info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Douglas County voters will decide in November whether to expand 3-member commission to 5

info2022-02-24T07:53:51-06:00February 24th, 2022|

Three affirmative votes Wednesday evening meant that thousands of Douglas County voters will soon decide whether the county commission should expand to five members. If all goes as planned, the commission will consider ballot language to put the question before voters for the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general election. The timeline is not terribly tight for the language of the question to be decided — commissioners must vote on the question before Sept. 1. After the election, however, if voters do determine that there should be two additional seats on the dais, the commission must adopt maps of new districts by Jan. [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for February 23, 2022

info2022-02-24T07:45:24-06:00February 24th, 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.

Newton holds first party, approves second bigger one

info2022-02-24T01:46:19-06:00February 24th, 2022|

A large crowd of people gathered Tuesday evening to celebrate the city’s long-awaited Sesquicentennial. “May we never lose sight of what comes ahead,” Mayor Clint McBroom told the crowd as he addressed the city’s history. “Let’s remember to keep looking to what’s ahead.” Newton formed as a rail stop and cow town 11 years after Kansas became a state, only to grow into a location with a wild and rowdy reputation complete with saloons, bars, salacious entertainment establishments, and even a shoot-out that prompted the short-lived sobriquet of Bloody Newton. The city over the years has civilized but city leaders passed [...]

Kansas House moves to make counties keep electing sheriffs

info2022-02-24T01:43:01-06:00February 24th, 2022|

The Kansas House has approved a measure aimed at ensuring that counties don’t stop electing their sheriffs. The vote Wednesday was 97-24 on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution declaring that sheriffs are elected to four-year terms. The constitution now says only that lawmakers will create county offices “as may be necessary.” The measure had far more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage in the House. If the measure passes the Senate, it will go on the ballot in November for voters’ possible approval. Backers said electing sheriffs makes them more accountable to voters. Opponents said counties should be allowed to decide [...]

Sedgwick County to lease downtown Wichita building for administrative offices

info2022-02-24T01:36:45-06:00February 24th, 2022|

Sedgwick County commissioners have voted to approve a lease agreement for a building in downtown Wichita for a three-year-period. The Ruffin Building at Douglas and Broadway will be used for the commission offices, the County Manager, the Clerk, the Treasurer, the Register of Deeds, the County Counselor, and the communications department. The move will free space in the courthouse for an expansion of courthouse space and the creation of more space for the District Attorney. The expansion project is expected to begin later this year and would be finished in the spring of 2023. It will allow the District Court to [...]

WSU litter study finds room for improvement

info2022-02-24T01:33:15-06:00February 24th, 2022|

A study on litter from Wichita State’s Environment Finance Center suggests there is room for improvement. The study was put together after people in the community voiced concern about the number of plastic bags seen floating around. People involved in this study looked at 12 city parks across Wichita, which came out to two parks per city council district. Study leaders say their findings were close to what was expected. “Wichita is a unique place, but our litter certainly is not unique,” said Michelle DeHaven, program manager at the EFC. “When we compare it to other litter studies, our study showed [...]

Amendment on sheriff elections proposed for KS Constitution

info2022-02-24T01:25:16-06:00February 24th, 2022|

Many Kansas legislators want to make sure that counties don’t change the longstanding tradition of electing sheriffs by enshrining the policy in the state constitution. The Republican-controlled state House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a proposal to add language to the Kansas Constitution’s short article on county government to ensure that sheriffs are elected to four-year terms. A final vote was expected Wednesday. Only Riley County out of the state’s 105 counties doesn’t elect a sheriff. However, a commission in the state’s most populous county of Johnson County reviewed a proposal to appoint their sheriff, but ultimately decided against the change. [...]

Some Kansas jails now allowing medical care for opioid addiction

info2022-02-24T01:20:27-06:00February 24th, 2022|

A recent decision to let people continue treatment for drug addiction while in the Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita reflects a significant shift in thinking at Kansas sheriffs’ offices that is gaining momentum. Sedgwick officials no longer take people off of their prescriptions for medications such as buprenorphine when booked into jail. No one keeps a tally of how many Kansas jails allow incarcerated people with opioid or alcohol addictions to receive the combination of medication and counseling that can help them. Source: Derby Informer | News

Hesston hears of vision for 40,000 square foot municipal complex

info2022-02-24T07:28:33-06:00February 24th, 2022|

Brad Heppner, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for The Beneficient Company, unveiled his vision for Hesston during a called meeting Wednesday morning of Hesston City Council. A schematic he showed council members depicted a 40,000-square foot building for city hall, police and fire services on one end of a downtown square and a non-denominational chapel anchoring the other end. Hesston Village Park, the name Heppner gave to the vision, would include a plot of green space that is 20 percent larger than Heritage Park. He said the complex would include a 12,500-square-foot grocery store and possibly [...]

Critics say the Kansas criminal justice system’s fees and fines trap people in a cycle of poverty

info2022-02-24T00:50:55-06:00February 24th, 2022|

After Tyler Williams spent much of his teenage years locked up in the juvenile jail system, he found himself at 19 owing more than $1,000 to the state of Kansas — including an $840 fee for hauling him from Oklahoma to face charges in Junction City. Working a minimum wage job, it took Williams two years of his young adulthood to wipe out all the fees and fines from his crimes as a kid. “It was a sigh of relief,” he said. “Having that burden gone definitely helped me get into a better mindset and take control of my life.” Fines [...]

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