Kansas Municipal News
Walnut Valley Festival in full swing for its 51st year
The 51st annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield has kicked off. It runs through Sunday, Sept. 17. Everything you need to know is listed on the Walnut Valley Festival website. There are four stages with music all day long from over 30 performers, some new and some old. There are all sorts of food vendors and arts and crafts vendors with everything from tie-dye shirts to art pieces. “It’s kind of a city in itself,” Larry Junker said. “You don’t really have to go outside.” Larry Junker started writing the WVA (Walnut Valley Association) Daily in the 90s after starting to interview contest winners. … Typically, Junker says they bring in 10,000-13,000 people. “Almost doubles the size of Winfield because Winfield is running around 12,000 people,” Junker said. “So it’s like another city out here at the county fairgrounds.” … One group traveled to Winfield from Iceland and has been coming to the festival for years after an American friend told them about it who has gone to Winfield for 38 years.
Source: KSN-TV
Municipal Bond Trends for September 14, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
WPD launches new drone program
The Wichita Police Department announced Wednesday that it will be creating a new drone program. The department took to social media Wednesday morning saying they will be partnering with Axon Air to create a new drone program to enhance their law enforcement capabilities. “The cutting-edge drones equipped with high-resolution cameras will help us monitor public events, traffic situations, and emergency scenes more effectively,” WPD said. “This means quicker response times and improved situational awareness.” The department added that drones will be “invaluable” in locating missing persons, assisting in natural disasters and allowing them to provide support in the Wichita community in times of need.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita City Council passes regulations, licensing for short-term rentals like Airbnbs
Short-term rentals like Airbnbs and VRBOs will need to get a license and pay a fee to operate in the city of Wichita after the council passed new regulations Tuesday. Many of the short-term rentals that operate in residential areas currently do so against existing city codes. “I would venture to say there are very few short-term rentals in Wichita today that are in compliance with the zoning, unless they’re renting for seven days or more,” said Scott Wadle, the city’s planning director. The policy change City Council approved means short-term rentals can now operate legally, if they obtain the required licensing and zoning permits.
Source: KLC Journal
Parsons Police Dept. strengthens community bonds
Parsons Police Department recently hosted a Coffee with a Cop event, breaking from tradition by holding it in the evening. On September 12, 2023, at 6:00 pm, community members gathered for a unique opportunity to engage with their local law enforcement. The event, organized by host Shannon Schibi and Officer Mark Raney, responded to requests from residents unable to attend morning sessions. This shift in timing aimed to ensure that as many members of the community as possible could participate. “We had a remarkable turnout, with approximately 30 citizens joining us during the two-hour duration. The event fostered meaningful conversations, allowing the community to interact with night shift officers who are typically unavailable during daytime events of this nature,” said Chief Robert Spinks of the Parsons Police Department.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Paola firefighter to be honored 66 years after his death
Assistant Paola Fire Chief Wendell O. Phillips was fighting a house fire at 107 E. Wea St. on April 7, 1957, when he had a heart attack. Thinking he was just feeling ill, Phillips went home, but he suffered another heart attack that evening and grew steadily worse. Phillips was taken to the hospital, but he died two days later on April 9, 1957. It was a tragic loss for the community, and the fire department, but, for whatever reason, as the years and decades passed by, fewer and fewer people could recall Phillips’ service and sacrifice.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Experience history during Freedom Festival
Osawatomie’s rich history from the Bleeding Kansas time period will come to life this weekend during the Freedom Festival in John Brown Memorial Park. The two-day event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17. Freedom Festival will feature reenactments of the Battle of Osawatomie and other reenactments from the pre-Civil War and Civil War periods. Several speakers will present talks about this historically significant time for Osawatomie and the surrounding region.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
McElroy named Garden Plain city administrator
The City of Garden Plain, about 45 miles southwest of Newton, has hired Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy as its city administrator. The Times Sentinel Newspaper, which serves that community, reported the hire after covering Garden Plain’s city council meeting. McElroy lives in Garden Plain, and the Sentinel’s report stated McElroy will begin working in Garden Plain in late October. Kelly informed the City of Newton in July she would leave her position in October. McElroy worked for Newton for seven years, rising through the ranks as community development director, then city planner and assistant city manager. She replaced manager Bob Myers after his retirement in 2020.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick County commissioners approve moratorium on large-scale solar projects
Sedgwick County commissioners have voted to approve a six-month moratorium on any large scale solar energy zoning applications. The moratorium will suspend the application process for any large scale solar projects, such as wind farms or other operations that would generate and sell wholesale energy. It would not apply to homeowners or businesses that are putting up solar panels for their own use. The moratorium would also be in place for the unincorporated areas of the county, and it would not apply within cities and towns.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
New Interactive Dashboard Shows Cities Are Rebuilding America Using Federal Infrastructure Funds
Today, the National League of Cities (NLC) launched an interactive dashboard tracking how thousands of cities, towns and villages are investing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding into valuable projects for communities across the country. The dashboard tracks more than 1,600 projects across 1,100 local governments. Overall, this map represents $13 billion dollars in direct infrastructure funding awarded to local governments for investments in resilience, safety and clean energy as well as roads, bridges, public transportation and other infrastructure that are used by more than 97 million people.
Source: NLC
City of Shawnee can restrict roommates: Judge dismisses suit over controversial law
A federal judge has sided with Shawnee, dismissing a lawsuit over the city’s controversial co-living ban, which limits how many unrelated people can live together. David Deerson, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation representing the property management company suing the city, told The Star he plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The city adopted the ordinance last year, prohibiting more than three unrelated people from living together in a single residence. The city only allows more people to live together if they are blood relatives or related by marriage, adoption or guardianship. The ordinance says if one resident is not related to anyone in their household, then the entire household is considered unrelated.
Source: Joco 913 News
Wichita Parks Department makes changes to Pickleball complex plans to address noise problems
Pickle Ball is one of the fastest growing sports in America and the distinctive sounds of the plastic ball hitting a paddle is popping up all over cities in the US. That sound is something William Long will have to get used to. “It doesn’t really bother me,“ Long told KAKE on Thursday. Long lives right next to the soccer fields of South Lakes sports complex. It is also going to be the home of the City of Wichita’s new pickleball complex. While pickleball is a fast growing sport, one problem about it is also growing at a major rate, noise concerns.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas folk artist M.T. Liggett is more than his eccentric ‘character’ in a new documentary
Those who drive through Mullinville, Kansas, population 197, might not remember the town. But they probably remember the miles of metal sculptures that line U.S. 400 just outside of it. Those totems and whirligigs are the work of eccentric folk artist M.T. Liggett. He’s the subject of “It Started With A Horse,” a documentary by Kansas City filmmaker Joshua Dubois. The documentary, filmed over the course of 20 years, aims to tell the “true story” of Liggett, who died in 2017.
Source: KCUR
Open Streets ICT to take place in downtown on Sunday
Open Streets ICT will take place this Sunday, Sept. 17, from 12 to 5 p.m. through downtown Wichita. The event will run on Douglas Avenue from Wichita’s historic Delano District all the way to College Hill. Douglas will be blocked for four miles from Bluff to Glenn Street during that time. Wichitans and visitors will be able to cruise along Douglas on bikes, skateboards, or walk and stop at activity hubs, shop businesses on the route, and visit food and street vendors while listening to music. There will be hubs of shops located at West Douglas, Kennedy Plaza, Naftzger Park, East High School and College Hill.
Source: KSN-TV
Pittsburg is landscaping with new “four-wheel-drive weed eaters”
The City of Pittsburg has a new landscaping team – one with a new “environmentally friendly” approach. “The area that customers are looking to maintain will show up while fenced off with a portable electric fence. And then, we’ll turn to goats in there. And then, depending on how far down, we usually try to do 70 to 75% vegetation reduction. But it’s up to the customers how long they want to leave the goats in there,” said Robert Dutton.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Century-old pipes, water tower maintenance cause water main breaks in Emporia
A combination of water tower maintenance, shifts in water pressure and 80 to 100-year-old pipes is causing water main breaks across Emporia. On Wednesday, the City of Emporia issued a Water Watch after a 20-inch pipe from 1926 broke. After the pipe was isolated the watch was rescinded. “The tower being out of service is changing the water pressure patterns, and we have selected water hydrants open to reduce pressure levels,” Emporia spokeswoman Christine Torrens said.
Source: KSNT 27 News
‘It’s not really about the bikes’: Advocates seek ideas to improve Wichita’s livability
Ten years ago, Wichita had less than 60 miles of bike paths. When the city asked people how to make Wichita more bike friendly, over 4,000 responded, calling for more paths – and more safety awareness from drivers. That level of public interest was something the city couldn’t ignore. So it created its first bike master plan to guide cycling development for the city and make Wichita more welcoming for bikes. Since then, more than 50 miles of bike paths have been added, and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board was appointed to gather advice from cyclists.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Municipal Bond Trends for September 13, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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 Kansas Supreme Court could strike down a Wichita ordinance used to arrest a protester
Kansas Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical Tuesday of a Wichita city ordinance used to justify arresting a protester. They will decide whether the ordinance is a violation of First Amendment rights. In 2020, Gabrielle Griffie led a protest over the death of George Floyd. The group marched through Wichita, even walking through streets and blocking some traffic. The demonstration ended at the steps of the federal courthouse. Nobody was arrested the day of the protest. But Wichita Police watched social media videos after it happened and charged Griffie with disorderly conduct for blocking traffic. … At the heart of the debate is a city ordinance outlawing “noisy conduct tending to reasonably arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others.” That was used to justify her charge.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Saline County takes advantage of new federal provision, redirects ARPA money to roads
Saline County canceled two projects that failed to get off the ground and reallocated American Rescue Plan Act funds to go toward road projects Tuesday. Following a new federal provision which provides counties with additional options for investing coronavirus relief dollars, the county elected to create a new category to help fund a couple small road improvement projects. The U.S. Department of Treasury, through an interim final rule approved in August, now allows ARPA funds to be used for three new areas: transportation and infrastructure, disaster relief and community development. Federal provisions had previously not allowed the funds to be used toward road projects. Saline County has shifted its list of project priorities, given this new rule.
Source: Salina Journal
At many banks, pandemic-era bond purchases are still tugging at profits
Banks’ pandemic-era bond investments are still hampering some lenders, dragging down the profitability of those that are saddled with low-yielding portfolios for months or even years to come. The concerns are far less severe than they were in March and April, when the failure of Silicon Valley Bank brought scrutiny of surviving banks whose large bond portfolios were also underwater. The question now is less about whether more banks are at risk of failing — and more about how much their profitability will be squeezed. The pressures aren’t universal since some banks held off on putting much cash into bonds during the pandemic, or chose shorter-term options that freed up their money more quickly. But those that did buy longer-term bonds before interest rates started rising in 2022 are facing more pain.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Wichita city council approves changes to short term rental rules
Inside the Wichita City Council chambers on Tuesday, Kelli Reid is sitting and listening to the council debate an issue that will impact her directly. They’re talking about new rules and regulations regarding short term rental properties. “When we first started out in 2018, there were there really was no policy per se,” Reid said about getting her Airbnb’s up and going. She added that she went “through the process of making phone calls to the city and to the county and to the state to find out how we go about doing this here in Kansas. It was cumbersome.” The city of Wichita has been working this policy since 2021 after a fatal shooting at a house party at an Airbnb.
Source: KAKE – News
Overland Park will require some new streets to be paved with concrete
Starting at the end of this year, Overland Park will require some new streets to be built with concrete instead of the traditional asphalt mix. The move is expected to cut down on the disturbance from regular street maintenance on these new roads and, overtime, reduce the city’s reliance on chip seal as a road resurfacing tool. Overland Park expects to eliminate about 220 lane miles from the future list of candidates for chip seal over the next 15 to 20 years. On Monday, the Overland Park City Council unanimously accepted the city staff’s plan to begin paving all new residential and collector streets with concrete.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Douglas County Commission to consider policy to pay people with lived experience
Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider a new policy that would allow the county to pay people who have lived experience for their input on community issues and initiatives. County staff members want to seek input from people who are experiencing homelessness, in particular, and the new policy is in hopes of addressing barriers that prevent people from participating in listening sessions and work group meetings.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for September 12, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Kansas schools brace for utility rate increases
It’s been five years since energy provider Evergy requested a rate increase for customers in the Wichita area. This year, the company has asked the Kansas Corporation Commission for a residential rate of just less than 10%. But the base rate increase for school customers starts at 25%. An Evergy spokesperson tells KSN this week the net increase for schools in rates could be between 11-12%. Some schools say they have budgeted for energy increases, but they are closely watching to see what gets approved by the KCC.
Source: KSN-TV
Great American Market draws crowds to downtown Emporia
With nearly 180 vendors this year, Commercial Street was lined with goodies from the 600 – 1100 blocks. Visitors found everything from plants and handcrafted jewelry to collectibles and antiques, resin art, crochet and knitted items, jams and jellies, food trucks and more. Thousands of people turned out for the Great American Market, as hundreds of vendors drew crowds of visitors to downtown Emporia Saturday for a day of shopping.
Source: Emporia Gazette
USD 216 Deerfield cancels school for second day due to storm damage
A school in western Kansas has canceled class for the second day in a row due to storm damage on Sunday, the district says. According to a release, USD 216 Deerfield will not have school on Tuesday as they work to clear storm damage and, “make the school safe for staff and students.” School was also canceled on Monday due to the damage. It is currently unknown when classes will resume.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita water customers urged to get backflow tested, city threatens disconnections
In a September 5 news release, the City of Wichita states that residents with irrigation systems connected to the city’s water system are required to annually have their backflow tested. The due date for the annual backflow certification was May 30, and the city says multiple notices have gone out to accounts that have been non-compliant.
Source: KAKE – News
USDA invests nearly $50 million into water infrastructure in rural Kansas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing more than $49 million for water and wastewater infrastructure repairs and upgrades in four towns and one county in rural Kansas. “Our rural communities in Kansas are in desperate need of investment and infrastructure. Water and sewer is no exception to that,” said Christy Davis, the state director of USDA Rural Development for Kansas. The cities of Girard, Humboldt, Mankato and Perry, as well as Neosho County will receive the funding. The money comes from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program.
Source: KCUR News
Hutchinson firefighters participate in 9/11 stair climbs
Firefighters with the Hutchinson Fire Department participated in two 9/11 stair climbs over the weekend. Eleven firefighters participated in events in Wichita and Kansas City. Nine firefighters from Hutchinson climbed 110 flights of stairs at the Epic Center in Downtown Wichita on Saturday, while two firefighters climbed the same number of stairs at the Skyline Collection building located in Downtown Kansas City on Sunday. Each firefighter carried with them the name of a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There were 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters, paramedics, and one New York Fire patrolman who died that day, along with 23 New York Police Department and 37 Port Authority police officers.
Source: KSN-TV
Winfield fire holds 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb
The Winfield 9/11 Memorial Stair climb was held Monday on the 22nd anniversary of the attacks. The event took place at the 77 Steps of Southwestern College’s Christy Administration Building at 100 North College Ave. It was the sixth year Winfield Fire and EMS hosted the stair climb to honor the victims of that day. To commemorate the 110 stories the First Responders had to climb in the World Trade Towers, firefighters climbed the 77 stairs 27.5 times.
Source: KSN-TV
Goats on the move in Pittsburg park
Nearly 40 goats were released in Lincoln Park on Monday to help the Pittsburg Parks and Recreation Department control some overgrowth along the creek north of Lincoln Center. The goats belong to Robert Dutton, owner of Oscar-Mike Goat Rental. A 12-year veteran of the National Guard, Dutton chose the name Oscar-Mike, which is the phonetic pronunciation of the letters “O” and “M,” is military shorthand for “on the move” as a nod to his military background. “I figured the goat are always on the move, so it made perfect sense to me,” Dutton said. What he didn’t count on was his non-military friends not understanding the shorthand and asking who Oscar and Mike are. Dutton began renting out his goats last year to test the waters and see if a viable business would be practical. This year, Dutton decided to go all in and advertise his goats commercially.
Source: Morning Sun
Municipal Bond Trends for September 11, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Downtown banners official in Newton
Collaboration, and school and town pride were the themes for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning celebrating the installation of Newton High School and Bethel College banners in downtown Newton. The event was at the Newton Train Station park. “A great day,” said Sal Lujano, who came up with the banner idea. “Everything is falling in line. The weather is great. I want just to kind of repeat the word collaboration because it has been a collaboration of many people coming together to reach this goal and lift our schools and our students and highlight them with pride in our downtown. I feel that this week’s theme is ‘We are in this together.’”
Source: Harvey County Now
Downtown’s new dawn: Major developments set to propel Wichita’s core
In just a few years, a $300-million biomedical campus is expected to rise in place of nondescript parking lots near Broadway and William streets and a neighboring city transit center destined for replacement. It’s a landmark endeavor in downtown Wichita’s history, and the project’s driving visionary says it couldn’t have happened without being audacious. “What all this has taught me is that you need to have big, bold ideas,” Wichita State University president Rick Muma said. “I think sometimes, in the Midwest, people are not prone to have those kinds of big ideas.” Muma says conversations and planning surrounding the project — on track to begin construction in 2024 and led by the KU School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita State University and WSU Tech — started several years ago.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Johnson County group fought to get contentious issue on ballot. Too late, official says
A contentious battle over whether Prairie Village residents will vote this fall on restructuring the city government reached a screeching halt Friday afternoon. As the city and a group of homeowners awaited clarification on a judge’s ruling over proposed ballot initiatives, the Johnson County election office said the fight is essentially over for now. Election Commissioner Fred Sherman said the deadline has passed for his office to have time to place new questions on the Nov. 7 ballot. But the group of homeowners behind the initiatives, PV United, hasn’t given up. In a letter to the election office shared with The Star, the group urged Sherman to place the issue on the ballot.
Source: Joco 913 News
Wichita to pay $262,500 after police stood outside as man stabbed roommate
The Wichita City Council is set to approve a six-figure payout related to a 2019 incident where police officers stood outside of a house as a man killed his roommate by stabbing her up to 50 times. The family of the victim, Devin Andrea Cook, had sued the city in state court over officers’ failure to intervene during the deadly assault. The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes the authorization of a $262,500 payment as “full settlement of all claims against the officers and the City of Wichita” arising from a domestic violence incident on Nov. 23, 2019. That’s the day that police responded to a phone call from Jason McCaleb, who wanted his roommate, 28-year-old Cook, to vacate their south Wichita residence. After speaking with both roommates, police determined that they could not make Cook leave immediately because she had “established residency” at the house, including keeping clothes there and having house keys.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
GCFD firefighters deployed to Alaska inform City Commission of experience
Members of the Garden City Fire Department shared information and their experience on a Wildland Team deployment in Tok, Alaska, with the Kansas Fire Module at the Garden City Commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. The Kansas Fire Module was comprised of members from the Kansas Forest Service, the GCFD and the Olathe Fire Department. The module spent 14 days, beginning on July 29, in the Tok area, in which the protection boundary is comprised of 8.5 million acres of land. Firefighter Raymond Hestikind spoke on the experience on behalf of firefighters Chris Talmage and Ljay Geist, who were unable to make the meeting as they had just been deployed again.
Source: Garden City Telegram
Kansas school districts look for ways to entice kids back to class
Three years after the pandemic sent most Kansas kids home to learn, schools have a vexing new challenge: getting them to come back to class. Missing school has become a crisis statewide. State education leaders are still compiling data from last school year, but they expect the problem is getting worse. “Definitely a dramatic uptick … which is not what anybody would want to see,” said Robyn Kelso, who monitors attendance for the Kansas Department of Education. “At the same time, I don’t know that I’m necessarily surprised.” Many older students struggled with the transition to remote learning and then back to a normal school routine. Some saw their mental health suffer and lost the motivation to attend class.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Celebrating Heritage: Arvonia hosts history preservation tour
A busload of tourists converged on tiny Arvonia, Kansas, on Labor Day, ready to learn about the historic Welsh settlement and efforts to restore and preserve local heritage. More than 30 people participated in the tour, a supplemental excursion offered through the North American Festival of Wales, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, the previous week. Arvonia Historical Preservation Society board members and volunteers prepared the restored Township Hall for lunch with wooden tables and benches, decorated with daffodils and small Welsh flags. Displays of local maps and platts, correspondence, newspaper articles, school records and other documents and pictures were set up around the room.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Kelly touts budding economic development as boon for state
With a number of economic initiatives propelling Kansas forward, Gov. Laura Kelly believes the State of Kansas is taking monumental steps to invigorate its economy and foster industry growth in the Emporia area. Kelly, who spoke to The Gazette this week, emphasized that this achievement is a direct outcome of the state’s strategic plan for economic development. This comprehensive plan, instated under her administration, provides a modern roadmap for growth — a departure from the outdated strategies that had hindered Kansas’ economic progress for decades.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Claflin Fire District receives donation from Anheuser-Busch
Claflin Fire District No. 1 has received a grant from Anheuser-Busch through the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. Drinking water is used directly for firefighter comfort and safety. The grant included a case of powdered electrolyte replacement additive and 98 cases of canned drinking water, which is loaded to coolers on each truck and helps firefighters stay hydrated on fire calls.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Amid housing fight, Prairie Village residents confused by judge’s contradictory rulings
PV United, a group opposed to proposals to increase affordable housing in Prairie Village, circulated three petitions that would change the city’s government and zoning rules. A judge this week gave an oral ruling on which petitions could appear on the ballot in November, but later contradicted that decision in her written ruling.
Source: KCUR
Wichita city council to vote on short term rental regulations next week
If you ask Patricia Hileman why she and her family moved to the college hill neighborhood of Wichita 14 years ago, its a fairly simple answer. “I just like old houses and I love the trees that come with old houses and the community.” When she moved in, short term rentals like Airbnb were not really wide scale in Wichita. However since then more and more have popped up. She doesn’t oppose people having short term rentals but said, “I love having relationships with neighbors, and short term rentals, you don’t build relationships, they’re not going to be here, right?”
Source: KAKE – News