News – Page 1537 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Governor Kelly releases proposed state budget

info2021-01-15T07:49:41-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has outlined a proposed annual budget that includes a tax increase and two other major initiatives likely to be rejected by the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature. Kelly on Wednesday outlined a $20.9 billion spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1. Among other things, it would protect a previously promised increase in spending on public schools. But the governor also proposed expanding Medicaid and cutting the state’s annual contribution to pensions for teachers and government workers, and GOP leaders oppose both ideas. Kelly wants to impose the state sales tax on online music and movies purchases, [...]

Kansas governor says state almost done with Phase 1 of vaccinations

info2021-01-15T07:50:15-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday said the state of Kansas is almost done with Phase 1 of its vaccination plan, which includes doses for health care workers and people in nursing homes. Kelly made the comments before she toured a mass vaccination clinic in Wyandotte County. The tour came a week after Kelly updated the state's phases for vaccinations, to make them more simple with Phases 1-5, versus a tiered system using letters and numbers. She also said as Kansas moves into its next phase, which includes vaccinations for people 65 and older, counties are free to keep moving through subsequent [...]

Merriam wants resident feedback on future of city, including changes to Town Center, downtown

info2021-01-15T07:50:58-06:00January 14th, 2021|

The Merriam 2040 comprehensive plan is approaching final draft form, but there’s still time for residents and other stakeholders to provide input. Since July 2019, the city along with a Midwest-based consulting firm Confluence have been working on a 20-year plan to help guide future infrastructure, development and redevelopment of Merriam. A virtual public meeting on Wednesday provided an overview of the draft and offered the public a chance to provide some feedback on what’s been created so far. Board presentations will be made available at both city hall and the Merriam Community Center, and the boards will be accompanied by [...]

Shawnee council unanimously adopts new city code for homeless shelters

info2021-01-15T07:51:17-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Shawnee’s city code now includes homeless shelters, crisis shelters and emergency disaster shelters. After extensive and lengthy discussions Monday night, the Shawnee City Council unanimously adopted the new regulations that allow shelters in almost any part of the city. Shawnee’s regulations are more lenient than what city staff have seen in other communities, said Stephanie Malmborg, deputy community development director. “We pretty much across the board allow shelters in some capacity anywhere,” Malmborg said. “No other communities that I’ve seen anywhere have that flexibility, at least according to the codes that we researched.” Source: Shawnee Mission Post

College ramps up for spring

info2021-01-15T07:51:30-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Allen Community College is ramping up for the spring term, poised to navigate the challenges brought about COVID-19. According to vice president Cynthia Jacobson, “we’re doing better than we did to start off last semester” regarding the virus. Currently, there are 10 positive cases on the Iola campus, and 15 in quarantine. The college has been widely testing incoming students, and will continue to do so in order to limit viral spread. Source: The Iola Register

Garden Plain bond refinancing saves city money after receiving 6 very competitive bids

info2021-01-14T08:05:05-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Yesterday, Garden Plain received competitive bond bids from 6 underwriters. The best bid nearly doubled the savings the city had been anticipating. Bid 1 Bid 2 Bid 3 Bid 4 Bid 5 Bid 6 1.0216% 1.3270% 0.9555% 1.3331% 0.9553% 1.0541% Contact the Municipal Bond Advisors at Ranson Financial Group to seek competitive bids on your next bond issue.

Municipal Bonds hold steady

info2021-01-14T07:45:54-06:00January 14th, 2021|

The growing demand for tax-exempt bonds with attractive yields that began in 2020, continues to be a theme into the early part of the new year on the buy side of the municipal market. “The entire story year to date is the continued vibrant demand for bonds with yield,” Tom Doe, president of Municipal Market Analytics, said on Wednesday. “Credit concerns have been pushed aside, presumably because of optimism for a return to normal with vaccine rollout and the support from the Biden relief packages.” Source: Bond Buyer.

How a group of Kansas researchers’ plan to make U.S.’s rural communities more viable

info2021-01-14T07:41:31-06:00January 14th, 2021|

A group of Kansas researchers believe they have a solution that will help rural communities thrive, simply by helping them optimize how they use their community’s already abundant wind energy opportunities. The projects will create “cheaper energy” that can be used to treat water and maintain agricultural systems, while building on the region’s current use of wind energy. ... the five-year project will build an online virtual tool that will take information about rural communities, such as its’ population size, number of available acres, average wind speed and amount of money the community has available to invest in projects. The tool [...]

Kansas COVID-19 hospitalizations fall from last month’s peak

info2021-01-14T07:37:36-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Coronavirus hospitalizations have fallen in Kansas from their high last month and staffing is under less strain as the shaky vaccine rollout gains momentum, although overall case numbers remain stubbornly high. Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows that 889 adults were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases as of Tuesday, down 30% from a high of 1,282 on Dec. 2. It was the lowest COVID-19 patient count since early November, when the numbers began creeping steadily upward. Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, said a call he had this week with officials at small, rural hospital [...]

Committee to study possibility of directly electing Lawrence mayor, plus other potential changes to city governance

info2021-01-14T07:36:38-06:00January 14th, 2021|

Lawrence city leaders are moving forward with creating a committee to study potential changes to the city’s form of government, potentially paving the way for a citywide election to decide on any changes. As part of its study session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission discussed alternative structures to the city’s current commission-manager form of government, including having a directly elected mayor, election by districts, or changes to the number of commissioners, among other possibilities. Commissioners agreed that they would each suggest two community members to take part in the committee, and the commission would set some parameters for the discussion. Source: [...]