info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Douglas County Commission approves request to divide rural property for residential use

info2021-07-22T07:59:56-05:00July 22nd, 2021|

Douglas County leaders have approved a request to rezone 25 acres currently zoned for agricultural use into residential lots. The commission voted unanimously as part of its meeting Wednesday to approve a request from property owners Patrick Halpin and Erin Callahan-Halpin to rezone 25 acres at 981 East 1549 Road, roughly 3 miles south of Lawrence, from its current agricultural zoning to a cluster preservation district. The new zoning will allow the property to be divided into up to five residential lots. Source: LJWorld.com.

Garden Rapids sees increase in usage over past years with Big Pool

info2021-07-22T07:58:47-05:00July 22nd, 2021|

Aaron Stewart, Garden City Parks and Recreation director, gave the Garden City Commission a mid-season report on Garden Rapids at the Big Pool at their regular meeting Tuesday. Since opening, the pool has had an average of about 893 people per day as of July 14, Stewart said. The number has fluctuated, being as high as 1,000 a day and as low as 800 a day. Compared to an average of 309 in 2019 and 330 in 2018, it’s a significant increase, Stewart said. ...The number of swimmers has also increased, with 39,308 in 2021. In 2019 there were 25,610 and [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for July 21, 2021

info2021-07-22T07:56:13-05:00July 22nd, 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.

AG Derek Schmidt files notice of appeal in Kansas Emergency Management Act case, asks court to put ruling on hold

info2021-07-21T20:23:09-05:00July 21st, 2021|

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today filed a notice of appeal in a Johnson County District Court case that recently held unenforceable 2021 Senate Bill 40, a newly enacted law that reforms the Kansas Emergency Management Act. Schmidt today notified the Johnson County court that he is appealing the decision to the Kansas Supreme Court. In addition, he filed a motion asking the lower court to stay its decision in the case, pending the appeal. In the filings, Schmidt noted that the court’s ruling was causing “unnecessary and disruptive confusion,” in part because many provisions of Senate Bill 40 were not [...]

Proposed Paola rec commission may be on November ballot

info2021-07-22T07:57:06-05:00July 21st, 2021|

City of Paola and USD 368 officials are working together to finalize a ballot question that would ask voters in November to approve the creation of a joint recreation commission. The possibility of a joint rec commission in Paola has been discussed for years, but the issue has come to the forefront recently because Paola is considering constructing a new sports complex in Wallace Park. During a June 1 work session, Paola City Council members directed Paola City Manager Sid Fleming to reach out to Paola Superintendent Matt Meek about the possibility of forming a task force with city and school [...]

Prairie Village remains outlier with no plans to return to in-person city meetings

info2021-07-21T20:09:06-05:00July 21st, 2021|

As COVID-19 precautions ease up, Prairie Village appears to be one of the only cities still hosting virtual-only meetings. However, Mayor Eric Mikkelson on Wednesday morning told the Post the city has been working on plans to convert to hybrid meetings and is “waiting on some tech replacement parts to facilitate that.” “Of course our current plans to go hybrid could change if conditions deteriorate,” Mikkelson told the Post. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, cities quickly shifted gears and took their regular meetings online with platforms like Zoom or GoToMeeting. Some cities like Lenexa returned to in-person meetings as early as [...]

The bond market is torn over the potential for higher inflation and lower growth

info2021-07-22T07:50:40-05:00July 21st, 2021|

A volatile environment for government bonds is reflecting a highly uncertain future for the U.S. economy, pointing to both slower growth and stubborn inflation. After a burst higher earlier this year that scared markets, Treasury yields have fallen back sharply as investors have switched their focus from worries about price increases to the potential that the rapid burst in post-pandemic activity could start to slow down. In the 1970s, the mix of higher prices and lower growth was called "stagflation," a pejorative that has garnered little attention since then as inflation has remained tame over the past few decades. However, the [...]

North Newton residents discuss benefits of solar energy

info2021-07-22T07:53:45-05:00July 21st, 2021|

Rodger Nugent’s electrical bills were cut by more than 60% after he installed solar panels nearly two years ago. Nugent is one of about 10 residents in North Newton who have solar panels on their roofs. He said he was lucky in that he received the solar panels gratis from Howard Schrag. Otherwise, he said converting one’s residence to solar could be kind of expensive. He installed infrastructure underneath each panel himself, and his bills have gone from $120 per month to between $30 and $40. “When I started this process, Evergy made it pretty weird and hard,” he said. What [...]

Wichita Public Schools workers vote overwhelmingly in favor of new union contracts

info2021-07-21T19:25:46-05:00July 21st, 2021|

Employees at Wichita Public Schools voted overwhelmingly to approve new union contracts with the district after USD 259 added a bonus and other worker-friendly provisions, said Esau Freeman, the business representative for the union. SEIU Local 513 represents non-teacher employees at USD 259. It has one contract for security workers at the district and another for classified employees, which includes custodians, maintenance workers, secretaries and more. “I think they really felt heard and respected because of that money that was able to be shared with the employees,” Freeman said. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

These Johnson County school districts will not mandate any masks for start of school

info2021-07-22T07:55:30-05:00July 21st, 2021|

As COVID-19 cases spike throughout the Kansas City area, almost all of Johnson County’s school districts have decided not to mandate masks when classes begin next month. This week, the Blue Valley district decided masks will be optional for everyone, but strongly encouraged for students and staff who are not fully vaccinated. Officials in the Olathe, De Soto, Spring Hill and Gardner-Edgerton districts have previously said the same. The last major Johnson County district to decide, Shawnee Mission, is expected to announce its COVID-19 protocols at a school board meeting Monday, spokesman David Smith said. Source: Kansas City Star

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