info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Derby approves STAR bond district expansion to explore potential development

info2021-10-29T08:20:18-05:00October 29th, 2021|

The Derby City Council had a captive audience at its Oct. 26 meeting, as the city hall lobby was full of local residents on hand for a public hearing regarding the expansion of the Derby STAR bond district. As noted by staff, the vote at hand was simply to expand the boundaries of the current STAR bond district to include a nearly 44-acre tract of land east of the Derby Sports Zone site (and northeast of the Target store on Tall Tree Road). The vote did not include approval of the proposed project itself, which would feature a Crystal Lagoons man-made [...]

Local K9 officers to receive donation of protective vests

info2021-10-29T08:19:50-05:00October 29th, 2021|

The Garden City Police Department and Finney County Sheriff’s Office K9s will soon each receive a bullet and stab proof protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s. According to media releases, K9 Koda’s vest will be embroidered with the message, “in memory of K9 Kye, Oklahoma Police Department,” while K9 Shiva’s vest will be embroidered with “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always.” Delivery of the vests is expected within eight to ten weeks. Source: Greater Garden City » Feed

Johnson County voter turnout this year could set new record for off-year municipal elections

info2021-10-29T08:18:07-05:00October 29th, 2021|

A higher-than-average voter turnout is expected in Tuesday’s municipal elections in Johnson County. That’s judging by advance voting numbers so far along with requests for mail-in ballots, county Election Commissioner Fred Sherman said Thursday. Sherman told Johnson County commissioners this year’s turnout may be near or slightly above 20% – which would be a high point for off-year, midterm elections that usually draw fewer voters than the partisan contests that happen in even years and feature races for state and federal offices. Turnout in the 2019 city elections was close to 17%, according to the election commission archive. Sherman said there’s [...]

Overland Park could see electronic scooters starting this spring with proposed pilot program

info2021-10-29T08:17:21-05:00October 29th, 2021|

Motorized scooters are one step closer to making their way from downtown Kansas City to the Overland Park area. At their Wednesday meeting, the city council’s Public Works Committee recommended the approval of a new resolution that would allow city staff to start negotiations for an e-scooter pilot program with Lime and Bird, two of the biggest players in the emerging e-scooter industry. Both companies have shown interest in bringing their pay-per-ride vehicles to the Johnson County suburbs. Last month, Bird inked a deal with Prairie Village to launch a pilot in that city. Source: Prairie Village Post

‘We have a place for you:’ Johnson County sheriff welcomes unvaccinated officers from other states

info2021-10-29T08:16:34-05:00October 29th, 2021|

The sheriff of Johnson County wants to welcome officers from across the county. In a news release, Sheriff Calvin Hayden said Thursday his office is a safe haven for law enforcement officers in other states who do not want to be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine. “True to our Midwestern values, Johnson County is a place where freedom is valued, and law enforcement is respected. The support our citizens have shown over the last several years has been overwhelming," Hayden said. In August, Johnson County implemented a policy requiring employees to be fully vaccinated or get a weekly COVID-19 test. [...]

Cybersecurity experts release recommendations

info2021-10-29T07:14:33-05:00October 29th, 2021|

A statewide position to coordinate cyber security work across sectors, an emergency plan for potential digital attacks and allowing local governments to tap into state IT contracts are among the initial recommendations released Thursday by a panel of cybersecurity experts asked to evaluate the state’s digital landscape. The report from the task force, created by Gov. Laura Kelly in July, comes as the state’s vulnerabilities to cyber attacks come better into focus, with officials looking at ways to reduce the potential risks of state and local governments to costly attacks. Earlier this month, officials in Pottawatomie County paid out over $72,000 [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for October 28, 2021

info2021-10-29T07:13:28-05:00October 29th, 2021|

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.

New Halstead police officer enjoys serving tight-knit community

info2021-10-29T07:12:45-05:00October 29th, 2021|

Halstead’s newest full-time police officer describes himself as a community-oriented person who wants to do the best job possible to help people. “Building relationships with people in the community and being able to go up and talk to them in a personable manner or almost as a friend instead of as an officer—that’s what I want to do,” Josh Crowe said. “I just want to be embedded in the community and help out as much as possible.” Crowe, whose first day with Halstead P.D. was Sept. 27, said he’s looking forward to meeting more people and building good relationships with them. [...]

Garden City celebrates construction of new shooting range

info2021-10-29T07:12:19-05:00October 29th, 2021|

Bracing against 50-mph wind gusts that stirred up grit and dust, local elected officials, law enforcement and community members met Wednesday afternoon to “break ground” for the new gun range located south of Garden City on Old Highway 83. Construction of the state-of-the-art facility actually began several weeks ago and is well underway. The project is one of four projects included in a sales tax initiative Finney County voters approved in 2017. Source: Greater Garden City » Feed

Lawrence municipal services workers vote to join Teamsters

info2021-10-29T07:10:50-05:00October 29th, 2021|

The 85 workers responsible for Lawrence’s infrastructure, street maintenance, engineering and more have voted by more than a 4-1 margin to unionize with Teamsters Local 696. The City of Lawrence Municipal Services and Operations department follows in the footsteps of sanitation workers, who voted to join the union in August 2020 and ratified their first contract this summer that increases wages and provides strong seniority language, grievance procedures and more, according to a Thursday news release from the union. The MSO workers want better wages, fairer work rules and improved benefits, the release says. Source: The Lawrence Times

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