Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

1969 fire truck to retire

A 1969 fire truck is being retired and the Solid Waste Department has purchased a 1996 Ford F350 Brush Fire Truck from the city of Wilson for $14,300. Solid Waste Director Jennifer Hamby asked the Barton County Commission to officially approve the purchase at Tuesday’s commission meeting. The truck was purchased through the Purple Wave online auction site and the funds will come from the budget for the county landfill. There are areas at the landfill that are prone to fires even though the Solid Waste Department has taken measures for fire suppression. Some time back, the department bought an old truck from the Claflin Fire Department and that is being replaced. Hamby said it is smaller than the brush truck and can get stuck easier.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T09:09:13-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Olathe moves ahead with STAR bond district for ‘ultra-accessible’ amusement park, sport arena

Loretto Properties’ plan to build an “ultra-accessible” special incentive district featuring an amusement park, a 5,000-seat multisport complex, housing, retail, dining and a medical facility for individuals with disabilities easily cleared its first hurdle this week. The company — run by Lamar Hunt Jr. and his son-in-law James Arkell — has requested a Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bond district. The total estimate for the price tag of the first planned phase of development at the southwest corner of 119th Street and Renner Boulevard covering about 64 acres costs about $300 million. An official amount has yet to be set, but Arkell estimated in an interview with the Post the project would request about $54 million through the incentive. The Olathe City Council on Tuesday voted 6-0 to start the process of establishing a STAR bond district comprising roughly 132 acres in the area known as Olathe Gateway.
Source: Johnson County Post

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T09:07:37-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Prairie Village shuts down big changes to property tax rebate program

One Prairie Village program to provide tax relief for residents is remaining relatively unchanged, despite one councilmember’s proposed updates. The Prairie Village City Council on Monday during its committee meeting effectively shut down a proposal by Councilmember Greg Shelton to change the city’s property tax rebate program to emphasize helping young families. Currently, the property tax rebate program gives eligible residents — based only on income levels — the city’s portion of their individual tax bill back as a way to offer some tax relief. The city council discussed Shelton’s proposal to prioritize families as a way to provide relief for those dealing with high childcare costs in addition to an increased cost of living. (Shelton is the brother-in-law of Post publisher Jay Senter.)
Source: Johnson County Post

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T09:06:23-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Hillsboro to aid Peabody on water

Hillsboro City Council agreed Tuesday that Hillsboro water system employees would help Peabody with its understaffed public works department. City administrator Matt Stiles discussed Peabody’s staffing with mayor Lou Thurston, Peabody mayor Catherine Weems, and Hillsboro water superintendent and Peabody resident Morgan Marler. “Peabody has seen a lot of employees leave the organization, which has created a situation where they don’t have the required operators or staff to address their system requirements,” Stiles said.
Source: Marion County RECORD

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T09:04:57-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Grocery and deli provides an oasis in growing Kansas food deserts

Its removal can spell disaster for locals, who might be left with a corporate mega-chain as their only option for groceries, or at least be forced to drive much farther for quality food.
The Wichita Eagle reported in 2016 that 51% of Kansas’ 675 communities had no local supermarkets. The future is not looking good for such businesses, either. One in five rural Kansas groceries closed between 2008 and 2018, according to the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University.
Source:Marion County RECORD

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T10:10:03-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Olathe OKs incentives for rundown shopping complex — Here’s the plan

The vacant and dilapidated Rosebud Plaza Shopping Center at the northeast corner of Santa Fe Street and Mur-Len Road could soon see some reinvestment to the tune of $26 million. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council voted 6-0 to start the process of establishing a Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, district for the shopping center’s redevelopment, now dubbed Indian Creek Crossing.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2024-09-19T09:02:25-05:00September 19, 2024|News|

Hostilities at public meetings a nationwide issue

An outrageous Lawrence City Council meeting is just one example of political discord at the local level. Commission meetings in Lawrence are built to solicit and hear public input. On nearly every agenda item, citizens are given up to three minutes apiece to weigh in. There is even a section of the meeting to hear public comments about city business that isn’t on the agenda. I covered the Lawrence City Commission years ago as a young journalist, you see. There was always a culture of vibrant public input — I can remember the gadflies and their names; the meetings could stretch deep into the night — and there could be hurt feelings. But one could watch the process and come away with a firm sense that the public’s business was being done. Not so much now. Dealing with the commenters consumes an inordinate amount of the commission’s time and resources, mental and otherwise. They’ve changed the rules — pushing the main comment session to the end of the meeting, no longer broadcasting that portion on the city’s YouTube channel. And they’re fighting a lawsuit from another notorious commenter, Justin Spiehs, who says his First Amendment rights have been curtailed by the commission for being a “troublemaker and instigator” at meetings. It all resembles a real-life “denial of service” attack — that form of cyber-hacking that shuts down websites by flooding them with an overflow of useful traffic. And you have to ask: Why would anybody sign up for public service, simply to endure all this?
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2024-09-18T11:28:34-05:00September 18, 2024|News|

Richmond builds new fire station

The town of Richmond is not catching on fire, but you’ll certainly see red when you notice the new fire station which is East of Highway 59 Service Station. The 80ft. X 76ft. steel-sided building was designed by Ken Coleman and built by Quality Structures in what seemed like a short amount of time. “Quality Structures is proud to help serve the city of Richmond and local communities,” said Rick Gudenkauf, General Manager. This is only one of numerous projects QSI has helped with or been almost totally responsible for as in the case of the Show Barn for the Richmond Free Fair Assn. Gudenkauf said many employees assisted with the fire station project from Pat DuPont in the beginning to Ken Coleman in the design dept., to Matt Batchelor who is also on the Fire Dept. board. “There is also an attached office/training area on the south that is 40ft. X 24 ft.,” the QSI manager said. There are four bays for trucks which leaves room for an addition since the department now has three trucks. Background information was furnished by Lester Wuertz, Richmond Fire Dept. president, who said QSI is in the process of placing water and electricity lines before the concrete floor is poured. QSI will get bids for the sub-contractors. Then, add the big doors and finishing touches….and it will be an exciting moment when it’s ribbon-cutting time!
Source: The Ottawa Herald

Ranson Financial2024-09-18T11:25:20-05:00September 18, 2024|News|

Childcare again drives county meeting

A Crawford County commissioner, pastor, and Morning Sun news reporter discussed childcare at Tuesday’s regular meeting, exchanging at times heated comments on the validity and process of the funds from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). The conversation of childcare further carried into this week’s meeting with Victory Life Church Pastor Donny Talent speaking during public comment.
Source: Morning Sun

Ranson Financial2024-09-18T11:21:52-05:00September 18, 2024|News|

College students help revitalize downtown gardens

Emporia Main Street’s ongoing “Adopt a Garden” program received a major boost Monday evening when volunteers from Flint Hills Technical College and the Emporia State University women’s basketball team pitched in to clean up downtown garden beds. Students spent about some time weeding, removing trash, and tidying up the beds to help keep the city’s green spaces vibrant. “We’re really excited we had volunteers from Flint Hills Technical College and the ESU women’s basketball team helping us out,” said Community Development Coordinator Jess Buchholz. “The downtown gardens are a big part of our community, and having the help of local volunteers is huge. It really shows the community coming together to keep the area looking beautiful.” Buchholz said the Adopt a Garden program encourages businesses, organizations, and individuals to adopt garden beds throughout downtown, primarily along Commercial Street and the stretch of Sixth Street between Merchant and Market.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Ranson Financial2024-09-18T11:20:30-05:00September 18, 2024|News|

About Ranson Financial

1969 fire truck to retire

Olathe moves ahead with STAR bond district for ‘ultra-accessible’ amusement park, sport arena

Prairie Village shuts down big changes to property tax rebate program

Hillsboro to aid Peabody on water

Grocery and deli provides an oasis in growing Kansas food deserts

Olathe OKs incentives for rundown shopping complex — Here’s the plan

Hostilities at public meetings a nationwide issue

Richmond builds new fire station

Childcare again drives county meeting

College students help revitalize downtown gardens

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