Kansas Municipal News
Schrage talks about the legacy he leaves behind as he steps down as Salina city manager
After almost 20 years working for Salina, city manager Mike Schrage is leaving for the next step in his career in Missouri.
Source: Salina Journal
ICMA spotlight: City of Newton’s Daniela Rivas
Daniela Rivas recently participated in a global exchange with support from ICMA’s John Garvey Scholarship, which provides funding for young ICMA members to participate in global knowledge exchange through attendance at a local government management event in a country other than their home country.
Source: ICMA Spotlight
Municipal Bond Trends for January 16, 2025
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.
Shawnee Mission cracks down on cell phones in school, following Johnson County trend
Shawnee Mission School District teachers and staff will have a new set of rules to enforce after the district’s school board voted 7-1 during its Jan. 13 meeting to approve a new cellphone policy. The new rules vary by grade level but generally prohibit most headphone use and require students’ phones to stay in their lockers throughout most, if not all, of the day. Several other Johnson County districts approved similar rules in the fall.
Source: Joco 913 News
Kansas governor proposes another $30M to address dwindling water supply
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly proposed creating a state natural resources office and spending another $30 million each year to address the state’s water crisis in her State of the State address Wednesday night. In her speech, Kelly, a Democrat, looked back over the first 25 years of the 21st century and said she sees “so many good things on the horizon” in the next 75 years. But she called the state’s dwindling water supply “seriously concerning.” “Without that water, the agricultural industry that fuels our economy and sustains our rural way of life cannot survive,” Kelly said. The Ogallala Aquifer, which provides water to the western third of the state, has been dwindling for decades. But despite warnings over the years that the Ogallala, the largest underground store of freshwater in the nation, was a finite resource, the state allowed crop irrigation to drain parts of the aquifer to crisis levels.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Emporia receives $450,000 for ‘Fix Emporia’ project
The City of Emporia has received $450,000 for the Fix Emporia program. The money comes from FHLBank Topeka’s 2024 Affordable Housing Program. The funds will be used to rehabilitate 30 owner-occupied homes in Emporia whose households fall under the 60% Area Median Income (AMI) limit. ESB Financial is also a contributing partner. Source: KSN-TV
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly presents new state budget to Republican-led House, Senate
The proposed state budget crafted by Gov. Laura Kelly features a 2.5% pay raise for state employees, expands Medicaid eligibility for 150,000 lower-income Kansans and fully finances K-12 public education. Kelly’s blueprint contained a $30 million surge in appropriations for water resource programs and called for appointment of a special task force to develop a 10-year plan for conserving the precious resource. She also proposed $10 million in matching grant funding to further spur expansion of child-care capacity statewide.
Source: The Lawrence Times
City’s snow crew was out 24 hours a day for six days after blizzard, official says
City crews plowed 42.24 million cubic feet of snow after last week’s historic snow storm, an official said Tuesday. Interim director of public works Wyatt Thompson said at the city commission meeting that officials figured if the snow was 16 inches deep, the snow they plowed between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9 could have filled City Park Pool 468 times. That amount of snow also could have filled 12,500 train cars or filled Bill Snyder Family Stadium 400 feet deep. Thompson said public works had 31 operations team members who were able to mobilize quickly.
Source: themercury.com
Municipal Bond Trends for January 15, 2025
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.
The past, present and future of Highway 77
For close to a century, U.S. Highway 77 has been a major highway in Cowley County. For a good deal of its length in the county, it is a four-lane highway from the Oklahoma state line to the north side of Winfield. However, from the north side of Winfield onward to the Butler County line, it is merely a two-lane highway. “The possibility of a future four-lane expansion for this section has not been prioritized at this time. Local consult meetings, which are held periodically, with the next round anticipated this fall, are an opportunity for communities to share input on transportation needs,” said JB Wilson, public affairs officer for KDOT. “While the idea of a four-lane expansion has been mentioned in the past, current priorities focus on addressing other critical needs identified through public feedback and assessments. We welcome community participation in the consultation meetings to help shape future projects.”
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Few public entities in Cowley County provide online access to meetings
Arkansas City residents who are unable to attend city commission meetings can now watch the meeting through a livestream or watch it later as a video. The city began broadcasting and posting recordings of the meetings earlier this month on YouTube. The new platform makes it possible for residents to stay informed by viewing meetings in real time or by accessing a recorded video at a more convenient time.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
County slows down energy storage talks
Allen County Commissioners agreed to a 180-day moratorium in regards to a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) in the southeast part of the county at their meeting Tuesday. Zoning Director Terry Call discussed the project with the commissioners. The current proposal is for a 300-megawatt storage facility near Savonburg and Elsmore. An estimated 15 to 30 acres would be needed for the facility and it would cost $300 million.
Source: The Iola Register
‘Once in a generation’: Lawrence officials begin prep for World Cup in KC
Thousands of international soccer fans and millions of dollars are expected to descend on Kansas City next year as the city hosts six world cup matches. Lawrence officials and organizations have begun preparing to claim a slice of the pie. The impacts are expected to be huge. Six games will be played at Arrowhead Stadium, including a quarterfinal match. “For each of those, the impacts they estimate are similar to what a Super Bowl would be,” said Steve Kelly, vice president of economic development for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. KC2026 is the organization in charge of planning for the World Cup in Kansas City. CEO Pam Kramer called the World Cup the “biggest event to ever happen in Kansas City.” In recent months, Lawrence organizations created a unified command, similar to what was formed for COVID-19 response, in preparation for the World Cup. Partners include the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, the University of Kansas, Explore Lawrence and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Ellis mulls benefits vs. risks for golf cart legalization
Council President John Walz acknowledged that he may be in the minority in opposing golf cart legalization; however, his concern is safety. Council Member LaBarge reported that safety features as well as licensing and inspection would be required and that no problems have been reported in the surrounding communities, including Hays.
Source: Hays Daily News
Lawrence staff outlines financial tools that could generate new revenues for Parks & Rec
That includes creating a pricing policy, which could include resident and non-resident pricing; adding a position to the department that would seek out partnerships, sponsorships or grants to fund park programs; using part of the transitive guest tax to support programming and establishing a foundation for the department to generate private funding through donations.
Source: LJWorld
Valley Center prepares for potential solar farm
Wanting to be proactive rather than reactive, the City of Valley Center took a step toward regulating solar farms. The city council on Jan. 7 gave first-round approval to an ordinance that sets rules for such operations.
Source: Ark Valley News
Olathe advances plans for new accessible theme park, hockey arena. See the renderings
After hang-ups over an additional gas station and convenience store, the Olathe City Council unanimously approved the zoning changes for a new ultra-accessible theme park and sports arena during its Jan. 7 meeting. Behind the plan is Lamar Hunt Jr.’s company Loretto Properties, which he runs alongside his son-in-law James Arkell. Hunt Jr., son and namesake of Chiefs’ founder Lamar Hunt, also owns the Kansas City Mavericks hockey team.
Source: Joco 913 News
Kansas State University Opens New Collaborative Office Space to Boost Research Commercialization and Economic Growth
Kansas State University has opened a new collaborative office space designed to drive research commercialization, industry partnerships, and economic growth. Located in the Kansas State University Foundation’s Edge District, the facility brings together the Kansas State University Research Foundation, the Office of Corporate Engagement, and K-State 105.
Source: KCLY Radio
A Kansas town’s fluoride fight could hint at what’s ahead
A fight over fluoride in drinking water in Abilene, Kansas, could preview battles likely to play out in cities across the country as the next presidential administration puts a spotlight on the issue. Plus: President-elect Trump’s immigration policies will likely affect the meatpacking industry, and in turn, the cost of food. Members of the incoming Trump administration want to remove fluoride from public water. It’s drawing more attention to the mineral many cities add to public water supplies to strengthen peoples’ teeth. As Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga reports, a town in Kansas just went through that debate last year.
Source: KCUR News
Local Superintendents to Meet Over Potential Southern Cloud Dissolution
With the potential for Southern Cloud Unified School District 334 to dissolve, five area superintendents will meet on January 22nd in Glasco. Representatives from five surrounding school districts will attend, including, USD 379 Clay County (Clay Center and Wakefield schools), USD 273 Mitchell County (Beloit schools), USD 333 Cloud (Concordia schools), USD 224 Clifton-Clyde, and 239 North Ottawa (Minneapolis schools). The meeting will discuss the potential distribution of 334 school boundaries if their board votes to close Southern Cloud. USD 379 Superintendent Brett Nelson said that in previous situations, the state made decisions when all entities were not in agreement.
Source: KCLY Radio