Kansas Municipal News
Speed bumps, humps and tables — How Johnson County cities try to slow drivers down
Cities like Leawood and Prairie Village have recently addressed speeding in neighborhoods through traffic calming measures. But which measures work the best to slow down traffic? Speed humps or roundabouts are just two examples of traffic calming measures used in specific areas to slow down vehicle speeds. In several Johnson County cities, these measures are installed on a case-by-case basis due to specific needs on specific roads, city staff members told the Post. “Traffic calming devices are so site specific that it is difficult to say one type outperforms other types,” Lenexa City Engineer Tim Green told the Post. Most Johnson County cities use some type of traffic calming measure, but some like Lenexa and Shawnee opt against using speed humps and speed tables in particular. Here’s a look at how some Johnson County cities attempt to minimize speeding on public streets, and how they determine which type of measure to use.
Source: Johnson County Post
Prairie Village says final price tag for new community center could top $90M
After narrowly surviving a vote to scuttle the entire project, the Prairie Village City Council is moving forward with a years-long idea to build a city-owned community center. The final projected price tag is now clearer, too, with the city council voting 8-4 to move forward with plans to repay construction costs over 30 years through an estimated five-eighths or three-quarter cent sales tax increase. The cost of building a new city-owned community center to replace the current aging Paul Henson YMCA is estimated to be $55 million, but when interest is added on to repaying bonds over a 30-year term, the total cost the city is projected to pay reaches $92.5 million. On Monday, Mayor Eric Mikkelson broke a split 6-6 vote to kill the project outright, a motion that was made on the fly by Councilmember Nick Reddell. Several councilmembers said they are concerned about partnering with the YMCA, but some who shared those feelings voted against killing the project in order to get feedback at an already scheduled city public forum Oct. 15.
Source: Johnson County Post
New UG development director talks growth, long-term strategy
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, filled a two-year vacancy in its economic development office. Chelsee Chism will be the county’s next economic development director, rebuilding the department to support small businesses, entice new economic development opportunities and assist with the UG land bank program. “I love the diversity that Wyandotte County offers. There is also this ability to exercise multidimensional approach to economic development that’s not necessarily offered in Johnson County. I feel like my efforts here and my team’s efforts could just be really impactful for the community,” Chism said. She comes to the job from her role as assistant city manager for Overland Park and Shawnee. In Overland Park, she worked on economic development projects including Bluhawk, Prairiefire and the Meridian project, formerly known as Brookridge. Chism succeeds Katherine Carttar, who was the UG’s economic development director between 2019 and 2022. Now, Carttar is the executive director of the Urban Land Institute Kansas City. County Administrator David Johnston said Chism’s first major assignment will be drafting an economic development strategic plan for the county over the next nine to 10 months.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Audit of Kansas TIF districts reveals delays in returns, increased crime rates
Some of Kansas’ largest cities are struggling to gain full returns on tax increment financing districts meant to help bolster development activity and property values, a recent state audit found. TIF districts, as they are called, are intended to fund real estate projects that otherwise wouldn’t exist. The idea is that the development will increase property values in the designated district, resulting in higher property tax collections that are used to pay off the bonds that financed the project. State auditors surveyed six TIF districts from Kansas’ largest cities and found that half did not recover their costs in a timely manner. Most experienced construction delays and recorded increased crime rates after development finished. At least one city calculated its TIF collection incorrectly. Two cities, Wichita and Topeka, aren’t likely to recover the costs of three projects through TIF revenue by the end of the districts’ lifetimes. In Topeka, the general fund is covering an estimated 40% of the city costs associated with the College Hill TIF project, the audit found. In Wichita, two projects have experienced construction delays and the projects haven’t generated as much TIF revenue as anticipated. One of those projects, the Douglas and Hillside TIF district, was $1.8 million behind on debt service payments as of 2022, but the city said the debt will be fully financed by 2027, according to the audit. The other project, the Ken Mar TIF district, was $420,000 behind on payments as of 2022 and developers have been tied up in litigation with the city. “If a city cannot pay off debt obligations on time, then its overall cost from the TIF project may increase as it accrues additional interest,” according to the audit. “The use of other city funds to help cover shortfalls may leave less funding for other purposes.”
Source: Kansas Reflector
‘First People of Kansas’ documentary showcases Native American history for St. John community
Former journalist Beccy Tanner had always had a knack for history. As soon as she noticed there was not any written history of Native Americans in her small central-Kansas town of St. John, she knew she could join her talent with other journalists to educate her community about their history. Tanner, joined by photographer Bo Rader, videographer Auriel Hathaway and local historians, created the “First People of Kansas” documentary series, highlighting the history of Native Americans in the St. John and Wichita area. “We didn’t really have stories of diversity,” she said. “We had a lot of stories, and we still will tell those stories, of the prominent white people who settled here and did well. But there were also many other people who didn’t always make our history books.” The St. John community on Oct. 19 will celebrate the project’s completion with a showing of the documentary at the St. John Homecoming Hall and Museum. Native American women will make fry bread, and Don Blakeslee, a Great Plains Native American archeologist, will give artifact presentations.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Volunteer firefighters worry new OSHA safety standards could shut down some rural departments
Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It’s great news for professional firefighters, but volunteer departments say the new rules could bog them down with expensive and irrelevant regulations. Hundreds of US firefighters die every year, and job-related cancer is far and away the biggest killer, according to Sean DeCrane with the International Association of Fire Fighters union. He places some of the blame on outdated federal safety rules that protect firefighters, enacted in 1980. “It’s long past due that the firefighters that are out there responding every day are provided some protection by the federal government when it comes to workplace safety,” said DeCrane. “If these regulations had been in place 40 years ago, we would have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of firefighter lives,” DeCrane said. “Just from early detection of cardiovascular disease, or understanding of exposure to toxins and carcinogens, proper training, proper equipment.” But while all of that sounds great to the professional firefighters DeCrane represents, most fire departments in the U.S. are not professional. According to the National Fire Department Registry, more than 4 out of 5 departments are all volunteer, or mostly volunteer. And for volunteer firefighters, the added money and time necessary to comply with OSHA’s new proposals are not welcome.
Source: KCUR News
City of Baxter Springs unveils new historic mural, ribbon cutting
The City of Baxter Springs partners with local organizations to celebrate the completion of a mural. The city says the mural covers the entire 100×12 ft. wall of the Water Works Plant building facing east, on the corner of Highway 69 and Route 66 across from the Baxter Springs High School. “After months of planning, discussion, and community engagement, we are thrilled to unveil Baxter Springs’ newest piece of public art”, stated Pam Mitchell, Baxter Chamber Tourism Chair and Kansas Historic Route 66 Association President. “We’d like to thank AJ and Jordan Wood for honoring our community with their creative vision.” “This is the first of many murals we hope to complete in Baxter Springs. We are incredibly grateful for Mayor Abbott’s and the City Council’s support. While on their journey across Historic Route 66, many groups from other countries have already stopped and spoken with the artists. They’ve overwhelmingly commented on the historical detail of the mural and added it to their favorites. Plans include electric lighting to be installed above the mural, as well as an informational Kiosk in the adjacent Military Park,” stated Jennifer Burton, Art Steering Committee Chair.
Source: KOAM News
Wichita City Council to consider gunshot detecting devices, water plant agreement
The Wichita City Council voted 7-0 to approve the purchase of 31 additional Flock license plate cameras and gunshot detection technology for the Wichita Police Department. In 2022, the WPD began using Flock Raven gunshot detection devices in places considered hotspots for gun crime. Based on a hotspot analysis of crime in Wichita, the department wants to add two square miles of coverage in District 6. The city has been testing gunshot detection for Flock in two square miles in District 1 and District 3. The cost to the City is just over $337,000.
Also, the council voted 7-0 to approve hiring Operational Technical Services (OTS) to temporarily run the new Wichita Water Works Facility. Mayor Lily Wu told KSN News that the City has struggled to find workers since the old facility still has to run. “The City of Wichita is still continuing to hire people for the new water treatment plant. They’ve been doing this over the last several months and have not been very successful in getting more people in,” Wu said. The City will still recruit workers. The one-year contract will cost nearly $1.3 million.
Source: KSN-TV
Derby firefighter returns back from Hurricane Helene recovery efforts
As more Kansas rescue crews head to Florida to respond to Hurricane Milton, others are just returning home after two weeks of search and rescue after Hurricane Helene. Captain Matt Ludwig with the Derby Fire Department says he would do it again. This is his third deployment for hurricane recovery and relief efforts. “The people that I encountered firsthand that they were all very hopeful and optimistic. They’re very, very kind people and just, you know, thankful for what they have left. And they’re going to they’re going to stay and rebuild,” he said.
Captain Ludwig says that the Kansas Task Force had a “task” that is unimaginable for many. “In North Carolina, we searched over 1,400 structures in three or four days. Sometimes, we were one of the first responders that had made it to that house to talk to those people,” he said. The task force saw miles of destruction.
Source: KSN-TV
Downtown improvements will require lowering Arkansas River
The City of Wichita is lowering the Arkansas River as part of a downtown improvement project. The project is along the west bank of the Arkansas River between Douglas and Waterman. The city says the design is similar to the projects to the north in front of the Drury Plaza Broadview Hotel and the River Vista Apartment Complex. The first phase involves constructing a sea wall and concrete cap beside the river, which requires the city to lower the water level. A $6,240,000 BASE grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce is funding the project.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, the Wichita City Council approved moving ahead with the project. The city says it will work with partners to ensure minimal impact on events planned for the area during construction.
Source: KSN-TV
Columbus Day Festival showcases classic cars and community fun
The city of Columbus celebrates day two of its 55th annual Columbus Day Festival. The Columbus Day Festival continued Saturday with a car show and entertainment around the Columbus Square. “I’m always excited because it brings our community together, it brings all different ages. There is something for everyone. And everybody likes to see other people they haven’t seen in a while, it’s just a wonderful event, it really is,” said Becky McDaniel, Columbus Day Festival car show host.
Source: KSNF/KODE
What Wichita-area firefighters saw in ‘devastation’ of Hurricane Helene in NC, Florida
When two Sedgwick County firefighters were told they would travel to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helene relief, they didn’t hesitate. Luke Wiebe, captain for Sedgwick County Fire District 1, and Lt. Tyler Brenneman got the call Sept. 24 that they were being sent to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene. What they assumed would be two weeks full of rescues turned into connecting with the community. “[We] checked on people, door to door, see what they were needing, see if they’re OK, see if they wanted to be evacuated, and then also assess damage on properties, vehicles, pretty much anything that was misplaced,” Brenneman said. Wiebe and Brenneman said the damage they saw in North Carolina was extensive. “There’s whole trees knocked over, tree limbs down everywhere, water in multiple houses. Almost every house we went in had, you know, feet of water inside of it,” Brenneman said. Brenneman and Wiebe said considering the situation, they were surprised to see how positive the people impacted were. “They were actually in very good spirits,” Wiebe said. “Most people, when we checked on them, would actually ask us if we needed anything as well.” When asked if he had been to a scene similar to this one, Brenneman said that the Andover tornado in 2022 was the only one he could think of.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Sedgwick County is counting homeless deaths for the first time. Here’s what to know.
The deaths of more homeless residents are being counted this year after local officials implemented a formal process to identify them — the latest symptom of the intensifying conversation around homelessness in Wichita. As of September, 46 homeless people had been confirmed dead by Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center investigators. That’s more than the 42 that were counted all of last year through anecdotal numbers compiled via a collaboration between the Wichita Police Department, service providers and homeless advocates. The shift is the latest move to address homelessness in Wichita, following the opening of a new emergency winter shelter in a former elementary school, which city officials aspire to make a multi-agency campus, and amid talk of a “more aggressive” ordinance to remove homeless encampments. Homeless advocates have been requesting a more formal record of deaths for years, and the forensic science center decided this year to classify homeless people among its deceased following media reporting that highlighted the uncertainty surrounding past counts. When first presented with the data, registered nurse and homeless advocate Kathy Bowles leaned back in shock. “Oh my god,” she said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Girard History Museum expands
Saturday, as participants enjoyed Girard Homecoming and Fall Festival activities, just one block south of the square, the Girard History Museum held a reception to commemorate its recent expansion. Located at 300 S. Summit St., the Girard History Museum relies on community volunteers and members of Friends of Historic Girard to preserve historic sites and educate people about the town’s unique history. Since its opening in 2000, the museum has held tours in the former St. John’s Episcopal Church. Recently, however, the museum recently an expansion that created additional space for meetings and restoration. “We were just in the church building and it’s not conducive to do any work or to have any meetings. It’s nice for our displays but what we found is we had no place to work, to clean anything, to even have our board meetings, and we were trying to get on the internet and get out there more,” said Terri Harley, president of the Friends of Historic Girard. “We have a phone. We’ve never been able to have a phone. We have Wi-Fi now.
Source: Morning Sun
Developers request incentives for ‘ultra-accessible’ amusement park project in Olathe
More details for an “ultra-accessible” entertainment and youth athletic district proposed by members of the Hunt family in Olathe are starting to take shape. The project — proposed at the corner of 119th Street and Renner Boulevard — comes from Loretto Properties, a development company run by Lamar Hunt, Jr., and his son-in-law, James Arkell. They want to use the Kansas Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bond economic development tool, as well as some local incentives. On Monday, the Olathe Planning Commission voted 9-0, finding that the planned Olathe Gateway STAR bond district development conforms with PlanOlathe, the city’s existing comprehensive plan. The commission also voted 8-1, finding that the associated tax increment financing district plan conforms. Commissioner Tony Bergida cast the no vote, voicing skepticism in his questions earlier in the meeting that the project met the threshold for the intent of a TIF district.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Roeland Park wants to connect park, community center to busy Roe Blvd.
Roeland Park is envisioning more connectivity near its northern city limits. Last week, the Roeland Park City Council unanimously voted to approve expanding an existing tax increment financing, or TIF, district to include Nall Park and the nearby Roeland Park Community Center.
By expanding the TIF district, the city can raise funds to help pay for a route to connect the park and community center to busy Roe Boulevard, giving motorists and pedestrians easier access to two of the city’s public amenities.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
What Lawrence’s ballot question on the city’s ‘form of government’ actually means
There’s a lot of confusion around the “form of government” ballot question that, if voters approve, could make the city commission into a four-district city council with a nonvoting, directly elected mayor, among other things. The question (as well as one asking to increase the sales tax to support affordable housing and homelessness initiatives) will be on city voters’ Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election ballots. Here’s the text of the question: “Shall the City of Lawrence, Kansas, abandon the Commission-Manager form of government and adopt a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government and become a city operating under a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government?” That’s all that will appear on the ballot. There will be no further explanation to let people know what that means and what it might look like. That’s because state statutes dictate the language the city has to use for the question.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Mural is ‘beautiful,’ but not what the council requested
The new Fairview mural, which is catching eyes at the U.S. Highways 36 and 75 crossroads, is “beautiful,” but not what was requested by the Fairview City Council. The artist, Christy Klein-Tross, is a Fairview native and started painting the mural at the beginning of September. However, as Klein-Tross continued painting, some Fairview City Council members started to realize that it wasn’t what they had exactly requested Klein-Tross to paint. While the bottom portion of the mural is the only thing that can be seen by those passing by, the top portion of the sign, which says “FAIRVIEW,” also has been completed. However, it still has not been put up. The Fairview City Council met for their regular meeting on Thursday, Oct. 3, which is the first time they have met since the mural has been completed. During the meeting, guests present voiced their opinions on the mural not “representing Fairview,” or the mural was “degrading” to what is on the back of the sign, which is the Fairview Veterans Memorial.
Source: The Sabetha Herald » Feed
Manhattan Parks and Rec mulls new cost recovery policy to generate more revenue
Manhattan Parks and Recreation officials want to raise fees for some programs with a new cost recovery policy. Parks and rec director Aaron Stewart on Monday told KMAN the proposed policy aims to focus on total cost recovery instead of operational recovery, which is the basis of the current policy. Stewart said the new policy would reduce the percentage of taxes used for operations by generating more revenue. “We’re looking to approach the city commission with a fully vetted cost recovery, which includes all fees and services to be set administratively based on this policy,” he said. Parks and rec also is looking to help those with financial barriers to accessing those services. Stewart said the goal is to implement an equity program with help from the Parks and Rec Foundation to help those who can’t afford things like pools, for example.
Source: themercury.com
Municipal Bond Trends for October 14, 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.