News – Page 1870 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wichita could ban or tax plastic bags

info2020-02-05T06:14:52-06:00February 5th, 2020|

Wichita is exploring a citywide ban on plastic bags. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a new task force to consider how to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic bags in the city. Members of the task force have said they’re interested in an outright ban or city-wide tax to curb the use of the thin bags. Although they’re convenient and reusable, often ending up as trash bags or cage lining, they’re difficult to recycle and take hundreds of years to biodegrade. They ultimately end up at the landfill or in the river, sometimes harming animals, proponents of a ban say. [...]

Hutch rental licensing program repealed

info2020-02-05T06:17:53-06:00February 5th, 2020|

The divisive and sometimes heated discussions over Hutchinson’s Residential Rental Licensing and Inspection Program have quieted slightly. On Tuesday, the city council voted unanimously to repeal the program. In September 2019, city council members showed interest in fine-tuning - but not burying - a proposal that takes a stick-and-carrot approach to regulating rental housing. “This issue has torn this community apart,” said Mayor Jade Piros de Carvallo. “I was a big proponent of the registration program, but it unfairly penalized our landlords. I look forward to working with the community to ensure we don’t take a step back,” she said. (Read [...]

Study of high electricity rates in Kansas points to industry changes, planning needs

info2020-02-05T06:16:14-06:00February 5th, 2020|

The president of London Economics says high electricity rates in Kansas reflect a rapidly changing industry, higher-than-usual surcharges and the absence of long-term planning. A.J. Goulding delivered his firm’s assessment of the power dynamic between utilities and regulators in hearings Tuesday before Kansas legislators. Lawmakers in 2019 commissioned a study of why Kansas has higher electricity rates than other states in the region. For its study, London Economics compared Kansas to 18 states. The firm recommended Kansas establish a state energy plan and mandate the annual publication by utilities of an integrated resource plan. Additionally, the study recommends a shift to [...]

Lawrence to consider changes to camping ordinances that some say make being homeless illegal

info2020-02-05T06:43:58-06:00February 5th, 2020|

Advocates for the homeless say city camping ordinances criminalize being homeless, and city leaders are questioning whether changes should be made. Earlier this winter, some residents spoke out against the city’s illegal camping ordinance to the Lawrence City Commission, saying that it gave the city cause to police, ticket and clear the campsites of homeless people who have no other choice but to sleep outside. And some who work to serve the homeless have similar views. Lawrence Community Shelter Executive Director Renee Kuhl recently told the Journal-World that she was against any ordinance that made being homeless or sleeping outside a [...]

Lawrence developing new method for allocating social service funds

info2020-02-05T06:40:28-06:00February 5th, 2020|

The City of Lawrence is developing a new method for allocating money for social service agencies and programs. At the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay said city staff was developing a matrix to help the commission evaluate requests for social service funding from the general fund. Toomay said the matrix would give commissioners a more quantitative way to evaluate the requests than the previous method, which involved an advisory board that provided funding recommendations. Toomay said that board will now only provide recommendations for how to use the city’s special alcohol fund. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Will coronavirus force Fed to lower rates in March?

info2020-02-05T06:23:23-06:00February 4th, 2020|

The prevailing opinion is the Federal Reserve will note the downside risks caused by the coronavirus and won’t cut rates in March, but bets are hedged for later in the year. But some analysts say a rate cut will be needed soon. The coronavirus will strike at consumer confidence, which will cause a drop in spending, said Dan Geller, Analyticom LLC founder. “Since personal consumption makes up 70% of GDP in the U.S., the Fed will have to cut the funds rate to stimulate the economy and restore consumer confidence,” he said. The illness “certainly has tilted the odds from a [...]

GCCC Releases 2018-2019 Annual Report Report Highlights Key Accomplishments, Fiscal Data & Taxpayer ROI

info2020-02-05T06:23:40-06:00February 4th, 2020|

The 15-page report offers readers a comprehensive look at the institution’s key accomplishments and financial data from the past fiscal year, spanning July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Some of those accomplishments include new educational pathways with partner universities, state and national titles earned by student organizations, and GCCC’s Centennial Celebration, marking 100 years since the college’s inception in 1919. GCCC President Dr. Ryan Ruda, who began his tenure at the start of the 2018-2019 academic year, said the report’s synopsis of demographic and fiscal data, along with noteworthy events, reflects the college’s important work in producing positive contributors to [...]

How Local and State Governments Can Close Revenue Gaps in 2020

info2020-02-05T06:24:32-06:00February 4th, 2020|

It’s been called a billion-dollar prize – the gap between available revenue opportunities and the ability of local, state and federal government agencies to turn those potential revenue opportunities into reality. It’s a challenge that many municipalities face. Research from McKinsey estimates that close to 20 percent of government revenues worldwide – or $309 billion in the U.S. – are lost each year, either in uncollected agency fees or due to outbound payment issues. Compounding the current problem of unrealized revenue are new business models driven by technological, economic and social forces. In addition to financial services such as peer-to-peer lending [...]

Controversy fills Johnson County’s election office. Does the system need an overhaul?

info2020-02-05T06:24:58-06:00February 4th, 2020|

Johnson County’s most recent election commissioner abruptly resigned and left behind a string of lawsuits and concerns over delayed vote counts and troublesome technology. The commissioner before him left the county with a battle over severance pay and a scandal that caused many to question the office’s leadership. Now as the search lingers on to replace Ronnie Metsker, who left in December, some local officials and state legislators are calling for change. They argue the process of appointing the commissioner in Kansas’ most populous county leads to partisan influence and little local oversight. And they question whether the process hinders the [...]

Wave gets Naftzger Park entertainment, booze contract; competitors say bid process unfair

info2020-02-05T06:25:38-06:00February 4th, 2020|

City Hall turned over control of events and alcohol sales at the new Naftzger Park to the Wave venue on Tuesday, despite complaints from competing vendors who questioned the process and called it a “sweet deal” for the popular downtown venue operators. The plan passed unanimously after a lengthy discussion with owners of two companies that also do event planning and promotion who complained that Wave, the operator of an Old Town venue, will have control over any alcohol sales at events at that park. The new contract also gives Wave the right to control access to the newly renovated multi-million-dollar [...]