Kansas Municipal News
Counties where children have the best opportunity for economic mobility in Kansas
Americans have long understood that their birthplace can significantly affect their futures, and academics have increasingly been able to connect tangible early life factors like where they live and the friendships they’ve cultivated with potential future income. Among the most recent studies shedding light on what’s known as economic mobility—a person’s ability to move themselves and their families up the socioeconomic ladder over their lifetime—are a series of papers authored by Harvard University researchers leveraging vast troves of social networking data. As part of a national analysis, Wealth Enhancement Group used data from Harvard University’s Social Capital Atlas project to identify where in Kansas children have the best (and worst) chances at upward economic mobility. The research draws on a privacy-protected dataset representing 21 billion friendships from Facebook made public through its parent company Meta’s Data for Good project. It also uses anonymous tax records, according to the authors. The scholars assigned a score to locales according to how economically connected low- and high-income people living in the area have historically been over at least a decade, per that data. The dataset does not include scores for about 180 of the 3,000 or so counties in the U.S. The research attempts to fill in the gaps of previous efforts to study American economic mobility that did not consider a person’s vast social networks nor their importance in creating better lives for themselves and their children. It turns out the ability to cultivate friendships linking people of different socioeconomic backgrounds with one another is the strongest factor in determining whether a child can surpass the earning potential of their parents, Harvard researchers found. They call this economic connectedness. Click the source link to find out where economic connectedness is strongest in your state.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
‘Chicken on the lam’: Junction City cops nab rogue chicken after weeks-long pursuit
The Junction City Police Department (JCPD) says a feathered fugitive has been taken into custody on Thursday. On Jan. 18, the JCPD took to social media to share with the public that the local “chicken on the lam” was successfully captured by an animal control officer. This chicken was on the loose for weeks in the Junction City area, with numerous locals and organizations reporting sightings on social media in late December, 2023 into January, 2024. “We’re thrilled to report that she’s now pecking around happily in a loving home outside the city limits, where she can cluck to her heart’s content,” JCPD social media statement excerpt. While the situation is humorous, the JCPD took the opportunity to remind locals that owning chickens in city limits is not allowed. Under section 215.040 of Junction City’s municipal code, it is unlawful for anyone to keep or harbor fowl within the corporate limits of the city.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Overland Park lands College Baseball Hall of Fame. And Patrick Mahomes helped.
Prairiefire in southern Overland Park will be the new home of the first-ever permanent College Baseball Hall of Fame. State and local leaders, as well as representatives from the College Baseball Foundation which oversees the Hall of Fame, announced the decision on Tuesday at an event at the Museum at Prairiefire on 135th Street. The new Hall of Fame is expected to open late next year in a space in the museum previously set aside for traveling exhibits. Warren Wilkinson, president and CEO of Visit OP, the city’s tourism bureau, called it a “historic milestone” for the city. “Prairiefire was built for this moment,” Wilkinson said during the announcement event Tuesday. “Working together we have not only secured a permanent home for the College Baseball Hall of Fame, we’ve intentionally created a unique place that elevates our destination and supports our tourism strategy.” In a news release that accompanied Tuesday’s announcement, College Baseball Foundation officials said they selected Overland Park after an “extensive search” for a permanent home for its Hall of Fame, which has been inducting classes of honorees since 2006. The College Baseball Foundation said Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes played an “instrumental role” in finalizing the deal to settle on Overland Park. Mahomes played college baseball at Texas Tech and is also the son of a former Major League Baseball pitcher. “Mahomes’ commitment mirrors a love for the game fostered by watching his father play professional baseball, a steadfast dedication to preserving the heritage of college baseball and a genuine enthusiasm for providing a space where budding athletes can envision a promising future,” the Foundation’s release said. “Baseball has been a huge part of my life, and I was fortunate to play the game in college,” Mahomes is quoted in the release. “I’m excited for the College Baseball Hall of Fame to call Overland Park home and join the community that I love so much.” It’s the latest involvement for the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in a Kansas City area sports venture. He is also part owner of the Kansas City Royals, Sporting KC and the KC Current. Overland Park and state officials promised immediate financial returns once the College Baseball Hall of Fame opens in 2025. “Bringing a cultural gem such as the College Baseball Hall of Fame to Overland Park will add to our state’s strong array of top-notch tourist attractions and will provide a solid boost to both the local and state economies,” Democratic Lieutenant Gov. David Toland said. Overland Park officials forecast a “multi-million dollar impact” once the Hall of Fame opens next year. Wilkinson said Tuesday 150,000 visitors are expected in the first year, with an estimated economic impact of $25 million over five years. The College Baseball Foundation’s annual Night of Champions, meant to honor collegiate baseball’s top performers and stars, is already set for Feb. 15, 2024, at The Marriott Overland Park hotel.
Source: Johnson County Post
Celebrating four decades of fire service
Longtime Osawatomie Fire Chief Brian Love has had a passion for fighting fire ever since he was 12 years old and going on fire runs with his dad, Bob, in Hiattville, Kan. Bob was a volunteer firefighter and farmer in the rural community southwest of Fort Scott, and Brian has childhood memories of the fire phone ringing in the house when there was a fire. “It would sound one solid ring until someone answered,” Brian said. “When we picked it up, we would just listen to get the details of the fire. It was like a party line.” After high school, Brian followed his passion to the Fort Scott Fire Department, where he worked full-time for two years before joining the South Johnson County Fire Department covering Aubry, Stilwell and Spring Hill. He worked there for 10 years, working his way up to captain. In 2003, Brian built a home in Osawatomie and started volunteering with the Osawatomie Fire Department. He also started working for the Kansas State Fire Marshal Office as a fire prevention inspector. He steadily moved up the ranks at the Osawatomie department, and he was named chief in 2013. Brian has spent the past 20 years of his 40-year career fighting fires in Osawatomie and training the next generation of firefighters, but he has decided it is time to retire and move on to the next stage of his life. “My brain and my body tell me it’s time,” Brian said. Members of the community were able to wish Brian well and thank him for his service during a retirement reception that took place Saturday, Jan. 20, in Osawatomie. Brian said when he looks back on his career, it’s not individual honors or specific fires that stand out to him. “I’m more proud of the people that I’ve trained who are now officers in other departments,” Brian said, adding that he has worked with firefighters who are ow officers in Kansas City, Mo., Johnson County, Lawrence, Topeka and other areas. Brian also is appreciative of the officers who trained him, and all of firefighters who have been by his side over the years.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Westwood wants judge to rule in legal back and forth over controversial project
The city of Westwood has filed a lawsuit seeking a judge’s ruling on whether a state law applies to the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park to make way for a much-discussed new office and park development on Rainbow Boulevard. The city last week filed the lawsuit in Johnson County District Court seeking a declaratory judgment on three items — including whether the law, K.S.A 12-1301, applies to the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park at the corner of 50th Street and Rainbow. That statute specifically deals with the sale of public park land, and a group of Westwood residents has argued the city should have followed it when going through with the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park to clear the way for the development. Mission Woods-based Karbank Real Estate Company plans to build multiple office and retail buildings where the park currently sits along Rainbow. In exchange, the company also plans to create a new, bigger park on adjacent land nearby where the current Westwood View Elementary sits. Residents, who have organized under the banner Friends of Westwood Parkland, have pushed back on the proposed development for months now. The city’s latest lawsuit comes after the Westwood City Council unanimously invalidated a resident-led protest petition. That petition called for the city to apply K.S.A. 12-1301 in proceeding with sale of the park, and also called for a public vote on the Karbank project.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Municipal Bond Trends for January 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.
Topeka and police chief seek suit dismissal
Topeka’s city government and Police Chief Bryan Wheeles filed a motion for summary judgment Friday seeking the dismissal without trial of a gender discrimination suit filed last January by three female Topeka police administrators. The motion includes explanations of Wheeles’ reasoning behind key decisions in which he chose to promote men instead of the women who filed the suit, Major Jana Harden and Capts. Colleen Stuart and Jennifer Cross. In each case, the document says, Wheeles picked the best person for the job. “The Plaintiffs have been promoted by males and over males for the entirety of their careers,” the motion said. “COT (the City of Topeka) and Chief Wheeles had legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for the promotional decisions and Plaintiffs were not otherwise similarly situated in all material respects to those promoted.” The motion includes a 60-page document outlining the arguments of Wheeles and the city as well as more than 400 pages of attachments, including statements from Wheeles; Stuart; Harden; Cross; Topeka police administrators Jamey Haltom, Steven Purney and Jerry Monasmith; former Topeka city manager Brent Trout; former Topeka human resources director Jacque Russell; and former Topeka Police Chief and interim city manager Bill Cochran. What does the lawsuit allege? Attorneys representing Stuart, Harden and Cross filed a three-count federal civil suit in January 2023 in U.S. District Court against Wheeles and the city. The three remain with the Topeka department. The suit alleges the city “treats female officers differently than male officers to the detriment of those female officers and the department.” It contends the city passed Stuart, Harden and Cross over for promotion because they are female. Both sides are asking for a jury trial, which is expected to last about 10 days. The location hasn’t been set. Wheeles and the city ask that the trial be held in Topeka, while Stuart, Harden and Cross ask that it be held in Kansas City, Kansas. Stuart, Harden and Cross are asking for more than $7 million in damages between the three of them, plus whatever amount a jury may decide to award for punitive damages they are seeking. They’re also seeking payment for attorney’s fees, which a pretrial order said totaled $518,155 as of last month. Have any of the three officers been promoted since the suit was filed? When Stuart, Harden and Cross first filed the lawsuit, Harden and Stuart were Topeka police captains and Cross was a lieutenant. The city effective April 1 promoted Harden to major and Cross to the captain’s position being vacated by Harden. Stuart, Harden and Cross consider those to be “sham promotions,” made only because they sued the city, the pretrial order said.
Source: CJonline
Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2024-1: Zoning beyond city limits
Synopsis: Although the Kansas Legislature may legally permit a city to impose its land subdivision requirements on county residents within three miles of city limits, it should be cautious when granting cities extraterritorial authority. Cited herein: K.S.A. 12-749.
Read more: Opinion No. 2024-1
Municipal Bond Trends for January 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.
Planning Commission advances new wind energy regulations for Douglas County
The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 6-3 early Tuesday morning to move forward with a new set of wind energy regulations at the end of a meeting that stretched six hours. … Commissioners aimed to balance the need for rigorous regulations that protect Douglas County against the need to allow continued renewable energy development. The result was a set of new regulations with a series of modifications derived from public comments and commission discussion over the last few months.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Wichita plans to close a number of elementary, middle schools at end of school year
An unspecified number of Wichita schools will be closed at the end of the school year to help offset a looming $42 million budget shortfall. Staff will make recommendations on which schools should be closed and why at the next school board meeting on Feb. 12. Decisions will be finalized by spring break, after ample opportunity for public input, Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said. Closures will be limited to elementary and middle schools because of the logistical challenges of relocating 1,000 to 2,000 high school students.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Pickleball noise has become nuisance at this Prairie Village park. Is there a fix?
Prairie Village residents who live near Windsor Park will need to wait on any pickleball noise relief. The Prairie Village City Council on Tuesday voted 9-2 to send the pickleball noise issue at Windsor Park back to the city’s parks and recreation committee for a solution. Some residents near Windsor Park have complained about pickleball noise — what has become both a national and local uproar — since six courts were installed in June.
Source: Johnson County Post
How costly will the boil water advisory be for Topekans?
Topekans will see only a trickle of additional costs, if any, due to the problem that forced the city last week to declare a boil water advisory, city officials say. The city, which uses about 20 million gallons of water on a normal day, was able to flush the entire 60 million gallons involved through its distribution system in about three days, co-interim city communications director Rosie Nichols told The Capital-Journal Friday.
Source: CJonline
County Commission approves state of emergency from Jan. 8-9 storm
The Finney County Commission approved a severe winter weather emergency declaration for the Jan. 8-9 blizzard at its regular meeting on Tuesday. During the week of the storm, Commission chairman Gerry Schultz declared the emergency, but it needed to be confirmed by the Commission Tuesday’s meeting. Paul Resley, Finney County Emergency Management Director, said the emergency declaration was needed because they got inundated with the snow and wind from the storm. “We had so many people stranded that we were losing resources faster than we could find them,” he said. “So, we were reaching out for some help. The governor eventually did declare an emergency as well, that helped a bunch.” Resley complimented the county residents, that they stepped up to help people, especially people they couldn’t get to. “We had no injuries or deaths throughout all this, so, we were very, very fortunate there,” he said. Over 60 people that were stranded were picked up during the storm, Resley said. The furthest they went to help pick up somebody was 27 miles east of Garden City. It was a bit difficult to get to that person due to the vehicles already blocking the road, Resley said. Thankfully, a farmer helped them out and took them to where they get out a brush truck and bear cat out to rescue them. During the rescue, they checked in with the person every half an hour, seeing how they were doing and how much gas they had. A lot of phone calls were made that day trying to find resources, Resley said. County road employees were a bunch of help, especially when they had to dig through snow drifts to get people out from vehicles. “All-in-all, I can’t say enough about everybody that worked through all this with us,” he said.
Source: Garden City Telegram
‘Some days, you just might have to rescue a swan’: Wichita firefighters trek onto ice
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
WFD welcomes new recruits following graduation from training
After 14 weeks of training, the Wichita Fire Department welcomed a new batch of recruits on Friday. The class was the third class of 2023. Class instructor and WFD lieutenant Clint Gifford said they’re not starving for candidates, so they find the best of the best. “That would be our third class of the year 2023,” Gifford said. “A lot of participants would like this job. So it’s something that we haven’t struggled with. We still get the candidates that we need that are top-notch.” New WFD graduate Reed Norris said he’s taking up the mantle his grandfather had in Wisconsin as a firefighter, and he’s excited to serve Wichita. “My grandfather was a fireman back home in Wisconsin, where I came from,” Norris said. “But getting the opportunity to go to the firehouse and experience the difference that these individuals were making for the community was something that I found at a young age and that I found to be important. Something that I wanted to continue.” Norris also said he’s ready to hit the ground running to help people. “What I’m looking forward to most is getting the opportunity to take all of these skills and knowledge and experience that we’ve gathered from the instructors and use it to actually make that difference in someone else’s day,” Norris said. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu was also on hand to speak. “They respond with skill and swiftness,” Wu said. “Help those in need or in danger.” Brent Fischer, another graduate, said he appreciates the support of his family. “It feels like a great accomplishment,” Fischer said. “The training is one thing, but now we’re about to be on the floor and actually doing the job. You can’t do this job for a full career without the support of your family. It means everything.”
Source: KSN-TV
Where will the city find housing for thousands of new students in one area?
The new biomedical campus is on the way to downtown Wichita, and it will eventually bring up to 3,000 students and hundreds of faculty and staff to consolidate into one complex. It’s a collaboration between Wichita State University and the University of Kansas. While it’s being hailed as great for the ICT, some are asking where the housing will come from to meet the new demand. “Affordable housing is so important for just the stability and the quality of life of our community,” said Danielle Johnson, the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity. Johnson says Wichita already needs up to an additional 50,000 housing units before the announcement of the new biomedical campus. “Many folks are excited about the number of folks that will help grow our population,” said Johnson. “With the biomedical center and all of the students, but that also just brings in a whole group of folks finding a place to live.” Johnson says different groups have been working to find and build affordable housing. The biomedical campus adds a new wrinkle to an already tight housing market. “First off, I’m excited for the opportunity and the collaboration between Wichita State and KU and Wichita Tech,” said Reverend Dr. Kevass Harding with Hope Builds Community. “I would love to collaborate, talk, and to help in that process for housing. Because there is a great need. There’s going to be a need. There’s already a shortage.” Dr. Harding says his Hope Builds Community group works to find good housing options for low to middle to moderate incomes. “Not just for low the moderate-income families but really for the workforce,” said Harding. “That’s going to be quite a few people coming to our community looking for housing.” Some former city council members say they have been looking to find new developers and find incentives for some time to build more housing, from single-family homes to apartments and duplexes. “This is something I’ve pushed all along,” said former city council member Jeff Blubaugh. “We’ve got all this great growth. We’ve got the biomedical center coming here. Everything is happening for Wichita except for the affordable housing. And it’s very unfortunate. We’re starting to see some more spur up, but it’s not going to be near enough for the students we are going to see bringing in to Wichita.” Some current city council members say they are having workshops to move on housing issues.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas universities finding ways to bring in more nursing students
Wichita State University released a new rendering of the eight-story building that will house classrooms and labs for WSU and the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Many factors have fueled the shortage of nurses over the years, including burnout, people retiring, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Another contributor is the cost of nursing school. Debra Pile, Chair and Associate Dean of Nursing Practice, said this new facility will help bring more students to WSU. “Having one to meet the needs of pharmacists and nurses physicians, all of those entities involved in the biomedical center is really exciting,” said Pile. She hopes that the new facility will also help to retain faculty in the medical field. Another effort is to train more nurses coming from Fort Hays State University, which has partnered with 11 Kansas community colleges. FHSU is guaranteeing admission for community college nursing graduates. “We make our tours to our community colleges. We really try to emphasize that these courses are not overwhelming. It’s going to be a lot of reflection, a lot of group discussion, and we want to make sure that they don’t feel overwhelmed,” Assistant Department Chair of Nursing Tanya Smith said. The WSU downtown facility in should be completed by the end of 2026.
Source: KSN-TV
City water exceeds standard for HAAs
The city of Parsons sent out a public notice recently about haloacetic acids being found in drinking water samples at levels greater than the state allows. The water was sampled on Nov. 13 and tests showed that the water exceeded the Kansas Department of Health and Environment standard for the HAA5s, a group of five haloacetic acids. The standard for any one HAA is 60 ug/L. Results for samples the city collected showed that Parsons’ water plant exceeded the standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for HAA. Three of the samples were 72 ug/L, 79 ug/L, and 71 ug/L, respectively, according to the city notice. Derek Clevenger, director of utilities for Parsons, said this was the third notice about the city exceeding HAAs and likely will not be the last notification the city sends out on this issue. The city has been working with KDHE to resolve the matter. The city ordered a new carbon feeder, which KDHE believes will solve the problem. For now, city workers are manually feeding carbon into the water to try to reduce HAA5s, he said. When disinfection (such as the use of chlorine) is used in the treatment of drinking water, disinfectants combine with organic and inorganic matter in water to form compounds called disinfection byproducts (DBP). The U.S. EPA sets standards for controlling the levels of DBP in drinking water, including haloacetic acids (HAA). Compliance is based on the four-quarter average of sample results for each location where HAA samples are collected, called a locational running annual average (LRAA). Clevenger has updated city commissioners about the issue periodically and said he is working with KDHE to resolve it.
Source: Parsons Sun
Thousands of students in Kansas and Missouri have left public education. Here’s why
Thousands of students in Missouri and Kansas have left public school in the last four years, in line with a national trend of more families disengaging from public education. An analysis by the Associated Press, Big Local News and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee found enrollment in Missouri’s public schools dropped by 2% from the 2019-2020 school year to the 2022-2023 school year — making up nearly 18,000 students. Public school enrollment in Kansas is down about 16,000 students from its peak in 2015. Statewide enrollment numbers just released for 2023-2024 show 505,515 students in school this year, a 3% drop from the 2014-2015 school year. Nationally, the AP’s study found private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew by nearly 27% during the same time period among more than 30 states with credible private, public or homeschool enrollment data. Collin Hitt, executive director of the PRiME Center, which studies education in Missouri, said it’s been an open question if that state’s homeschooling jump was temporary. “Given the fact that we’re seeing public K through 12 enrollments stay relatively flat, it probably suggests this is something that’s going to continue for some time, which is a major development,” Hitt said. Thousands of students across the country still haven’t returned to the classroom since the pandemic shut schools down for months. An estimated 230,0000 students were considered “missing” in fall 2021, meaning demographic changes or increases in private school or homeschooling couldn’t account for their disappearance from public education. Students have since slowly made their way back to varying forms of education or aged out of school, leaving only 50,000 kids unaccounted for. Missouri doesn’t track private school data and doesn’t legally require parents to notify when they homeschool their child. However, most parents will notify their public school district if they switch to homeschooling. Based on that limited data, Missouri has seen a 34% increase in homeschooling since 2019 — but that doesn’t include children who never attended public schools to begin with. Education leaders anticipated a drop in enrollment across the country because of declining birth rates. U.S. birth rates have been on the downswing for more than a decade, hitting a record low in 2020. The AP found there are 3,000 fewer school-aged children in Missouri compared to when the pandemic began.
Source: The Lawrence Times