info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Fed’s Bullard says inflation ‘could get out of control,’ so action is needed now

info2022-02-17T23:05:37-06:00February 17th, 2022|

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard cautioned Thursday that without central bank action on interest rates, inflation could become an even more serious problem. "We're at more risk now than we've been in a generation that this could get out of control," he said during a panel talk at Columbia University. "One scenario would be now you get a new surprise that hits us that we can't anticipate right now, but we would have even more inflation. That's the kind of situation that we want to ... make sure it doesn't occur." Bullard has made news lately with his calls [...]

North Newton City Council agrees to purchase police canine

info2022-02-17T23:03:42-06:00February 17th, 2022|

The North Newton Police Department is getting a canine, in the form of Odie, after the North Newton City Council voted 3-2 to obtain the dog. Voting against the decision were Councilmen Mark Jenkins and Dennis Campbell. Odie is 7-½ to 8 years old and will be paired with Officer Colt Pfautz, who is certified to work with a canine and has worked more than a year part-time with the North Newton Police Department and then was hired full time. Now, the police department will have a canine unit again. “It’s a positive we already have someone certified,” Mayor Ron Braun [...]

March informational meetings planned in Wamego, St. Marys regarding solar farm draft regulations

info2022-02-18T08:10:45-06:00February 17th, 2022|

Informational public meetings are scheduled in March surrounding the future of solar farms in Pottawatomie County. The county plans to host two come-and-go meetings where people can ask questions from county planning and zoning officials regarding proposed regulations regarding solar facilities. The meetings are a precursor to an anticipated formal public hearing this spring with the Planning Commission. Planning Commission and Planning and Development staff have been drafting regulations since last March for large-scale solar farms. Source: 1350 KMAN

County Commissioners allocate $25,000 in ARPA funds to each city

info2022-02-18T08:11:48-06:00February 17th, 2022|

Each city is eligible to receive up to $25,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds through the county following recent action taken by the Jackson County Commission. The commissioners agreed to allocate $25,000 in ARPA funding to each of the nine cities in the county. The county has received $1,279,156 in ARPA funding from the federal government, so far, and is expected to receive another $1,279,156 in July totaling $2,558,312. Previously, ARPA funds could only be spent on COVID-19 response, bonuses for essential workers and investing in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure, it was reported. A recent ruling was approved, however, [...]

Overland Park officials worry city could lose millions in annual tax revenue with Walmart ‘dark store’ win

info2022-02-17T22:43:03-06:00February 17th, 2022|

If the Kansas Supreme Court rules against Johnson County in its appeal of a lower court’s ruling on how to appraise Walmart stores’ properties, it likely won’t be a budget killer right away for Overland Park, said City Manager Bill Ebel. But he cautions that future structural changes that upset the balance of property tax, sales tax and user fees collections could be “concerning” in the long run. Ebel recently said that a “substantial portion” of the estimated $1.5 million the city might have to refund due to the ongoing Walmart case has already been set aside in a liability account, should [...]

City of Overland Park sets five-year plan for public safety improvements

info2022-02-18T08:12:46-06:00February 17th, 2022|

The city of Overland Park has set a five-year lineup for public safety capital improvements. At last week’s Public Safety Committee meeting, councilmembers reviewed the city’s projected costs for public safety improvements budgeted for 2023 through 2027. The committee approved the five-year projections for recommendation to the city council’s Committee of the Whole, which handles budgets and capital improvements. The five-year plan includes capital improvements — which typically encompass new facilities or fixes to existing ones — along with some maintenance repairs and recurring costs for the city’s Fire and Police departments. Source: Prairie Village Post

Eliminating Kansas’ food sales tax may be pushed to 2024

info2022-02-17T22:38:23-06:00February 17th, 2022|

Kansans may not see a total elimination of the state's hefty food sales tax until 2024, under a new Senate proposal. The Senate Tax committee unanimously approved a bill with a long list of changes. One of those changes would set the date for the plan to go into effect to January 1, 2024. That's about one year later than anticipated from some democrats, who expected the timeframe to be much sooner. Senator Ethan Corson, a democrat from Fairway, who sits on the committee, told Kansas Capitol Bureau on Wednesday that he's hoping there will be room for negotiation once the [...]

Chetopa hires extra assistance for snow removal

info2022-02-18T08:13:47-06:00February 17th, 2022|

Ahead of the winter storms that dropped inches of snow in Labette County earlier this month, the Chetopa City Council on Feb. 1 gave approval to hire extra help for snow removal. The council approved a contract with Anthony Conard on an as needed basis to remove snow for the city at a rate of $80 per hour. The city will contact Conard if it needs help with snow removal when weather warrants it. The city council also agreed to pay city employees a maximum of up to five days for work-related exposure or a positive COVID-19 test. Source: Parsons Sun

Study: America’s economy has seen talent ‘shift’ to heartland over the last decade

info2022-02-17T22:34:27-06:00February 17th, 2022|

America’s economy has seen a "shift" in workforce talent from coastal cities to the country's heartland over the last decade, according to a new study. The study, conducted by Heartland Forward, a think tank with a focus on economic renewal, analyzed more than 350 metropolitan areas across the country and measured each metro area’s workforce by two metrics: educational attainment and the number of workers in creative occupations. Heartland’s study found a marked shift in talent between 2010 and 2019 away from traditional talent hubs such as New York City and San Francisco toward states such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. [...]

KwiKom wants to bring broadband to Paola

info2022-02-17T22:29:10-06:00February 17th, 2022|

Faster and more reliable internet for residents and businesses in northern Paola soon could be available if the city and KwiKom Communications are able to obtain a state grant. Paola City Council members received an update on the plan during their Feb. 8 meeting. Acting Interim City Manager Randi Shannon said KwiKom Communications has identified Paola as an ideal community for the Kansas Office of Broadband Development Acceleration Grant. The 50-50 state grant also allows for up to a 50 percent co-investment of the matching funding. Therefore, KwiKom asked the city of Paola for a co-investment commitment of $250,000, which is [...]

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