News – Page 583 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wyandotte County residents disagree about whether to dissolve the Unified Government

info2023-12-22T09:48:45-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

In October, the mayors of the three largest cities in Wyandotte County floated the idea of dissolving the Unified Government as an option to address debt and service issues. But not everyone thinks those structural changes are the right approach. The possibility of dissolving the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, is now on the table but it's not clear whether that would be an effective strategy. In October, the mayors of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Kansas City, Kansas floated the idea of splitting up the Unified Government, and announced they wanted to hear from residents about how [...]

Panasonic still moving forward with Kansas factory after pulling plans for Oklahoma plant

info2023-12-22T09:46:22-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

A global company has once again decided against building an electric vehicle battery plant near Tulsa despite lawmakers offering a $698 million incentive package and funding millions of dollars in site improvements at the company’s request. A Panasonic spokesperson said Friday that the company will not build a multibillion-dollar battery plant at Pryor’s MidAmerica Industrial Park. “In April 2023, we entered into an agreement with the state of Oklahoma to explore building a factory in the state, with the understanding that we would make a decision about whether or not to move forward at the end of that exploratory process,” Panasonic spokesperson Alison [...]

City of Wichita planting over 1K trees to tackle heat islands

info2023-12-22T09:43:07-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

The City of Wichita will be planting over 1,000 trees to tackle heat islands across Wichita. District 6 Council Member Maggie Ballard held a public meeting on Wednesday afternoon at Emporia Park to discuss how the lack of an extensive tree canopy contributes to the area being identified as a heat island by NASA. After extensive outreach and public input, the Wichita City Council approved a tree policy for the city on Tuesday. "Our goal for the tree policy is to lessen the effect of heat islands across our community," said Ballard. "Implementing a tree policy isn't just about creating a nice green backdrop [...]

Mission OKs inclusive play equipment purchase for Water Works Park

info2023-12-22T09:41:34-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

Water Works Park in Mission is getting new play equipment. The Mission City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a nearly $350,000 purchase of inclusive play equipment for Water Works Park. Water Works Park is located off of 53rd Street and Woodson Drive, directly south of Rushton Elementary. The green and blue play equipment includes swing sets, slides and mounds. Penn Almoney, the parks and recreation director, told the city council on Dec. 20 that the new playground allows access from any angle. It also provides ways for children who are unable to communicate to tap a picture and communicate with other [...]

On the windswept plains of southwest Kansas, loneliness and isolation confirm policy failures

info2023-12-22T09:39:17-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

I’m saying goodbye to another set of friends who are leaving Dodge City and moving on to greener pastures outside of Kansas, writes Alejandro Rangel-Lopez. While this feeling first felt like a slight breeze, it now reflects the howling winds of the prairies as I struggle to hold on, like a tumbleweed in a barbed wire fence. In 2021, I graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree, a community organizing job in my hometown and a dream of empowering young southwest Kansans with the tools to build communities we can be proud to call home. Two years later, I’m saying [...]

Johnson County’s only winter homeless shelter is already at capacity

info2023-12-22T09:37:44-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

The first of December marked the beginning of the ninth winter of operations for Project 1020, Johnson County’s only low-barrier-to-entry homeless shelter. “If I had 75 beds, they would all be filled and I’d still need more,” McEver said. “We’re easily seeing that many people here every night.” McEver said the 30 beds Project 1020 is currently allowed by the city of Lenexa are simply not enough to meet the growing demand they are facing each day. The shelter operates out of the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church at 9400 Pflumm Rd. She keeps extensive data and analyzes it for trends and hard truths, she [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for December 21, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-12-22T08:52:13-06:00December 22nd, 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 20, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-12-21T10:00:19-06:00December 21st, 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.

Salina offers incentive to SkyWest Airlines to change its flight times

info2023-12-21T08:11:31-06:00December 21st, 2023|

Local leaders in Salina have put $900,000 at stake to incentivize the airline serving the city to change times for non-stop flights to and from Denver. ... "The ideal departure for Denver would be not (the current) 11 o'clock in the morning, it's that 6:45 (a.m.)," [Tim Rogers, executive director of the authority] said. This would mean the flight from Salina would arrive in Denver around 7 a.m. MST/MDT, allowing travelers to catch more flights out of Denver with United Airlines, which SkyWest contracts with for its Salina flights. Source: Salina Journal

Wichita finalizes plans to offer targeted property tax relief to certain vulnerable residents in a one-year pilot program

info2023-12-20T12:14:33-06:00December 20th, 2023|

The program builds off of existing tax credits at the state level to reimburse low-income seniors, disabled veterans and their surviving spouses, and low-income residents with underage dependents, for a portion of their 2023 property taxes. Four in five Sedgwick County homeowners saw their property values increase in 2023, with the overall tax valuation in Wichita increasing by 9.3%, according to the county clerk. “This is the largest targeted tax relief for people who need tax relief that we’ve done in at least a generation,” Mayor Brandon Whipple said Tuesday before the City Council gave its final approval. The pilot program [...]