Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Barton County Commission wants to get tough with state

In recapping last week’s Kansas Association Of Counties annual meeting, Barton County officials who attended returned with a handful of key takeaways, and the review of these led to passionate discussion amongst county commissioners when they met Tuesday morning at the courthouse…. In addition to the educational workshops and vendor exhibits, the KAC’s Legislative Policy Statement was finalized. It was the soft-handed tone of this statement that sparked frustrations for commissioners. “The KAC needs to be tougher on the state,” said District 3 Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson, who was Barton County’s voting delegate and attended along with District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. In particular, he referenced the statement on property taxes and Senate Bill 13, the so-called truth in taxation or revenue neutral law. “It’s very legal mumbo jumbo,” Hutchinson said. “It just needs to say this thing is stupid. You need to get rid of SB 13.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:06:32-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

Parents took a fight against masks in schools to the Kansas Supreme Court, and an entire law is at stake

Parents took a fight over school masks in the Shawnee Mission School District to the Kansas Supreme Court Tuesday, and a controversial law limiting state and local pandemic responses is hanging in the balance. Oral arguments over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 40 focused on due process, the timeliness of the challenge and whether a district court ruling calling the law unconstitutional should be overturned. At the heart of the lawsuit is a bill fueled by Republican dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The GOP had been pushing back against Kelly’s actions, like closing businesses early in the pandemic and ordering masks.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:07:00-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

‘Reframing Topeka’ meetings discuss ways to improve the city

A project called “Reframing Topeka” is looking to make the city a better place. It’s a series of open conversations and anyone is welcome to attend. Leaders from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library guide the discussions. Their goal is to spark real conversations about practical solutions to make Topeka better. People who attend the event are placed into small groups. Within those groups, they discuss the issues they see throughout the Topeka community and share ideas and suggestions. The talks are broken up into categories such as how to make Topeka safer, fairer, more successful or more fun. “When we talk about it we talk about the trade-offs of each idea,” Lissa Staley with the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library said. “So if we did something, what else might happen and can we accept that?”
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:07:15-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

Pops of color on the street helping your drinking water

The Topeka Zoo and the city have teamed up to create the “Waterways Protection Project.” This new project is centered around the creation of colorful, painted storm drains that will help raise awareness of the pollution going down them. Storm drains in Topeka lead out to the Kansas River, which eventually leads to the Mississippi River, which then goes out to the ocean. This means that if the number of pollution going into storm drain’s in Topeka drops, so will the amount of pollution going into the ocean. According to Dennis Dinwiddie, the Director of Conservation and Education at Topeka Zoo, it takes only a gallon of oil to contaminate up to a million gallons of river water. By creating these colorful storm drains, the zoo is hoping to attract attention to the issue of pollution going down the drains and thus affecting wildlife and the quality of our drinking water.
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:07:38-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

Shawnee considers giving property tax relief to low-income residents — here’s how it would work

Shawnee is planning to create a new property tax rebate program for low-income residents. Funding for the pilot program would come from roughly $98,000 that comprises the remaining balance in the 10 Quivira Community Improvement District Fund. The Shawnee City Council on Monday had an extensive discussion about the rebate pilot program, driven mainly by comments in favor of helping out low-income residents as much as possible. Still, no official action was taken, and the city council unanimously agreed to consider enacting the program at a future city meeting. The 10 Quivira CID, also called Ten Quivira Plaza, is the shopping center located at the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Quivira Road.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:08:05-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

Supreme Court digs into emergency management law

Who went too far? A Johnson County district judge who found the state’s new emergency management law unconstitutional. Or the Legislature that authored the law? The Kansas Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with those issues as it tried to decide the fate of the new emergency management law passed last session. The bill – known as SB 40 – gave Kansans new legal recourse if they believed they’ve been aggrieved by a health order issued by the state and local governments, including school districts. The law came about in response to complaints that health officers across the state had over-asserted their authority with restrictions – such as stay-at-home orders and mask mandates – that were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:08:16-05:00October 27, 2021|News|

Topeka’s $10K relocation incentive has ‘changed the trajectory’ of city, Greater Topeka Partnership VP says

Topeka is offering $10,000 to remote workers willing to buy a house and relocate to the Golden City. Since the pandemic’s forced work-from-home shift, remote workers have become the gold in a rush by rural towns and shrinking cities to attract these free agents and their out-of-state salaries. “Looking at talent has become one of the most important assets that people are going to be vying for over the next 10 years for sure,” said Bob Ross, vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Topeka Partnership, which runs the program. “We decided to go ahead and put our money where our mouth is and say you know what, if you’re willing to relocate here to work remote or for one of our local employers, you could get $10-15,000.”
Source: The Chanute Tribune

Ranson Financial2021-10-27T07:08:38-05:00October 26, 2021|News|

Webinars about the ReConnect Program (loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas)

ReConnect Program Webinars FY2022

Interested to learn more about our Rural Development ReConnect Program? USDA will host four webinars covering the ReConnect Program Regulation and the recently announced ReConnect Program FY2022 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

ReConnect Program Regulation Webinar

We will present this webinar twice. The second presentation will provide the same information as the first one; no new information will be added to the second session. Please register for the session that’s most convenient for you.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

ReConnect Program FY2022 FOA Webinar

We will present this information twice. The second presentation will provide the same information as the first one; no new information will be added to the second session. Please register for the session that’s most convenient for you.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Thursday, November 18, 2021 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM Eastern

Register here!

Slides, a transcript, and a recording of each webinar will be posted on the ReConnect website after each session.

You can also find registration links at the events page on the ReConnect website.

ReConnect Program Regulation Webinar

Presented by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service, this webinar will provide information about the ReConnect Program regulation published on February 26, 2021. This rule describes the eligibility requirements, the application process, and the criteria that will be used by USDA to assess applicants’ creditworthiness.

This webinar will include:

An overview of the ReConnect Program regulation requirements
A high-level look at eligibility requirements
The application submission process and key evaluation criteria
An opportunity to ask questions about the regulation

ReConnect Program FY2022 FOA Webinar

On Monday, October 25, 2021, USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) announcing that it will begin accepting applications for fiscal year 2022 for the Rural eConnectivity Program (or ReConnect Program). The application window will open on November 24, 2021. In addition, this announcement also details the requirements that have been established based on feedback from the public comment period that closed on April 27, 2021 (as outlined in the regulation).

To support the application process, staff from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service will conduct a webinar on the funding announcement.

The webinar will include:

An awards update from previous rounds
Program requirements and scoring criteria for this FOA
An opportunity to ask questions about program requirements and scoring criteria

Additional Information

RUS encourages you to submit questions about the regulation or the FOA ahead of each webinar; please submit them through this form. We’ll address questions as time permits during each session; we’ll include the most common ones on our frequently asked questions page on the ReConnect website (link here: https://www.usda.gov/reconnect).

Ranson Financial2021-10-26T16:48:21-05:00October 26, 2021|News|

New visitor’s center near Mullinville opens featuring the metal artwork of M.T. Liggett

On October 2, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the M.T. Art Environment visitor center near Mullinville. Director Ann Dixson said she was relieved and happy that those scissors she held signified the grand opening that she as site steward and director was long planning for and working toward steadily. “We served cookies at the grand opening event that had little hearts on them because M.T. liked to make heart shapes in his sculptural works,” Dixson said. Myron Thomas (M.T.) Liggett became famous for creating politically charged, sometimes comic or slightly infuriating metal totems and whirligigs. He has created a line-up of pieces that grace the roadside essentially of pasture fence along US Hwy 400 and Kansas Highway 54.
Source: Salina Journal

Ranson Financial2021-10-26T07:07:10-05:00October 26, 2021|News|

A stroll through Hutchinson’s past

On Friday, Stage 9 Hutchinson volunteers made history come alive as tour guides lead patrons around downtown, from Avenue A to Second Street, to see Hutchinson’s historical sites during their If Walls Could Talk event. Each location provided either a live performance or a pre-recorded performance to teach residents and tourists about each buildings’ history. Hutchinson, founded in 1871, has a long history, with multiple buildings that have stood the test of time. “Imagine!” Stage 9 Hutchinson volunteer performer Rachel Hein said. “This place was once a glittering hotel and restaurant in 1889,” she told the guests of the If Walls Could Talk downtown walking tour.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2021-10-26T07:05:54-05:00October 26, 2021|News|

About Ranson Financial

Barton County Commission wants to get tough with state

Parents took a fight against masks in schools to the Kansas Supreme Court, and an entire law is at stake

‘Reframing Topeka’ meetings discuss ways to improve the city

Pops of color on the street helping your drinking water

Shawnee considers giving property tax relief to low-income residents — here’s how it would work

Supreme Court digs into emergency management law

Topeka’s $10K relocation incentive has ‘changed the trajectory’ of city, Greater Topeka Partnership VP says

Webinars about the ReConnect Program (loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas)

New visitor’s center near Mullinville opens featuring the metal artwork of M.T. Liggett

A stroll through Hutchinson’s past

Services

Company