Kansas Municipal News
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation announces third solar project
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. is partnering on a 150-megawatt solar energy project near Fort Dodge Station, the company’s electric generating facility one mile southeast of Dodge City, Kan. Expected commercial operation is during the first half of 2026. Sunflower is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving seven member distribution utilities located in western Kansas. The Boot Hill Solar Project will join Sunflower’s 20-megawatt Johnson Corner Solar Project (JCSP), which came online in April 2020, and Sunflower’s 20-megawatt Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell Project, scheduled for commercial operation in January 2025, in providing solar power to Sunflower’s members and those they serve. Because it produces on-peak energy during the hottest days of the year when the Sunflower system experiences its peak demand for electricity, the Boot Hill Solar Project will complement the company’s other generation resources, which are powered by natural gas, coal, and wind. In addition to providing on-peak renewable energy, the project will also provide the system with incremental capacity. The Victory Electric Cooperative Assn., Inc., located in Dodge City, joins Sunflower’s six other member-owners in supporting the Boot Hill Solar Project, which will surpass the JCSP and the Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell projects as the largest operating solar facility in the state. Strategically locating the Boot Hill Solar project near existing Sunflower assets will provide cost and schedule benefits to all of the member-owners.
Source: Sunflower Electric Power Corporation
Prairiefire bank seeks court guidance over how defaulted bonds should be paid
Prairiefire is looking for guidance on how to pay down the first tranche of almost $65 million in defaulted debt, since the Overland Park development hasn’t yielded enough sales taxes to fully cover those obligations. UMB Bank, the trustee for Prairiefire’s sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds, seeks guidance through a legal petition filed in Minneapolis, where its Corporate Trust Services department is based. The bank on Jan. 30 asked a Hennepin County District Court judge to confirm how about $4.2 million in available funds should be applied to $14.9 million in bond principal and $1.75 million in interest that came due for Prairiefire in mid-December. Kansas’ STAR bond program is designed to draw new out-of-state visitors by helping municipalities finance commercial, entertainment and tourism projects. The bonds are covered by new sales taxes generated through the projects. However, in Prairiefire’s case, initial sales projections were overestimated. State auditors in 2021 said the project would take anywhere from 14 to 72 years longer than expected to retire the bonds. Prairiefire produced $389,459 in sales taxes to cover $16.6 million in total bond principal and interest owed as of Dec. 15, and UMB Bank transferred the $3.78 million entirety of the bonds’ reserve fund to help cover debt service. However, the bank raised conflicting provisions in its trust indenture with Overland Park on how those funds should be allocated toward principal and interest payments in the event of a shortfall. The provisions applied will affect which bondholders are due payments, and in what amounts.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Some Midwest states take power to ban wind and solar projects away from local communities
The land in Piatt County in central Illinois is flat, and it’s easy to see for miles around Jerry Edwards’ house in a rural area north of Mansfield. In a few months, his view will include a wind farm, with two wind turbines close by. “There will be a tower the size of the Gateway Arch back this way in where the green cover crop is,” Edwards said. “And then in the field, just east of it … there will be a second right out a mile from here.” Edwards, who is the vice chairman of the Piatt County Board, was among those who voted down the project in March 2023. Then, just seven months later, the board reversed course and approved the Prosperity Wind Project in a 4-2 vote. While Edwards voted no both times, he said that on the second vote, his fellow board members felt they had no choice but to approve the Apex Clean Energy project, which will bring up to 50 wind turbines over 20,000 acres of farmland across two townships. That’s because of a new law passed by the Illinois General Assembly last year, setting statewide standards for wind and solar projects. “In a nutshell, the governor, the Speaker of the House, and the head of the Senate basically had a gun held to their head, saying you are going to vote for this,” Edwards said, “or else you subjected the county to lawsuits that would break the county.” Across the Midwest a tug of war is taking place over renewable energy projects, like the one in Piatt County. In Iowa, Woodbury County all but eliminated the possibility of wind projects by increasing setbacks for turbines. The town of New Bloomfield, Missouri, adopted regulations barring solar farms within 1,000 feet of the city limits. In Buffalo County, Nebraska, commissioners unanimously voted for restrictions that require wind turbines be at least 3 miles from any dwelling and 5 miles from a town. But Illinois and Michigan are pushing back, with new laws that make it hard for local governments to say no to green projects.
Source: KCUR News
Topeka officials move to clear homeless camps from area along Kansas River
Topeka officials are preparing to begin the implementation of an ordinance aimed at removing members of the local homeless population from camps along the Kansas River. KSNT 27 News spoke with sources with the City of Topeka and the Topeka Rescue Mission (TRM) about plans to enforce the new camping ordinance passed last year by the Topeka City Council. The ordinance places further restrictions on where people can camp in city limits, including: No camping within 500 feet of the centerline of any trail; no camping within 50 feet of the centerline of any sidewalk inside city limits; and no camping within a levee critical zone. These restrictions can be found in section 9.45.360 and 9.45.350 in Topeka’s municipal codes. Following approval of the new ordinance in late 2023, city leaders decided to implement it in a ‘phased approach’ due to factors like the impending winter season and ongoing homeless initiatives. City of Topeka spokeswoman Taylor Bugg reiterated this information following an inquiry from 27 News. “This is a standard practice of the city’s Property Maintenance Unit when it comes to violations of Topeka Municipal Code (TMC) and includes notifying residents that they are out of compliance, giving them time to correct the issue, often giving them additional time if they have made improvements, and then following up with enforcement, if needed,” Bugg said.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City commission approves $60M Wastewater Treatment Plant, $90M Cargill expansions
The full Dodge City Commission conducted a regular meeting on Feb. 5. Commissioners approved Ordinance # 3808 authorizing the execution of the loan agreement between the city and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for financing of the wastewater treatment expansion at the South Wastewater treatment facility. Due to the construction of the Hilmar Cheese Plant and city growth, additional wastewater will be received at the south facility and more capacity is needed. The estimated cost of expansion is $59,545,000 which is the amount of the loan being requested. The loan interest rate is 2.26% with a thirty year term. The payments will come from a portion of the monthly fees that will be charged to Hilmar, payment from National Beef for the upgrades that benefit their plant, and payments in years 2011-2020 of the Bio-science tenth district, Economic Development Administration and IRA credits. Commissioners approved Resolution #2024-02 approving the issuance of $91 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds by the Ford County Commission for acquisition, construction, renovating and equipping of an addition and other improvements to an existing beef processing facility to be leased to Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation. Cargill will be “expanding its finely textured beef production capacity to meet the growing customer demands,” Dodge City/Ford County Economic Development Director Joanne Knight said. “The project will include replacing an existing line and adding an additional line to drive the efficiency and productivity of GD 95 project.” The project also hopes to reduce 28,000 metric tons of C0-2 emissions through better utilization of available bio-gas.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe
A tribute to black history
The Gordon Parks Museum in Ft. Scott has something on display to further honor many historic African Americans. A tribute panel exhibit consists of more than 100 photos, posters, and information on the some of the most notable and important black innovators and leaders throughout history. It also features inspirational quotes. Each day, the museum will highlight a different “quote of the day” to promote educational activities throughout the month of February. The objective is to keep black history and diversity at the forefront of conversations throughout the year. “I do think it’s really important because I feel a lot of schools and educators decide to teach black history just during Black History Month. And it’s something we teach year-round. So having stuff open makes people come, and then they start coming at different times — and I learned more and more,” said Zaria Byrd. The exhibit is free and will be on display through February 22 in the Danny and Will Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Municipal Bond Trends for February 9, 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.
They hoped solar panels would secure the future of their farm. Then their neighbors found out
Some implored the commissioners to vote to allow the so-called West Gardner plan, a utility-size array of solar panels, saying the county needed to commit to clean energy for their children’s future. But others were just as passionately opposed. … To them, the solar plant would “threaten health and well-being” and did not fit “the character of the land.” It would create “a landscape of black glass and towering windmills,” that would put lives at risk and cause “a mass exodus out of the area.” … A USA TODAY analysis of local rules and policies nationwide found that, as of December, 15% of counties in the United States had banned or otherwise blocked new utility-scale wind farms, solar installations or both.
Source: USA Today
The Biggest Finance and Management Issues to Watch in 2024
Artificial intelligence has been around since the 1950s, but its sudden emergence as a consumer product and its potential to disrupt nearly every activity and industry has state lawmakers scrambling to address it. A dozen states have already enacted laws demanding agency research of AI and its use and consequences, while half the states have introduced bills to address its application both in government and the broader economy. AI has incredible potential for handling data, automating repetitive tasks and generally making many functions easier for humans to handle. But lawmakers at this point are rushing to get ahead of possible downside risks. President Joe Biden issued an executive order laying out guidelines for “safe, secure and trustworthy use” of AI in October, while the European Union reached agreement on a sweeping set of policies last month. (. . .) The flood of federal funds that brought double-digit growth and record surpluses to state budgets in recent years is receding, but fiscal 2024 state budgets generally reflected a return to business as usual with modest growth in spending. States have long been aware that federal aid would have an end date, says Kathryn White, director of budget process studies for the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). They have largely used fiscal recovery funds for one-time investments, or investments that could strengthen their fiscal resiliency. Even so, the combination of reduced federal aid and decreased tax revenue could create challenges.
Source: Governing
Governor Kelly Announces Nearly $28M to Create 458 Child Care Slots, Construct New Community Multi-Purpose Facilities
Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund today announced the creation of 458 new child care slots with the investment of nearly $28 million in Capital Projects Fund Accelerator (CPF Accelerator) awards to seven Kansas communities. These funds will build or renovate multi-purpose community facilities that create new licensed child care slots; provide access to high-speed internet; and house programs that facilitate work, education, and health care monitoring. “There’s no question that more Kansas families need access to child care to support their child’s development, enter the workforce, and contribute to our economy,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By creating 458 child care slots and providing access to other essential services, these projects will enable families to put down roots in our communities.” These grants are made possible using American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury Capital Projects Fund, which awarded $40 million to Kansas for this program in early September. The first round of grants provided $10.3 million to three community projects in Lawrence, Hays, and Emporia. Through two rounds of funding, the Capitol Projects Fund Accelerator has provided $38 million to create 771 new child care slots at multi-purpose community facilities. Combined with the Child Care Capacity Accelerator program grants previously announced last year, the Kelly administration has provided $94 million to expand access to child care for working families. These two funding opportunities have funded the creation of nearly 6,400 child care slots. “Supporting early literacy and healthy development opens doors to success and opportunities for our children and families,” Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Kansas Senate District 29, said. “The creation of the Storytime Village Literacy Center will strengthen early childhood development and provide families much-needed access to quality care and resources in my community and across Wichita.” The Governor’s Budget also includes an additional $30 million to continue grant programs that fund the construction of new child care slots.
Source: Governor of the State of Kansas
Sedgwick County to create citizens advisory board for 911
Sedgwick County Commissioners have approved the creation of a citizens advisory board for Emergency Communications. 911 director Elora Forshee said the idea began with discussions in 2021 on how to engage the community on the services provided by emergency communications. There is a 911 advisory board that represents first responders, and a board that represents 911 employees, but there has not been a group that provides connections with the community. A citizens board was recommended by a community task force that was looking at standards for the youth corrections system in the aftermath of the September, 2021 death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton at the juvenile detention center. Forshee said the citizens board will be a great opportunity for the community to provide input on 911 operations, and it will help with community outreach and recruitment. She said the board will have 13 members. There will be a member from each county commission district, one representing Wichita, one representing Derby, a member chosen by cities of the second class, a member representing a city of the third class, a youth member, and three at-large members. Forshee said the Sedgwick County Association of Cities will be asked for recommendations on board members, and the appointments will be made by county commissioners. County Commission chairman Ryan Baty said the board will be a conduit for community engagement and education, and it will give the community a stronger voice on 911.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
KDOT says groundwater affected Bel Aire street project
The Kansas Department of Transportation said groundwater levels caused pavement failure with a street project by the City of Bel Aire. KDOT released the results of an investigation into structural problems with an improvement project on Woodlawn, between 37th and 45th Streets North. The report pointed to different types of clay soils and a higher water table on the north end of the project. Clays on the north side of the project had “significant swell potential” and core samples at the north end of the project were still holding water after the samples were taken. The KDOT report has four options for Bel Aire to consider in fixing the problem, and the costs range from $500,000 to $8 million. Bel Aire officials will look over the report and decide on future actions.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Boot Hill Solar Project to break ground in Ford County in 2025
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation announced this week the state’s largest commercial solar facility will come to Ford County next year, and with it, extra funds for the Dodge City USD 443 School District. The 150-megawatt Boot Hill Solar Project will consist of 300,000 solar modules mounted on a single-axis solar tracking system on 1,000 acres near Sunflower’s Fort Dodge Station, one mile southeast of Dodge City. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 and will take about one year to complete. In lieu of taxes for 10 years, the project will demonstrate good citizenship by providing funding to Dodge City Unified School District No. 443 and Ford County for the benefit of the local community, according to a Sunflower press release. The facility will generate approximately 400,000 megawatt hours annually, which represents about 9% of the Sunflower system’s energy needs. Strategically locating the Boot Hill Solar Project near existing Sunflower assets will provide cost and schedule benefits to all of the member-owners, the release stated. Sunflower is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving seven member distribution utilities located in western Kansas, including Victory Electric. “We are always glad when we can provide more value to our members,” Victory CEO Shane Laws said in the release. “Having what will be the state’s largest operating solar facility located in our community makes this project even more exciting. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this phase.” Sunflower partnered with Arizona-based Alluvial Power to design and construct the project, and the two entities have executed a power purchase agreement for the energy generated by the Boot Hill Solar Project.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe
Voters choose yes on USD 409 Bond election
The official voting results from last Friday’s special USD 409 Bond election have yielded results showing approval from the voters. The election was done by way of all mailed-out ballots with the deadline for those ballots to be returned to the Atchison County Courthouse the Thursday before the election was held at noon. Although late ballots were taken on Friday that were postmarked on or before election day. A canvass was conducted as part of the County Commission’s regular Tuesday meeting that made the results official. A total of 1,917 votes were counted showing 1,211 cast in support of the $27.3 million bond issue, while 706 voters said no. According to the school district, the $27.3 million bond would come with no increase to the bond and interest mill levy, meaning zero tax increase from those dollars to be used for a wide range of improvements for USD 409. Some specific improvements are the repair and replacement of school facility HVAC systems, as well as facility roofs. Atchison High School would see renovation for a new entrance, upgrades of the band and choir rooms, new turf, for football and baseball, as well as a resurfaced track, and renovation of the locker room. Atchison Elementary School is also slated to benefit from the bond with renovations for a new entrance, a single office suite, Pre-K renovations in the interior of the school as well as safety and security improvements.
Source: County Government | atchisonglobenow.com
City Manager says Manhattan is in “triage mode” as crews work to quickly patch potholes
Manhattan Public Works crews continue to patch potholes across the city, following January’s frigid and wet conditions. City Engineer Brian Johnson says work is continuing on a stretch of Fort Riley Blvd. near Westwood Road, where traffic backed up for Tuesday morning’s commute. City Manager Ron Fehr joined KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday and says the city is essentially in triage mode trying to fix issues as they arise. City crews patched 529 potholes on Monday alone. Fehr says it’s been especially challenging, given the extreme cold spell that the area experienced in January, followed by an almost immediate warmup. Residents wanting to report street issues can do so via the City of Manhattan Report It app, available for Androids and iPhones, or via the city’s website at cityofmhk.com.
Source: 1350 KMAN
City of Lawrence launching new homeless solutions division; homeless programs coordinator to become director
The City of Lawrence is launching its new homeless solutions division, and Misty Bosch-Hastings, who has served as homeless programs coordinator for the city since summer, will serve as its director. Staff members of the HSD will “work with the Lawrence community on ending chronic homelessness, including service providers, advocates, and other parties actively engaged in the work,” according to a city news release Thursday. Bosch-Hastings will oversee the department. The HSD is not replacing the housing initiatives division — “This is just pulling homeless programs out of that division,” Bosch-Hastings said. The HID will still exist under the city’s Planning and Development Services department, she said, and the HSD will be under the city manager’s office. The city does not yet know how many employees the HSD will have, but it does plan to fill the homeless programs coordinator position, Bosch-Hastings said. Prior to her work with the city, Bosch-Hastings worked at the Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries, and she previously served as the housing and homelessness project coordinator/Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) contact for the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. “Ending chronic homelessness in any community is a huge, monumental task that takes the combined efforts of many organizations and people to find the right solutions,” Bosch-Hastings said in the release. “Fortunately, Lawrence is a community filled with people who care and who want to find solutions to homelessness. I look forward to working with our City team and partners throughout the County to accomplish our goals.” Assistant City Manager Brandon McGuire said in the release that Bosch-Hastings has been an invaluable leader for the team since her first day with the city.
Source: The Lawrence Times
High cancer rates in Russell and Lincoln counties, K-State will test water, air
Researchers want to know why two counties in north-central Kansas have high cancer rates compared to the rest of the state. According to K-State Research and Extension, Russell County has the fourth highest cancer mortality rate per 100,000 population and colorectal cancer rate. Lincoln County has the highest prostate cancer rate and the third-highest lung and bronchus cancer rate. Researchers say they have checked for the usual culprits, such as high alcohol and tobacco use or limited colon cancer screenings, and those do not appear to be the reason for the high cancer rates. Now, they want to check for other potential causes. “We think that groundwater contamination and high radon levels might be at the center of the problem,” the Johnson Cancer Research Center at K-State said in a news release. The researchers will sample water and air in Russell, Lincoln and Ellsworth counties. Ellsworth County will serve as the control in the study. It is right next to Russell and Lincoln counties but does not have high cancer rates. Radon is a radioactive gas often found in homes. It works its way up from the ground, through cracks in the foundation, and becomes trapped in homes. It is called a silent killer because you can’t see, taste or smell it. One in four Kansas homes has high levels of radon.
Source: KSN-TV
Municipal Bond Trends for February 8, 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 February 7, 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 Police Chief announces retirement
The Police Chief for the City of Topeka, Bryan Wheeles, is retiring. According to a press release from the City of Topeka, Wheeles will be ending his three-decade long law enforcement career. He has worked in many roles at the Topeka Police Department (TPD) such as: patrol officer, narcotics investigator, homicide detective, a supervisor and many levels of police command and finishing in the highest position as the Chief of Police of the City of Topeka. “We extend our deepest gratitude to Chief Wheeles for his unwavering dedication and years of service to not only his fellow officers, but the city as a whole,” Interim City Manager Richard Nienstedt said. “Chief Wheeles leads by example. His calm, pragmatic, reliable presence in times of crisis is felt far beyond the police department. He is the first to offer help wherever he is needed and he will be deeply missed.” “Thirty years of dedicated police service, within one community, makes me very proud,” Wheeles said. “There are a lot of amazing people working at TPD and it has been an honor, beyond my ability to truly express, to serve beside them all these years. I loved my job and got to make a difference. When you come to the end of a career and look back, it’s hard to ask for more than that. It has been a great ride, in a great community and I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and seeing what life brings me out of the uniform.” Wheeles will work as Chief of Police until July, 1, 2024.
Source: KSNT 27 News