News – Page 1714 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas lawmakers approve more than $400 million in funding for counties

info2020-06-18T08:10:51-05:00June 17th, 2020|

Lawmakers on the Kansas State Finance Council approved more than $400 million in federal coronavirus funding. Kansas was given more than one billion dollars in federal funding to be used for coronavirus-related expenses, but the distribution of that money must be approved by the State Finance Council. The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Task Force was formed by Governor Kelly to come up with a plan to distribute federal money to Kansas counties. The task force decided to send the money to counties based on population size, coronavirus cases and unemployment numbers. The money must be spent by December 30, [...]

Regal reopening its Wichita theaters next month

info2020-06-18T08:11:32-05:00June 17th, 2020|

Regal has announced plans to reopen its move theaters next month, including its Wichita locations. The company says on its website that reopening will begin July 10 and will come with a host of safety measures that include contactless payment options, including for concessions, social distancing and occupancy restrictions in line with any state or county regulation still in place. Staff will also increase sanitization of “high-contact points” and will use ULV foggers to treat each auditorium after every showing. (Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Kansas site gets $180M defense job

info2020-06-18T08:14:10-05:00June 17th, 2020|

The Kansas operations of General Electric Co.’s aviation division are getting a new corporate boss fresh on the heels of a major defense award that will help support work in Winfield. GE Aviation earlier this month was awarded a $180.6 million contract through the U.S. Navy that, according to a notice of the award from the Department of Defense, will cover engine repair and overhaul on multiple helicopter models. The work will be done at the Kansas facility, with funds obligated at the time of individual orders through June 2025. The GE (NYSE: GE) division employed around 750 people in Winfield [...]

Prairie Village takes steps toward allowing residents to keep hens — though home owners associations still have their own prohibitions

info2020-06-17T08:24:24-05:00June 17th, 2020|

Prairie Village took a step this week toward allowing residents to keep chickens — though individual homes associations may have their own restrictions that would prevent people from taking advantage of the city relaxing its regulations. The City Council, meeting as a committee of the whole, voted 9 to 3 Monday night to approve amending the city’s animal control regulations to allow residents to keep hens but not roosters. ... The city’s zoning code also prohibits residents from keeping chickens. (Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

New Kansas court record system could expand access to hard-to-reach documents

info2020-06-17T08:23:43-05:00June 17th, 2020|

For anyone who’s not a lawyer, accessing court records in Kansas is a headache. Depending on the type of court, successfully obtaining records can involve an endless list of obstacles — from fees and outdated systems to having to physically go to the courthouse. To solve the constant runaround, the Kansas Judicial Branch is developing a new, centralized computer filing system with the hopes of streamlining what many currently see as a confusing and cumbersome process. (Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Wichita approves ‘eye in the sky’ over riverfront to prevent crime, police brutality

info2020-06-17T08:23:28-05:00June 17th, 2020|

Soon, police will be watching over you when you stroll or bike down the pathways along the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita. The Wichita City Council approved a project to bring full camera coverage over the riverfront, despite some privacy concerns and suspicions that the system might be used to shoo the homeless away from the business districts planned around the new downtown baseball stadium. “Between the riverfront development going on on the east bank — or potential riverfront development — and the development on the west bank, these cameras were brought to our attention to make sure the area was [...]

New library will go into former South Wichita tire store, City Council decides

info2020-06-17T08:23:09-05:00June 17th, 2020|

Wichita’s Linwood Branch Library will be moving into a larger space that was formerly a tire store at the Wichita Mall, the City Council decided Tuesday. The move will nearly double the size of the library, from 3,752 square feet to 6,904, said Library Director Cynthia Berner. It will also more than double the number of public computers from seven to 16, Berner said. (Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)

Why the 2020 Census is Essential to Municipalities

info2020-06-17T08:22:23-05:00June 17th, 2020|

While the decennial census is always important for its allocation of over $1.5 trillion (with a ‘T’!) in federal funding across 316 federal programs, the 2020 census is perhaps the most consequential in generations. Getting the count wrong right now will have impacts for the next 10 years on how well-resourced cities, towns and villages are to recover from COVID-19 and in shaping the systems that respond to and rectify institutional and structural racism. The events of 2020 mean that the implications of a fair and accurate 2020 Census have gone from important, to urgent, to emergency levels for municipalities’ abilities [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for June 16, 2020

info2020-06-17T08:12:27-05:00June 17th, 2020|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

‘Unbelievably dark’: Merriam officials say inner-workings of 60-year-old Merriam Drainage District aren’t transparent

info2020-06-17T08:03:36-05:00June 16th, 2020|

Flooding issues may have gotten more pronounced in the Shawnee Mission area in recent years, but they’re nothing new. More than six decades ago, flooding concerns along a stretch of Turkey Creek that runs through Merriam, Shawnee and Overland Park prompted the creation of an organization called the Merriam Drainage District. The body has the authority to levy property taxes, just like a city or other public entity, and currently takes in about $200,000 per year from property owners. Its charge is to use those funds on upkeep of Turkey Creek — things like channel maintenance, erosion control and mowing along [...]