info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Overland Park expands street maintenance program for 2024

Overland Park plans to spend roughly $17 million more next year maintaining, repairing and rehabilitating roads. It’s all part of an expansion to the city’s infrastructure maintenance program in 2024, supported largely by revenue raised through the city’s new three-eighths cent special sales tax, which voters approved this summer. Overall, the city expects to spend about $38.3 million next year maintaining its streets with different methods, including more mill and overlay projects, when a street’s top surface layer is removed and replaced. “It’s really exciting to see the impact of the vote that our residents took to increase the sales tax and dedicate it to this and show up in the numbers so quickly in 2024,” Mayor Curt Skoog said at Monday night’s city council meeting.
Source: Prairie Village Post

info2023-10-04T12:25:33-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Places to go, sites to see, tales of yore keep Atchison tourism on the Kansas Map

For the curious, history lovers, adventurists, and naturalists near and far, they might tell Atchison is the place they like to go for good time experiences. Kansas Tourism recently announced that the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce was recently awarded a $10,000 Marketing Grant in the 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant Awards Program. The grant awards announced on Aug. 28, are designed to assist local tourism or attractions in new or first-time innovative marketing initiatives. Atchison Chamber is one of the 22 projects that the Kansas Tourism Award will provide funding throughout the state to enhance and expand advertising efforts to attract new visitors to the state and destinations throughout. Director Jill Thorne, Locally Atchison, wrote the grant application. An elemental key focus of the grant award is the recently published “Atchison, Ks FOR The Spirited.” Visitor’s Guide.
Source: News | atchisonglobenow.com

info2023-10-04T12:23:20-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Valley Center to consider water treatment plant

Valley Center is considering building its own water treatment plant. The city voted Tuesday to approve a special meeting on the topic next Thursday. It will hold a public hearing to decide on whether to ask for a maximum $19 million loan from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to build the facility. The city currently sells its untreated water to Wichita and then buys treated water from Wichita at a higher rate than Wichita residents. “What we do know is that once we’re done that that per thousand gallons that we’re charging monthly to our residents would be about half of what we’re paying or charging them from Wichita right now,” said Valley Center City Administrator Brent Clark.
Source: KSN-TV

info2023-10-04T13:08:50-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Lawrence city commissioners approve change to allow 2 affordable homes on more single lots

Lawrence city commissioners approved a tweak that will open up more single residential lots to possibly be developed with two small affordable homes. City commissioners in 2019 approved a text amendment to allow two affordable homes to be built on one lot, if projects meet several conditions. But city code currently does not allow development of two smaller homes on certain types of lots. The new text amendment the commission approved Tuesday will change that, opening up more than 1,000 lots to the possibility of being developed with two affordable single-family homes. City staff members had had recommended opening up the option for developers to seek special use permits to develop two homes on single lots smaller than 7,000 square feet regardless of the type of residential zoning district they’re in.
Source: The Lawrence Times

info2023-10-04T12:21:07-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Reno County alcohol vote could change business operations

On Nov. 7, Reno County voters will decide on whether to get rid of the food rule. Reno County has been a semi-dry county since the 80s, meaning businesses that sell alcohol by the glass over 6% must ensure food makes up 30% of sales. “This is ultimately an outdated regulation that is obscure that very few people actually recognize is still here,” Pippin Williamson, Sandhills Brewing co-owner, said. “I mean the number of times that we’ve heard people say like, I thought we got rid of that 20 years ago. If you’re a non-food establishment, it is almost impossible to do 30% food sales. And that is actually the way that this law was designed was to make it impossible for non-food establishments to operate with alcohol.” The only way to change that rule is for the public to vote on it. To get it on the ballot, commissioners had to vote for it.
Source: KSN-TV

info2023-10-04T12:19:06-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Internet access is top priority for upcoming Topeka meeting

City officials say Topeka is teaming up with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to talk broadband access later this week. City of Topeka spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said in a press release that a joint listening session for stakeholder agencies will be held, courtesy of Topeka and the FCC, to discuss the topic of broadband access on Thursday. This is part of a push by the FCC to gain more information from different communities across the U.S. as to what challenges they are facing when trying to access broadband services. Broadband access is under discussion across the U.S., from the highest levels of our government to the Capital City of Kansas. Debate is focused on whether or not broadband should be seen as essential, such as access to water or electricity.
Source: KSNT 27 News

info2023-10-04T07:46:12-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Junction City ready if government shuts down

One Kansas community shares its plan if leaders in Washington, D.C. can’t come to an agreement on the national budget. Saturday, the United States House of Representatives, Senate and President Joe Biden agreed to a 45-day extension for the congress to come to an agreement on budget. KSNT 27 News spoke with the city manager of Junction City who says anytime there’s uncertainty, it can trickle down to the community. “I think a family has angst when you may not get paid for a month and you have bills due,” City Manager of Junction City Allen Dinkel said, “And of course from our standpoint, you know, habits of sales tax, people shopping and everything else because not knowing if they’ll get paid and secondly will they get that pack pay and whole bit.
Source: KSNT 27 News

info2023-10-04T07:45:11-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Transforming Halstead: SEED and HEAL Grants Fuel Prosperity and Community Growth

For this month’s Spotlighting Prosperity, we are excited to showcase the City of Halstead and the great work they have been doing to help their community prosper. In the past year, they were awarded a SEED grant, and more recently, a HEAL grant. With assistance from the SEED grant, the Kansas Learning Center for Health facilitated an amazing Outdoor Fitness Equipment project that was recently completed and the library is getting some much needed updates. Utilizing the HEAL grant, they are expanding the Daphne Mae Café in their downtown. This will allow more dining seating, event space, and provide a new location for meetings and other larger group activities.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

info2023-10-04T07:44:07-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

Bond yields could race through 5% in next couple of weeks, market forecaster warns

Wall Street forecaster Jim Bianco expects Treasury yields to go a lot higher — and possibly overshoot through five percent in the next couple of weeks. “I don’t think we’re near the end of this move in the bond market,” the Bianco Research president told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Tuesday. If the Federal Reserve hints about ending interest rate hikes while investors still sense inflation, Bianco warns they won’t buy bonds. “That’s what I think has been killing the bond market,” he said. “The more the Fed talks about being done, waiting [and] assessing all the rate hikes they’ve done — the more that they’re making it worse.”
Source: Finance

info2023-10-04T13:19:51-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

A new Johnson County program gives landlords reasons to accept housing choice vouchers

Housing choice vouchers, also known as Section 8 vouchers, help people in need find affordable housing. But landlords often won’t accept them, saying they don’t want to fill out the paperwork or are worried that tenants will damage their units. A new program in Johnson County aims to increase the number of landlords who do take vouchers by offering incentives to do so. Landlords who take on such a tenant will gain access to a damage claim fund and receive a one-time bonus equivalent to two times a unit’s rent.
Source: KCUR

info2023-10-04T07:34:59-05:00October 4, 2023|News|

About info

Overland Park expands street maintenance program for 2024

Places to go, sites to see, tales of yore keep Atchison tourism on the Kansas Map

Valley Center to consider water treatment plant

Lawrence city commissioners approve change to allow 2 affordable homes on more single lots

Reno County alcohol vote could change business operations

Internet access is top priority for upcoming Topeka meeting

Junction City ready if government shuts down

Transforming Halstead: SEED and HEAL Grants Fuel Prosperity and Community Growth

Bond yields could race through 5% in next couple of weeks, market forecaster warns

A new Johnson County program gives landlords reasons to accept housing choice vouchers

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