Kansas Municipal News
What Johnson County is doing about housing after homeless shelter defeat
Johnson County has until the end of the year to spend $6 million of federal COVID relief funds that were originally bookmarked for a Lenexa homeless shelter. Johnson County Commission chair Mike Kelly wants that money to still go towards housing solutions. When the Lenexa City Council voted against approving a permit for a new low-barrier homeless shelter in September, Johnson County Commission chair Mike Kelly feared it meant a major need would go unmet. “That’s where we have our biggest gap,” Kelly told KCUR’s Up To Date. “An opportunity to help unhoused adults not only receive safety and shelter, but an opportunity for wraparound services.” Now, Johnson County has $6 million worth of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act left over. The money must be obligated by Dec. 31, or else be forfeited back to the federal government.
Source: KCUR
Decision on paid parking in downtown Wichita delayed again. Here’s why, what’s next
Attempts to charge for public parking in downtown Wichita have stalled again. After four hours of discussion Tuesday night, the Wichita City Council deferred voting on a parking option until Dec. 10. Council members were in support of two different options: one that would implement paid parking uniformly across downtown, Old Town, and Delano, with up to 15 minutes of free parking. The other option would have implement paid parking downtown and likely created a new tax in the Old Town area to pay for parking. Delano was exempt from that plan until construction is completed on the multimodal center, which includes a parking garage with 400 spaces.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wife of Sedgwick County commissioner-elect charged with electioneering
Meghan Blubaugh, wife of Sedgwick County commissioner-elect Jeff Blubaugh, has been charged with electioneering, a misdemeanor crime in Kansas. The charge stems from an Oct. 29 incident in which Meghan Blubaugh wore a T-shirt supporting her husband’s campaign while she was at an early voting location in west Wichita. Kansas statute prohibits voters at polling sites from wearing any article of clothing that clearly identifies a candidate.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
USD 259 starts talk Monday about cell phone ban for students in schools
No decision has been made on banning cell phone use in Wichita Public Schools, but school board leaders workshopped the idea on Monday. “We compared our current policy, which restricts cell phones during instructional time, versus the possibility of whether or not we need to do more,” said USD 259 Board President Stan Reeser. “There was a state task force on cell phones which dove into a little more than what our policy deals with.” Reeser is talking about a Blue Ribbon Task Force from the Kansas Department of Education. That task force made some basic recommendations in a report on screen time and students. “But what we need to do is circle back with our staff and our principals and our parents to find out whether they are satisfied with the current policy,” said Reeser. “Or whether or not there would be any marginal changes and efforts that could perhaps even make the situation with attention spans even better.” The current policy in Wichita Public Schools prohibits phone use in elementary and middle schools. However, high school students are able to use their cell phones during passing periods and lunch.
Source: KSN-TV
Scholarship program boosts enrollment and community spirit in Southeast Kansas
It’s a promise, made from one generation of Neodesha High School graduates to another. For five years, the “Neodesha Promise Scholarship Program” has helped remove barriers for kids looking to go to college. But it turns out the impact goes beyond just dollars and cents.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Topeka city leaders consider bringing common consumption area to new side of downtown
City leaders met Monday afternoon to discuss some changes to the downtown Topeka alcohol drinking zone. The City of Topeka Policy & Finance Committee, consisting of City Council members Spencer Duncan, Marcus Miller and Michelle Hoferer, gathered on Nov. 18 to discuss some updates to one of the local common consumption areas (CCA) or “social drinking zones.” City of Topeka Attorney Amanda Stanley was on hand to explain what these changes would look like. Duncan said the original layout for the CCA in downtown Topeka did not initially include the area in front of the Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC) located at 214 Southeast Eighth Street. He said TPAC’s board has put forward a request to be included in this area for multiple reasons.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Plastic bag bans can sometimes backfire: Study
Policies aimed at curbing the use of single-use plastic bags have sometimes accomplished the opposite of their intentions, a new study has found. When two Texas cities prohibited stores from giving away plastic grocery bags for free, the sale of such bags surged in response, according to the study, published in the Journal of Marketing Research. The longer a policy was in place, the longer the behaviors spurred by those regulatory prohibitions persisted, the researchers found.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Rural Kansas highway closure to bring more than 50-mile detour for local drivers
State transportation officials say part of K-4 Highway in Dickinson County will close later this month, bringing with it a large detour for locals to follow. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced in a press release on Monday, Nov. 18 that a road work project is slated to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21 on part of K-4 Highway just south of the town of Hope. Workers will be replacing a railroad crossing that requires the highway to be closed to all traffic while the project is ongoing. Drivers will be unable to use K-4 just south of Hope and will instead be directed to take a signed detour route that uses K-43, I-70 and K-15, taking drivers through Abilene and Enterprise. The complete detour runs for 53 miles and will take about an hour to complete, according to Google Maps.
Source: KSNT 27 News
State banks seek better climate competing for local, state government deposits
The state’s banks are urging lawmakers to take steps to allow them to better compete for local and state government deposits that they say are now flowing to out-of-state financial institutions at a cost to the Kansas economy. The banks say state law is structured in a way that local and state governments are less inclined to invest their funds locally than they are with institutions from out of state, which they say reduces the amount of capital for Kansas businesses that want to expand. Source: Sunflower State Journal
Pott County considering economic incentives for new auto dealership
The Eck Auto Group out of Wichita is pursuing economic incentives for a new auto dealership at the southeast corner of Excel Rd and Hwy 24. The estimated cost of the project is just shy of $11 million. Tyler Ellsworth, attorney with Kutak Rock Law Firm, on Monday presented county commissioners with a brief overview of the proposed project. “We are not asking the commission to take any final action today,” said Ellsworth. “My goal is to provide a brief update on what this project entails and the two types of economic development incentives that the dealership group has requested.”
Source: themercury.com
Municipal Bond Trends for November 19, 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.
Salina rich in 100-plus years of aviation history
November is recognized as National Aviation History Month and in Salina, there is plenty of history to recognize. With names including the likes of Glenn L. Martin and Steve Fossett, and organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and even NASA using the city for operations, Salina is steeped in aviation history.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for November 18, 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.
Valley Center’s new water plant to bring savings to residents’ pockets
Valley Center currently sells raw water to the City of Wichita. Wichita treats this water, and then Valley Center buys the treated water back. However, the town is building its own water treatment plant to eliminate Wichita from the process. … City Administrator Brent Clark expects the new water treatment plant to cut water bills by half.
Source: KWCH
Wichita Fire Department rolls out new alert tool
The Wichita Fire Department is using a new tool to alert drivers when emergency vehicles are nearby. They’re called HAAS Alerts and pop up on your car’s dashboard or through apps like Waze. Other departments in the area like Mulvane and Sedgwick County Fire have been using the alerts for years.
Source: KWCH
After 52 years in the ground, Seward County time capsule reveals memories
When the lost time capsule from 1972 was discovered two weeks ago on the Seward County Fairgrounds, there was excitement about what was inside. The capsule was supposed to be unearthed two years ago, but it was forgotten, and since no marker was placed to remind the public of its location and its date, two years passed before curiosity led to a search, and that search led to the discovery of the capsule, a Wilbert Vault intended to house a casket.
Source: Liberal First
Douglas County group hopes ‘data walks,’ exploration of guaranteed income project will lead to lasting solutions to poverty
As they take a deep look at health and poverty in the community, Douglas County officials and community organizations are hoping to get residents engaged in the hard data behind some decidedly hard facts — for example, this fact: In Lawrence, nearly 80% of families living in poverty are headed by single mothers. The hope is that literally walking people through the evidence, aka “data walks,” will lead to more effective solutions — possibly even a guaranteed income solution — for a host of issues related to poverty.
Source: LJWorld
More fresh fruit, vegetables will soon be headed to Wichita ‘food deserts.’ Here’s how
The shelves and run-down refrigerators at Mr. MC’s Market in north Wichita are running low, mainly because many local produce items aren’t in season. But that’s soon to change. The market, on 21st Street near I-135, is in a food desert. Mr. MC’s is also the first store to take part in the city of Wichita’s new Healthy Corner Store Initiative. The program will help several corner stores in town get new refrigerators and maintain them so that they can sell fresh produce. TOP VIDEOS “It’s going to make everything better,” the market’s CEO, Alicia Broomfield, said. “We’re going to get proper refrigeration so that we can have more available fruits and vegetables and healthy food options.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Paid parking to come up for another vote Tuesday. Here are Wichita’s latest options
After receiving swift backlash from community members and downtown business owners earlier this year, the Wichita City Council will finally vote Tuesday on how it will implement paid parking. The paid parking system will affect most of downtown Wichita, Old Town, and the Delano neighborhood. The city has pursued paid parking downtown, saying it needs more money to maintain existing parking options. The city council has five options to vote on. One option is not keeping things the way they are now.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
FACT SHEET: Celebrating Three Years of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at USDA
Three years ago, on November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, making a historic investment in America’s infrastructure and competitiveness. Since being signed into law, it has been instrumental in transforming the lives and livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, small businesses and communities nationwide. Through this landmark legislation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is bringing economic opportunity, telemedicine and distance learning to rural America, with investments in high-speed internet; protecting and making communities more resilient to wildfires by restoring forests and investing in the wildland fire workforce; and supporting innovative solutions to the many environmental, economic and social challenges faced in communities across the nation.
Source: USDA – Latest News Releases