News – Page 565 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

More people are moving to and staying in rural areas, but that’s true only for parts of the Midwest

info2023-12-06T09:25:43-06:00December 6th, 2023|

Brad Gabel, a native of California, came up with the perfect catchphrase for his bakery. "Bringing big city tastes to a small town, Iowa," Gable said. Gabel now lives in Orange City, a community of about 6,000 people in the northwest corner of the state and runs Brad's Bakery Bistro. "I was able to adapt easily to Orange City, even though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, because I got involved in the community, whether it was with the church, community organizations or local businesses," he said. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture called Rural America at a Glance shows [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for December 5, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-12-06T09:08:14-06:00December 6th, 2023|

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.

Municipal Bond Trends for December 4, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-12-05T09:09:58-06:00December 5th, 2023|

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.

U.S. 54 project in western Kansas delayed

Chloe Henderson2023-12-04T13:18:27-06:00December 4th, 2023|

A project on U.S. Highway 54 near the Ford/Kiowa County line has been delayed. The Kansas Department of Transportation says the project to install new passing lanes one mile east of the Ford/Kiowa County line and west of Mullinville began in October. However, a portion of that work that was going to require detouring traffic off of the highway scheduled to begin in the middle of December has been pushed to start on January 8. The work involves a roughly two-mile stretch of the highway. Starting around Jan. 8, drivers on U.S. 54 will be directed to a detour onto Kansas Highway [...]

Another drop in Kansas sales tax on groceries is coming January 1

Chloe Henderson2023-12-04T13:19:03-06:00December 4th, 2023|

Kansas is about to implement another drop in the state's sales tax on groceries next month. Gov. Laura Kelly signed the "Axe the Food Tax" legislation in May 2022. The law dropped the tax from 6.5% to 4% in January 2023. It will drop again to 2% on January 1, 2024 and to zero in 2025. Kelly said previously that the lower sales tax will save taxpayers about $740 million over the three-year reduction. She said a family spending $200 a week on groceries was expected to save $208 in 2023. The lower rate applies to food, food ingredients and certain prepared foods. Shoppers [...]

Fed Chair Powell calls talk of cutting rates ‘premature’ and says more hikes could happen

info2023-12-04T13:19:18-06:00December 4th, 2023|

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday pushed back on market expectations for aggressive interest rate cuts ahead, calling it too early to declare victory over inflation. Despite a string of positive indicators recently regarding prices, the central bank leader said the Federal Open Market Committee plans on "keeping policy restrictive" until policymakers are convinced that inflation is heading solidly back to 2%. "It would be premature to conclude with confidence that we have achieved a sufficiently restrictive stance, or to speculate on when policy might ease," Powell said in prepared remarks for an audience at Spelman College in Atlanta. "We [...]

Kansas and Missouri have 256,000 lead pipes. EPA wants them removed within 10 years.

info2023-12-04T10:07:02-06:00December 4th, 2023|

An individual holds a lead pipe, a steel pipe and a lead pipe treated with protective orthophosphate. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule requiring water utilities to remove lead pipes decades after new ones were banned. (EPA) Utilities in Kansas and Missouri would have to pull hundreds of thousands of lead pipes out of the ground within 10 years under a proposed rule the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday. The EPA announced a proposed update to the lead and copper rule strengthening President Joe Biden’s earlier goal of eradicating lead pipes. The proposed rule also would lower the limit on lead [...]

Colwich residents asked to avoid flushing “flushable” wipes

info2023-12-04T10:04:55-06:00December 4th, 2023|

Residents in Colwich are being asked not to flush “flushable wipes” because of a backup in the city’s sewer system. The city reported the problem on Tuesday and put a post on social media showing the effect of flushable wipes on sewer systems. The post is asking residents to flush only toilet paper. The city also posted a graphic saying that such items as paper towels, disposable diapers, dental floss, plastics and cigarette butts should not be flushed down the toilet. Source: 101.3 KFDI

Municipal Bond Trends for December 1, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-12-04T09:05:32-06:00December 4th, 2023|

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.

Overland Park developing pilot to encourage more diverse housing

info2023-12-01T10:49:50-06:00December 1st, 2023|

Overland Park, like many other Johnson County cities, is exploring ways to encourage more diverse housing options for its current and future residents. City staff and a team of consultants from MBL Planning are developing a pilot program that aims to make it easier to get such projects through the planning process with something called pattern zoning. Under the pilot program, Overland Park would keep a collection of 24 pre-designed homes that are “permit-ready,” Planning and Development Services Director Leslie Karr said. Those designs would be available for any resident to use for free on any lot in the city that carries [...]