Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2018-08-05T16:28:50-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Wichita unveils free Narcan vending machine, already used more than 100 times

Thursday a new chapter opens in the fight against the opioid crisis with the opening of a new Naloxone vending machine. “Wichita is disproportionately affected by the opioid problem and we want to get these machines into the communities where they can do the most good,” said Bryan Baier, president of Healthy Blue Kansas. Wichita received one of the first Naloxone vending machines in the state and it’s incredibly easy to use. You just type in your zip code and out pops a Naloxone kit. Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Source: KAKE – News

Prairie Village removes some pickleball courts at city park. Will that fix noise issue?

Some pickleball nets are coming down at Prairie Village’s Windsor Park. At least, for now. After months of debating how to handle noise coming from six new pickleball courts at Windsor Park, the Prairie Village City Council last week voted 11 to 0 to temporarily remove nets on four of the courts. Later this year, the city plans to see how, if at all, having fewer pickleball courts impacts neighboring residents’ noise concerns — and potentially take further measures, including removing nets at the remaining two courts, if necessary.
Source: Johnson County Post

White House sends $5.8 billion water infrastructure funds to states

The Biden administration Tuesday announced $5.8 billion in water infrastructure funds for states, tribes and territories, the latest round of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act record level of clean water investment. Th money includes $3.2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for water projects and $2.6 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for storm and wastewater infrastructure. The funds include $1 billion for seven major rural water projects, $1 billion to address “forever chemical” contaminants, and $1 billion for Great Lakes drinking water projects. “Every person should have a right and the ability to have access to clean water, and it should not matter where you live or how much money you earn or how much money you got in your back pocket,” said Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday in Pittsburgh, where she announced the funds. “With this investment, we are continuing our urgent work to remove every lead pipe in the country and ensure that every American has access to safe and reliable drinking water.” State revolving funds for drinking and wastewater act as the primary federal funding for states, which then often leverage the money by issuing municipal bonds, most of which feature triple-A ratings, to make low-interest loans to cities, counties, water districts and other governmental entities to finance infrastructure projects.
Source: The Bond Buyer

State funding to improve short-line railroad systems

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced funding for 17 short-line railroad expansion and rehabilitation projects. The governor said almost $16.5 million will be made through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Rail Service Improvement Program (RSIP), and the projects will improve the state’s agriculture supply chain. RSIP recipients will use the funds for expansion and capacity improvements, major track rehabilitation, and rail replacement. These projects support rail improvements that enhance safety, expand carload capabilities, reduce truck traffic, increase operating speeds, and improve operating efficiencies.  Governor Kelly said the projects will help Kansas farmers and ranchers connect to regional, national, and international markets. The projects include more than $859,000 for the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad for a major rehabilitation project in Sedgwick County, and over $562,000 for a rehabilitation project for Viterra USA Grain in Sedgwick County.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Wichita announces next round of public housing sales

The City of Wichita has announced the next round of sales of public housing units as the city continues to reposition its housing stock. The city is listing 12 properties for sale at fair market appraised value rather than traditional real estate prices, making them more affordable for residents. Open houses have been scheduled for 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 25th, and from 3 p.m. to 5 pm on Tuesday, February 27th. The following homes are up for sale: 917 S Whittier; 1233 N Lorraine; 2229 E 53rd Street S; 2236 E 53rd Street S; 5224 S Hydraulic; 1714 E Idlewild Dr; 1325 E Selma; 1213 E Selma; 2318 W 33rd St S; 546 S Richmond; 840 N Nevada; and 991 N Robin. In all, the city has offered 37 public housing units for sale.  The city has sold 13 units, seven are under contract, and four are going to contract. Three of the homes under contract are with previous tenants of public housing.   The homes were approved for sale by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Detailed information on each unit and the process for submitting a written offer are available at https://www.wichita.gov/Economic/Pages/RealEstate.aspx.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

No, you won’t get hepatitis A from Lawrence’s drinking water

The concentration of hepatitis A in Lawrence’s wastewater has been on the rise, but the drinking water is clean and safe, according to the city. Wastewater — aka sewage — is processed through the city’s water treatment plants. Drinking water and tap water have been treated. The City of Lawrence has received a number of questions about this lately, according to a news release Thursday evening. “WastewaterSCAN, a national wastewater monitoring system based at Stanford University in partnership with Emory University, recently noted an increase in the concentration of hepatitis A virus (HAV) detected in the wastewater processed at the Lawrence Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Facility beginning in early January,” according to the release. The city joined the nationwide initiative to detect wastewater levels of infectious diseases — including COVID-19, monkeypox, influenza A and RSV — in 2022. Levels of COVID-19 in wastewater were monitored as indicators of the prevalence of the illness in the community during the height of the pandemic; however, that did not indicate that people would get COVID-19 from drinking water. Douglas County is not experiencing a hepatitis A outbreak, but the wastewater detection may indicate that there is transmission within the community, according to the release. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health officials are encouraging health care providers to be aware of symptoms of hepatitis and to vaccinate people who are at risk of contracting the virus.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Fentanyl presentation draws large crowd

Approximately 115 people attended the United Way of Dodge City Learn @ Lunch program at the Dodge City Community College (DC3) Library on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The presentation, which featured Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Director Tony Mattivi, was titled “The Fight Against Fentanyl: One Pill Can Kill.” While attendees enjoyed food provided and sponsored by PT Works Physical Therapy and Performance of Dodge City, Mattivi discussed the many dangers of fentanyl and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement officials to protect Kansans from the deadly drug.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe

Wichita community, city leaders meet to discuss homelessness

Members of the Wichita community met Wednesday night at the Advanced Learning Library to discuss Wichita’s growing rate of people living on the streets. City Council member J.V. Johnston, who’s been working on the city’s homeless task force, said that it’s the goal of the city to achieve functional zero homelessness, meaning there are more people coming out of living on the streets than going in. “I think if we all work hard and all the agencies collaborate and work together, city and county and nonprofits all work together, including the business community, we can achieve it,” Johnston said. Sedgwick County’s COMCARE program says a recent count shows 702 homeless people in the area. “One of the easiest answers in our facilities where we can provide wraparound services, and we can provide a housing first approach, right? The data is out there, the information is out there, I encourage you to go out and understand better those two philosophies,” said Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson. However, some at the town hall expressed concern about Wichita spending money on different services to help and outside studies, and spoke in favor of keeping the money in Wichita to directly benefit the unhoused. “It’s passing the buck in a giant circle,” remarked one community member. “If you want results, you have to have accountability. And you cannot have accountability if you diffuse it into a zillion entities.” At the end of the event, Mayor Lily Wu said she was encouraged by the large turnout, and hopes to have more meeting on how to get to the city’s goal in the coming months.
Source: KAKE – News

Billions of cicadas in the Midwest this spring will be ‘a really weird phenomenon’

This spring, billions of cicadas will dig their way out of the soil across most of the Midwest and Southeast, filling the air with their cacophonous soundtrack. Starting in late April, two major broods of cicadas that show up on 13- and 17-year cycles will crawl out of the soil and head to treetops to sing and mate. It’s the first time these two broods have emerged at the same time in 221 years. The males will die almost immediately after mating. The females will live just long enough to build nests in the trees and lay eggs. By the time those eggs hatch, the adults will have died, and the young “nymphs” will burrow back underground, starting the cycle again. This many cicadas emerging at once is like spotting a rare comet, said Zach Schumm, an insect diagnostician at Iowa State University. “This is a really weird phenomenon that we only get to see a few times in our lives,” Schumm said. There are many species of annual cicadas that are spotted every summer across much of the country. Then, there are periodical cicadas that come in waves. The seven species of periodical cicadas show up on 13- or 17-year cycles, spending most of their lives underground, but their chorus could be louder this year when their life cycles sync up for the first time in centuries.
Source: KCUR News

WPD going high-tech for safety of officers and citizens

The Wichita Police Department is trying newer technology to lessen the chance of officers and citizens getting injured or killed during potentially dangerous situations. On Thursday, Lieutenant Aaron Moses said uniformed officers are already getting trained on some of the newer tools while other products are still in the works.  Moses said all uniformed officers will be getting new body-worn cameras. The Axon Body 4 cameras featured an expanded field of view, improved video quality, and extended battery life. He said officers will also be able to stream video to supervisors if necessary. “As part of our new contract, every uniformed member, from the chief of police to the patrol officers and community service officers, will have a body-worn camera,” Moses said. The officer can choose between a chest-mounted or a head-mounted camera. The transition to the Axon Body 4 cameras will start in the spring. The WPD is testing Axon in-car video cameras. These are different from police dash cameras. “These cameras complement chest-mounted body cameras, providing additional footage with the rear seat of the vehicle,” Moses said. The WPD plans to equip 14 vehicles with the in-car cameras. Moses said the WPD is investing in technology that will automatically activate body-worn cameras when a police light bar is turned on or when a taser or a gun is drawn from a holster. Training started last week on the Axon Taser 10. Police say there are many benefits of the new taser versus the previous one officers used.
Source: KSN-TV

Portion of historic Olathe farm to get new life as city park

A portion of the historic Hoff Farm in northern Olathe is set to become a new neighborhood park. The land set to become the new park — nearly 17 acres — is near the corner of College Boulevard and Woodland Road. Descendants of the Hoff family donated some of their land for the park a few years ago, along with a parcel to become Olathe’s future Firehouse No. 9. “We greatly appreciate the contribution the Hoffs have made,” Councilmember Marge Vogt said last Tuesday. “This is a big deal.” Considered some of the city’s original pioneers, members of the Hoff family have farmed in Olathe since before the Civil War. They reportedly arrived via the trails that took settlers west and purchased the land in 1864. According to city documents, the property is one of the state of Kansas’s oldest recorded family farms.
Source: Johnson County Post

Shawnee City Council to weigh new restrictions on AirBnbs

Owners of short-term rentals in Shawnee, including AirBnbs and VRBOS, would have to obtain a business license and comply with new restrictions in order to keep that license, according to a proposal that will be considered by the city council at its meeting Monday night. At 6 p.m. at Shawnee City Hall, the council will weigh a proposal that will amend the city’s municipal code regarding short-term rental properties, including new rules for licensing, as well as restrictions on the number of people in a short-term rental and parking. It comes after nearly a year of discussion about how the Johnson County suburb should best tackle short-term rentals, which are a small sliver of properties overall in the city but make up a disproportionate amount of noise and other safety complaints. The proposal would amend Shawnee Municipal Code Chapter 5 to regulate short-term rentals through the city’s business licensing department. (…) While short-term rental owners already face a minimum fine of $500 and/or jail time, depending on the violations, the proposal being considered tonight looks to crack down even further. The proposed ordinance changes would require short-term rental owners to abide by the Shawnee Code of Ordinances. (…) If short-term rental owners don’t abide by these rules, they could have their business license to operate a rental revoked. “We’d have to provide each short-term rental with a notice, and they would be able to come forward and talk about the alleged violations,” said Shawnee City Attorney Jenny Smith at a committee meeting in January, in an overview of the proposed changes. “This body would have the ultimate authority to decide whether or not the business license should continue or if it should be revoked,” she said at that time.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Commerce Grants Available for Rural Mural and Public Art Projects

The Kansas Department of Commerce today announced a total of $75,000 is available for a new round of Rural Mural and Public Art program funding. The program helps rural communities design engaging new art that improves the local aesthetic – making the community more appealing not only for those who live there but for potential new businesses and residents as well. Grants up to $7,500 are available for eligible communities, which also is the total amount any one county can receive. The Office of Rural Prosperity program requires a 1:1 match, with 25% being a cash match unless the community has fewer than 1,000 residents. For those communities, matching support can be 100% in-kind services, including volunteer labor, materials and supplies, equipment, etc. “Murals and creative projects invite new businesses and residents to celebrate Kansas as their home,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Our holistic approach to economic development includes dedicating resources that enhance the physical attractiveness of communities, which helps encourage new investment.” Awards will be given to communities across the state with less than 15,000 population. Murals can beautify community gathering spaces, elevate tourist attractions, and offer a welcoming message for visitors. Communities are encouraged to utilize the 11-week application period to complete community engagement conversations about what the art should reflect.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Municipal Bond Trends for February 23, 2024

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.

100 years after its founding at KU, National League of Cities to kick off centennial roadshow in Lawrence

While a lot has changed in the past 100 years, in some ways the issues cities were navigating then aren’t all that different than the issues of today. That much is true to Clarence Anthony, the CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities. For Anthony, the similarities between now and a century ago really hit home when he reads the minutes of his organization’s very first meeting in 1924. That gathering just so happened to take place in a familiar location for Lawrence locals — Fraser Hall on the University of Kansas campus.
Source: LJWorld

Municipal Bond Trends for February 22, 2024

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.

Topeka City Council takes step to hire new City Manager

The city had a total of 42 applicants. Reviewing the applicants will take about three weeks, according to Councilmember Spencer Duncan. Candidate interviews will be conducted in late March. Once finalists are chosen, they will be invited to conduct final interviews and meet with citizens, according to Duncan.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Edgerton hosts ‘topping’ event for downtown Greenspace

On a bright, sunny and mild Valentine’s Day afternoon, Edgerton’s new and lifelong residents participated alongside city officials and local businesses to sign the final steel beam for The Greenspace building. Mayor Don Roberts said city officials invited everyone to participate in the historical moment for Edgerton. “It is your opportunity to put your name on our building,” he said.
Source: Gardner News

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