Kansas Municipal News
Board of County Commissioners discusses next steps following Lenexa City Council vote on homeless services center
Following the Sept. 17 Lenexa City Council denial of a Special Use Permit for the proposed Homeless Services Center, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted today to terminate the real estate purchase agreement with MAA Krupa Lenexa LLC for the La Quinta property. Given the timeliness of contractual requirements, the Board took special action outside of its previously published calendar. “While I’m deeply disappointed in the Lenexa City Council’s denial of the SUP application, we needed to take swift action today to preserve as many federal COVID-19 relief funds as possible,” said Mike Kelly, Chairman of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners. “Because we know there is a clear need to serve our unhoused population, we will work diligently to reallocate these resources toward investments that help vulnerable residents find permanent housing, employment, mental health services, and assistance with rent and utilities. While this project would have been a monumental step toward each of those needs, we knew that more work would always be necessary, so we will continue to collaborate with willing partners to address the housing crisis in our community.”
Source: Johnson County Kansas |
Olathe Police partnering with FBI on new firing range training facility
The Federal Bureau of Investigations will contribute some funds to the Olathe Police Department’s new firing range planned in southern Olathe. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council voted 6-0 to approve a 20-year memorandum of understanding with the FBI for shared use and shared cost of building the facility near 167th Street and Interstate 35. Additionally, the city council approved an agreement with Turner Construction for the design and construction of the firing range. Councilmember Matt Schoonover was absent from the meeting. Firing range project to cost around $15M.
All the features of the new firing range planned in southern Olathe are still being settled, but on Tuesday, Olathe Police Chief Mike Butaud showed pictures of a police firing range under construction in Michigan off of which Olathe could base theirs. The plan is to build a range with some indoor and outdoor training spaces. In its capital improvement plan list, the city has budgeted just over $13.1 million for the project. The FBI will kick in another $2 million to help build it.
Source: Johnson County Post
Officials celebrate Kansas’ ‘economic transformation’ at new soybean plant
While this southeast Kansas town’s population peaked more than 100 years ago, the opening of the region’s largest ever economic development project means its best days are ahead, Lt. Gov. David Toland said Thursday. Toland spoke to a crowd of more than 100 state and federal lawmakers, economic development officials and construction company representatives who gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Bartlett soybean crushing plant just south of Cherryvale. The town’s population peaked at 4,700 in 1920 and is now 2,200. Toland, a Democrat and Iola native who also serves as commerce secretary, said the project reminds him of southeast Kansas’ “glory days.” “When heavy industry was pouring into this region and our towns were booming,” Toland said of the early 20th century, “it looked a lot like this, and we’re doing it again.” The $375 million plant, which began accepting shipments of soybeans in February, can house 49 million bushels of the crop and will help create food, animal feed and fuel, officials said. Now that it’s operational, Bartlett executives said, it will employ about 60 full-time workers.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Changes are coming to the housing voucher program in several Kansas counties
Changes are coming to the housing voucher program in several Kansas counties. Sedgwick, Butler, and Harvey County, excluding Newton, are moving to payment standards set by ZIP code for their housing voucher programs. In Wichita, people previously received a flat rate for their voucher. Starting Jan. 1, the amount someone receives will be based on ZIP code. The change is happening through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson is concerned about landlords who don’t have good motives
I always think about the ways they try to get out of dealing with people, and one of those per this change is that these rates don’t apply to those already under a lease or a contract,” said Johnson. “It only happens when you renew or a new person enters the system.” Johnson says this could allow residents to afford to live in an area with a higher median income. Officials say the change will not only be complicated to administer for city staff but will also require education for residents. That’s why the city’s housing department is developing a tool similar to the one already used in Boston. It lets you enter your income, bedroom size, and whether you pay for utilities like electric, gas or trash. It also will tell you the affordability of that home.
Source: KSN-TV
Mulvane officials say water is safe to consume
Mulvane residents are assured that their water is safe to consume despite a more pronounced chlorine smell. The City of Mulvane normally gets its water from Augusta. However, recently, the line running from Augusta to Mulvane under the Walnut River failed, leading Mulvane to switch to its groundwater reserve system. That water is treated through Reverse Osmosis, which passes it through a filter that removes minerals, salts, and other impurities and disinfects it with chlorine. The water from Augusta is surface water, which was first treated through lime softening, then chlorine. That process removes calcium and magnesium from the water, along with some organic material. The water is then disinfected with chlorine. The chlorine typically binds with residual organic material, creating harmless chloramines, which also reduce the strength of the chlorine smell. Mulvane says until repairs are made, residents may notice a stronger chlorine smell in their water. However, it is safe, and there is no cause for concern. The city is waiting on a boring crew to put a new line underneath the river. There is no timeline on when that will take place.
Source: KSN-TV
Washburn law school receives funding for rural practice program
A local law school receives $1 million to expand rural legal practice across the Sunflower State. Washburn University School of Law has received a large grant to expand the school’s Rural Legal Practice Network and Externship Program. This $1 million grant comes from Patterson Family Foundation in Kansas City Missouri, according to a news release from Washburn University. With the funding, the program is able to be developed by creating a more diverse network of rural practitioners that gives access to legal resources and an opportunity for students to connect and learn from mentors.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City of Topeka loses gender discrimination lawsuit, has to pay nearly $500,000
The verdict for a gender discrimination lawsuit involving the Topeka Police Department (TPD) came down on Thursday. A jury in a federal court delivered unanimous agreements on Sept. 19 for the cases of two plaintiffs, Jana Kizzar (formerly Jana Harden) and Colleen Stuart, who sued the City of Topeka and former TPD Police Chief Bryan Wheeles in early 2023. The women made accusations that the TPD was a “good ol’ boys system” with a pattern of gender discrimination. The lawsuit was filed under the Title VII Civil Rights Act of 1964. Court documents obtained by 27 News show both women will be awarded large sums of cash in the lawsuit from the City of Topeka.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Salina K-9 killed in the line of duty
A K-9 member of the Salina Police Department has died in the line of duty. “It is with a heavy heart that the Salina Police Department announces the passing of one of our canines, K-9 Tyrann,” the SPD said in a news release. Police say “Ty” died Wednesday in an accidental fall from an elevated position. He was on duty at the time. “Ty was an active and faithful public servant, serving since February of 2021,” the department said. “His loss will be felt by the department members and the community.” The SPD is working on services for Ty and will notify the public of the date, time and location. Services for Tyrann will be arranged, and the public will be notified of the location, date, and time.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City of Topeka invites community to help celebrate ‘Good Neighbor Day’
Topekans are being invited to take part in National Good Neighbor Day at a local library later this month. The City of Topeka posted to social media Wednesday, Sept. 18 about the special upcoming event which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library’s Learning Center. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about community engagement and getting involved in their local neighborhoods. People will also be able to learn how to use the SeeClickFix app to help improve the city and get safety tips from the Topeka Police Department. Activities for children, such as face painting and a balloon artist, will also be on site. You can find the library at 1515 Southwest 10th Avenue in Topeka. For more information on Good Neighbor Day at the library, you can contact Bianca Burnett at lburnett@topeka.org or call 785-368-3663.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City may take another look at its animal ordinance
A new city of Parsons law that increased penalties for dogs at large that bite people or attack other animals may be revised again in the future. Parsons City Commissioner Tom Shaw on Monday brought up the dog ordinance and said he thought it needed to have more stringent penalties for owners allowing their dogs to run at-large. Now the penalty for having a dog at-large is a $30 fine plus $110 in court costs. That didn’t change when the ordinance was amended earlier this month. The recent ordinance change offered penalties for dogs that bite. If an at-large animal bites a person, the owner will have to pay a minimum fine of $500 in addition to other penalties allowed in the ordinance. If an at-large animal attacks or wounds another domestic animal, the owner will pay a minimum fine of $400 in addition to other applicable penalties.
Source: Parsons Sun
Municipal Bond Trends for September 19, 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for September 18, 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.
Fed slashes interest rates by a half point, an aggressive start to its first easing campaign in four years
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday enacted its first interest rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic, slicing half a percentage point off benchmark rates in an effort to head off a slowdown in the labor market. With both the jobs picture and inflation softening, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee chose to lower its key overnight borrowing rate by a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, affirming market expectations that had recently shifted from an outlook for a cut half that size. Outside of the emergency rate reductions during Covid, the last time the FOMC cut by half a point was in 2008 during the global financial crisis. The decision lowers the federal funds rate to a range between 4.75%-5%. While the rate sets short-term borrowing costs for banks, it spills over into multiple consumer products such as mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. In addition to this reduction, the committee indicated through its “dot plot” the equivalent of 50 more basis points of cuts by the end of the year, close to market pricing. The matrix of individual officials’ expectations pointed to another full percentage point in cuts by the end of 2025 and a half point in 2026. In all, the dot plot shows the benchmark rate coming down about 2 percentage points beyond Wednesday’s move. “The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance,” the post-meeting statement said.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Cyber attack on city of Wichita limited to police records, internal investigation finds
A ransomware attack that crippled the city of Wichita’s network for more than a month starting in May was limited to a Wichita Police Department records system, city officials said Wednesday. That means the Russian hacker group — LockBit — that claimed credit for the attack did not access bank card numbers, social security numbers or other private information about city customers or residents — unless the Police Department kept those records as part of an investigation. The breached records include potentially sensitive information about witnesses, victims and suspects in 77,000 police cases. They included incident reports, arrest reports, supplemental reports, property reports, accident reports and traffic citations, City Manager Robert Layton said. Layton, who has previously avoided disclosing key details about the cyber attack, said on Wednesday that the city’s internal investigation is now considered closed, so he can provide more information to the public. “We haven’t really been able to get out the information on the data itself, and I think that was one of the most important things we wanted to talk about, to kind of ease people’s concerns about their water bill information, for instance, and payment information, that type of thing,” Layton said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
What the ongoing worker shortage looks like in Kansas
Where people in Kansas are moving to most. Fewer Americans moved in 2022, according to the latest Census data, but of those who did, 1 in 5 moved to a different state. Population growth has returned to pre-pandemic norms; Southern states continued to record influxes in population, while the Northeast saw the biggest drops, particularly in New York and Pennsylvania. These trends largely continued into last year, according to United Van Lines’ annual movers study. States with the most outbound moves in 2023 were New Jersey, Illinois, and North Dakota, which moved up 15 spots from the year before. Stacker compiled a list of states people from Kansas are moving to the most using data from the Census Bureau. States are ranked by the number of people who moved from Kansas to a different state in 2022. By now, the headlines are likely familiar: The “most unusual job market in modern American history.” The “Great American Labor Shortage.” The massive disruption to the job market wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, when by the latter half of 2021 almost half of American companies were reporting a worker shortage, impacted every corner of the nation. Since then, however, the job market has shifted back to more typical levels of employment, giving many Americans a renewed sense of normalcy. But some industries and parts of the country are still hurting for workers—a trend with ongoing ramifications for consumers and workers alike. JobTest.org analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled by the Chamber of Commerce to illustrate the current state of Kansas’ ongoing labor shortage based on a national analysis. The analysis uses the most recent data available at the national and state levels, from July and June 2024 respectively. According to government jobs data, there were 8.2 million open jobs in the U.S. in July and only 7.1 million unemployed workers. Even if every unemployed worker had a job, the nation would still have millions of unfilled positions.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
City launches survey about downtown
The city’s Choose Newton Main Street is asking residents, visitors and business owners to spend 10 minutes to fill out the online survey. If you provide an email, you will also be entered to win one of four $50 gift cards. According to the city’s release, the survey will prepare them for a visit from Kansas Main Street and Main Street America staff in October, aimed at crafting a “2025 Transformation Strategy,” which will be a plan to revitalize or strengthen downtown Newton’s economy. “The goal is to get community engagement and input for our downtown so that we can set priorities that our community truly sees as the priorities,” stated Jen Lehman, the city’s convention and visitors bureau coordinator. “We are hoping to get as many responses as possible.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Savonburg speaks
Residents seek progress on goals from a community conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. This year’s event addressed matters brought up last year , with small steps made toward their top concerns. Savonburg residents want to see more action taken towards their goals for improvement. Since they met a year ago, small steps have been made towards what they deemed the top three concerns at the time — electrical grid improvements, community involvement, and the town’s appearance. A small group of citizens gathered in the community building Tuesday evening to revisit and revise these goals during Thrive Allen County’s latest community conversation.
Source: The Iola Register
1969 fire truck to retire
A 1969 fire truck is being retired and the Solid Waste Department has purchased a 1996 Ford F350 Brush Fire Truck from the city of Wilson for $14,300. Solid Waste Director Jennifer Hamby asked the Barton County Commission to officially approve the purchase at Tuesday’s commission meeting. The truck was purchased through the Purple Wave online auction site and the funds will come from the budget for the county landfill. There are areas at the landfill that are prone to fires even though the Solid Waste Department has taken measures for fire suppression. Some time back, the department bought an old truck from the Claflin Fire Department and that is being replaced. Hamby said it is smaller than the brush truck and can get stuck easier.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Olathe moves ahead with STAR bond district for ‘ultra-accessible’ amusement park, sport arena
Loretto Properties’ plan to build an “ultra-accessible” special incentive district featuring an amusement park, a 5,000-seat multisport complex, housing, retail, dining and a medical facility for individuals with disabilities easily cleared its first hurdle this week. The company — run by Lamar Hunt Jr. and his son-in-law James Arkell — has requested a Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bond district. The total estimate for the price tag of the first planned phase of development at the southwest corner of 119th Street and Renner Boulevard covering about 64 acres costs about $300 million. An official amount has yet to be set, but Arkell estimated in an interview with the Post the project would request about $54 million through the incentive. The Olathe City Council on Tuesday voted 6-0 to start the process of establishing a STAR bond district comprising roughly 132 acres in the area known as Olathe Gateway.
Source: Johnson County Post
Prairie Village shuts down big changes to property tax rebate program
One Prairie Village program to provide tax relief for residents is remaining relatively unchanged, despite one councilmember’s proposed updates. The Prairie Village City Council on Monday during its committee meeting effectively shut down a proposal by Councilmember Greg Shelton to change the city’s property tax rebate program to emphasize helping young families. Currently, the property tax rebate program gives eligible residents — based only on income levels — the city’s portion of their individual tax bill back as a way to offer some tax relief. The city council discussed Shelton’s proposal to prioritize families as a way to provide relief for those dealing with high childcare costs in addition to an increased cost of living. (Shelton is the brother-in-law of Post publisher Jay Senter.)
Source: Johnson County Post