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Great Bend OKs three sales tax questions

info2021-08-17T06:41:46-05:00August 17th, 2021|

There will be three separate City of Great Bend sales tax questions on the Nov. 2 general election ballot following action by the City Council Monday night. These would help fund quality of life improvements, pay off the city’s debt incurred for a new police station and cover the cost of changes to the benefit package for the Police and Fire departments. The council at its Aug. 2 work session reached a consensus on the questions, said City Administrator Kendal Francis said. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Rural Business Development funds announced

info2021-08-17T06:42:05-05:00August 17th, 2021|

U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. and Jerry Moran announced a $96,575 USDA Rural Business Development grant that will be used to increase training and education programs availability in 27 counties. The counties benefitting from this USDA Rural Business Development grant include: Finney, Edwards, Pawnee, Wichita, Stevens, Barber, Clark, Pratt, Hamilton, Ford, Comanche, Greeley, Barton, Ness, Grant, Seward, Stanton, Scott, Haskell, Kearny, Hodgeman, Meade, Lane, Morton, Kiowa, Rush and Stafford. “This USDA grant will help many small business owners succeed in rural Kansas through further investment in education and training,” said Marshall. “Small businesses are the backbone of this nation, and providing [...]

Strong wind, large hail cause severe damage in central Kansas

info2021-08-17T01:21:45-05:00August 17th, 2021|

Strong winds and large hail caused severe damage in Rice and Ellsworth counties Sunday evening. The storm started around 5:30 p.m., south of Ellsworth and continued for about 30 miles. The National Weather Service of Wichita estimates that winds levels peaked at 110 mph. Several train cars were blown off the tracks west of Geneseo. Also noted were two areas of snapped power lines in Rice County. The storm also damaged buildings, cars and fields with hail reportedly the size of baseballs. Source: KAKE - News

Kansas firefighter electrocuted while searching for crash victims

info2021-08-17T01:19:50-05:00August 17th, 2021|

A southwest Kansas firefighter has died after he was shocked by a power line while searching for the victims of a crash. Morton county deputies and emergency crews responded just before 6 p.m. Sunday to a rollover accident south of Rolla. A deputy and a firefighter arrived on scene minutes later. "In the process of searching for victims of the rollover, the first responding firefighter received an electrical shock from damaged power lines," emergency management said on Facebook. Other responders began CPR, and the firefighter was taken to the county hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released. [...]

Amazon Fulfillment Center is up and running in Park City

info2021-08-17T01:15:19-05:00August 17th, 2021|

The 1-million-square-foot Amazon center was buzzing with workers Sunday. Park City residents say they may go apply for a job. "It's a big building. It's kind of overwhelming when you look at it," said Park City resident, Robert. "It's definitely something I'll look into." Local businesses in the area welcome the new Amazon center, and the people it will bring to the area. "People stop in here before they go home," said Gabriel Biesiada with Park City Discount Liquor, about a mile from the Amazon complex. "We will pick up business from that because you know that's a main street right [...]

The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner

info2021-08-17T01:13:18-05:00August 17th, 2021|

The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced the recipients of it's solid waste reduction grants. $450,000 will be distributed to 24 entities across the state and help incorporate recycling, waste minimization, public education and create environmentally friendly habits. The city of Columbus hopes to use roughly $5,000 of the grant to help keep their city parks clean. Jake Letner, Columbus Community Development Coordinator, says, "We don't really have many opportunities in our parks to recycle so we hope that by implementing these new recycling and [...]

City commission to discuss half-cent sales tax question

info2021-08-17T01:12:02-05:00August 17th, 2021|

Parsons city commissioners Monday will look at adding a question to the November ballot on continuing the city’s half-cent sales tax. Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the Municipal Building in the city commission meeting room. City officials will broadcast the meeting online at livestream.com/ParsonsKansas. People also can watch on Sparklight channel 58. The sales tax, if approved by voters, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, and last for five years. Source: Parsons Sun

Census: Pottawatomie County has biggest percentage growth in Kansas

info2021-08-17T06:43:56-05:00August 17th, 2021|

Pottawatomie County is No. 1. Pottawatomie County experienced the largest population growth by percentage in Kansas from 2010 to 2020, according to Census data. The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released data on its 2020 population count. Pottawatomie County’s population grew 17.3% from 21,604 to 25,348. It was one of two Kansas counties that recorded a double-digit percentage growth; Johnson County grew by 12.1% from 544,179 in 2010 to 609,863 people in 2020. Source: themercury.com

COVID-19 brought a ‘tectonic shift’ to higher education in Kansas

info2021-08-16T07:18:13-05:00August 16th, 2021|

The college business model — one that depends on students living on campus and attending classes in person — was broken even before the pandemic. COVID-19 just made things more obvious. Classes moved online. Campus buildings and dormitories sat empty. Students flocked home. And many haven’t returned. Enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities fell by 8.1% last fall — more than the national average. With continued uncertainty over COVID-19 and the highly contagious delta variant, universities could face the biggest money crisis in their history. “The pandemic ... converged with longer-term challenges facing enrollment,” said Blake Flanders, president and CEO of [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for August 13, 2021

info2021-08-16T06:54:51-05:00August 16th, 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.

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