Kansas Municipal News
One Johnson County city is trying out composting
The city of Olathe will officially launch its compost dropoff program in the coming days, offering free disposal of food scraps to city residents at its multipurpose dropoff site at 1100 N. Hedge Lane. Olathe residents can stop by during the site’s open hours to dispose of any food waste, from meat and bones to eggshells, dairy products, produce scraps and processed foods. You simply deposit their scraps into one of the three 95-gallon trash bins housed inside a wooden corral.
Source: KC Star Local News
Why Overland Park needs more diverse trees
Cities in Kansas and Missouri are finding that they often have too many of the same kind of trees, making them extra vulnerable to pests and diseases. Houses sell for more money in neighborhoods with big, leafy canopies. So pests that can kill many trees quickly can pose real economic dangers. Kansas and Missouri communities are now hedging their arboreal bets.
Source: KCUR News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 9, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
The Local Infrastructure Hub Launches Spring Bootcamp Series to Help Cities Access Funding for Neighborhood Infrastructure and Broadband Equity
The Local Infrastructure Hub announced a new set of bootcamps designed to help local leaders develop comprehensive and strategic funding applications for federal grants made available to cities as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This next series will focus on five grant opportunities that address highway-rail crossing improvements, drinking water systems, broadband planning, local infrastructure projects, and bridge infrastructure.
Source: www.nlc.org
Wichita’s libraries offering far more than just books these days
A book published a few years back described public libraries as “palaces for the people.” It might not feel like a palace exactly when you visit one of the Wichita Public Library’s seven locations, but it is true that libraries are one of the few places in the modern world where people aren’t expected to pay to learn. Outside of the usual book checkouts, libraries provide a variety of resources for the community to capitalize on. Providing access to new literature and information without the financial burden is what the Wichita Public Library hopes to give to the community. All of the resources that the Wichita Libraries offer can be found on their online site. This includes group courses, collaboration rooms, newsletters, classes, and book discussions.
Source: KLC Journal
Pittsburg leader challenges building owners to revitalize downtown
“Anytime I drive by an empty store front I feel like it’s a missed opportunity for a business that could of been,” said Graphics Manager of Sign Brothers Josh Young. “Anytime there is a ran down store front it doesn’t look good on our down town. It always look better if all our store fronts are filled and beautified,” said Young. City leadership is also noticing the empty buildings. In the city commission meeting on April 25th, Mayor Ron Seglie said that while Broadway is looking good, there’s still work to be done. He holds the building owners responsible and wants to see something being done with those buildings. “We have 13 or 14 empty store fronts we would like to see businesses in those stores and I’m hoping somewhere down the road something like that will happen but some of them are well kept and some are not,” said Seglie.
Source: KOAM News
Overland Park considers dropping food inspections, leaving it to state
Overland Park’s unique food safety inspection regime may be on its way out. The city council’s Community Development Committee on Wednesday unanimously recommended ending city inspections of eating establishments because it duplicates the efforts of the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Overland Park is the only city in Kansas that has its own food inspection program alongside the state’s.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Derby accepting home repair grant applications
In an effort to continue facilitating more home improvements in Derby, the city is currently taking applications for the 2023 Neighborhood Maintenance Grant (NMG) program. The program, which was retooled to increase utilization in 2022, seeks to help eligible homeowners with exterior home maintenance projects. Usage increased drastically in the first year of the new program as compared to the previous five years. During each annual grant cycle, a total of $25,000 is available to help homeowners with qualifying repair projects including roofs, siding, gutters, paint, doors, windows, masonry porches, exterior lighting, and repair of existing porches, fences, outbuildings, sidewalks, etc.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Grant money changing the game for one Kansas volunteer fire department
Many volunteer departments across the state are pinching pennies, forcing them to prioritize critical equipment over health and safety. “With a limited budget, you kind of have to make a judgment call of, some of the gear is good enough,” Fire chief for Cowley County Fire District 3 in Burden, Chris Cannon, said. “It’s not within the recommended guidelines, but it looks OK. So it was a huge challenge. We really couldn’t do it with a budget of dollars that we had.” Cannon says grant funding is essential to being able to operate effectively and safely. “It’s just very challenging because there’s so many needs and such few resources to meet that,” Cannon said. “The fire marshal grant is great for stretching our dollars and getting those things done.”
Source: KSN-TV
Valley Center woman has been driving school busses for 45 years and is still rolling
They see the sun come up as they pick up students and take them to school every morning. Then, pick up the students again and drop them off at home in the afternoon. In Valley Center, generations of students are familiar with a bus driver known as Miss Gail. … Every school day in Valley Center begins with 20 school buses transporting about a thousand students to USD 262 schools. “When I first started, it was a job, and I could take my children with me on the school bus. So, that was good. I raised all three of my children on a bus,” said veteran school bus driver Gail Johnson. After 45 years, Johnson is still doing what she loves: driving.
Source: KSN-TV
Forum shows community efforts on homelessness, mental health issues
Stories of success and life change provided reprieve from much of the conversation about homelessness, substance abuse and mental health issues in Saline County during a public forum Wednesday. The stories were an almost necessary pause from some of the harrowing realities discussed among those who showed up to the forum. Not long after hearing statistics on homelessness, high recidivism rates, and a look at challenges county agencies see day-to-day, the stories left the crowd of about 50 musing.
Source: Salina Journal
Kanopolis Drive In opens for season
People looking for an experience in north central Kansas have another back after more than a year being away as the Kanopolis Drive In movie theater opens up this weekend for the 2023 season. The theater, located at 804 N. Kansas Ave. on the edge of Kanopolis, was hit like the rest of the area by the Dec. 15, 2021 windstorm, receiving damage to several parts of the property, including its 70 foot-wide screen, causing the theater to not open during the 2022 season.
Source: Salina Journal
Heartland Park owner may close racing facility after rejected tax offer to Shawnee County
Owner Chris Payne says he may consider closing Heartland Motorsports Park after Shawnee County rejected an offer he made to try to settle a property tax legal battle. Heartland Park hasn’t necessarily reached the end of the road, Payne said this past week. Still, Payne “must begin to make firm economic decisions to wind down the events at Heartland Park,” Payne’s attorney David Holstead told county counselor Jim Crowl in a letter sent Tuesday. Payne’s company, Shelby Development LLC, will now “proceed to mitigate its damages in the appropriate and practical manner that is necessary for any enterprise under such circumstances,” Holstead said in that letter, which Payne provided to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Source: CJonline
Superman’s hometown, Smallville, takes over Hutchinson June 15-17
Hutchinson will become Smallville, Kansas, the home of Clark Kent, from June 15-17 to celebrate the community and togetherness as the 10th annual Smallville Festival takes place throughout Hutchinson. The city’s Third Thursday, Kansas State Fair, Reno County Museum, Cosmosphere and Strataca will partake in the three-day stretch of activities. On June 15, Smallville will be kicked off at Third Thursday in downtown Hutchinson from 6 to 9 p.m., including family-oriented games and food, plus superheroes.
Source: Hutch News
Twenty years after leaving Topeka, Menninger’s looks to build on mental health reputation
This week marks 98 years since a patient first stepped into an old farmhouse in Topeka, marking the beginning of one of the world’s most well-respected and influential leaders in modern mental health care. It was 1925 that C.F. Menninger and his sons, Karl and William Menninger, first began seeing patients in their clinic. The family of psychiatrists became renowned for their holistic approach to mental health, unheard of at the time. Thousands of patients from around the U.S. and world came to “tiny” Topeka throughout the 20th century to see the practice, and several of the world’s leading psychiatrists and mental health experts also received their start through the family.
Source: CJonline
Ballooning size of wind and solar projects draws local ire as they march closer to populated areas
County-by-county battles are raging as wind and solar projects balloon in size, edge closer to cities and encounter mounting pushback in communities from Niagara Falls to the Great Plains and beyond. Projects have slowed. Even in states with a long history of building renewables, developers don’t know if they can get local permits or how long it might take. In Kansas, wind power grew rapidly for two decades and supplies around 45% of the electricity generated in-state, ranking it third in the nation. But at least five counties in more-populous eastern Kansas have recently placed moratoriums or bans on new wind or solar projects, joining 18 others that already restricted wind development to preserve the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Kansas lagged behind nearly every state in large project construction and new clean power capacity last year, according to the American Clean Power Association, an industry group for wind, solar and battery storage.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Mission Gateway is upside down. Will the Johnson County project ever be finished?
The potential foreclosure on the Mission Gateway project poses perhaps the biggest threat the cursed Johnson County development has ever faced. It could leave the city of Mission without a finished project, but also cost developers, bankers, vendors and contractors millions. Several real estate experts tell The Star the development, despite sitting on one of the most valuable pieces of property in the area, is upside down, meaning the property is now worth less than what is owed. Last month, New York’s Metropolitan Commercial Bank filed a lawsuit in Johnson County Court seeking foreclosure of the property after it said developers missed several mortgage payments.
Source: Joco 913 News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 8, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
With less teachers, low numbers, Hutchinson Schools looks at closing an elementary school
As enrollment dwindles in the Hutchinson School District, the need for buildings decreases. But this year, the largest school district in Reno County is facing a new problem − not enough applicants to fill their 14 open teacher slots. Because of this dilemma, the USD 308 staff met with community members at McCandless, Faris and Lincoln elementary schools on Wednesday and Thursday to try to figure out a solution. They threw out all sorts of possibilities, including closing an elementary school. Hutchinson’s superintendent, Dawn Johnson, Ed.D., wants to keep the community involved in what is happening. She is proposing a special board meeting, where community members can speak, be held next Monday evening to focus on this topic.
Source: Hutch News
On opening day, patrons discovered the gems inside new $25.6 million Olathe library
About 19 months after breaking ground, the city opened the doors of its new Olathe Downtown Library April 29 to an appreciative crowd. The $25.6 million building significantly increases the amount of room for events and study areas patrons had in the previous location. “We’re excited to have more space for people to just gather and study together, read together, work together,” said Sara Eccles, the library system officer for the Olathe Public Library. “At our old location, we were really running out of what I would call people space to just sit and work.” In addition to 37,000 square feet for the library, the building also houses the Olathe Chamber of Commerce.
Source: KC Star Local News
Trail systems now connected in Shawnee County
Trails are the number one amenity that people want in our local parks, according to the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation. That’s why Shawnee County Parks and Recreation is celebrating the connection of all trail systems in Topeka and Shawnee County this Saturday, May 6 at Dornwood Park. Currently, there are 60 miles of trails across Shawnee County, with about half of those being paved, and the other half being “natural surface” trails. But now, they have completed the Deer Creek Trail extension so anyone in the community is welcome to ride a bike, walk or run from SW 29th and McClure, all the way to Lake Shawnee and back.
Source: KSNT 27 News
These students are making a difference in their community
High school students in Southeast Kansas spend the day cleaning up their community. What could be better, than fresh air, clear skies, and no classrooms? How about seeing the difference you can make, in your own community? Well, that’s what students at Galena High School learned Wednesday while taking to the streets. “We decided to do a community service day, we’ve wanted to do this for several years and then things would just happen, weather would happen, the end of the year came so fast, so we scheduled community service day to get our kids out and about and give back to our community,” said Ashley Groves, Galena Mayor/High School teacher.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Sedgwick County unveils plan for Veterans Treatment Court
At its May 3 meeting, the Sedgwick County Commission accepted a grant from the Kansas Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration (OJA), on behalf of Sedgwick County Department of Corrections, for $475,867. Grant funding received will support the creation of a Veterans Treatment Court in Sedgwick County District Court. The specialized court will offer qualified veterans convicted of certain felony offenses, related to mental illness or substance abuse, the option of serving time in treatment instead of prison. This rehabilitative probation recognizes the frequency that veterans suffer from untreated mental health conditions, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and addiction, following their military service.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Innovative artist uses old brick as canvas for digital Dodge City murals
The Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau shall unveil a trio of new Dodge City murals on historic downtown buildings Monday at 3:30 p.m. These murals are not unlike traditional painted murals and yet are made of a media better suited to preserve the integrity of historic buildings. They each are vibrant in color, rich in local symbols and large enough to draw attention from drivers and walkers alike. When inspected closely, one may notice the appearance of digital brushstrokes that were printed on a material called Mighty Wrap and applied directly to the red brick walls.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe
Chase County to be featured in PBS Kansas ghost towns documentary
Humanities Kansas recently awarded a $10,000 grant to PBS Kansas, based in Wichita, Kan., to support the “Kansas Ghost Towns Documentary, Part 2.” The documentary is part of a continuing exploration of towns that have disappeared across the state. Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. “The humanities connect people to place over time and across generations,” shared Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This documentary will create a space for important conversations that will help us see more clearly our past and plan for our future.”
Source: Emporia Gazette
Chase County voters to again decide on open saloon question
The question of open saloons will once again be up for a vote in Chase County. The Chase County commission passed a resolution at its meeting Friday, April 28 to include the open saloon question — which allows an establishment to sell alcohol by the drink without the requirement to derive revenue from food sales — on the November 2024 general election ballot. County attorney Bill Halvorsen told commissioners that the operation of open saloons within the county, which passed in the 2021 local election, was recently called into question by the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Source: Emporia Gazette
County approves drone purchases for Sheriff’s Department
The Lyon County Commission approved the purchase of a drone for the Sheriff’s Department at its meeting Thursday morning. The drone, in the amount of $26,000 will be used for search and rescue, suspect apprehension and scene documentation. The cost also includes training for deputies to operate the drone safely. The commission also approved a quote of Nortex Concrete Lift and Stabilization of Fort Worth, Texas, to lift and stabilize the approaches to the Neosho River Bridge on Road 175 with high-density polyurethane foam. The lift and stabilization will cost $30,420 from the Special Bridge fund.
Source: Emporia Gazette
2,100 students losing bus service in a JoCo school district. Another may do the same
As a Band-Aid solution to address an ongoing shortage of drivers, the Olathe school district will eliminate some bus routes next school year. Just to the west, Blue Valley school officials are considering similar cuts, as other districts in the Kansas City area have already done. And Olathe district officials may eventually revisit a broader, and more controversial, fix for the shortage: changing the times schools start and end.
Source: Joco 913 News
You can rent a kayak to use on the Arkansas River via an app now. Here’s what to know
New self-service kayak stations are open in three of Wichita’s riverside parks. These stations will be operated through the Rent.Fun app, which park and recreation partnered with to complete the project. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Riverside Tennis Center on Friday, and to continue the celebration the Park and Recreation department is offering a 50% discount on all rentals May 6-12. Entering the promo code “ParkandRec” in the app will automatically add the discount.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
What sales taxes on food am I still paying in Johnson County?
Now that the dust has settled from the 2023 session of the Kansas Legislature, it’s time to sort out what, finally, to expect when it comes to the sales tax on food. Although an early end to the state food sales tax was discussed, the idea failed after it was folded into a larger tax bill that would have, among other provisions, set a single rate for individual income tax. That measure passed both chambers of the GOP-dominated Legislature but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Humboldt tackles issues, large and small
For all of its successes — and there are many — Humboldt faces challenges similar to countless other rural communities these days. Local employers are unable to keep fully staffed because of a dearth of quality and affordable housing, a lack of quality daycare centers; and an ongoing “brain drain” wave in which the best and brightest students often go elsewhere to find their niche in life. For that matter, too many youths are the unwitting victims of a digital society, in which they’ve become accustomed to spending hours of screen time instead of play time — and their mental health has begun to suffer.
Source: The Iola Register
Skaters from Lawrence and beyond celebrate new vert ramp at Centennial Park
Corey Lawrence would have loved the vert ramp built in his honor at Centennial Park, several attendees at the ramp’s dedication on Saturday agreed. Lawrence, from the Kansas City area, died in May 2021 after suffering injuries from a fall while skateboarding in Florida. Justin Shiney, of River Rat Print and Skate; Sean Ingram, of Merchtable; Dan Askew, of Escapist Skateboarding; and members of the Lawrence Skate Association raised funds and worked with the city to make the ramp in Lawrence’s honor a reality. The new half pipe is the only one of its kind within a 500-mile radius, project organizers have said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for May 5, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Finding ways to save rural Kansas hospitals
JoLynn Foster isn’t happy about it, but she’s convinced the only way to save her hometown hospital is to shut part of it down. “There’s no other alternative,” said Foster, a longtime resident of Arkansas City, a town of about 12,000 people south of Wichita. Foster and about 100 other residents of the southeast Kansas town recently attended a meeting about the fate of SCK Health, Arkansas City’s only hospital. They listened as hospital officials explained their decision to restructure SCK Health so that it can qualify for enough federal money to keep it open and delivering limited, but essential services.
Source: LJWorld
Proposal to revamp pay structure for Lawrence teachers calls for $3M to increase salaries
The Lawrence school board will soon get its first look at a proposal to revamp the pay structure for teachers and provide about $3 million in pay increases — amounting to an average raise of about $3,000. Should it move forward, the proposed new salary schedule would increase the earning potential for the district’s most experienced teachers, as well as address other problematic areas of the current salary schedule. As the Journal-World previously reported, a committee that has been studying the issue said that the district has been losing teachers at particular times in their careers due to the structure of the district’s pay schedule, which maxes out after 13 years of service. There are also other times in teachers’ careers where the schedule falls behind pay offered by comparable districts in the area.
Source: LJWorld
Municipal Bond Trends for May 4, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Zoning change triggers neighbors: Proposal for more senior housing in Topeka will get a closer look
Topeka’s mayor and city council asked for further analysis late Tuesday when faced with a proposed North Topeka zoning change supported by the Topeka Planning Commission but opposed by residents of the area involved. The measure’s passage would help clear the way for Eugene & Paramore LLC to carry out its proposed project to build affordable duplexes and fourplexes, which it intends to primarily rent out to senior citizens. The mayor and council voted to send the proposal back to the planning commission and direct that body to look at four potential concerns raised by neighbors.
Source: CJonline
Cultures of Garden City to be showcased at multicultural event Saturday
The people and their different cultures of those that make up southwest Kansas will be honored at the third annual Cinco de Mayo Multicultural Community Celebration this Saturday at Stevens Park. Marco Rodriguez, secretary for the Cultural Empowerment and Development Foundation’s Multicultural Community Celebration Committee, said the event has been a lot of work to put together, it’s all done by volunteers from the community, but he’s really excited for it.
Source: GC Telegram
W. Kansas town reminisces 50 years after being featured in ‘Paper Moon’
The town of Wilson is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie “Paper Moon.” Locations in the Ellsworth County town served as settings for the movie and some locals are in the movie as extras. This Friday, May 5, the Midland Hotel in Wilson is hosting the 50th anniversary celebration for the movie starring actor Ryan O’Neil and his daughter, actress Tatum O’Neil. “The Midland is very lucky in that we played a major role in what happened in the film, so we can have that here,” said Wilson Tourism Hub Director Melinda Merrill. The hotel was used for filming and much more.
Source: KWCH
Fed increases rates a quarter point and signals a potential end to hikes
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved its 10th interest rate increase in just a little over a year and dropped a tentative hint that the current tightening cycle is at an end. In a unanimous decision widely expected by markets, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee raised its benchmark borrowing rate by 0.25 percentage point. The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but feeds through to many consumer debt products such as mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
GPT in local government: The age of hyper productivity in government has begun
Seems like everyone is talking about ChatGPT nowadays. It’s the hot new buzzword, and the source for anything from delighting examples of writing rhymed poems about any topic, to people worried it’s the harbinger of doom. GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a machine that generates human-like text based on a given text. GPT is pre-trained on vast amounts of data to develop a comprehensive understanding of language patterns and structures, enabling it to generate coherent and contextually relevant responses that are mostly accurate but not always. However, it is surprisingly good at things like summarizing text and data tables, supplying human-like answers to casual questions in a chat, and even describing images and can even pass the LSAT exam for you. There have been a few versions of GPT out there, and the most advanced version that exists at the time of writing is GPT version 4, or GPT-4.
Source: ELGL
Governor Kelly Announces $30 Million to Increase High-Speed Internet Availability
Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced a new program aimed at helping Kansas communities that lack high-speed internet. The Lasting Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (LINC) program will provide $30 million in competitive funding opportunities to build the infrastructure needed for more homes and businesses to access broadband. “This investment builds on my administration’s commitment to bring critical high-speed internet to every corner of the state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These funds will ensure that reliable internet is available regardless of location so every Kansan can participate in the global economy.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Derby City Council, staff work on honing next sales tax ballot question
Starting in March, staff and the Derby City Council began to take measures to shape the ballot question regarding a new sales tax (with the current Derby Difference sales tax to expire in 2024). With the council in general agreement to pursue a new 1% sales tax to be voted on in the 2023 general election, staff brought forward three usage options for where exactly to dedicate those funds in the city, which the council considered at its April 25 meeting.
Source: Derby Informer | News
City commission approves design contract for $10 million fire station project
Preliminary design work on a proposed $10 million fire station build and renovation project in Emporia was given the greenlight Wednesday, when Emporia City Commissioners approved a design contract between the city and Lenexa-based firm Archimages for architectural services. Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck said Archimages was one of three firms that submitted requests for qualification for the project, which will move Fire Station No. 1 from the southeast side of the Civic Auditorium into a newly constructed building — possibly in the 500 block of Market Street.
Source: Emporia Gazette
City makes moves toward increased housing options
The Hiawatha City Commission met last Monday, with the group making a pair of decisions that will begin to address the housing crisis in town. The Commission authorized City Administrator Becky Berger to sign a development agreement with The Anderson Group, LLC for duplex development, and also voted to create an ordinance forming a Housing Rehabilitation Advisory Board, consisting of the Hiawatha City Administrator, the Director of the Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development and other at-large stakeholders.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com