Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for October 1, 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.
UG pushes KCK affordable housing plan forward after clarifying vote
Plans to remake a 1960s apartment complex in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, into affordable housing are moving forward. American Community Developers Inc. requested $21 million in multifamily housing revenue bonds from the Kansas Development Finance Authority to renovate the Gateway Plaza apartment complex at 1430 N. Fourth St. Based on a Kansas statute, KDFA cannot issue bonds for a project if the local government disapproves. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, initially voted 7-3 on Thursday in support of an ordinance of disapproval, which prevents KDFA from issuing the bonds for at least a year.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
People want to live in rural Kansas. They just need houses.
Contrary to the prevailing narratives, there are communities across the plains of central and western Kansas where people desperately want to live, helping position those places to add population. Remote work has opened possibilities for people looking for affordable housing and a different pace of life. Places such as Stafford County are seeing interest from manufacturers as it looks to develop a rail port to handle grain, fertilizer and other local products. But there’s a catch: There have to be enough places to live. The Kansas Housing Resources Corp. and the Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity in 2021 launched the first statewide housing assessment in 30 years. Not surprisingly, it found a shortage of quality, affordable dwellings – a hindrance to growth and development, particularly in smaller communities. Over the course of a year, RDG Planning & Design, an Omaha-based consulting firm, conducted a detailed study to spot current housing needs and growth opportunities, including goals and strategic initiatives to guide the state’s housing development efforts. It included 71 virtual and in-person listening sessions with more than 425 community participants across the state, as well as meetings with housing groups. The firm also surveyed more than 4,400 respondents statewide and analyzed census data to develop a comprehensive picture of the housing situation. According to the report released last fall, Kansas – and the Midwest generally – have lagged behind other regions of the country in terms of population growth, while the average age has climbed. Meanwhile, housing prices have jumped and construction has slumped since the Great Recession. Granted, each community’s needs are different, Arnberger says. Income levels, home prices and other economic factors can present unique housing issues – and solutions too.
Source: KLC Journal
Mapping out a service connection point for homeless in Topeka
Twice a week in church parking lots, Topeka’s homeless population finds help through an array of services offered collectively – with purpose – by local partners. Through the Mobile Access Partnership (MAP), homeless individuals receive hot showers, warm meals and clean clothes, along with primary care services and immunizations for themselves and even their pets. They can also charge their phones and access supplies donated by local companies ranging from sleeping bags and tents to sunscreen and packaged snacks. MAP partners include the Topeka Rescue Mission, Valeo Behavioral Health Care, Stormont Vail Health, the Shawnee County Health Department, the Topeka Police Department, the Salvation Army and the Street Dog Coalition, which provides health services for pets of the homeless. An average of 45 to 70 clients seek MAP services each day the site is open. Since the program’s inception in 2021, 1,600 people have been identified as new service recipients. Bill Persinger, chief executive officer of Valeo Behavioral Health Care, says the community collaboration strengthens clients’ social, mental and physical well-being.
Source: KLC Journal
Local police honor breast cancer awareness with pink badges
The Baxter Springs Police Officer’s are turning in their badges for new pink ones in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. “Last year several people walked up to officers and shared stories related to their experience with breast cancer. Some as the victim and others as the family or friends of someone that suffered with breast cancer. These badges are a tool to open communication between citizens and officers and spark conversations that may not be had otherwise,” said Chief Henderson. The department says the pink badges are a way for the officers to show support to those that are currently battling breast cancer or to the families that have lost someone to the disease.
Source: KOAM News
Three Kansas counties meet to discuss concerns over proposed energy corridor
On Tuesday night, leaders of three central Kansas counties met to discuss a proposed energy corridor that has landowners concerned. The National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) is a route designated by the federal government to expand projects to transport electricity. The federal proposal could take a five-mile-wide path of land through Kansas or future energy transmission needs. Many residents are worried that their land will be taken through the eminent domain. “They want to know that their family’s safe, or that their business, if it runs across a business, that their business is safe,” said Barton County District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. During the meeting, county commissioners from Barton, Russell, and Pawnee counties, along with state and federal legislators, heard residents’ concerns and discussed what to do next. “You’re going to have to keep showing up if you want to see change,” said Pawnee County Commissioner Bob Rein. Over 100 people gathered at Barton Community College on Tuesday. Their goal is to answer a few concerns, such as the eminent federal domain and how the corridor relates to the Grain Belt Express, an already approved private energy line that has been in the works for over a decade.
Source: KSN-TV
New sales tax to support health care goes into effect in Norton County
Starting Oct. 1, Norton County residents will see a change in the cash register as a 1% sales tax increase to support health care goes into effect. Kevin Faughnder, Norton County Hospital’s CEO, said it’s tough for rural health nationwide to succeed financially. Faughnder says he is excited as a hospital employee, but understands the importance of the change. “From a taxpayer perspective, it’s always tough to pay more taxes, and I think that’s why it’s really important for us to be responsible with how we use this money,” Faughnder said. “So both excited and mindful of the fact that we are increasing taxes.” In May, voters in Norton County overwhelmingly passed the sales tax increase. Faughnder can see both the pros and cons. He says that, as a hospital employee, he is excited about the change, but as a taxpayer, he understands that it’s hard to pay more taxes. The sales tax runs for 10 years, 75% of which will go toward the county hospital, and the other 25% will go to EMS. “We just need to be methodical in how we go about it, but that’s what this tax money is going to do for us,” Faughnder said. “It’s going to give us an opportunity to address some things that in the past we just didn’t have the ability to do.”
Source: KSN-TV
Arkansas City to upgrade water system
Arkansas City has launched its new Drinking Water System Improvement Master Plan. The city says the initiative is critical to address aging infrastructure and improve efficiency. “We are excited to take this next step toward modernizing our water system,” City Manager Randy Frazer said in a news release. “While the new treatment facility was a tremendous achievement, we recognize the need to continue investing in our infrastructure to ensure reliable water service for our residents and businesses. This master plan represents a long-term commitment to sustaining our water system and distributing costs equitably.” While the city has recently improved the water system, including completing a new water treatment facility in 2018, Arkansas City officials say more work is needed to improve the distribution system and increase the city’s water supply.
Source: KSN-TV
Union hopes new bonus will plug gap after ‘unprecedented loss’ of Shawnee County dispatchers
Emergency dispatchers in Shawnee County will be receiving a new retention bonus in a move praised by law enforcement and a local union. Shawnee County commissioners approved of a new $3,000 retention bonus for dispatchers in late September. This new plan, which has a $94,000 price tag, also comes with various pay rates for different shifts. 27 News reached out to the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office for a response to the recent approval of the new retention bonus for dispatchers. Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Abigail Christian responded to these questions on behalf of the law enforcement group. Local Communications Workers of American Union President Buddy Cordero said his group worked to help make this retention bonus happen. The union made Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill aware of the situation and how dire it had become. Cordero said the lack of dispatchers can create a public safety issue. The work of responding to calls and emergencies, when split between a short staff, can lead to burnout among those who are left to shoulder the increased burden.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Petition to lift breed-specific ban in Salina fails
An effort to lift a dog breed-specific ban in Salina has hit a roadblock. Salinans Against BSL (Breed Specific Language) has been working for years to lift the breed-specific ban. Last week, a petition containing 1,814 signatures requiring the city to either repeal or modify the ban was delivered to the Saline County Election Office. Under Kansas Law, petitions must have the signatures of at least 25% of registered voters who voted in the last municipal election. The city says that of 1,814 signatures, only 1,369 were accepted by the Saline County Election Office, which fell below the 25% requirement. The city says the election office found that 445 of the petition signatures were from unregistered voters, names that didn’t match signatures, signatures of people with canceled voter registrations, and those who live in the wrong districts. The final tally left the petition just 22 signatures short of passing. Under state law, the petitioner can’t submit additional signatures to make up for the shortfall.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Wamego may close burn pile to non-residents
The City of Wamego’s burn pile has always been intended for city resident use only, however city officials have never enforced the rule and county residents have been allowed to haul debris there. That may soon change. Wamego City Manager Stacie Eichem on Monday informed the Pottawatomie County Commissioners maintaining the burn site has become a bigger job than what current city staff can manage. If the city is to allow county residents to continue to use the site as they have been, a full time employee will need to be hired. Wamego City Commissioners offered to leave the burn site operation “as-is” if Pottawatomie County would contribute $35,000 to hire someone to operate the burn site as it is currently being operated. Otherwise, the city will need to enforce the ordinance and no longer allow anyone outside of the city to use the site.
Source: themercury.com
Andover modifies policy on financial guarantees, bond terms to make suburb more ‘developer friendly’
Andover is attempting to make development easier and faster for developers. This month, the city of Andover’s Council unanimously approved changes to its policy on public infrastructure financing for developments up for special assessments. The changes will reduce the financial guarantee requirements of developers and modify bond servicing terms for the city — among other things. Special assessment petitions are methods utilized by cities to finance public infrastructure improvements — such as streets, sidewalks, storm drainage, sanitary sewer, water and traffic control signals — by charging the cost directly to the properties benefiting from the improvements. The method allows the costs to be shared by developers and property owners in the district that is benefitting from the development.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for September 30, 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.
Petition to repeal Salina’s pit bull ban falls short of goal
A petition to force the Salina City Commission to take some kind of action on the current pit bull ban has been rejected…. ‘Of the 1,814 signatures submitted, only 1,369 were accepted… This means the petition fell short by 22 of the required number of signatures.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for September 27, 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.
Grant will help study hunger problem
As part of the ongoing process of working to improve living in rural Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly recently announced 14 grant recipients of the Rural Champions program. One of those recipients is Cowley County, where the monies will be used to develop strategies to combat hunger. This is the second year that the state, through its Office of Rural Prosperity, has awarded the Rural Champion grants to organizations within counties with fewer than 40,000 population. An application for Cowley County last year was unsuccessful. This time, though, the state is awarding the county through the Legacy Community Foundation one-year wage stipend of $20,800 along with training and resources provided for the person chosen to be the Rural Champion. The community will receive up to $25,000 at the end of the research and preparation year to fund the implementation phase. The grant dovetails with a similar effort to combat food insecurity. In July, RISE Cowley received a $55,000 grant per year for three years from the Kansas Food Action Network. That grant will enable coalitions such as RISE Cowley to look at the policies, systems and environmental barriers to food security.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
No Wile E. Coyote: Watch Johnson County animal officer save coyote tangled in wire fence
On Sept. 24, Deputy Dwayne Shoop, a former Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy turned animal control officer, was called to wrangle the American jackal that had been stuck for several hours near West 135th Street and South Spoon Creek Road. Video of the encounter was posted by the sheriff’s office on social media. “It’s typical,” the deputy later said about getting a call regarding a coyote. After a call from the property owner, Shoop said he came upon the coyote that was hanging by its left leg in the fence. The coyote had a bewildered face with wide eyes and an open mouth as the deputy cut its left leg out of the wire. The animal left the situation with a dislocated hip and severed tendon and was taken to Operation Wildlife for treatment, a nonprofit which provides rehabilitation and veterinary services to injured and orphaned wild animals.
Source: KC Star Local News
City to discuss $10 million upgrades to Sunrise, Sunset cemeteries
Some of the proposed upgrades to Sunrise Cemetery include the construction of a new shop and office, renovating the existing shop, paving a section of the maintenance lot and fencing the maintenance yard. At Sunset Cemetery, upgrades could include building a new joint maintenance shop with Sunset Zoo, installing a new irrigation system, adding columbaria, making storm drainage and utility improvements, reconstructing cemetery roads, improving accessible sidewalks at the entry and Carriage House and making repairs to the memorial arc.
Source: 1350 KMAN
What the COVID surge looks like for Butler County
Just one year and four months after the COVID-19 Pandemic has ended, the virus is now a regular visitor for cold and flu season. With health professionals declaring a surge in COVID-19 cases, Butler County is staying below alarming rates of positive testing, which gives medical personnel great hope of no return to pandemic level emergency. The COVID-19 Pandemic was declared as “over” by the World Health Organization, (WHO), on May 5, 2023. This insinuated that the virus is no longer a public health emergency, allowing health and medical professionals to only monitor positive cases with no other restrictions. The WHO was able to declare such a statement due to overwhelming evidence that COVID-19 virus infections had decreased significantly, and the virus is no longer spreading at a rapid rate.
Source: Andover American
Grain Belt Express to connect with wind, solar transmission lines
The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has given approval with conditions to a siting plan for two 345 kV transmission lines, known as the AC Collector System, designed to connect wind and solar farms to the Grain Belt Express. One line is planned to run 46 miles through parts of Ford, Meade, and Gray Counties (the “Meade-Dodge City Line”) and the other approximately 16 miles through parts of Ford County (the “Bucklin-Dodge City Line”). Conditions imposed by the order require Grain Belt to file a routing analysis comparing the company’s originally proposed route of the Meade-Dodge City line to an alternate route, referred to as Boyd Alternative 2. The two routes only differ within one specifically-defined five-mile area. Upon completion of the study, which is due no later than January 15, 2025, the Commission will schedule a second public hearing and comment period to give affected landowners an opportunity to comment on both routes under consideration. The first public hearing on the company’s originally proposed route was held on July 10.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe