info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas salary survey: 70% of state government jobs pay workers below-market rates

info2022-12-01T07:37:25-06:00December 1st, 2022|

Seven of 10 categories of Kansas government workers were paid below average market rates based on a new survey examining wages at comparable in-state employers and state government employers in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and elsewhere. The Kansas Department of Administration’s report identified pay deficiencies of 32% for law clerks, 22% for social worker supervisors, 19% for driver license examiners, 13% for chemists, 9% for senior electricians, 7% for fire investigators, 3% for property appraisers and 1% for technology support consultants. Source: Kansas Reflector

New federal broadband maps indicate widespread availability

info2022-12-01T07:33:52-06:00December 1st, 2022|

If you want to check new federal maps about broadband availability, you can now do that. If you want to challenge the map, you can do that as well. The new maps, using location-specific information, should be more targeted than the prior maps, which were outdated and “overly general,” according to US Senator Roger Marshall. The new maps serve another purpose — paving the way for federal funds to bolster broadband in areas where high-speed internet is limited or unavailable. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

Kansas Supreme Court to begin Rural Justice Initiative

info2022-12-01T07:32:28-06:00December 1st, 2022|

The Kansas Supreme Court is planning to launch what it calls the Rural Justice Initiative with a brief ceremony Thursday. The committee involves 35 members. Its main charge is to examine unmet legal needs in rural areas of the state as attorney numbers decline. The committee will have its first meeting Thursday after the official creation as signed by Chief Justice Marla Luckert. The ceremony starts at 10 am at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

Valley Center’s 3D-printed home community delayed

info2022-12-01T07:31:02-06:00December 1st, 2022|

Kansas’s first-ever community of 3D-printed homes is delayed. The city of Valley Center was partnering with the Crain Company, or CC3D, to bring the development to the state. This week, the Valley Center City Council voted to withdraw its contract with the company. “We still do plan and hope to have the first 3D printed structure and the first 3D printed home here in Valley Center, Kansas,” City Administrator Brent Clark said. “That's not going away.” The City also entered another agreement with a different developer for the project, now named Sunflower Valley. CC3D was running into supply chain issues with [...]

Wichita is one of the best cities for digital nomads, a new report says. Here’s why

info2022-12-01T07:29:29-06:00December 1st, 2022|

If you’re a remote worker who moves around, you may want to consider Wichita as one of your stops. A new report lists Wichita as one of the best cities for digital nomads. The report from Incfile, a online business formation and startup services company, analyzed 100 of the largest cities in the U.S. for digital nomads based on the cost of living, broadband internet strength, walkability, transit scores and average temperatures, a news release from the company said. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Louisburg extends permit waiver incentive

info2022-12-01T07:26:39-06:00December 1st, 2022|

Home buyers and builders can waive their building permit fee on the construction of a new single-family home after the Louisburg City Council continued the wavier incentive to 2023 at a recent meeting. A homebuilder on average can save between $1,200 and $1,500 on permit fees on a 2,000-square-foot home, according to a city news release. Building permit fees are based on the assessed value of the home, so savings can vary depending on the home’s value. The builder must be licensed in Miami County to take advantage of the permit fee waiver. Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Cop, drug dog go to county

info2022-12-01T11:15:47-06:00December 1st, 2022|

A Marion drug dog that cost $7,600 in 2019, $2,500 for a kennel in a police car, $2,357.67 for emergency surgery after she ate an extension cord in 2021, and about $7,000 a year to house, feed, and recertify, is now in the possession of the sheriff’s office because officer Aaron Slater, the dog’s handler, changed jobs. For now, the dog remains the property of the city of Marion. The sheriff’s office is expected to purchase the dog, named Blue, but a price has not been negotiated. Slater’s last day with Marion police was Saturday. He worked his first shift with [...]

Planners discuss signage in Marion

info2022-12-01T11:16:50-06:00December 1st, 2022|

Ten members of the public, half of them downtown business owners, spoke Tuesday with Marion city planners about downtown signs. Discussion of downtown signs began in August after Chelsea Mackey opened Dawn’s Day Spa at 331 E. Main St. and soon afterward had a perpendicular sign mounted over the sidewalk. Perpendicular signs violate zoning regulations downtown area. Source: Marion County RECORD

History preserved for future generations

info2022-12-01T07:21:55-06:00December 1st, 2022|

On Friday afternoon, the McPherson Fire Department, along with representatives from the City of McPherson and McPherson Police Department, buried two time capsules under the flagpole at the fire department. The time capsules replace the two original ones that were buried in 1972 and 1976 for McPherson’s Centennial and America’s Bicentennial and then opened for McPherson’s 150th anniversary on May 28, 2022. Today’s capsules will be opened in 2072 and include items from residents, schools, factories and local businesses. Pfizer included a vial of COVID-19 vaccine, while others donated photos, documents, and even a plastic duck. McPherson Board of Public Utilities [...]

Economic instability pushing KPERS investment returns to negative

info2022-12-01T07:18:58-06:00December 1st, 2022|

Volatility in the stock market will push annual return on investment to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System into negative territory at close of the year, the pension system’s executive director said Tuesday. The assumed investment return for KPERS was adjusted downward in May from 7.75% to 7%. To strengthen the bottom line, the Kansas Legislature agreed to pump an extra $1.1 billion into the system. The snapshot on investment return will be calculated based on financial position of the portfolio Dec. 31, said Alan Conroy, executive director of KPERS. Source: The Iola Register

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