News – Page 43 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Lawrence city commissioners approve street design with separated bike lanes for section of Mass Street

info2024-12-13T08:50:51-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Community members asked the commission in April to push for the stretch of road, which was already set for a redesign, to include protected bike lanes. City staff members looked at street designs with protected bike lanes in several cities to help evaluate options. The design includes one lane of vehicle traffic in each direction, a center lane for turns, and 5-foot-wide bike lanes separated from the street by a 3-foot-wide median. Residents along the stretch could put their trash carts in the median zone, and solid waste workers could complete trash pickup from the lanes of traffic. Source: The Lawrence [...]

Why all of Kansas would feel loss of Ogallala Aquifer

info2024-12-13T07:56:09-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Depletion of the water supply would be a critical blow to major farming and beef industries, which would send reverberations across the state. Simply living farther east in places like Wichita, Topeka or the Kansas City area won’t make you immune to the effects of lost jobs and tax revenue. Source: Hutch News

Federal government to study water supply and depletion of Ogallala Aquifer

info2024-12-12T15:42:53-06:00December 12th, 2024|

The U.S. House passed the Water Resources Development Act 399-18 on Tuesday. ... A section of the 624-page bill authorizes a federal study in coordination with other federal and state agencies. The comprehensive study will assess "water supply, availability, drought resilience, aquifer recharge, and causes of aquifer depletion, for those regions overlying the Ogallala Aquifer." Source: CJonline

Municipal Bond Trends for December 11, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-12-12T08:46:22-06:00December 12th, 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.

Salina Schools superintendent to retire in May

info2024-12-11T17:24:49-06:00December 11th, 2024|

Salina Public Schools Superintendent Linn Exline is set to retire at the end of this school year after spending entire 33-year career in the district. Source: Salina Journal

Municipal Bond Trends for December 10, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-12-11T10:00:24-06:00December 11th, 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.

Six in one; half-dozen in the other

info2024-12-11T09:09:43-06:00December 11th, 2024|

In a four-hour session with nearly 40 people in attendance, the Crawford County Commission discussed extending the moratorium on green energy development in the county. EDF Project Developer Alan Blaesser and Community Engagement Manager Leif Clark spoke directly to the commission expressing their company’s concerns about a 12-month extension, saying that such an action would be a serious threat to the project. In May, EDF asked to be excluded from the moratorium but were denied. As it stands now, according to Clark, the company is extremely concerned about a long extension. EDF has already spent millions of dollars in developing the [...]

USDA Invests $6.3 Billion to Strengthen Rural Infrastructure and Create Good-Paying Jobs in 44 States

info2024-12-11T09:05:57-06:00December 11th, 2024|

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing $6.3 billion in rural and Tribal communities across 44 states to expand access to a clean and reliable electric grid, provide safe drinking water and create good-paying jobs. More than 200 projects are being financed to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure in rural places, growing the American economy from the middle out and bottom up. These projects will help ensure everyone in rural America has access to reliable electricity to increase economic opportunity and improve quality of life. Funding will benefit Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, [...]

Wichita’s mayor tried to turn down a pay raise. This was the City Council’s response

info2024-12-11T09:04:08-06:00December 11th, 2024|

The Wichita City Council blocked Wichita Mayor Lily Wu from fulfilling one of her campaign promises — not accepting any pay raises. The council’s and mayor’s salaries are bundled with other non-union city employees’ annual salaries, although the city’s agenda report did not explicitly say that the mayor and council members would be voting on their own raises, or what their salaries are. They were all set to receive a 4% raise starting next year. As the council complimented city staff on their roles in running the city and prepared to approve the raises during a City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon, [...]

Raises approved for Wichita police officers amid calls for contract delay

info2024-12-11T09:00:24-06:00December 11th, 2024|

Wichita police officers will receive substantial raises in 2025 as part of a new Fraternal Order of Police contract approved by the City Council on Tuesday. The unanimous approval came over objections from multiple public speakers who called for a delay on the vote until the FOP and Wichita Police Department agree to address several recommendations from Jensen Hughes, a consultant hired in 2022 for $214,000 to develop a roadmap to restore public trust in police and improve the culture within the department. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle