info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Airbnb requirements and other short-term rentals in Topeka just got stricter

info2021-03-04T08:16:09-06:00March 4th, 2021|

One Topeka resident could lose about $1,000 a month in missed business after the Topeka City council approved changes to an ordinance governing short-term rentals. Suzy Loy, an Airbnb operator, says she will need to rethink her rental strategy or lose the monthly revenue. ...The updated ordinance requires short-term rentals to include one parking space for the primary resident with one space for every two guest bedrooms. Up to three on-street spaces can be replaced with a minimum of 22 feet of “unobstructed street frontage per space,” which Loy isn’t able to do. Source: Topeka Capital-Journal

Municipal Bond Trends for March 3, 2021

info2021-03-04T07:22:07-06:00March 4th, 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.

Kansas to loan up to $100M to cities with huge energy costs

info2021-03-04T07:20:10-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

Driven by pleas from desperate local officials, Kansas legislators on Wednesday quickly created a state low-interest loan program to help cities cover spikes in costs associated with providing heat and electricity to their residents during last month's intense cold snap. Lawmakers sent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a bill that would allow the state to loan out $100 million of its idle funds immediately to cities that operate their own electric and natural gas utilities, to cover “extraordinary” energy costs last month. Cities would have up to 10 years to pay off the loans. The bill was introduced Tuesday, had a hearing, [...]

A new casino nearly 30 years in the making opens in Park City

info2021-03-04T07:08:15-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

Wichita slots fans have a new place to try their luck as of this week. After years of legal wrangling followed by a quick construction process, the new Crosswinds Casino, owned by the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, opened to the public Tuesday night at 777 N. Jackpot Way, which is just south of I-135 off the 77th Street exit in Park City. It’s set up in a 20,000 square-foot one-room building and is filled with 500 slot machines, 200 VGT machines with red spins. There’s also a separated-off area with high stakes slot machines. Most of the blinking, glowing machines have [...]

Higher bills on the horizon

info2021-03-04T07:08:04-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

Steel yourself. Higher energy bills are on the way. With the recent spike in electric and natural gas usage due to wintry weather, it’s likely that electrical rate increases will follow suit for Iola residents. “We are seeing an extremely high jump in usage,” confirmed city clerk Roxanne Hutton. (For example, one resident who used 27 units of energy in January, used 32 in February. The rest of the year, they average 7 British Thermal Units.) Source: The Iola Register

Rural county fire detected, reported from space satellite

info2021-03-04T07:10:22-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

Sunday afternoon, firefighters responded to a 600-acre wildland fire near Lincolnville. Chance Hayes, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Wichita, spotted the fire using satellite thermal imagery on Sunday. Hayes was monitoring satellite feeds from the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service Group – a subsidiary of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. “Once we recognize a hotspot, we can use our software to drop a pin on that location. That will send out a text to all the individuals in that county that want to be notified of a possible wildfire,” he said. Source: Hillsboro Free Press

Sedgwick County partners with local churches to bring vaccines to communities of color

info2021-03-04T07:10:51-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

Churches in east Wichita, like Tabernacle Bible Church, have already served as COVID-19 testing locations during the pandemic. The move allowed for people like Gloria Wallace to get tested monthly and provided her some peace of mind. Soon Tabernacle Bible will go a step further. The church, along with St. James Missionary Baptist Church, will serve as community vaccination sites the next two Sundays as part of a wider effort by Sedgwick County to increase access to communities of color. Source: KAKE - News

Ogden coffee shop sets out to support local youth

info2021-03-04T07:12:19-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

In downtown Ogden, you won't find a major coffee chain, but rather a locally owned not-for-profit coffee shop. The House Cafe has a mission to serve its community. "A lot of times if kids aren't shown how to be employable or have a work ethic, how can you expect them to have those things," Christopher Jacobs said. Jacobs and his wife set out on a mission to give youth in the Ogden community the chance to not only learn the skills they would need when they leave Ogden but to also provide a space for youth in the community to gather [...]

City of Manhattan launching online survey for “CrossroadsMHK” strategic plan

info2021-03-04T07:12:41-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

The City of Manhattan is launching an online survey for its new "CrossroadsMHK" strategic plan. Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Manhattan can take part in the survey. This is part of an eight-month strategic planning process. Assistant to the City Manager Jared Wasinger said the survey is the first step in the public engagement process. "It's a brief survey just to kick off the process," Wasinger said. "We're asking folks to talk about their vision for Manhattan over the next 10 to 20 years as well as what they see as the core services this city should [...]

Effort to revamp city park in Peabody raises $110,500

info2021-03-04T07:14:11-06:00March 3rd, 2021|

An effort to revamp Peabody’s City Park has raised $110,500, placing it within $69,500 of its $180,000 fund-raising goal. The deadline for the second phase of the project is April 30, less than two months away. The new playground equipment will meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Volunteers will help install the new equipment when it is delivered. Source: Marion County RECORD

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