News – Page 487 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

JoCo commission OKs controversial soccer complex plan in rural Stilwell

info2024-03-11T13:31:21-05:00March 11th, 2024|

The Metcalf Soccer Complex’s controversial journey through the Johnson County planning process ended last week with approval by the county commission amid continued objections from neighbors who fear usage of the outdoor and indoor fields will cause a “traffic nightmare.” After more than an hour of discussion and three attempts at amendments on Thursday, commissioners voted 6-1 on each of two votes to approve a conditional use permit and preliminary plat for the complex, which is planned for 67 acres east of Metcalf Avenue between 202nd Terrace and 206th Street. In doing so, the commission diverged from recommendations of the East Zoning [...]

Kansas museum is one of the most unique in the world

info2024-03-11T13:12:11-05:00March 11th, 2024|

You can find many interesting and unique museums in Kansas. Hutchinson has the Cosmosphere and Strataca Salt Museum. Greensburg, the Big Well Museum, and Hays, the Sternberg Natural History Museum. You can find the newly opened Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison and the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. However, there's one museum you may not even know about that is one of the most unique in the world: the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum. Martin and Osa Johnson were pioneers in filmmaking and nature documentaries. In the early 20th century, the couple were the first to travel to places [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for March 8, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-03-11T10:01:24-05:00March 11th, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. 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.

Testing for PFAS, toxic ‘forever chemicals’, set to begin

info2024-03-10T08:58:11-05:00March 10th, 2024|

... EPA is requiring [Topeka] next year to test its drinking water for such unregulated contaminants as PFAS under its Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), [co-interim communications director] Nichols said. "State regulatory agencies, in our case KDHE, set the sampling schedule for all their public water suppliers, including the city of Topeka," she said. "They have set up the UCMR5 testing for the entire state from 2022 to 2026 and ours is set for 2025." Source: CJonline

$126 million project announced to widen US-75 highway to four lanes north of Holton

info2024-03-10T08:55:33-05:00March 10th, 2024|

Federal funding announced Thursday by Gov. Laura Kelly will enable the state of Kansas to widen traffic to four lanes from two on a fatality-plagued stretch of US-75 highway north of Holton. The $126 million project will widen US-75 to a four-lane expressway from Holton north to its intersection with K-20 highway, which connects with US-75 after running east from Horton past the Kickapoo Golden Eagle Casino. Source: CJonline

Pilot night-court program in Lawrence Municipal Court discontinued after 6 months of low turnout

info2024-03-09T07:43:04-06:00March 9th, 2024|

After about six months, a pilot night-court program in the Lawrence Municipal Court is being discontinued after failing to draw enough participants outside of the court’s regular hours. City Manager Craig Owens announced the move during the Lawrence City Commission meeting earlier this week. Since last summer, the court has remained open on the third Wednesday of each month for an additional hour and a half for a night court session, which was intended to reduce the number of instances in which defendants failed to appear for a scheduled court date. Source: LJWorld

UG hires CFO with 30 years of local experience

info2024-03-08T13:22:29-06:00March 8th, 2024|

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, hired Shelley Kneuvean as CFO, effective later in March. As CFO, Kneuvean will work with UG staff, county administration, the mayor’s office and the UG Board of Commissioners to give financial direction and plan for the future. She brings more than 30 years of experience to the UG, both in leadership and financial and operational management Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Overland Park unlikely to crack down further on short-term rentals

info2024-03-08T13:21:53-06:00March 8th, 2024|

Overland Park is unlikely to make any further changes to city codes for short-term rentals like Airbnbs and VRBOs at this time. Leslie Karr, the city’s planning manager, told the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee on Wednesday that the current situation with short-term rentals in the city is “manageable.” With that in mind, city staff is recommending Overland Park maintain the status quo for now but plan to continue monitoring the situation around short-term rentals for the foreseeable future. Source: Prairie Village Post

Hiawatha citizens speak out against road diet at Informational Meeting

info2024-03-08T12:10:34-06:00March 8th, 2024|

Hiawatha citizens spoke out against the Kansas Department of Transportation’s road diet at the Informational Meeting about the First Corridor on Monday evening. The Informational Meeting, which was hosted by the City of Hiawatha and held at the Fisher Center, was presented mostly by Public Works Director Brad Scott and BG Consultants representative Jason Hoskinson. KDOT Area Engineer Michael Hagemann and KDOT District Engineer Leeroy Koehn were also present during the meeting. Mayor Becky Shamburg was also present. The main topic regarded the flashing yellow and red traffic signals at the First Corridor, located at the intersection between First Street and [...]

Western Johnson County braces for ‘intense development.’ Can the rural roads take it?

info2024-03-08T12:08:08-06:00March 8th, 2024|

With multi-billion-dollar industrial development cropping up and standing to transform Johnson County’s more rural, western end, a big question still hangs in the air: How will people get there? County and city officials are preparing for the expansive redevelopment of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in De Soto, kicked off by construction of the $4 billion Panasonic battery plant that’s expected to open in 2025. They say it will require major infrastructure work to reconfigure disconnected and nearby roads, some of which are still gravel, as well as in surrounding communities most likely to feel the development boom. “There will [...]