Kansas Municipal News
Suit filed against commissioners, solar panel companies
The Board of Bourbon County Commissioners and companies with agreements for solar developments in the county are the defendants in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Bourbon County District Court.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
Amtrak moving forward on Newton improvements
Amtrak is moving forward on upgrading the train loading and drop-off deck at the Newton depot. As for other projects, such as the Heartland Flyer Extension and the state of the Depot itself, more information should be available in December. Zach McHatton, Blank, said he recently met with Amtrak officials and primarily spoke to them about the project to update the deck at the Depot. The project would add lighting, make the deck ADA-compliant, and generally upgrade the area.
Source: Harvey County Now
Municipal Bond Trends for November 25, 2024
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.
Hillsboro plans for the future
The Hillsboro City Council, along with several other city leaders, spent close to three hours in a strategic planning meeting on Tuesday, Nov 12. The meeting began with City Administrator Matt Stiles explaining that the strategic plan started in January 2020 and has been updated quarterly. Stiles led the group through a review of the vision, values, goals and status of the past five years of the current strategic plan with a promise to work on a three-year plan in the rest of the meeting and another two or three meetings. He said the hope is to have marching orders to work on by the end of the meeting process.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Overland Park’s property tax rebate pilot takes shape — Who will qualify?
The details for Overland Park’s new city property tax rebate pilot program are starting to firm up. On Wednesday, the Overland City Council Park Finance, Administration, and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to recommend an agreement with the Community Capital Fund to administer the pilot. The action also effectively endorsed the pilot program’s eligibility rules and extra priority criteria. Previously, the city set aside $200,000 for the rebate pilot program as part of its 2025 budget, but at the time, the parameters for it were unclear. The decision to start a pilot of this sort followed several months of sometimes heated discussion — some dating back to 2023. Multiple other Johnson County taxing jurisdictions, including neighboring cities and the Johnson County government, have also started property tax rebate programs of their own in the last few years.
Source: Johnson County Post
JoCo OKs $6M for 5 projects addressing housing and homelessness
After months of talking about how best to tackle homelessness in Kansas’ most affluent county, the Johnson County commission on Thursday allocated $6.35 million in federal funds for various proposals intended to increase affordable housing and support services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Commissioners took separate votes on five items that ranged from building new houses and apartments to expanding space and providing supplies for county homeless shelters. The vote secured the final destination for federal coronavirus relief funds that earlier this year had been pegged to be spent on a homeless shelter and services center at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Lenexa.
Source: Johnson County Post
Panasonic aims to hire 200 more workers ahead of March production start
Panasonic is ramping up hiring efforts as it prepares to begin electric-vehicle battery production in De Soto this spring. Workers will begin producing lithium ion batteries at Panasonic’s 4.7 million-square-foot plant in March, though an official opening date has not been announced. The Japanese manufacturer announced its executive leadership team for the De Soto facility in September 2023 and began hiring for plant jobs last fall.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Olathe approves STAR bond plan for $320M entertainment hub
With public financing secured, developers are set to break ground this summer on an all-abilities theme park in Olathe. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council unanimously voted to approve a series of tax incentives to support the development of a $320 million entertainment district called Olathe Gateway. The project will get about $104 million in state and local tax incentives. Developers plan to begin construction by July 15. On Sept. 17, the City Council approved creating a sales tax revenue (STAR) bond district on roughly 130 noncontiguous acres at the southwest and northeast corners of 119th Street and Renner Boulevard for the mixed-use project. STAR bonds provide upfront cash for a project and then are paid off using sales tax revenue from the development once it’s finished.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Economic push in Reno County brings funding, new ideas
A process that brought together local stakeholders to try new methods for growing the Reno County entrepreneurial ecosystem is considered a success. According to StartUp Hutch Director Jackson Swearer, one of the Reno County Heartland Together program’s original advocates, the energy provided by the program led to the acquisition of $120,000 in funding over two years from the K-State 105 initiative. Founded last year, the university program aims to reach residents in all 105 Kansas counties through various extension programs, including entrepreneurial ecosystem support.
Source: KLC Journal
Efforts in Liberal solidify link between leadership and growth
If the southwest Kansas community of Liberal has learned anything over the past few years, it’s to not settle. The city of just over 19,000 people has a dynamic economic development office that has spent the past year rolling out small-business loans, announcing major industrial growth and helping small businesses. In 2023, business leaders and community members in Liberal gathered for a program called Heartland Together, funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and designed by the Kansas Leadership Center, which publishes The Journal. Liberal residents discussed how to stay engaged in the community and how to make the city’s entrepreneurship ecosystem better.
Source: KLC Journal
Homeless Wichitans dream of shelter beyond four walls
Wichita’s homeless face temperatures below freezing at a time when local officials are still working to open this year’s emergency winter shelter. Once set for a Thanksgiving opening, the shelter is now scheduled to open Dec. 2. Seeking shelter can be complicated for many of those who live outside. Over months of meeting and conversing with homeless Wichitans (many of which who claimed to be chronically homeless), few saw themselves taking a shelter bed. Why? Some cited past poor experiences. Others couldn’t stand the idea of being separated from their partner or pet. (Wichita’s new shelter is supposed to have kennels eventually, but not when it first opens.) A few cited social limitations: they hated feeling cooped up with dozens, if not hundreds, of strangers.
Source: KLC Journal
A new court program offers mediation instead of eviction. Officials want more people to use it
The program manager estimates around 50 landlord-tenant cases in Sedgwick County had been mediated as of late September, more than a year after the program begun. Meanwhile, the county typically sees around 5,000 eviction filings, or more, per year. The mediation program offers landlords and tenants an alternative to eviction: a neutral mediator – approved by the court system – brings both parties together in an attempt to work out an agreement.
Source: KLC Journal
Child care experts weigh in on state subsidy program and potential improvements
Child care support in Kansas needs to be simplified and amplified. That was the gist of a recent conversation among providers and administrators of child care service agencies who met to discuss a report from Kansas State University and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. Their findings highlight the barriers families face as they attempt to apply for state child care subsidies through the Kansas Department for Children and Families. The process for applying is seen as a barrier in itself, with strict eligibility requirements, excessive documentation needs and a reimbursement method that is almost always delayed.
Source: KLC Journal
Wichita working to bring fresh produce to neighborhood ‘food desert’
More fresh fruits and veggies will soon be offered in Wichita’s food desert areas under the Healthy Corner Store Initiative. Neighbors in north Wichita say the community is well overdue for this.
Source: KSN-TV
The city of Wichita is selling its public housing. Where are the tenants going?
About one-third of the city’s 352 single-family public housing units were still occupied as of last December. The city is offering housing vouchers to the tenants who have to move. As of last December, 110 of the city’s single-family public housing units were occupied. By the end of June, about 60 of those households had been impacted by the city’s sale of public housing, according to the city of Wichita. Each had the option to receive a voucher to help with rent, and a city contractor recommends an available housing unit to tenants and also pays for moving assistance.
Source: KSN-TV
Dickinson County wind farm project approved
Dickinson County Commissioners are moving forward with the Hope Ridge Wind Project. The commission voted 2-1 to approve the plan, which will be located in the southeast part of the county near Hope. The permit states that the windmills cannot be taller than 600 feet and must be 1,300 feet from the road.
Source: KSN-TV
Shawnee County considers adding new walking trails
Shawnee County officials are looking at increasing walking opportunities for locals with the addition of new trails and sidewalks. Shawnee County Parks and Recreation (SCP+R) is working to update its trail systems and Greenway Master Plan. This plan would connect the current trail network in Topeka to parts of the county without sidewalks. Shawnee County commissioners were hesitant given the cost and number of master plans already in the works. However, a planner with the county said this could give more people a safe place to walk.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Historic Topeka theatre asks for $5 million from city, county
A historic local theatre nestled in downtown Topeka is asking for several million dollars from the county to help it stay running. The Jayhawk Theatre has long been a staple of the Capital City’s downtown area ever since it opened its doors for the first time in 1926. Now, theatre representatives are asking for $5 million from the City of Topeka and Shawnee County to help keep it going. Jayhawk Theatre Director Joanne Morrell asked city councilmembers on Tuesday, Nov. 19 to consider a contribution to the theatre which is currently undergoing its first phase of renovation work. The theatre received a $5 million grant in May 2023 from COVID-19 relief funds.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Emporia residents to decide on new recreation center
Emporia voters will be the ones deciding whether or not a new recreation center will be built. Wednesday, Nov. 20 the Emporia City Commission decided to let the public get the final say on the future of a new recreation center. The facility would cost taxpayers by increasing the sales tax by a half-cent. The project is expected to cost $59 million and includes renovations to the soccer fields.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Iola council to consider solar purchase Monday
Iola City Council members will decide whether to enter a solar agreement to provide up to 3 megawatts of power via solar energy produced in Pratt County. The allocation would price the 3 megawatts at $50 per megawatt hour. City administration will present Iola City Council members with documents for the final approval of a 3-megawatt solar allocation at their 6 p.m. meeting Monday. At the Nov. 12 meeting, council members agreed to diversify the city’s energy profile by entering into a solar agreement with the Kansas Municipal Energy Association (KMEA).
Source: The Iola Register