News – Page 1435 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Treasury Releases Guidance on American Rescue Plan and Opens Portal

info2021-05-12T06:31:33-05:00May 11th, 2021|

The U.S. Department of Treasury has opened a portal for cities and counties to apply for Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Treasury also released guidance and an interim final rule on how the funds may be used. To help local leaders navigate this new information, ICMA will host a webinar on Monday, May 17, featuring a team from The Ferguson Group (an ICMA Strategic Partner). In the weeks ahead, ICMA will provide additional learning opportunities, more analysis of the guidance, as well as advice on how local governments can tap all of the available federal resources to [...]

Rural fire, EMS departments navigate staff, funding shortages

info2021-05-12T06:31:46-05:00May 11th, 2021|

While Kansas and the rest of the nation are somewhat recovering from the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural areas of the state have felt the sting of closed businesses and limited services provided by local governments. Fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Barton County have not been exempt from the pain of limited staff and funding, although much of the shortages were an issue well before the pandemic struck in 2020. While the crunch is real, fire and emergency services in the less populated segments of the county have managed to survive although, at [...]

Marysville assistant police chief receives national honor

info2021-05-12T06:32:17-05:00May 11th, 2021|

Marysville assistant police chief Matt Simpson was recognized during Monday’s City Council meeting for receiving the 2020 Tom Stone Law Enforcement Executive Development Association Award of Excellence during the recent Federal Bureau of Investigation-LEEDA conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The national award is given each year to one FBI-LEEDA member for outstanding achievement in promoting the science and art of law enforcement management, promoting the exchange of information between police executives, expansion of police leadership training and the growth of the FBI-LEEDA organization, said Marysville Police Chief Todd Ackerman, who is a former FBI-LEEDA National President. “Matt’s name was submitted for [...]

City Council OKs some teens selling tobacco in Wichita; anti-smoking group approves

info2021-05-12T06:32:42-05:00May 11th, 2021|

Starting soon, it will be legal for some Wichita teenagers to sell smokes, although they won’t be allowed to light up themselves until they’re 21. On a 6-0 vote, with council member Jeff Blubaugh absent, the City Council Tuesday carved out an exemption in the city’s tobacco control ordinance to allow 18, 19 and 20-year-olds to sell tobacco and vaping products over the counter at local stores. The vote partially reverses a change made last June when the city raised the age for purchase and possession of tobacco from 18 to 21, in keeping with federal law. Source: Local News | Wichita [...]

Public wants shorter vision statement for city government

info2021-05-12T06:34:45-05:00May 11th, 2021|

After seeing a proposed city government vision statement, the public is seeking something shorter and “less boring.” Those working on the CrossroadsMHK strategic plan met with the public last week and during a Monday virtual meeting to gather input about the draft vision statement. ... During the meeting, members of the community provided feedback on the statement. In addition to adding diversity elements, some people said it needed to be shorter. “It is too long and boring,” a commenter said during Monday’s virtual meeting. Another person requested officials add something in the statement about Fort Riley. “Given the financial impact, Fort [...]

Downtown McPherson building partially collapses

info2021-05-12T06:29:11-05:00May 11th, 2021|

The McPherson Police Department said a downtown building partially collapsed Tuesday morning. The police department said they took a report of a loud boom in the 100 block of N. Main St. and Marlin St. Responders arrived and found that the west wall of a home above Sounds Great, 123 N. Main St. had crumbled. The police department said there were no injuries. Source: KSN-TV

City of Pittsburg to turn 145-years-old

info2021-05-11T07:26:34-05:00May 11th, 2021|

On May 20, 2021 the City of Pittsburg turns 145-years-old. In anticipation of this year’s event, the Downtown Advisory Board is planning a week-long celebration. With the City turning 145-years-old, the Downtown Advisory Board has a goal of collecting 145 gifts for children in our community. Starting on May 17, community members can drop off gifts at Audacious Boutique or Sonder & Co. to be given to children in need in the Pittsburg Community. Gifts will be given to local non-profits Fostering Connections and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Source: City of Pittsburg

NLC Statement on Launch of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program

info2021-05-11T07:25:43-05:00May 11th, 2021|

Cities, towns and villages are now one step closer to accessing the funds they need to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, the Treasury guidance puts local governments in the driver’s seat, giving them direct access to funds along with the flexibility to use them as they see fit, from helping small businesses recover and supporting vaccine programs to restarting capital infrastructure projects and putting laid-off and furloughed employees back to work. Critically, these funds will also help communities address the longstanding, underlying issues that resulted in disproportionate health and economic declines for low-wage workers and minority communities throughout the pandemic. [...]

FCC to begin Broadband Subsidies

info2021-05-11T07:23:29-05:00May 11th, 2021|

On Wednesday, May 12, low-income families can begin applying for the Emergency Broadband Benefit through the FCC, to help cover the cost of their broadband service and the purchase of a new laptop, desktop or tablet. To be eligible, a family must meet at least one of the following: The household suffered a substantial loss of income since the start of the pandemic emergency, set at Feb. 29, 2020. Persons filing under this provision must have 2020 income of less than $99,000 for single tax filers and $198,000 for joint filers. The household’s income is less than 135% of the federal [...]

More than $350B in federal recovery cash starts rolling out to states, cities, counties

info2021-05-11T07:22:08-05:00May 11th, 2021|

States, cities and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. The Biden administration said the much-anticipated money, which was included in the massive relief law enacted earlier this year, can aid governments of all sizes in paying for a wide range of costs related to the pandemic response. ... The uses for it could include running vaccination clinics and buying personal protective equipment; paying the salaries of government employees involved in battling COVID-19; or helping [...]