Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for August 1, 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.
Trees down all over Lawrence after storm; meteorologist says harsh winds were likely a downburst
Trees were destroyed and damaged all across Lawrence in a storm late Wednesday. Thursday morning light revealed the extent and the collateral damage from felled limbs and branches. Damage was widespread across town. Robert Bieniecki, director of Douglas County Emergency Management, said there were 40-plus reports of trees or limbs down, 12 reported power lines down, 14 reports of arcing power lines and two reports of traffic signals out. They did not receive any reports of injuries, he said. The city is canceling its city-load compost event set for Saturday and will instead open the compost facility to Lawrence residents only for storm debris dropoff. Find details about that in the article at this link. Some have speculated that the strong wind gusts that accompanied the thunderstorm may have been a microburst. Sarah Teefey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka, said that “Right now I would classify it as what we call a downburst — wind gusts similar to a microburst except a little bit bigger in coverage. It was likely just a strong updraft from a thunderstorm that came down and pushed out from that thunderstorm.” Wind gusts reached between 70 and 80 mph, and the NWS’ rain gauge at the Lawrence airport showed the area received .63 inches of rain in the storm, Teefey said. She said temperatures would likely stick around the mid-90s, but “right now we’re looking dry through the weekend.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
Kansas maternal health care deserts mean hardships on mothers, communities and providers
Thirteen counties in Kansas ceased to offer obstetric care services from 2013 to 2023 — a statistic that points to a shrinking availability of maternal care in Kansas, the lack of which can cause poor outcomes in pregnancy and delivery, overburdened hospitals and long drives for women seeking adequate care. Jennifer Cunningham drove more than six hours for care at the University of Kansas Health System for two of her four, high-risk pregnancies because she didn’t feel the limited obstetrics department in her home area of Garden City could take care of her. Garden City, with a population of about 30,000, serves as a local hub for shopping and other services in southwest Kansas. But with a declining number of providers who can deliver, Cunningham said, many of the women she knows are driving to Wichita, or further, to seek adequate care during their pregnancies and for deliveries. It makes her worry for the future growth and prosperity of the town. “If we can’t provide those basic services, we can’t continue to survive in general,” Cunningham said Tuesday during a KU Health news briefing on rural maternity care. “Local professionals, who are lawyers or other doctors or other professionals, they aren’t going to choose to come and live here if they can’t even have a baby here.” Obstetric and family medicine providers are searching for solutions to the maternal health care deserts in everything from telehealth to student loan repayment incentives. Bob Moser, executive director at the Kansas Center for Rural Health, said it is difficult for a rural hospital to retain or attract an OB-GYN doctor or someone who can provide those services. “It’s challenging if you go out there and you’re the only provider providing obstetrical services, because you’re basically on call 24/7,” Moser said. Additionally, these hospitals often lack consistent anesthesia services and wraparound, pre- and postnatal care. “As more (communities) are dropping (obstetrical services), it falls to those who are remaining to take on that added burden,” Moser said. Patients are driving further, sometimes an hour or more, to seek care throughout their pregnancies, which means more time off, additional child care and increased expenses. Moser said the travel distance also increases the risk of roadside birth or a person in labor walking into the nearest emergency room, to be met with a nurse who maybe hasn’t delivered in 10 or more years. Marc Parrish, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at KU Health, performs telemedicine services with patients across the state. Parrish was Cunningham’s caregiver and performed some of her check-ups via telehealth and a partnership with an ultrasound clinic in Garden City. Parrish said it’s like being “in a fight with one hand tied behind your back.” Telehealth can only be as good as what the local partner is able and willing to provide, he said. Michael Kennedy, a family medicine physician and rural health expert with KU Health, said he also sees a lack of obstetric exposure during residency programs and not enough effort to get doctors in training to experience rural hospitals. There are several loan repayment programs on a state and federal level that incentivize doctors who specialize in OB-GYN services or choose to serve in health professional shortage areas. Kennedy and others on the panel said these programs could be an effective way to alleviate some of the maternal care shortages. Maternal care deserts exist throughout the country, including in urban areas. Sandra Stites, an OB-GYN and chief medical officer at Vibrant Health in Kansas City, Kansas, said if care is not culturally accessible, even folks in an urban setting can be in a care desert that can endanger their pregnancies. Medical professionals on the panel said solutions for all of these shortages will require collaboration across local, regional, state and national advocates. Carrie Wieneke, OB-GYN clinical service chief for KU Health, said access to maternal care is on the 2024 list for the top 10 patient safety hazards. “We’re going to have to work together with lots of people at lots of levels, not only in Kansas City but Topeka and D.C., to really be able to provide the care that people deserve,” Wieneke said.
Source: Garden City Telegram
City announces 2024 street improvement plan
The City of Great Bend Public Works Department has released information about this year’s projects pertaining to driving surfaces. A news release from the department notes that streets and projects are chosen each year based on condition assessment and what can be done within the budget. Projects for this year are highlighted on three maps. The first map shows select alleyways scheduled for resurfacing, pending City Council approval, at a cost of $145,000. At the upcoming council meeting on Aug. 5, staff will present select asphalt alleyways with ongoing issues. The majority of them are in residential areas. This work will involve alleys that have been patched and repaired multiple times throughout the years. Overlaying these will alleviate the need to continue patching and making repairs for years to come, allowing the department to focus its attention on other areas of concern. The second map, labeled “asphalt resurfacing,” shows streets targeted for removing and replacing asphalt driving surfaces. The cost is dependent on the bid and approval of $800,000 to $950,000. The largest component of this year’s improvement will be the upcoming bid for work involving asphalt resurfacing. This is the part of the plan where the work is more involved. The City will bid out areas of repair that are not suitable for maintenance but will need to have a complete resurfacing. These areas still have a good base, but the surface needs to be removed and redone The third map is for streets targeted for chip and seal maintenance, to extend the life of those streets, at a cost of $312,000. In June, the council approved chip and seal with a fog seal topcoat maintenance plan that will begin within the next few months. Chip and seal is a process that provides a wear surface on top of streets that need an extra layer to extend the overall life of the street. This year the City will do 60 blocks of streets of chip and seal with a fog seal topcoat. “These projects are in addition to the work that our crews do every day,” the news release states. “They include but are not limited to asphalt patching, pouring concrete intersections, curb and gutter, alley approaches and storm boxes. Each year we continue to work doing as we can to improve and preserve our infrastructure. We are committed to staying within budget, enhancing safety, functionality, and overall quality of our infrastructure.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune
10-year Treasury yield dives to the lowest since December after weak jobs report
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropped to its lowest since December after a weaker-than-expected jobs report for last month added to fears that economic growth is slowing. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury was last at 3.853%, down 12 basis points, or 0.12%. Earlier, yields hit a low of 3.79%, the lowest level since December 2023. The 2-year Treasury yield was last at 3.966% after dropping more than 19 basis points. Yields and prices have an inverted relationship and one basis point equals 0.01%, or one one-hundredth of a percent. Treasury yields tumbled after the July nonfarm payrolls report showed an increase of 114,000 jobs last month, far less than expected the 185,000 that economists had expected, according to the last survey by Dow Jones. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, the highest in nearly three years, since October 2021. The cooler labor market data — first-time claims for weekly unemployment benefits jumped to 249,000 on Thursday, and continuing claims rose to their highest since late 2021 — has investors concerned the Federal Reserve should have acted sooner to head off a possible recession. Earlier in the week, the central bank kept rates unchanged at its latest policy meeting but hinted that a September rate cut was on the table, sending Treasury yields lower. “The Fed will need to go into economic protection mode moving forward to calm markets,” wrote Byron Anderson, head of fixed income at Laffer Tengler Investments. “We should see rate cuts shortly.” Markets are now pricing in a 58.5% likelihood of a half percentage point rate cut in September, up from only a 22% chance one day ago, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Kansas v. Missouri stadium battle shows how states are reigniting border wars
For decades, academic research has been clear: Taxpayers almost never get their money back on subsidized sports stadiums. And yet, over and over again, U.S. cities and states find themselves locked in lopsided negotiations with beloved football, baseball and basketball teams, hoping to keep them from jumping to a new market. In the newest bidding war, Kansas aims to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs or MLB’s Royals from their side-by-side stadiums in Missouri just a few miles away. It could be one of the most expensive stadium deals yet, according to Victor Matheson, a researcher who studies stadium subsidies. “This is wildly destructive,” he said. “This is in some ways significantly worse than intercity competition, because you’re just spending billions of dollars to just move economic activity from one point in the metro area to another.” Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, watched closely in June as lawmakers in Topeka, Kansas, approved an expansion of an often-criticized tax incentive program with the aim of subsidizing a new stadium for one or both teams. The bidding war for the teams is being viewed as particularly irresponsible by those who hailed a 2019 compact between Kansas and Missouri that some had hoped would set a new model for states across the country to curb corporate tax incentives. Five years ago, the Democratic governor of Kansas and the Republican governor of Missouri celebrated an end to the so-called economic Border War, a long-standing practice in which governments would offer lucrative subsidies to lure companies back and forth across state lines in the Kansas City area. People saw the practice as wasteful, since it paid companies to relocate without spurring new growth for the regional economy. The truce was momentous for Kansas and Missouri, two states whose rivalry traces back to bloody Civil War days. But it also garnered national acclaim from both liberals and conservatives who saw the move as a blow to corporate welfare and the cynical practice of companies pitting governments against each other. But more powerful than the bipartisan cross-border cease-fire, apparently, is the allure of a new professional sports venue.
Source: Kansas Reflector
WPD leaders share plan update for ‘real time’ information center
Leaders of the Wichita Police Department hosted a town hall on Wednesday to discuss the “real-time” information center that they want to have up and running by next spring. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said advancements in technology, which are used every day, will keep people and officers safer. “It’s going to be a game changer for crime fighting here in Wichita,” said Sullivan. Chief Sullivan said they will soon have the technology, already used by departments across the country, to allow 911 calls to be heard from officers in that specific area in real-time. He also said they will have Flock gunshot detection in high-gun violence areas, which can pinpoint nearly the exact location of the weapon being fired. Chief Sullivan said it’s an effort to reduce crime. “We’re utilizing technology, we’re taking the subjective human element out, and making sure that the judgments that we make, the strategies that we devise are data-driven and that they’re fair, and they’re objective, and they’re based on making communities safer,” said Chief Sullivan. Karen Leve of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas said that after WPD’s gang list settlement, not everyone was sold on the idea that these technological advancements lead to fair policing. “I think at the root of it is this issue of trust, and where communities are over-policed, I think there is this erosion of trust,” said Leve. She hopes these advancements will be tested extensively before implementation and said there could be severe consequences if not. “The repercussions can be huge arrests, can be false arrests, over-policing, over-surveilling of people, so we really need to make sure that the technology is right,” said Leve. Chief Sullivan assures that privacy policies are being made and will be shared publicly. Gunshot detection is being tested right now in local neighborhoods. Chief Sullivan is optimistic that the department can have a new detection system and real-time information center, which will will sit on the fifth floor of city hall, up and operational by the spring of next year.
Source: KSN-TV
Reno County Commissioners approve Yoder water deal
On Wednesday, Reno County Commissioners approved the purchase of water from Hutchinson for the Yoder water district. Commissioners said there isn’t enough water to meet the district’s needs without the purchase. County documents show the agreement has been in the works for months. According to those documents, Hutchinson will provide a monthly average of 32,000 gallons to Yoder, a town that has dealt with high nitrate levels in its water for a while. The purchase still has to be approved by the Hutchinson City Council. If it is approved, water rates in the district may go up because of the cost of getting water from the city. The Reno County Commissioners approved a $1 million loan on July 10 to provide Yoder with safe drinking water. The loan is for a 20-year term at a “relatively low interest rate,” between 2% and 3%. Reno County said in March the nitrate levels for Rural Water District 101, which serves Yoder, have “continued to be above allowable limits.” Health officials say high nitrates are especially bad for babies because they can prevent the transport of oxygen by the blood. “Nitrate attaches to hemoglobin and stops it from being able to carry much oxygen, and infants will basically show that as becoming a little blue,” Stiles said in March.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka releases results of new homeless population count
The City of Topeka released the results of its summer Point in Time Homeless Count Thursday. City spokesman Daniel Garrett issued a press release on Aug. 1, 2024 containing the results of this year’s second count of the homeless population in Topeka. As a result, city officials found nine additional homeless people living in the city since January 2024’s count. This second count of the homeless took place on July 17 and is meant to give a snapshot of conditions and circumstances surrounding the local homeless population. More than 40 people helped conduct this count. Garrett said 546 people and 433 households are experiencing homelessness in Topeka and Shawnee County. Of these, 59% are male while 40% are female and 216 are considered unsheltered or not living in an emergency shelter or transitional housing. “With the rising numbers of those experiencing homelessness nationwide, we believe it’s crucial to collect data more regularly,” said Carrie Higgins, housing services division director. “Given the warmer weather and anticipated increase, we are encouraged to see only a modest rise since January. The count also provides a valuable opportunity to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to services and resources in the community.” This second count helps ensure the City of Topeka can get the appropriate amount of funding to provide services to the homeless population from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A breakdown of this year’s count results, along with the results of earlier counts, can be found below: July 2024
People – 546
Households – 433
Veteran households – 46
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 255
Individuals in transitional housing – 75
Individuals who are unsheltered – 216
January 2024
People – 537
Households – 442
Veteran households – 47
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 276
Individuals in transitional housing – 58
Individuals who are unsheltered – 203
2023
People – 412
Households – 322
Veteran households – 25
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 194
Individuals in transitional housing – 61
Individuals who are unsheltered – 157
2022
People – 365
Households – 297
Veteran households – 37
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 163
Individuals in transitional housing – 54
Individuals who are unsheltered – 148
2021
People – 298
Households – 254
Veteran households – 16
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 155
Individuals in transitional housing – 38
Individuals who are unsheltered – 105
2020
People – 401
Households – 306
Veteran households – 40
Individuals in an emergency shelter – 254
Individuals in transitional housing – 51
Individuals who are unsheltered – 68
Source: KSNT 27 News
New housing options coming to Topeka
New options for housing are coming to Topeka. Tuesday, July 30, Topeka’s City Council approved having accessory dwelling units (ADU) within single-family zoning districts. ADU’s are already legal in multi-family districts and downtown districts. This will allow for a smaller independent houses to be on the same lot as a single-family home. The goal for this is to fill gaps in the city housing market and increase affordability. “We’ll have standards related to size, so there will be size limitations,” Planning Division Director Dan Warner said. “We’ll have requirements that one of the two units has to be owned or occupied, so meaning the owner has to live on the property. We’ll have some design review then also one additional parking spot off the street is required for the ADU.” Warner says rules for these accessory dwellings will be getting published next week.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Reno County drug diversion offers some another chance
The Reno County first-time drug offender diversion program began at the beginning of this year. Since then, 21 people have been involved with the program, and only one has not succeeded so far.
“The best benefit is that they move away from drug use and become productive citizens,” District Attorney Tom Stanton said. “If they’re successful and become productive citizens, we’re not spending money on prosecution, arrest and detention, jail and court costs and so on. We don’t use jail as a sanction much in this program, so we’re saving money in the county jail.”
If people complete the program and its requirements, their case gets dismissed. “They don’t have to be explaining to employers, or housing officials or when they’re applying for student loans that they’ve got this conviction in their background,” Stanton said. “The goal is that we’ll be using the same resources to help them as we would if they’ve been convicted.” Stanton said they planned to have 50 in the program for the year, so they’re pretty close to where they expected to be now. He says one of the best parts is giving people resources to live drug-free lives. “They go through the programs, go through treatment, they’re going in a meeting with their community corrections supervisor, and they’re just doing the things that they need to do to move away from the use of drugs and to a more a more stable lifestyle,” Stanton said. “It’s just a great program for them. Same thing they would be doing if they were convicted, but the benefits are greater. We’re still holding them accountable. They’re still charged with the crime. If they fail, they’re going to be convicted, and they’re going to continue to be assisted by corrections, and now the community and the person is going to benefit from the program.”
Source: KSN-TV
Douglas County planning officials to explore potential rules for energy storage systems, data centers and cryptocurrency mining
After several requests from energy storage companies curious about expanding to Douglas County, the county’s Zoning and Codes division will start the process of drawing up specific rules for those kinds of uses — as well as high-tech operations that store data and mine cryptocurrencies.
Source: LJWorld
To find out where Lawrence residents don’t want cuts, the city has been using an online budget simulator tool
When it comes to balancing municipal budgets, those same tradeoffs come at a scale of millions of dollars, and with more far-reaching effects. To figure out how Lawrence residents would make those tradeoffs, the city government has given them a tool to share their thoughts online — an interactive budget simulator called “A Balancing Act.” Alley Porter, the budget manager for the city’s finance department, said the tool has given the city some information on what services residents value most as it has crafted its 2025 budget proposal.
Source: LJWorld
Osawatomie’s wastewater treatment plant is now complete
Improvements to Osawatomie’s wastewater treatment plant have been three years in the making, but the $2.5 million project is now complete, and council members recently toured the finished product. … City Manager Bret Glendening said supply chain issues delayed the project early on, and a few issues with the new UV units also took time to resolve.
Source: Miami County Republic
Surrounding cities that use Wichita water also working to conserve
Surrounding cities that buy water from Wichita, like the City of Derby, say they will follow Wichita’s lead when it comes to conserving. “When Wichita decides to announce, trigger going into stage two of their conservation plan, we go into phase two of our conservation plan,” said Derby City Manager Kiel Mangus. Like Wichita, Derby residents could face penalties if they don’t follow the rules, like limited outdoor watering.
Source: KWCH
De Soto expecting significant 2025 property tax reduction
Even before Panasonic’s $4 billion EV battery plant opens in De Soto, Kansas next year, city residents are already getting a better idea for how that massive investment will change their property values and property taxes. “We are in the extremely enviable position of being able to present to the public a 2025 budget that reduces the city property tax mil rate by a third,” De Soto City Administrator Mike Brungardt said.
Source: Fox4KC
Municipal Bond Trends for July 31, 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.
‘Years in the making’ — 2 JoCo cities hope to link downtowns by trail
A new trail link may be on the horizon between the cities of Merriam and Shawnee. The two Johnson County cities submitted a joint project proposal to the Mid-America Regional Council, seeking up to $1 million to pay for a trail connection system that could ultimately link the cities’ downtowns. If approved, the cities would use the money from MARC to connect Shawnee’s Oxbow Trail to Merriam’s Turkey Creek Trail. Both trails are north of Shawnee Mission Parkway and are near each city’s downtown area.
Source: Johnson County Post
Municipal Bond Trends for July 30, 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.
JoCo homeless shelter plan moves ahead, as ardent backers and opponents weigh in
Concerns about providing homeless services to “illegal aliens” and people from outside Johnson County dominated discussion at the county commission last Thursday about a proposal to open a shelter at a former La Quinta Inn and Suites hotel in Lenexa. After two hours of discussion that also included enthusiastic endorsements of the shelter plan from leaders of the interfaith Good Faith Network, commissioners ultimately voted to approve $3.7 million for renovations and operating costs for the hotel.
Source: Johnson County Post