City of Lawrence sanitation workers will soon vote on whether to unionize. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to adopt a resolution setting dates for the election for later in August. Teamsters Local 696 recently filed a petition with the city on behalf of the city’s 70 sanitation workers, whose duties include handling trash, recycling and yard waste collection, asking that the city conduct a union election... Read more: LJWorld.com.

Kansas State University will not implement mandatory COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff upon returning to campus this fall, according to Dr. Kyle Goerl, medical director at Lafene Health Center. “It doesn’t seem to do much good to test an entire group of individuals once with no plan to do further surveillance testing,” Goerl said during a Virtual Town Hall Meeting put on by K-State officials Tuesday. “And so, we have elected no to do that at Kansas State.” This route is different than the one being taken by the University of Kansas, which is requiring everyone returning to campus [...]

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.

Boy Scout Matthew Whittaker will be building a trap shooting range in Sabetha. ... Whittaker presented to the commissioners about his idea of building a trap shooting range in Sabetha to complete his Eagle Scout Project. The proposed location for the range is east of the water treatment plant. M. Whittaker said the project is estimated to cost around $10,000 – $4,500 for the trap shooting machine and $5,500 for the concrete work and building. via Sabetha Herald

Shawnee is planning an overhaul to its downtown program that incentivizes commercial improvements. Revisions to the city’s policy would simplify financial incentive packages for downtown businesses and increase reimbursable expenses. City staff, in conjunction with the Shawnee Downtown Partnership, had proposed numerous revisions to the policy after reviewing the program this summer.  ...Adopted by the city in 2003, the Downtown Improvement Program is an incentive policy designed to encourage businesses to invest in their buildings to make the downtown area more attractive, according to city documents. The policy provides financial incentives to downtown businesses to assist them with costs toward improvements [...]

Keep those masks on, Wichita. The City Council on Tuesday extended the city’s mask mandate until after the Labor Day weekend as the fight continues against the COVID-19 pandemic. The council vote was 4-3 to continue requiring masks for employees and patrons of most public-facing businesses and indoor gatherings until Sept. 8. via Wichita Eagle

In an effort to prop up dining and drinking establishments hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wichita City Council has approved a plan to make it easier for them to take their business outside. The new program, called Open Air ICT, will allow businesses to get a free permit to expand into outdoor spaces in city right-of-way, including streets, grassy areas, sidewalks and parking lots adjacent to their businesses, said Gary Janzen, city engineer. Restaurants and bars are forecast to be the biggest beneficiaries, although the permits could also be used for outdoor display of retail goods. via Wichita Eagle

After six hours of public comment and debate, Wichita City Council approved its annual budget without any major changes. The Wichita Police Department got a multi-million-dollar increase while the rest of the city budget was cut by millions of dollars, despite dozens of opposition speakers and weeks of protests calling for cuts to the police budget and more spending on social services. ... The City Council signed off on cutting 29 city jobs and privatizing management of Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, a measure that is projected to save $5.7 million over the next two-and-half years. via Wichita Eagle

A nearly $5 million federal grant award made public Tuesday will enable the Topeka Metro bus service to take steps that include replacing seven buses in its aging fleet.U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded a grant totaling $4,987,500 to Topeka Metro from its Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2020. "With the funding we receive from this grant, Topeka Metro will be able to improve our operations by replacing a portion of our aging bus fleet, while also investing in technology to enhance communication with our bus operators," said Topeka Metro [...]

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today issued a formal legal opinion addressing the authority of boards of county commissioners and local school boards to adopt public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in local public and private schools that include provisions different from executive orders issued by the governor. ... Synopsis: Because Executive Order 20-59 is a statewide order relating to public health, boards of county commissioners have statutory authority under L. 2020 Special Session, Ch. 1, § 33 to issue an order relating to public health that is less stringent than the provisions of Executive Order 20-59, if [...]