Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for June 4, 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.
Kansas’ smallest school district prepares to close in warning sign for rural communities
Healy is an extreme example — one that caught lawmakers’ attention at the end of the legislation session — but it foreshadows the challenges that rural districts and state officials will have to confront in the near future as student populations dwindle. Eight other K-12 Kansas public school districts have fewer than 100 students. Another 28 districts have fewer than 200 students. The state has no blueprint for dealing with the declining student enrollment.
Source: KAKE – News
Shawnee is now home to the largest renewable gas plant of its kind in the U.S.
With a new modular plant in Shawnee, Johnson County is now home to a breakthrough in renewable energy solutions. In March, Archaea Energy launched its Archaea Modular Design renewable natural gas plant, a facility that turns landfill gas into renewable energy.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Osawatomie USD 367 prepares for leadership overhaul
There will be new faces in leadership roles at every school within Osawatomie USD 367 next school year. Superintendent Greg Clark confirmed that Swenson Early Childhood Education Center, Trojan Elementary, Osawatomie Middle School and Osawatomie High School will all have new principals next year. Clark said current Swenson principal Andrea Manes is retiring, Trojan principal Julie Samuels accepted a new position, Osawatomie Middle School principal Zachary Lopes accepted a new position, and Osawatomie High School principal Justin Young is exploring new opportunities. “I thank them for their exceptional service,” Clark said. Lopes and Young were just hired last year.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Mildred Store celebrates 10 years
Charley Pogue of Blue Mound frequently drives the 10 miles to The Mildred Store. When family members from Lawrence were visiting this weekend, he brought them to the store’s 10th anniversary celebration. They walked around the car show, enjoyed food and grocery specials, and played Bingo. Later that evening, the crowd danced to music and entertainment provided by fiddle players from Oklahoma and a former American Idol contestant. “They’re not used to the small-town life,” Pogue said of his relatives. “They’re having a blast.” That’s the goal for store owners Loren and Regena Lance. When they bought the store in 2014, their intent was not just to save the 100-plus year-old business. They wanted to preserve that old-fashioned ideal of “small-town life.” THE BROWN Brothers opened the store in 1915 selling hardware and as an auto repair shop as the town of Mildred boomed thanks to a cement factory on the edge of town. At the plant’s peak, as many as 375 men toiled at the Great Western Portland Cement Company and 2,000 residents called Mildred home. The town once boasted two hotels, two barbershops, elementary and high schools and a movie theatre. The cement plant in Mildred shut down temporarily in the late teens, then permanently in the 1920s. Business floundered. The last high school class graduated in 1944; the post office closed in 1973. The population dwindled and is now below 20. Through it all, the Browns’ store survived. After World War II, the second generation took over. Charles Brown came for a visit with his wife, Lucille, and acquired the store in partnership with his brother, Kenneth, from their father and uncle, according to Register archives. They sold more groceries, along with appliances and hardware. Charlie and Lucy ran Charlie Brown’s Store for several decades after Kenneth’s death. The store became known for its deli sandwiches, piled high with meat. The store also was known for its community Christmas parties, where Charlie and Lucy made sure every child got a sack of candy. A 1982 article published in The Register claimed, “Lucy never lets a child leave the store without getting some free candy.” When Charlie died in 2001, his grandson, Michael Becker, took over. Marilyn Colgin managed the store for him for many years. The store closed in March 2014. That’s when the Lances stepped in and purchased it on June 2, 2014.
Source: The Iola Register
KSN Road Trip visits Ashland, Kansas
ASHLAND, Kan. (KSNW) — Ashland is the fourth stop on the 2024 KSN Summer Road Trip. We visited the Ashland Library. KSN News broadcasted from the location at 5 and 6 p.m. There were cookies, water, and coffee. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hi! If you took a picture with the team, be sure to enter it in the KSN Summer Road Trip photo contest. KSN visited Ashland in 2022 for the Summer Road Trip and decided to come back because of the welcoming community. According to the U.S. Census, Ashland has a population of 783 with a median household income of $60,179. The town is the county seat of Clark County. The town is proud of its beautiful setting in Bear Creek Valley and on the fringe of the Red Hills. It is a perfect spot for hunters and anglers as it has a lot of deer and nearby Clark County State Lake.
Source: KSN-TV
Near tragedy guides Kansas firefighter to make fire trucks
Making things is a passion of Greg Blanchat. But instead of making art, he makes fire trucks. Blanchat turned a near tragedy into a passion to save lives. “When you suit up when you snap in, you really feel it. Like I say, ‘Fire is a living, breathing thing,’ and I really think it can think too,” said Blanchat. Roaring flames and billowing smoke were seen from miles around. “We were up on a hill, most of us watching it and looking down on it, and we backed up because it was incredibly hot,” said Stan May, a spectator and retired 30-year firefighter. It wasn’t a wildfire. It was an experiment. “It’s amazing he was able to put it out that fast dealing with that kind of heat,” said May. It was performed by Blanchat. “Paper tells you one thing, live tells you if it really works,” he said. Blanchat is an avid and successful inventor who got his start in farming equipment. “This plow was the very first thing I did, second year out of high school. It worked so well the neighbors next to me said, ‘Why don’t you do one for me?'” He said. An inventive spirit he carried with him into his career as a firefighter “Every time I went out and fought a fire, I came back and changed the trucks. I’ve gone to funerals; I’ve seen it happen,” said Blanchat. Further bolstered by a near-tragedy of his own in 1988. “I was flicked off the truck, and the truck damn near ran over the top of me – my daughter was only a month old when it happened, and I about orphaned her,” said Blanchat. Now he works to keep other firefighters out of harm’s way at Blanchat Manufacturing.
Source: KSN-TV
The ‘only architect in Liberal’ finds his entrepreneurial spirit
Tucked into southwestern Kansas stands the city of Liberal, a majority-Latino community where more residents speak Spanish than English. Many work at the nearby National Beef Packing Co., a common job for rural Kansans – including immigrant workers. Manuel Ortuño moved to Liberal from Chicago in pursuit of a lower cost of living. He quickly found a job at National Beef, which provided a good living but was extremely labor intensive. His son, Edgar, says that his father started building cabinets in his garage and taking night classes outside of his factory shift. Eventually, he found a carpentry job building displays at Beto Botas, a western apparel store in town. From there, his side hustle blossomed into a full-time career, evolving into Ortuño Cabinets in 2007. “I grew up seeing his hustle, seeking these jobs,” Edgar Ortuño says. “I watched the evolution of his business. He found new opportunities while being an immigrant with (imperfect) English and still receiving pretty good clientele. It was really inspiring to me.” Besides bearing witness to his father’s unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, Ortuño was especially attracted to carpentry and design when his father began building the home his parents live in now.
Source: KLC Journal
Peabody plans repertory theater
Christopher King, co-owner of CK Vintage in downtown Peabody, has a long background in performance. He started as an actor, then gravitated to director. He has been working with other Sunflower Repertory organizers for months getting things ready for the magic of a dinner theater in Peabody. The first production will be “I Do! I Do!” The show is a comedic look at the ups and downs of marriage.
Source: Marion County RECORD
Solar farming is taking land once used to grow food. Researchers are looking for ways to do both
When Scott Thellman looks at the bottom land near the Kaw River, he sees productive farmland. This area north of Lawrence, Kansas, just across the river from an old coal-fired power plant has fantastic soil, according to Thellman, who lives nearby and grows organic vegetables and row crops. “It’s absolutely the best our county, and frankly our region, has in terms of the water accessibility, the mineral glacial components of the soil,” Thellman said. “Plants are really able to thrive here.” It also makes a good place to locate a solar farm. It’s flat, with easy access to roads and high voltage power lines. This spring the Douglas County Commission approved a 1,105-acre solar farm. Utility-scale solar is the fastest growing power source in the U.S., more than doubling in the last three years. Power companies built more solar farms last year than ever before, and they’ll likely hit another record expansion this year. The increase in solar energy means solar farms and traditional farms are vying for some of the same acreage. The competition for land comes at a time when farmland is already losing one to two million acres a year. Now solar farms are a small but growing use for those fields. One answer is agrivoltaics – the idea that production agriculture can coexist with utility-scale solar power. Developers of the solar farm outside Lawrence, for instance, have promised to facilitate sheep grazing around and under solar panels. Farmer Scott Thellman said there’s better land for grazing nearby, that’s marginal for farming. “We’re looking at a field here that, you know, if built out would transition from very high-quality production to a solar array that currently has no actionable plan for agrivoltaics systems,” said Thellman.
Source: KCUR News
Rural roads get millions for upgrades
Ten Kansas counties stand to receive millions in federal funds to improve the safety and efficiency of local roads. Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced the $6.65 million in federal funds for 10 projects, selected out of 46 applications. Haskell, Linn, Ottawa, Phillips, Sedgwick, Seward and Shawnee counties have all been granted federal dollars for these rural road improvement projects. “Our rural roads are important to the local and state economy,” Kelly said. “Programs like this enable commerce to flow smoothly and improve safety for Kansas families as they travel our state.” Project funding is managed through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s High Risk Rural Roads Program. The state effort is funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program, federal aid geared toward reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. Over the past 13 years, KDOT HRRR funds have been geared toward reducing collisions with a fixed object — one of the most common types of fatal rural crashes. To that end, KDOT has prioritized projects geared toward low-cost prevention measures such as installing rumble strips, increasing signage, guardrails and other roadside barriers. Among other projects, Linn will receive $370,000 to install pavement markings, hazard markers and signs on a portion of Route 1095. Phillips has $525,000 to upgrade signing on 154 miles of country roads east of U.S. 183. Seward has $775,000 to extend four culverts and install road shoulders, among other improvements. Haskell has $270,000 to upgrade signage. “These funds assist our rural partners to increase roadway safety by using low-cost and proven countermeasures,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas communities receiving grants for street projects
The funding, as part of the Safe Streets for All program, is combined with more than $1 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund toward two of the projects and local matching dollars. “Leveraging federal dollars to supplement our state and local investments into critical infrastructure is vital to economic growth,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The Safe Streets and Roads for All program ensures that our communities have the resources to build, operate, or maintain critical infrastructure. I appreciate the Legislature’s continued support of this initiative as it is a true bipartisan win for Kansas.” In this round of announcements, the City of Topeka was granted $4.3 million in federal SS4A funds, the third largest in the country. Matt Volz, executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, said the support provided through the Kansas Infrastructure Hub gives communities the tools necessary to maximize BIL funding opportunities.
Source: KAKE – News
City says its making progress on recovering from recent Wichita cyberattack
It’s been almost a month since hackers got into the city’s computers, shutting down many of its operations along with stealing the personal data of some residents. The city says it has made good progress on recovering, but there’s still a long way to go. “Fortunately for me, all of my bills are included in my rent. And so I’m just grateful that I don’t have to go through that,” said resident Alizah Hatcher. Hatcher is one of the few Wichita residents who hasn’t been affected by the recent cyberattack, but she says everyone around her is. “It’s amazing the work that our staff is able to do. I realize that we’re not moving as quickly or as fast as some would like,” said Assistant City Manager Donte Martin at Tuesday’s City Council Workshop.
Source: KAKE – News
County manager warns JoCo’s 5-year budget forecast ‘not sustainable’
County commissioners begin their first budget meetings with department heads Thursday as they consider a quarter-mill decrease in the county’s property tax rate along with a sobering assessment by County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson that revenues will not keep up with expenses over the longer term. “We’ve got to really prepare ourselves in the coming budgets,” Postoak Ferguson told commissioners as she outlined her proposed budget last week. During that presentation, she said current trends in housing valuations and tax revenues will continue to put pressure on the county’s property tax rate, or mill levy.
Source: Johnson County Post
Low water levels at Cheney Reservoir could mean mandatory water restrictions
As the City of Wichita waits for crews to finalize the latest water level readings at the Cheney Reservoir, we could be just around the corner from mandatory water restrictions. “Makes you think. Kind of eye-opening. Like, really? We could experience that?” This was the reaction from many residents like Katie Bickell Monday after seeing the latest images of Cheney Lake and learning that Wichita is extremely close to doing something it hasn’t done in more than ten years – forcing people to start saving water. “Honestly mind-blowing. Because you hear about like, water restrictions and other places, but never really like in your own hometown. And I’ve kind of never really heard of Wichita doing that before,” said Bickell. Wichita gets its water from Cheney Reservoir. Looking at new drone video from Monday, you see lots of muddy land far below where the water is supposed to be.
Source: KAKE – News
Like cities around it, Mission weighs new restrictions on AirBnbs
Another Johnson County city is considering stricter regulations for AirBnbs and Vrbos. The Mission City Council during a mid-May work session expressed support for two separate ordinances — one specific to short-term rentals and a second one about nuisance parties — dealing with such properties. No formal action was taken by the city council. If such ordinances are adopted by the city council, then Mission will join the growing list of Johnson County cities that are tightening short-term rental restrictions. So far in 2024, the cities of Fairway, Merriam and Shawnee have all taken formal action that dictates how AirBnbs and Vrbos can operate in city limits.
Source: Johnson County Post
Prairie Village OKs $2M toward new city hall project. What happens next?
Additional design work can move forward on Prairie Village’s new proposed city hall, after the city council approved the biggest expenditure to date for the much-discussed project. In a 7-3 vote Monday, the Prairie Village City Council approved a $2 million supplement to its agreement with Kansas City-based firm Clark and Enersen for additional work designing a rebuilt city hall.
Source: Johnson County Post
Courthouse use fee waived for non-profits, school districts
The new hourly fee to use the Jackson County Courthouse grounds and facilities, such as the bathrooms or meeting room, for special events has been waived for non-profit organizations and school districts. The $40 per hour fee (per custodian), which was approved earlier this year, was recently challenged by local community members and members of the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson County Community Foundation. The fee was imposed to cover the cost of overtime and benefits for the custodial staff, which includes two employees. There is no fee required just to use the grounds. The fee is imposed if the Courthouse needs to open for the public to have access to the bathrooms or the meeting room. Members of the Chamber and the JCCF said that the new fee cuts into the small profit the non-profits make during their events, such as Glory Days and Fall Fest. After discussing the issue at two weekly meetings, the commissioners met with Ashlee York, Janette Hammack and Lauren Golden with the Chamber, Rod Wittmer of the JCCF, Bruce Shaw and Holton City Commissioner Marilyn Watkins to discuss the fee. The commissioners agreed that if a verified non-profit wants to use the grounds, then the fee will be waived. The fee will also be waived for school districts.
Source: Holton Recorder
Goessel hears wind farm concerns and opposition to firing
The Goessel city council met on May 20 and heard a request from resident Brian Stucky about setting a no-wind generator zone around the City of Goessel. He suggested a three-mile buffer zone. He mentioned the Sunflower wind project and the Diamond Vista wind farm company in the northern part of the county. The plan is to install 600-foot-tall wind turbines near Goessel. The townships of West Branch, East Branch, Menno and Liberty could be impacted. The project is proposed by Orsted, a foreign company from Denmark. Stucky said there are “pros and cons” to wind turbines. He grew up near the equus beds and heard about the importance of the water supply. Goessel depends on that source of water. He is concerned about the possibility of groundwater contamination by concrete base construction deep in the ground. He mentioned other health concerns and said that wind turbines do not belong near dense population. Stucky emphasized that he is not opposed to some forms of alternative energy and has had passive solar hot air panels on his house since 1982.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Local forum held to discuss future of City Park and indoor aquatics
A public forum was hosted Thursday night by the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County to allow the public to learn more about a possible overhaul of City Park and a new indoor aquatics center concept that could end up in front of voters this fall. Local officials close to the project took part in a forum Thursday evening at the Manhattan Public Library, hosted by the League of Women Voters. The League shared its own concerns about City Park as the potential location for an indoor water facility concept. David Dzewaltowski, Professor Emeritus of Kinesiology at Kansas State University, says a central location makes the most sense for city and chamber officials wanting to use any potential facility as an economic driver for the community. City officials are set to consider a master plan for parks and rec on June 18. Look for more information from Thursday’s forum in this weekend’s edition of the Manhattan Mercury.
Source: 1350 KMAN