News – Page 1862 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

39 Kansas towns to receive Community Development Block Grants

info2020-02-13T13:20:42-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced today the award of more than $17 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to 39 Kansas communities. A total of $17,486,103 in federal funds is being made available through the CDBG program this year. Communities receiving grants have presented plans for projects to make improvements toward water and wastewater systems, streets, facilities and housing. “Quality of life is key to economic development,” Secretary Toland said. “Each of these investments in critical infrastructure helps keep communities competitive as they work to retain and recruit residents and businesses. Governor Kelly and I are proud to support [...]

Rural Basehor man fears annexation, calls on state to crack down

info2020-02-13T08:28:36-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Jim Seeman lives in the farmhouse he grew up in near Basehor, the place where his parents moved in 1947, and he doesn’t like the idea of being swallowed by sprawling urban development. He also doesn’t like the idea that people he can’t vote for could someday make him a city resident. Seeman testified Wednesday in a House committee where he urged lawmakers to provide more stringent protection for county property owners. He favors legislation that would remove unilateral annexation from the toolbox of cities looking to expand their boundaries. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Senate panel considers bill requiring paper ballots in Kansas elections

info2020-02-13T08:28:17-06:00February 13th, 2020|

The Senate Ethics, Elections and Local Government committee heard testimony Wednesday on a bill that would require all Kansas counties to use paper ballots to count votes. Ballots would have several requirements, including the voter’s signature. Votes would be counted by hand or using vote-tabulating equipment that would tally the paper ballot. “At one time, everything was paper ballots, but now Kansas currently has a mix,” said Sen. Richard Hildebrand, R-Baxter Springs. “Once you cast your ballot, you are up to whatever the machine says you voted without the verification from the voter.” (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Insurance agent breaks down statistics on dog bites

info2020-02-13T08:26:02-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Insurance agent Alex Case gave Marion Kiwanis members a view of the problem of dog bite injuries in Marion County and nationwide Feb. 5 when he spoke at the club’s weekly meeting. ... Between 2005 and 2018, 469 people — more than half of them younger than 10 — died from dog bites in the U.S., he said. The breed most often identified as having inflicted serious injury or death between 1982 and 2014 was the pit bull, but more than 30 breeds and mixed breeds of dogs are incorrectly identified as pit bulls, Case said. ... Pit bulls are three [...]

Marion resident asks for railroad ordinance

info2020-02-13T08:22:45-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Robert Crawford has had enough of running railroad engines and tanker cars full of hazardous chemicals parked on the tracks just yards from his house. The Marion man spoke to city council members about it Monday, asking for a city ordinance to be passed. “We are asking that the city of Marion impose a 72 hour limit on parking and leaving a setting diesel engine to run and at the end of 72 hours move it elsewhere,” Crawford said. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

City of Topeka hears first plans for improved housing

info2020-02-13T08:21:17-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Topeka city leaders are considering ways to improve the city’s housing market. A St. Louis planning and real estate firm studied Topeka for months and came up with different options. One option is to renovate existing homes in the city, rather than building brand new ones. They also suggest the city work with local groups to come up with ways to renovating older homes. “From nonprofits to community development corporations to financial institutions as well the city, philanthropy works in a lot of communities,” said Justin Carney with Development Strategies. “They all play a different role and I think these strategies [...]

Junction City city manager back at work after being ill for five weeks

info2020-02-13T08:21:04-06:00February 13th, 2020|

For five weeks a local city manager fought for his life. Now he’s back at work and looking to make a comeback. Junction City’s Allen Dinkel became extremely sick around New Year’s Eve. He was hospitalized with pneumonia and sepsis. ... “My goal is to do a 5K on July 4th at Sundown Salute. I don’t know if I’ll make that,” Dinkel said. “The other day I walked a half-mile and it was enough!” Dinkel is now back in the office and hard at work again. (Read more: KSNT News)

As Prairie Village explores plastic bag ban, Kansas Chamber gets behind effort to preempt such bans

info2020-02-13T08:19:38-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Less than a month after the Prairie Village Environmental Committee announced it would be forwarding a proposal on a city-wide plastic bag ban, a bill to prevent such a ban was introduced in the Kansas House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill, HB 2625, would preempt individual cities and counties from banning or regulating plastic bags and other single-use plastic items. The Kansas Chamber of Commerce requested the bill’s introduction on the basis that single-use plastic bans in individual municipalities will hurt businesses. (Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Municipal Bond Trends for February 12, 2020

info2020-04-16T08:06:38-05:00February 13th, 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 Advisors.

Andover city leaders vote to save its municipal golf course

info2020-02-13T08:29:59-06:00February 13th, 2020|

Andover city leaders voted Tuesday night to save the municipal golf course after a majority of the community asked the city to keep it. The vote comes after the current course operator told the city he is no longer interested in running it. The city spent the last two months exploring other possibilities for the course, but ultimately entered a three-year agreement with Oak Golf. The company owns several golf courses around Kansas. (Read more: KWCH News)