Kansas Municipal News
Frontenac reviews new ordinance on shipping containers
The Frontenac City Council held their first meeting at their new time on Wednesday evening, which is now at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. On the docket was a new ordinance concerning large shipping containers like what is often found on construction sites. In recent years, these containers have become popular building material for new homes. Frontenac says they are not up to residential code and cannot be used for that purpose.
Source: Morning Sun
A Bond Selloff Is Rocking the World. You Might Want to Take the Other Side.
Wall Street is really worried about bonds. It might be time to buy some. On Friday, a jobs report that blew past expectations pushed yields on 10-year Treasurys to 4.772%, the highest close since Nov. 1, 2023, and those on 30-year paper to 4.962%. What is spooking markets, however, is that much of the recent rise in yields doesn’t appear to reflect expectations of stronger economic growth. Rather, it might be the result of investors applying a higher discount or “term premium” to hold long-term bonds, estimates by the Federal Reserve suggest. Some analysts attribute this to the possibility of Donald Trump’s promised tariffs derailing the global economy and leading to a jump in inflation, while his tax cuts bloat budget deficits further.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets
Should Cities Open Their Own Grocery Stores?
By now, most people are familiar with the concept of food deserts — areas where residents lack ready access to fresh foods. Should local governments step in to operate grocery stores in neighborhoods that don’t have them? Aside from ideological questions over whether governments should get involved with operating retail establishments, there are a number of practical hurdles that are difficult to overcome.
Source: Governing
Kansas landowners are renting out yards as puppy playgrounds
Sniffspot, a short-term rental website and app, lets property owners rent out their yards or other spaces as private dog parks. So far there are about 200 Sniffspots in Kansas, but the number is growing. More than 40% of Kansas households have a dog, but not everyone has a place where dogs can run, explore and burn off energy. Enter Sniffspot. The website and app lets people list their backyards or other spaces to rent by the hour as puppy playgrounds. The site began in 2018 in Seattle, where David Adams lived with a couple of energetic mixed-breed dogs named Toshii and Soba.
Source: Garden City Telegram
City develops policy for pets of homeless people in shelter
The City of Wichita said a policy at the emergency winter homeless shelter will allow for pets to be housed for a period of time during severe winter storms and cold snaps. The issue came up during a discussion Tuesday at the regular City Council meeting, after Wichita police reported that 76 out of 110 homeless people contacted by the Homeless Outreach Team had refused to go to shelter during the past weekend’s winter storm. Vice-Mayor Maggie Ballard said people don’t want to be separated from their pets and more work needs to be done to get the word out on the pet policy. The city said unhoused residents staying in the emergency winter shelter are able to bring pets to the Wichita Animal Shelter for where they will be held for 72 hours and taken care of at no cost until the winter storm has passed. After leaving the shelter, pets will also receive free spay/neuter service and vaccinations.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Leon eliminates dog and cat permit fees
The City of Leon City Council voted on January 6 to eliminate permit fees for dogs and cats in an effort to alleviate costs for residents and encourage them to spay/neuter their animals to reduce population. Previously Leon required dog and cat owners to permit each animal at $5 per animal if they were spay/neutered and $15 per animal if they weren’t spay/neutered. Residents often spoke to the council on rising cost of living expenses and felt they were being nickel and dimed after the water rates were raised to support new infrastructure. Jodie Laidler, City/Court Clerk for the City of Leon said the council listened. She thought of the proposal to eliminate dog and cat fees as well as lower other animal fees as a response to concerned citizens. She said the Council was in full support of the proposal.
Source: Andover American
Olpe accumulates $2.5 million in fundraising in Phase One for new fitness park
Olpe has accumulated $2.5 million in fundraising for Phase One of a three phase project intended to create state-of-the-art fitness facilities and parks for the enjoyment of the community. Phase One will fund the creation of a football field and track on the school grounds of USD 252, while Phase Two and Three will create a splash pad, a park, and softball and baseball fields.
Source: Emporia Gazette
County commission approves redistricting plan
A plan to redistrict the county by adding two additional county commission districts was approved by Bourbon County Commissioners Monday night. Commissioners reviewed three maps presented by Surveying and Mapping LLC (SAM), a company that was contracted to assist the county in the redistricting process. The boundaries for the districts are based on the county’s population.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
Hoisington’s Conrad honored for city service
With 44 years in city service, Cecelia Conrad has experienced several firsts in her career. A retirement reception was held Friday morning at the Hoisington City Auditorium in her honor, recognizing her latest service as City Clerk from 2019.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
For the third time in four years, USD 439 searches for a superintendent.
The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is once again managing the search. They opened the search around Thanksgiving and closed it a few weeks later. USD 439 BOE president Travis Francis said the board spent the last two weeks discussing candidates and comparing them to the priorities set by meeting with faculty and the community.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick hopes to decrease the number of stray cats in town
Sedgwick’s City Council took action Wednesday evening to slow the growth of the population in the city during 2025—the population of stray cats. The council unanimously approved a contract with Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton for their Trap, Neuter, and Release program for 2025 for $3,000.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick EMS off and running calls
When the newly formed Sedgwick EMS went live on the first of the year, it was a few days later before it fielded its first call on Jan. 4. Since the first call, the department has ran several others and EMS Chief Jaime Anderson couldn’t be happier.
Source: Harvey County Now
Olathe OKs amusement park STAR bond district plan — and makes room for gas station
Details for a planned $320 million “ultra-accessible” sports and entertainment district in Olathe backed by state STAR bonds have started coming together. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council unanimously approved a zoning amendment and a preliminary site development plan that paves the way for the first part of the development within the boundaries of a special incentive district at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard.
Source: Johnson County Post
What Kansas City, Kansas, residents want the nation to know about their community
Over several weeks in the fall, reporters from those 10 NPR stations hosted small groups of three to six people who had something in common and were comfortable sharing their stories — in Orlando, Fla., western Colorado, Kansas City, Kan., and many more communities, big and small. We asked every group the same set of open-ended questions: about their sense of community, what they thought people from other communities did not understand about them and what they wanted to learn about other people.
Source: KCUR News
Wichita to begin stronger enforcement of illegal camping law despite concerns from some
Some Wichita City Council members made a last-ditch effort Tuesday to prevent a revised ordinance for stronger enforcement against illegal camping from going into effect. The ordinance passed on its second reading along the same lines of its first vote. Council members Mike Hoheisel, Maggie Ballard and Johnson voted no. The new limits, which go into effect this month, allow for rapid removal of reported encampments by law enforcement, city workers and contractors by eliminating the need to post notices to vacate. A particular focal point will be locations that “pose health and safety concerns” such as doorways, sidewalks, areas near bridges, bus shelters, playground and the multi-agency center campus.
Source: KLC Journal
Pittsburg Police offering sign-on bonus to bolster its force
The Pittsburg Police Department is looking to add to its force. Officials say they haven’t been fully staffed for almost a decade — despite seeing an increase in interested applicants. The department has had to get help from other agencies — but continues to recruit through high school and college visits. The department is offering a sign-on bonus for new officers — as well as incentives for current ones who help in the recruitment process.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Fort Scott Schools partner with solar farm company
The Fort Scott School District makes an agreement with an anticipated solar farm in the county, hoping to help bring in more funds for local schools. USD 234, or the Fort Scott Board of Education, signed an agreement with KingBird Solar Energy LLC. This comes after the solar farm company reached out to the school district to contribute an annual amount back into the school district.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Prefiled bill would release millions in school bond funds from Kansas attorney general’s grasp
Two Kansas legislators prefiled a bill that would deliver millions in voter-approved school bonds that were blocked earlier this year because of a strict ruling from the Kansas attorney general. Voters in the Greeley County school district approved in May a $4.6 million school bond that was to be used for upgrades and renovations, but because the county — the smallest in Kansas with a population of just less than 1,200 — doesn’t have an elections website, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office refused to release the funds. The Attorney General’s Office, which is responsible for validating every bond election in the state, decided the bond election didn’t meet legal standards. County officials didn’t adhere to a recent law requiring them to publish notice of a bond election three weeks in advance on a county elections website, in addition to a traditional newspaper notice, the office said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Scannell Properties sues for fraud after city bans truck traffic
One of the area’s most-active developers is suing the city of Edwardsville and its mayor for fraud after the passage of an ordinance to ban truck traffic on an avenue fronting its under-construction project. At issue is an Edwardsville ordinance passed in September banning truck traffic on 110th Street between Riverview Avenue and Kansas Avenue. Such a move would cut off truck traffic along the industrial park’s eastern border.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for January 9, 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.