up vehicles in case of technical issues or if they are needed to cover a call when all other crews are out. He
says they are also rotated in and out of service to keep mileage down on individual ambulance.
Source: Morning Sun

Streaming services have grown tremendously since the start of the pandemic in 2020, and while that’s good news for viewers who appreciate their options, it’s not such good news for local government. Cable companies have seen a significant drop in revenue during the past couple of years and that’s had a corresponding impact on franchise fees collected by cities. After peaking at $21,725 in 2017, the annual franchise fee collected by the City of Scott City has began to decline over the next two years before plunging to just $5,359 in 2020. This past year, it slipped to $3,985. Municipalities across the state are experiencing a similar loss of revenue, which has prompted them to look at some means by which they can tap into the revenue shift toward streaming services. The loss of about $13,000 in franchise fees paid to Scott City means that revenue has to be generated elsewhere (e.g., about one-half mill in property taxes) or the budget will have to be cut by a similar amount. “We have no idea how much revenue the streaming services are generating and what the potential could be for a franchise fee if that were to be allowed (by the state),” says City Administrator Brad Pendergast.
Source: Scott County Record

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly is the latest official to join central bankers ready to support a 50-basis-point interest-rate increase if necessary to cool inflation. “We’re prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that we get price stability,” Daly says. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester, who supports raising the benchmark rate to 2.5% by year-end, says, “I don’t want to presuppose every meeting from here to July, but I do think we need to be more aggressive earlier rather than later.” St. Louis Fed President James Bullard predicts a benchmark rate of more than 3% by year-end and says, “We have to think bigger maybe than we have in the past.”
Source: Bloomberg

An uncertain situation in a grocery store parking lot has an Andover woman thankful for a way to text for help. Her story is making the rounds on Facebook as she tries to bring more attention to the state’s Text-to-911 system, which many don’t know about. Earlier this week, Karisa Spooner reached out to 911 after someone drove alongside her car and blocked her in. … Not wanting to signal to the pair that she was reaching out for emergency assistance, Spooner texted “Help” to 911. “It was perfect to act like I was looking for change and then text, and it was so fast,” she said. Dispatchers in Andover were able to ping her location and an Andover police officer nearby responded within two minutes.
Source: KWCH

With the goal of teaching economics to fourth grade students, Lakeside Elementary brought its yearly Just Imagine Kansas project to life this past Tuesday in the school’s gym. Just Imagine Kansas uses the state’s social study standards to look at economics and how that relates to Kansas by allowing the students to create a city simulation. For months leading up to the event, the fourth graders researched businesses in the local community. … For the city simulation, the students also elected a mayor. Each of the three fourth grade classes voted for a student to “run for the election,” and those three students each had to give a speech of why he or she should be elected the mayor. When the votes were cast, Adriana Lopez Gomez was appointed mayor. “I said I would help citizens with their problems,” Lopez Gomez said about
her speech.
Source: Morning Sun.

Hutchinson and Reno County leaders agreed in separate meetings on Tuesday to evenly split the cost of replacing $880,000 in firefighting equipment requested last week by Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer. The County Commission vote carried a stipulation that city and county staff work to resolve other outstanding shared operating agreements between the city and county that have expired. Beer requested the extra funding last week, in the wake of the destructive Cottonwood Complex Fire, suggesting both municipalities tap American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.
Source: Hutch News

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.