News – Page 221 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

No violation found in ethics complaint against Wichita Mayor Lily Wu

info2024-12-04T09:21:39-06:00December 4th, 2024|

The City of Wichita Ethics Board met on Tuesday to discuss a complaint against Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. On Oct. 23, the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 135, Ted Bush, signed a complaint alleging three violations by Wu: Wu “improperly instructed” Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow to lay off 42 WFD employees during a private meeting; Wu interfered with or expressed improper interest in the City hiring process; Wu did not act by majority vote and gave instructions as an individual council member to a department head. Both Wu and Bush provided the Ethics Board with their side [...]

Survey shows early response to Wichita Public Schools $450M bond proposal

info2024-12-04T09:18:24-06:00December 4th, 2024|

The Wichita Board of Education has an early idea of how the vote on a $450 million bond proposal for Wichita Public Schools could go in a couple of months. A research firm conducted a phone survey in mid-November and presented the results during Monday’s BOE meeting. Of the 301 people surveyed, 77.6% said they were in favor of the bond proposal. At first, 36% were opposed, but some switched to favoring the proposal when they were told the $450 million bond would not change the current tax rate or mill levy. You can expect to hear a lot about the [...]

Emporia city manager calls Tyson layoffs a major ‘setback’

info2024-12-04T09:17:22-06:00December 4th, 2024|

A major employer is set to lay off hundreds of employees in the Emporia area. The city manager there calls it a “setback” for the community. The Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC) shows on its website that a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) was filed by Tyson Food, Inc. on Dec. 2. It impacts 809 employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats location at 2101 West Sixth Street in Emporia. WARN notices are required by employers under federal law to provide advance warning to workers when a plant closure or mass layoffs are imminent. It is to help workers and their [...]

New USDA pilot program will help rural homeowners

info2024-12-04T09:15:29-06:00December 4th, 2024|

The United States Department of Agriculture has chosen Kansas as one of 25 states and U.S. territories to participate in a new pilot program. The USDA says the pilot program under the Single Family Housing Home Repair Loans and Grants program will help homeowners in rural areas more quickly make needed repairs to their homes in areas placed under a Presidential Disaster Declaration or live in Rural Partner Network communities. Many contractors require a 50% upfront before ordering materials and work begins. Under the pilot program, suppliers will be paid directly or to the contractor after receipt of a paid invoice. [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for December 2, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-12-03T10:08:07-06:00December 3rd, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Tyson Foods says it will close 809-employee facility in Emporia by mid-February

info2024-12-02T13:49:23-06:00December 2nd, 2024|

Tyson Foods on Monday announced to employees it would close its facility in Emporia in February 2025. The plant has more than 800 employees. Source: CJonline

This is the only band from Kansas to ever march in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade

info2024-12-02T09:52:11-06:00December 2nd, 2024|

In 1974, 400 marching bands applied to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Only 14 were chosen. One of them hailed from a small town in northeast Kansas. To this day, in the 100-year history of the famous holiday parade, it is the only band from Kansas that has ever participated, Macy’s officials confirmed for The Star this week. Which makes what Wamego High School pulled off 50 years ago something of a miracle on 34th Street — performing in front of the famous department store in New York City on national TV. Source: Wichita Eagle

Donald Trump’s EV tax credit takeback could undermine Panasonic’s DeSoto plant | Opinion

info2024-12-02T09:48:48-06:00December 2nd, 2024|

It’s the largest economic development project in Kansas history. All the numbers associated with the new Panasonic battery plant at DeSoto — scheduled to open early next year — are gigantic: Up to $4 billion in investment. As many as 4,000 new jobs. More than $800 million in tax credits from the state. Panasonic is expected to have a transformative effect on the region and the state. Anything less, in fact, would be a major disappointment. There’s just one problem: President-elect Donald Trump appears on track to undermine Panasonic’s work before it has even begun. Trump — as has been widely [...]

When a developer proposes a project in your neighborhood, wouldn’t you like to know? | Opinion

info2024-12-02T09:47:18-06:00December 2nd, 2024|

if somebody’s proposing to build something in your neighborhood, you’d probably like to know about it. And if it’s something that will alter the character of your neighborhood or affect your property value, you’d probably want to have a voice in the city’s zoning approval process, right? Those questions are being grappled with at Wichita City Hall and the City Council was briefed on various options this week, but it really comes down to two key questions: ▪ Who should receive a letter from the city notifying them when projects are proposed near their home? ▪ Whose input should trigger discussion [...]

Kansas Gov. Kelly wants lawmakers to ‘just take a breath’ before cutting property taxes

info2024-12-02T09:44:30-06:00December 2nd, 2024|

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday called for no new tax cuts in 2025, setting the Democrat on a collision path with Republicans who have vowed to take action on property taxes after voters bolstered the party’s supermajority in the Legislature. The conflict’s outcome will influence how much Kansas homeowners pay in future property taxes, one of the most hated forms of taxation that helps pay for city and county government and public education. Some Republican lawmakers want to cut the statewide mill levy, which helps fund schools, while others favor a constitutional amendment that would limit annual property valuation increases. [...]