News – Page 1866 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Small town charm at Edgerton Library

info2020-02-11T06:16:22-06:00February 10th, 2020|

Edgerton is unique among Johnson County Library’s 14 branches in that the Library system doesn’t own the building. Instead, the building is leased from the city. Edgerton had lacked library service since the early 1980s. In 1999, the city acquired the vacant bank building at 319 E. Nelson St., and Johnson County Library agreed to a partnership. Many Edgerton citizens turned out to help gut the building and turn it into a wonderful Library space, which opened July 29, 2000. It was a community labor of love. John Keogh, Library branch manager for Gardner, Spring Hill and Edgerton, spends most of [...]

Overland Park looking at 18-month pilot test of e-bikes on recreational trails

info2020-02-11T06:17:03-06:00February 10th, 2020|

Bicycles that get an extra boost from electric motors may be allowed on Overland Park recreational trails soon in an experiment to see how they coexist with other trail users. The city’s Community Development Committee is moving forward with a plan to run an 18-month pilot project that would allow certain types of motorized bikes on trails. If there are no significant problems, they could be allowed permanently. E bikes, as they are known, are a fast-growing segment of the bicycle market as the population ages. Proponents say they allow more people with mobility issues like bad knees or low physical [...]

City, county officials object to Kansas Senate’s property tax ‘transparency’ bill

info2020-02-10T06:45:23-06:00February 10th, 2020|

Garden City Mayor Troy Unruh considers a Kansas Senate bill touted as a boon for property tax transparency to be a hamstring on the capacity of local public agencies to create jobs. The bill targeting tax revenue increases resulting from higher property valuations led Harvey County Commissioner Randy Hague, of Newton, to declare it an erosion of municipal government autonomy. Andover City Council President Troy Tabor said the process outlined in the bill was overly burdensome and complex enough it could result in the opposite of transparency. The bill won’t do anything to limit the state’s collection of property taxes, said [...]

Not connected and no Netflix: ‘It’s frankly embarrassing’ in these Kansas towns

info2020-02-10T06:45:38-06:00February 10th, 2020|

The internet service was so bad at Citizens State Bank in Cottonwood Falls that its computers could hardly handle a routine update from Microsoft. So not too long ago, bank vice president Matt Lindamood loaded up the PCs and drove them over to Emporia, 30 minutes away. There, he connected the desktop computers to a fiber internet connection. “What we couldn’t get done here happened in a matter of minutes there,” he said. (Read more: Kansas City Breaking News, Crime & Sports |)

“There is no better time than now to issue long-term debt”

info2020-02-10T06:53:11-06:00February 10th, 2020|

The municipal market is taking down new-issuance with ease while taxable bonds continue to be a growing portion of the calendar. With rates low and demand significantly outpacing supply, some see a market in uncharted territory. “This is truly a golden age for our market,” said Dan Heckman, senior fixed-income strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “There is no better time than now to issue long-term debt, both in terms of the current rates and the out-of world-demand — it’s a perfect storm for munis right now.” ... Heckman added that the market has been and will continue to be under-supplied, [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for February 7, 2020

info2020-04-16T08:06:40-05:00February 10th, 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.

Armenian police trainers pick up some lessons at KLETC

info2020-02-09T19:19:32-06:00February 9th, 2020|

An effort to reform the police force in the country of Armenia got a little help from officers and trainers more than 10,000 miles away. Nine high-ranking trainers from the Republic of Armenia completed a two-week visit to the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder on Friday. “Recently our prime minister decided to create a division for police reform,” said Col. Tigran Yesayan, Deputy Head of the Police for Armenia, who led the delegation. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Cheap meth driving down some property crimes in Wichita, police official says

info2020-02-09T19:18:03-06:00February 9th, 2020|

Wichita’s burglary, automobile larceny and gun theft from vehicle rates were down last year. The reason? Cheap meth. That’s according one police official who said at a public meeting last month that the Wichita Police Department is attributing “a very significant drop” in those property crime categories to record-low methamphetamine prices. (Read more: Local News |)

General Mills chooses Cheney Reservoir for restorative farming project

info2020-02-09T19:14:47-06:00February 9th, 2020|

A major food corporation has selected Kansas wheat as the best in the nation for a three-year pilot project. The restorative farming project will discover ways farmers can save water, increase soil health and decrease carbon footprints. General Mills, with the help of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, selected the 650,000-acre Cheney Reservoir region as the project’s location. This region includes farms in five counties — Kiowa, Reno, Pratt, Kingman and Stafford. Water from the reservoir where the runoff from these farms goes is used by residents of Wichita. By way of application, [...]

Topeka officials to discuss creating housing market strategy

info2020-02-10T06:46:22-06:00February 9th, 2020|

Topeka’s mayor and city council plan Tuesday to see a consultant’s presentation about creating a citywide housing market strategy. The Shawnee County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Monday in its chambers in Room B-11 of the Shawnee County Courthouse, 200 S.E. 7th, while Topeka’s City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th. The mayor and council will hear a report from Development Strategies, the St. Louis-based urban planning and real estate consulting firm to which the city is paying $95,000 to carry out a study aimed at creating a citywide housing market strategy. [...]