The Overland Park City Council is set to vote Monday night on an ordinance connected to a new housing pilot program, which includes changes to zoning and the development approval process. In the staff report found on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, the city summarizes the item by saying “Staff is proposing new Chapter 18.375 in the UDO, to create a pilot program for Portfolio Homes. To accompany the City’s new Portfolio Homes program, the proposed pilot zoning package encourages the development of Portfolio Homes by allowing projects on a limited basis. The pilot zoning package would promote development on infill [...]

Surplus and underused county property may become the next frontier in the effort to create more affordable housing in Johnson County. County commissioners last week approved a new policy that asks that wherever feasible, housing be included in the mix of possible uses for redevelopment of its underused properties. The policy emphasizes partnerships with other entities, public or private. The new policy, approved 6-1 with Commissioner Michael Ashcraft dissenting, does not commit the county to any projects, nor does it require housing to be prioritized ahead of other uses. Commissioners said the intent was to see if a housing element to [...]

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday will consider signing off on the purchase of two robotic dogs for the police department The robots were originally approved through the city’s capital improvement plan. The council has the option to get one or both of the dogs. One would got to the SWAT team and the other to the bomb squad. The police chief says if the council only approves one dog, he knows where he wants it to go. Both dogs would cost the city over $630,000. Read more: KSN-TV

A new Lawrence Affordable Housing Study finds that over half of renters and many homebuyers cannot afford current prices, as housing construction lags well below pre-pandemic levels. Read more: LJWorld

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.

Becky Willard asked the county commissioners to expand the current moratorium in effect to include three new items: private energy campuses, hyperscale AI data centers, and a solar project near McCune. A private energy campus is a piece of infrastructure designed to support the high-energy usage of data centers. Kansas House Bill HB 2664 would allow tech companies to build such a complex independent of the existing power grid, sometimes combining wind, solar, natural gas and nuclear power. Supporters of the bill argue that by letting tech companies bypass government bureaucracy, Kansas can more easily attract high-tech industry and massive capital [...]

A $225,000 grant is bringing high-tech tools like laser engravers and 3D printers to libraries across Southeast Kansas. A grant awarded to the Southeast Kansas Library System (SEKLS) is expanding access to advanced technology across the region, including a laser engraving machine currently available at the Iola Public Library. The funding comes through the Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans (DOCK) program, a statewide initiative aimed at improving digital literacy and skills training, particularly in economically distressed areas. The program is funded by nearly $5 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act. Read more: [...]

Allen County is exploring a Neighborhood Revitalization Program to spur property improvements through tax rebates. Allen County commissioners began shaping the framework of the county’s own potential Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) this week, reviewing draft options and discussing how the program could encourage property improvements across the county. An NRP is a local economic development tool designed to encourage property improvements by offering temporary property tax rebates on the increased value created by those improvements. Under an NRP, property owners who make qualifying upgrades — such as building additions, renovations, or new structures — can receive a partial refund of the [...]

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in a wide-ranging talk at Harvard University, said Monday that he sees inflation expectations as grounded despite rising energy prices and no signs yet of a widespread crisis in private credit. As his term leading the central bank nears an end, Powell avoided questions about the longer-term direction of interest rates or inclinations his designated successor has espoused. In the near term, he said the proper move is to look beyond the short-term gyrations of the energy market and focus on the Fed's goals of stable prices and low unemployment. Read more: CNBC Bonds

As Riley County officials map out the budget framework for a new county administrator position, questions swirl over how to account for such reorganization in the 2027 budget cycle. Budget and finance officer Brittany Phillips on Monday asked commissioners for direction on who should develop the operational budget as staff prepare early projections for the budget calendar. “If I can at least draft something to a department that’s of a similar size, then that can give us something to kind of work with through the budget process, instead of just throwing … ‘Here’s $200,000 for your three Cs, figure it out,’” [...]