Kansas Municipal News
Public hearing for Shawnee Co. solar and wind farms
The Shawnee County Planning Commission will consider a wind energy ban and a one-year solar energy moratorium. “This public hearing process is a very important step to take as Shawnee County considers banning wind farms, and a moratorium on solar farms,” Director of the Shawnee County Planning Department Joni Thadani said. “We look forward to hearing from the community. Even if you are unable to attend in person, you can watch the meeting on the Shawnee County YouTube livestream.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 2, 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 1, 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.
Fed keeps rates steady as it notes ‘lack of further progress’ on inflation
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its ground on interest rates, again deciding not to cut as it continues a battle with inflation that has grown more difficult lately. In a widely expected move, the U.S. central bank kept its benchmark short-term borrowing rate in a targeted range between 5.25%-5%. The federal funds rate has been at that level since July 2023, when the Fed last hiked and took the range to its highest level in more than two decades. … With its the decision to hold the line on rates, the committee in its post-meeting statement noted a “lack of further progress” in getting inflation back down to the central bank’s 2% target.
Source: CNBC
Crawford County landowners speak out against wind, solar
The Crawford County Commission room was packed on Friday as dozens of local landowners were present to show support for a moratorium on any further development of wind and solar farms in the county. Calling themselves the Crawford County Coalition Against Industrial Wind and Solar, county resident Ray Huff spoke on their behalf. Huff said he is not “anti-green” or a conspiracy theorist, but focused on the potential detrimental effects wind turbines have on local wildlife.
Source: Morning Sun
Historic Johnson County village is falling apart. Will Panasonic plant save or kill it?
Directly across from Clearview, spread along more than a half-mile of West 103rd Street, Panasonic’s $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant is rising on the grounds of the old ordnance works. Scheduled to open in 2025 with some 4,000 workers, nothing since World War II has so impacted De Soto, a mostly rural town of 6,500. That includes fueling rumors on the fate of Clearview and its 500 or so residents.
Source: KC Star Local News
Evinger feels call to serve leading fire/EMT reserves
For nearly 20 years, Mike Evinger has been a dedicated volunteer and mentor to the Arkansas City Fire/EMS Department, a role he never imagined would become such a significant part of his life. When he’s not rushing to aid in emergencies as the reserve captain for the department, Evinger can often be found caring for yards throughout the community. As the reserve captain, Evinger is responsible for coordinating and leading the reserve team, ensuring their readiness for emergency response. It’s hard to imagine that these two worlds could merge as one, but for Evinger, being a volunteer for the department is rooted in personal experience.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Digging deep into the history of Olathe, this documentary filmmaker discovered gems
Gregory Sheffer thought he knew Olathe history. After all, he grew up in the Olathe school system and earned a history degree from MidAmerica Narazene University in Olathe. There was, Sheffer discovered, more to know about Olathe’s history. And through a documentary film project, he’s learned a lot more — and so have the people of Olathe.
Source: Kansas City Breaking News & Sports | The Kansas City Star
Governor Kelly Announces Kansas Moving Forward with $451.7M High-Speed Internet Deployment Plan
Governor Laura Kelly announced federal approval of the state’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 2, providing an investment of more than $450 million to expand Kansas’ high-speed internet infrastructure. Funding will be granted to areas that have been identified as underserved through a competitive application process that will begin in July. … Eligible homes and businesses within the predetermined funding areas will be made public for 60 days before the application process opens. This transparency ensures that applicants have adequate time to become aware of opportunities and to prepare for the process. Preregistration for BEAD applicants is set to begin Monday, May 13.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Pittsburg area growth continues
The Pittsburg State Kelce College of Business has released its economic summary for the first quarter of 2024. Overall, the Pittsburg Micropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) is still growing, often at rates above the state and national averages. According to the summary, Pittsburg’s economy relies on small businesses, those with fewer than 50 employees, which make up more than 94 percent of all businesses in the area. Supporting these businesses requires a healthy local banking industry to supply capital for growth and expansion. On average, small, local banks approve 82 percent of small business loans, while larger, national banks average a 68 percent approval rate.
Source: Morning Sun
De Soto tackles major infrastructure upgrades amid development boom
Upgrading public infrastructure is the first hurdle De Soto must clear as city leaders navigate a generational boom in economic development. Panasonic’s plans to build an electric-vehicle battery manufacturing facility in De Soto kicked off a tight deadline to make water, sewer, road and electrical infrastructure upgrades before the plant’s production start date, City Administrator Mike Brungardt said.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Fort Scott Fire water rescue stay busy; Near record flooding City Manager says
Due to the heavy rains across SE Kansas the past two days the Marmaton River [pron: Mar-muh-ton] has grown out of its banks, cutting off a portion of Fort Scott to nearby Missouri and north to US-54. But it’s nothing new. It just doesn’t happened all the time. The Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin stated Sunday morning, “the city has had about 10-inches of rain in the past 48 hours and we have a lot of flooding.” He continued by asking citizens to stay home Sunday.
Source: KOAM News
Kansas AG says Johnson County didn’t break open meetings law after commissioner complaint
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office has found the Johnson County Commission did not violate the state open meetings law last year when it discussed salary raises for three top employees behind closed doors. But, the office did call for Johnson County to implement some changes after discovering a few technical issues with how the commission has called closed meetings.
Source: Joco 913 News
Governor Kelly signs train setback bill
The train safety bill originally pushed by State Senator Carolyn McGinn was signed by Governor Laura Kelly. House Bill 2501 requires trains in Kansas to park 250 feet back from the railroad crossing, unless the Department of Transportation requires a different distance at a location. “I am glad that we were able to pass the set backs for trains,” McGinn said in an email. “The 250-foot setback will help drivers have the opportunity to see approaching trains.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Olathe puts finishing touches on ‘significant’ trail project’s latest phase
Olathe recently put the finishing touches on the much-anticipated second phase of its Cedar Creek Trail. Last week, city leaders officially celebrated the completion of this phase of the trail with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This most recent round of work on the Cedar Creek Trail fully connects the nearly 260-acre Lake Olathe Park on the city’s western side to Cedar Lake Park in southern Olathe.
Source: Johnson County Post
Why Wichita’s Century II is salvaged but not quite saved
Even as workers finished replacing the distinctive blue roof of Century II, the flying saucer of a convention center that landed in downtown Wichita in 1969, the fate of the landmark and the area surrounding it remains strangely murky. After a master plan that pushed to replace it, a grassroots campaign to save it, and political and legal fights that amounted to a battle for the future of Wichita – and the past’s place in it – five long years of discussion haven’t brought much clarity. For now, Century II has avoided the fate of its predecessor, the Forum. But its endurance seems less a victory than a stalemate, based on interviews with community members and architecture experts.
Source: KLC Journal
Duplexes a possible way to make home ownership more in reach in Wichita
The Moores are among hundreds of homebuyers turning to duplexes in lieu of pricier, single-family homes. Although statistics don’t distinguish between duplexes built for lease and those for sale, permits for “two-family” housing have tripled for Wichita area in the last six years —from 250 in 2018 to 754 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Professor Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University’s Center for Real Estate, said the reason for this growth is simple: buyers want to save money and developers want to profit from their investments at a time when construction costs have increased 47% since the pandemic. Wess Galyon, president and CEO of the Wichita Area Builders Association, estimated that 10% of the new duplexes get sold to individuals and not, as still happens, to large investment firms that lease them by the hundreds.
Source: KLC Journal
How High Wall Street Thinks the Fed Will Keep Interest Rates
At the start of 2024, investors expected the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates substantially this year as inflation cooled. But price increases have been surprisingly stubborn, and that is forcing a rethink on Wall Street. Investors and economists are questioning when and how much Fed policymakers will manage to cut rates — and some are increasingly dubious that Fed officials will manage to lower them at all this year. Inflation was coming down steadily in 2023, but that progress has stalled out in 2024. The Fed’s preferred inflation index climbed 2.8 percent in March from a year earlier, after stripping out volatile food and fuel costs, data on Friday showed. While that is down substantially from a 2022 peak, it is still well above the central bank’s 2 percent goal.
Source: NYT > Business
City hopes new initiative will help solve affordable housing problem in Wichita
Shanna Ramey has lived in a city-owned rental home for nearly two decades. It’s where she raised her three kids and created a lifetime of memories, so it was devastating when she heard the news that the city of Wichita was selling all of the 300-plus homes it owns, including hers. “It was a lot of ups and downs. It was a lot of tears, because I thought I was gonna have to start all over,” said Ramey. “It was hard. Horrible. Because I didn’t know what to start.” The city is giving all current renters the first right to buy the house they live in, which is something City Property Manager Sarah Gooding says isn’t always easy. “To qualify for public housing, and then to qualify as a homebuyer is a very challenging process. Public housing typically serves households at or below 50% of the area median income,” Gooding explained. However, Ramey desperately wanted to keep the home where she had raised her family, so she worked with the city to make it happen. “With those who have been interested in home ownership, we’re doing everything in our power to get them to a closing date,” said Gooding. With entire city-owned neighborhoods full of abandoned homes, some full of bullet holes, the city faced some scrutiny about the lack of affordable housing when it chose to sell them all off. To help offset this problem, the city recently approved a $5 million Affordable Housing Fund. This offers builders up to $40,000 per unit to renovate or build new affordable single-family homes.
Source: KAKE – News
Newton Open Streets aims to bring community together
Newton Open Streets shut down several roads between East 5th and East 6th, the intersection of Broadway and Oak and more. The City approved the request to close down roads from the Harvey County Health Department in order to hold a new community open streets event. “I think it just shows, like, what kind of community that we are, and I think it’s good for the kids to get out and do something. Like, we’re a small town, so sometimes there’s not a lot to do. So, it’s really cool that we’re doing that this year,” said Jordan Enriquez, a Newton resident. The goal of the event was to bring the community together.
Source: KSN-TV