Kansas Municipal News
Governor Kelly Announces Launch of $200M Build Kansas Fund to Accelerate Transformative Community Infrastructure Projects
Governor Laura Kelly, alongside the Kansas Infrastructure Hub (KIH), announced the launch of the Build Kansas Fund, which provides state matching dollars to Kansas communities for infrastructure projects approved under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The Build Kansas Fund will invest $200 million directly into Kansas communities to support projects that include water, transportation, energy, cybersecurity, and broadband through Fiscal Year 2027.
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas
Governor Kelly Announces Launch of Shared Services Network for Child Care Providers
Governor Laura Kelly announced the launch of a new partnership that will create savings and streamline services for child care providers across Kansas. The Kansas Department for Children and Families, Child Care Aware of Kansas, and five community-based organizations are partnering on the Shared Service Network to streamline administrative costs for providers and free up time for programs to focus on providing high-quality child care. “For many Kansas kids, quality child care is essential for them to have a solid start to their developmental growth,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. “This network will provide child care professionals the resources they need so they can focus on young Kansans in their care.”
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas
This tattoo parlor can stay in Old Town after Wichita City Council decides to allow it
A change to the city’s zoning code will allow Afterlife Tattooz to continue operating in Old Town. Thanh Do told The Eagle this summer that he strategically chose Old Town to start his business because “it’s in the middle of everywhere.” He didn’t know when he moved into part of the former First Gear space at 111 N. Mosley that the Old Town Overlay — a zoning plan designed to protect the historic and architectural character of the area — specifically prohibited tattooing and body piercing establishments. Afterlife Tattooz received a notice to vacate but was granted an extension by the city while it reviewed the zoning requirements.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Kansas has 4 of the ‘most envied’ suburbs in the US, survey says. Two are near Wichita
Two cities near Wichita are among America’s “most envied surburban lifestyles” in the country. That’s according to moving services reviewer Moving Feedback, which surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults for their preferences to put together a list of the 175 most desirable suburbs in America. Here’s a look at the two Wichita suburbs that made the list, plus two other Kansas locations that got a nod from Moving Feedback.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Sedan, surrounding cities, remain in level 3 water emergency due to drought
Back in August, the city of Sedan announced it was facing a level 3 water emergency. They are still in the midst of an emergency as the water manager is calling it a 100-year event. The local car wash has closed down and the city pool was closed three weeks early. People have been asked not to use water for outdoor use. The reductions have worked as the city has cut water usage by over 25 percent. They did receive rain today, something that makes the Water District 20 manager James Rainbolt hopeful. “We’re still at stage 3. Hopefully the rain today, it’s not going to get us out of it, but it’ll slow the drop a little bit,” said Rainbolt.
Source: KSN-TV
Emporia experiencing a significant amount of water breaks
Dozens of water breaks in Emporia are leaving many without water for hours at a time. The city manager says the city’s main water tower was taken offline on September 6. “It is a 33-year-old water tower that we have taken offline to do some interior repairs to it,” said the City Manager for the City of Emporia, Trey Cocking. The removal caused water pressure to shift in the last week, and water pressure has caused 36 water breaks in local neighborhoods. “We’re experiencing a much higher volume than normal,” explained Cocking.
Source: KSN-TV
Local and State leaders continue to push for Amtrak in Wichita
This week multiple local and state leaders are in Illinois continuing the push to bring Amtrak to Wichita. Sedgwick County Commission Chair, Pete Meitzner, the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Senator Carolyn McGinn, and Representative Avery Anderson are attending the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission Annual Meeting. Nine states meet with the Federal Rail Administration (FRA), Amtrak, and others to discuss passenger railways. Some are looking at updating tracks, others want to add more trains, and in Wichita, the goal is to bring the Heartland Flyer Extension to Wichita to connect to Oklahoma City and the national Amtrak network.
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita author uncovers secrets of her hometown in new book
If you’ve lived in Wichita long enough, you probably know of a few hidden gems around town. Maybe you’re aware of a bit of our city’s history that isn’t well-known. Vanessa Whiteside’s motto is “Stay Curious.” She’s written a pair of books about Wichita. The latest features Wichita’s off-beat locations and tucked-away treasures. Many of them, you may already know about, and some you don’t. The author, who has signed copies of her new book inside Watermark Books and Café, grew up in Wichita, graduated from Southeast High School, and loves researching her hometown.
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita gets federal approval to start selling some of its public housing units
Wichita will begin the process of selling part of its single-family public housing stock after receiving long-awaited approval from the federal government. “This is really a once in a generation opportunity to add affordable housing stock to the private market,” Sarah Gooding, a real property section manager with the city of Wichita, said at a city board meeting in August. “Many of these homes are at the lower end of the price range. We’re hoping to see affordable homes for first-time buyers and affordable rentals.” The city announced in January 2022 that it would split its 352 single-family public housing units into several groups and sell them.
Source: KSN-TV
‘It’s an emergency.’ Midwest towns scramble as drought threatens drinking water.
James Rainbolt typically can tackle most problems at his rural water plant with some extra time or money. But he can’t fix this. “I just can’t make it rain,” he said. Like others across southeast Kansas, Rainbolt remains helpless as he watches a persistent drought dry up the local water supply. He runs a public wholesale water supply district that provides the drinking water for several cities and rural water districts. The lack of rain has been so severe that it’s now threatening the water district’s intake pipe, which brings water from a local lake to the treatment plant.
Source: themercury.com
Lawrence city staff members, commissioners hesitate as mayor calls to enforce no-camping measures
Mayor Lisa Larsen on Tuesday called for the city to push back against people camping around town. City staff members and her fellow commissioners said they agree that the situation needs to change, but there was not a feasible way to end camping right now. City staff members provided commissioners with an update Tuesday on efforts to deal with the growing homelessness and housing crisis. After a staff presentation, commissioners heard from about 20 people, including many business owners; no one who identified themselves as homeless spoke during the meeting.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for September 19, 2023
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.
Lenexa’s new downtown booming with food, offices. It’s only halfway done
Dozens of shoppers filed through Lenexa’s farmers market on Saturday, stopping at each booth to pick up late summer produce, fresh loaves of sourdough and local honey. Nearby, kids swooped down the water slides at the city’s rec center. And hungry customers, tempted by the smell of spices in the air, chose between the samosas at Sohaila’s Kitchen or the fried sweet plantains at African Dream Cuisine at the packed food hall. The bustling afternoon was the result of more than two decades of planning, and hundreds of millions of public and private dollars funneled into Lenexa City Center, at 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard. And that’s just the first half of the project. Momentum has been building in recent months, with the City Council granting approvals and tax incentives allowing several projects to move forward.
Source: KC Star Local News
2 historic sites in Council Grove reopen with greater focus on Native people
A restoration of two historic sites related to American Indian history are providing an opportunity to tell a “broader story,” officials said Saturday. The Kaw Mission State Historic Site and Last Chance Store reopened in an event Saturday after a restoration four years in the works. Its renovation was an effort by museum staff, historians, the Kaw Nation and the Santa Fe Trail Association. The Kaw Mission was built in 1851 as a school that could to accommodate about 50 Native boys after the government forcibly relocated the Kanza people to Council Grove in 1846. Mark Brooks, the site administrator, said the school taught the students farming, reading, writing and math…
Source: themercury.com
$1.7 million to help turn old Bonner Springs grocery store site into affordable housing
An additional $1.7 million was secured to develop 100 multi-family rental units at a four-story apartment building in downtown Bonner Springs, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids announced. A building at 120 Oak St., the site of an old Thriftway grocery store, was demolished a few months ago with plans for the $17 million development. Bonner Springs officials expect downtown businesses to see “significant increase in patronage” with the units. Mayor Jeff Harrington said the developers hope to break ground in the spring with the building along West Front Street open in fall 2025.
Source: KC Star Local News
Who is dressing the bronze sculptures in downtown Wichita? And who is undressing them?
Years ago, Tamara Gonzales privately came up with a name for the bronze statue of a barefoot businessman standing at Douglas and Main, reading his newspaper with his pant legs rolled up and his feet cooling in a bubbling fountain. Walter. As she got to thinking about Walter, she decided he was missing something. “I don’t know if it’s a mental problem or what it is, but I saw this statue here and thought, ‘He’d be kind of cool with a pair of pants on,’” said Gonzales, a crochet enthusiast and longtime president of Wichita’s 40-member crochet guild. Pants crocheted in a rainbow of pastel yarn, to be specific. Now, Gonzales’ desire to dress Walter has morphed into a city-approved, temporary art installation in yarn that’s been turning heads since Gonzales put it up on Friday.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Hutchinson’s Smallville Con to end after 10-year run
The family that has organized Smallville Con in Hutchinson for the past 10 years has decided it cannot do it anymore. The convention was a celebration of comic books and pop culture. DC Comics hero Superman grew up in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas. In 2013, Hutchinson agreed to rename itself Smallville for one day, and the annual convention came along with it. “Smallville Con was built out of years of my family attending various conventions throughout the United States,” Jon Robinson, Smallville Con owner, said.
Source: KSN-TV
Muni Finance and the Federal Fiscal Food Fight
Deficit financing has caught up with Uncle Sam, as federal outlays for interest payments have surged to record levels and the nation’s annual budget deficit is on track to double in this fiscal year. That’s just for starters: To dampen inflation, the Federal Reserve has hiked short-term interest rates and keeps jettisoning U.S. bonds, not buying them as it had been. … In theory, the cost of high-quality muni debt should be less than the inflation rate, in light of the 30 percent tax-exemption advantage that many wealthy investors glean from them. But in today’s market, most states and localities must increasingly pay the price of near-record real interest rates in the U.S. Treasury market. Triple A issuers of 20-year serial muni bonds can slightly undercut today’s latest CPI inflation rate, but even they will pay a real interest cost if price inflation does eventually normalize to lower levels. Meanwhile, most muni issuers — almost everybody with lower ratings — are already paying a cost above inflation, albeit less than comparably rated corporate borrowers.
Source: Governing
Paola returns invaluable Peruvian artifacts
A Peruvian artifact estimated to be more than a thousand years old, well-wrapped in white tissue paper and stuck into a borrowed school duffel bag, marks the first success of a rural town’s plans to repatriate its art collection. The museum in Paola began its ongoing efforts of trying to return objects from a 38-piece collection of pre-Columbian artifacts a year ago, after first receiving the artifacts from a Kansas City couple’s trust five years ago. Pre-Columbian is a term used to describe an era of thriving indigenous art in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. “Although this is a wonderful collection, it really doesn’t have anything to do with Miami county,” said Miami County Historical Society and Museum executive board member Gordan Geldhof. “Really, the right thing to do was to repatriate them.” The collection was authenticated in 1991, when it was determined the countries of origin were Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru. After making little initial headway on the repatriation process, museum officials reached out to U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ office, which helped them get into contact with the four embassies in Washington, D.C.
Source: Kansas Reflector
UG approves new tax incentives for $838M Homefield project
A new wave of tax incentives will support part of a $838 million mixed-use development in Wyandotte County. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas Board of Commissioners approved plans to create a new Community Improvement District (CID) for the Homefield project in Kansas City, Kansas. The CID will cover about 146 acres of the nearly 400-acre Homefield development at 94th Street and State Avenue. Under the CID, visitors will be charged an additional 2% sales tax on purchases made in the district. The CID will include a $145 million Margaritaville hotel; $20 million Big Shots golf bar; $60 million multisport training facility developed by Homefield; 55,000-square-foot indoor arena planned in partnership with Live Nation; 30,000-square-foot interactive museum called Atlas 9 and youth baseball complex developed by Homefield.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal