News – Page 1882 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Reno County approves study of landfill fees

info2020-01-23T21:06:11-06:00January 23rd, 2020|

A rate study next summer on fees for the Reno County landfill is among nearly $490,000 in otherwise ongoing annual contracts for the landfill the Reno County Commission approved on Tuesday with a Wichita engineering firm. The $33,000 study, in part, will explore whether the county should begin charging tipping fees to users instead of just a flat annual fee the county now assesses on property tax bills. “We think the landfill is in a healthy financial state,” said Monte Markley, vice president and project director with SCS Engineers. “This is to go in a more overall positive direction how the [...]

Wichita Police chief appointed to Trump law enforcement commission

info2020-01-23T19:17:34-06:00January 23rd, 2020|

Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay is one of 18 people appointed to President Trump’s new law enforcement commission. On Wednesday, Ramsay was sworn in by U.S. Attorney General William Barr during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Barr appointed the members of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice following an Oct. 28 executive order from Trump. The Commission will meet monthly for the next year to explore issues affecting law enforcement, including the best approaches to lowering violent crime. “There is no more noble and important profession than law enforcement. A free and safe society requires a [...]

Prairie Village council advances consideration of repealing ban on pit bulls

info2020-01-23T21:06:22-06:00January 23rd, 2020|

The Prairie Village city council on Monday directed staff to draw up language that would repeal the existing ban on pit bulls in the city. The proposed ordinance change will come before the council for formal consideration at a meeting in the coming weeks. The vote to advance the idea of repealing the ban on pit bulls followed more than an hour of discussion among the governing body and as much time in comments from members of the public. More than two dozen people — most of them, but not all, Prairie Village residents — addressed the council asking the city to [...]

Ambulance gets stuck on call, again

info2020-01-23T19:11:32-06:00January 23rd, 2020|

For the second time in two weeks, a Hillsboro ambulance crew got stuck on muddy roads while on a call. The crew was transporting a patient home from Newton Medical Center at 12:53 a.m. Saturday when the vehicle became mired in mud on Falcon Rd. between 140th and 150th Rds. “It appeared to be a good road, and they stayed on the blacktop as long as they could,” EMS director Travis Parmley said. “It just didn’t work out well.” (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Junked cars, homes worry Florence residents

info2020-01-23T19:10:31-06:00January 23rd, 2020|

Florence Council needs to crack down on the number of decrepit vehicles in the city, community member Phil Baldwin said during Monday’s council meeting. “Just going from the restaurant to my house, I bet I drive by 10 or more cars that haven’t been moved for a long time,” he said. “Some of them are jacked up without tires and they don’t run. For some reason we’ve given them the ability that by paying money, they can keep them there.” City ordinance allows one non-running vehicle per property with a $50 permit, as long as the vehicle is in respectable condition [...]

Ron Fehr maintains professionalism, friendliness as long-time Manhattan city manager

info2020-01-23T13:23:53-06:00January 22nd, 2020|

Longtime Manhattan city manager Ron Fehr said he begins each day with a smile, an eagerness to work with his coworkers and aspirations to make Manhattan better. “I wake up every morning, and I’m still very motivated to come to work,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of great things on our plate.” Fehr’s friendly personality, eagerness and extensive knowledge of the city are among the reasons his former colleagues believe he has been able to be successful in his position as city manager for so long. Read more: Manhattan Mercury.

A Massive Gap Explains Why Muni Bond Yields Are Near Record Lows

info2020-01-23T08:36:22-06:00January 22nd, 2020|

Over the next month, about $25 billion of municipal debt will be paid off. Bondholders will receive another $13 billion of interest payments in February. And mutual funds have pulled in nearly $7 billion of new cash already this month. Yet over the next four weeks, only a fraction of that money may find new securities to buy: American states and cities are so far set to sell just $13 billion of bonds in that time, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That yawning gap between the amount of cash looking to be reinvested and the amount of new securities being [...]

City of Manhattan eyeing strategies to better attract, retain employees

info2020-01-22T17:53:23-06:00January 22nd, 2020|

Dealing with frequent employee turnover and difficulty recruiting, Manhattan is hoping to make changes to its workplace environment and transform the city into an “employer of choice.” Multiple department heads echoed similar staffing troubles during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. Administrative staff told commissioners relatively low pay compared to what businesses or other cities offer in their respective fields, employee sentiment that good performance is not rewarded and growing dissatisfaction with the work-life balance in the organization have contributed to the situation. “I really believe if we were a private company, we’re probably not heading in the right direction as an employer [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for January 22, 2020

info2020-04-16T08:06:46-05:00January 22nd, 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.

Earthquake drills to become standard in Emporia schools

info2020-01-22T17:50:05-06:00January 22nd, 2020|

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter 3.6 miles southwest of Hutchinson shook Kansas at 1:08 p.m. Sunday, with tremors felt throughout the region — including the Emporia area. The US Geological Survey had initially reported that the earthquake was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, but later upgraded it. No damage was immediately reported. After a 4.2 earthquake damaged buildings in the Hutchinson and Burrton Public Schools districts in Aug. 2019, and with earthquakes becoming more frequent occurrences, the Kansas State Department of Education added earthquake drills to the list of safety drills some Kansas schools are required to complete throughout the [...]