Kansas Municipal News
Water main breaks spiking
Topeka water mains are breaking significantly more often than they used to. Over the past 10 years, the city averaged 46 water main breaks per month. But in 2023, the city saw a total of 777 water main breaks, which averages out to 64.75 per month.
Source: CJonline
Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady, sets the stage for cuts
The Federal Reserve announced it will leave interest rates unchanged Wednesday, setting the stage for rate cuts to come — and paving the way for relief from the combination of higher rates and inflation that have hit consumers particularly hard. Although Fed officials indicated as many as three cuts coming this year, the pace that they trim interest rates is going to be much slower than the pace at which they hiked, according to Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. “Interest rates took the elevator going up; they are going to take the stairs coming down,” he said.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
2024 January Kansas Employment Forecast Released
Kansas has rebounded strongly, surpassing the national and the Plains region averages in each quarter of 2023. The state’s growth peaked at 9.4% in Q3 of 2023, significantly higher than the national average of 4.8% and the Plains region of 5.1% in the same quarter. The underlying contribution to the growth within the state over the previous year was agriculture, which was from a combination of prices and drought insurance. Manufacturing regained its strength in the second and third quarters of the year, as agriculture waned slightly. Both industry drivers have fueled additional growth within construction, retail, and government, which picked up in the second quarter. Kansas’s real GDP trajectory indicates an economy that has overcome challenges over the previous decade and is now expanding rapidly. Although it will not likely maintain the top-growing economy in the United States over the next few quarters, it should maintain a more robust economy than its peer states.
Source: WSU CEDBR
Recycled ambulance saves fire department money
By reusing the old box, the Newton Fire Department saved nearly $100,000 when replacing its ambulance. The department had its old ambulance box remounted onto a new vehicle. According to logistics division chief, Joe Martin, this recycling practice is common among departments. “Remounts have come a long way,” Martin said. “It’s becoming an industry norm as budgets don’t keep up with inflation.” Martin said the department was particularly excited by the addition of a power load system to the ambulance. The power load system manually lifts and lowers the stretcher so they don’t have to pick up everyone being loaded into the ambulance. The devices are installed in all the first-out ambulances, according to Martin. The vehicles typically run on seven-year cycles, and Martin said the old vehicle had engine problems, making the department due for a new vehicle. The ambulance has a new design, and Martin said the department was able to save money by using vinyl graphics rather than painting the vehicles. Martin said he knows some departments recycle boxes three or four times, but Newton plans to only reuse them once before replacing them with all-new ambulances to avoid boxes getting too old. Martin added that the department planned to use this remounting method on all its ambulances.
Source: Harvey County Now
USD 440 Steering committee completes bond information meetings
USD-440 and the district’s steering committee completed its third and final bond information meeting last week at Bentley Primary School, holding one in each of the three schools. After receiving feedback from the community, the steering committee will have one more meeting to shore up their plan that they initially introduced to the school board in January. With a month to consider the committee’s recommendations, the board will discuss and possibly make a decision on whether to proceed during their Feb. 12 meeting. Steering committee chair Alex Williams said that, to date, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. He said the biggest input he’s received is the support for the proposed renovations with the industrial arts and metals facilities. He said that the proposed addition for seventh and eighth grade classrooms connecting to the high school would mean the students would still participate in activities such as sports and music in the middle school facilities. He said that students are already making the trek between the two schools for classes, and the addition would shorten the walk.
Source: Harvey County Now
See an extra 1% charge on your receipt in Overland Crossing? Here’s why.
If you’ve been shopping recently in the Overland Crossing Shopping Center and noticed an extra charge applied to your receipt near the sales tax, that’s a private fee. The fee — that appears on a Whole Foods Market receipt in the center as “OVRLAND GIF” — is a private general improvement fee, or GIF, of 1% on each purchase. Dave Claflin from Legacy Development said the GIF functions similarly to a Community Improvement District or a Tax Increment Financing District, in that the revenue generated by the extra fee pays for improvements within a set area. These private financing arrangements are sometimes called a public improvement fee, and have been used elsewhere in the U.S. In this case, the GIF is paying back improvements Legacy Development did on the Overland Crossing Shopping Center as part of the district’s redevelopment effort, including parking lot improvements, new parking lot islands and new walkways. Claflin said the fee could also be used to help pay for improvements to the shopping center in the future, like HVAC replacements or more parking lot replacements. “That stuff’s an ongoing concern for all shopping centers,” he said. “But especially bigger ticket things that you typically run into when you’re really renovating a center like we did, that’s when you really need it.” Whole Foods Market is one of more than half a dozen stores in the Overland Crossing shopping center that has a 1% charge on all purchased items. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.
Unlike with a CID or a TIF, the city has no authority over the administration of a GIF. Instead, a third party is collecting the fee revenue and administering its distribution to pay back bondholders, Claflin said. “It basically just takes that idea of the TIF and takes the city out of the equation and relieves them of the responsibility of administering it and puts it in the third party’s hands,” he said. City officials stress though that the GIF isn’t a tax.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
KwiKom asks for county buy-in with broadband
County co-investment in a broadband grant application process was central to Tuesday’s commissioners meeting. KwiKom Communications of Iola is currently seeking the county’s assistance in a $2 million broadband project that will bring internet to the area between Iola and Humboldt, as well as near the airport. “It’s a $1 million Kansas Broadband Acceleration grant, but a $2 million project,” noted John Terry, KwiKom Director of Government Affairs and Business. “The state will be putting $1 million towards this project and KwiKom will be investing $1 million.” Terry clarified that any county contribution will offset Kwikom’s share of the project. Initiated in 2020, the Kansas Broadband Acceleration Grant Program aims to allocate $85 million over a decade to narrow the digital divide within the state. The program plays a crucial role in Kansas’ strategy to eliminate statewide broadband gaps. It focuses on directing funds to regions that are unlikely to have access to broadband service without financial support from the state or federal government. There are approximately 150 service points included in KwiKom’s proposed project. One of the components of the grant is community co-investment. “I’m here to have that conversation and find out if the county can co-invest,” said Terry. At the estimated total project cost of $2 million, each service point would be $13,300. “Obviously, without grant funding, that’s not an attractive build,” added Terry.
Source: The Iola Register
New exhibit showcases 1951 JoCo time capsule. Here’s what was found inside.
The Johnson County Museum will display the contents of a time capsule discovered in the cornerstone of the 1952 Johnson County Courthouse through May. The new exhibit is called “Inside the Box: A 1951 Time Capsule.” The capsule, a 10.5-inch-by-13-inch copper box at the center of the exhibit, was all but forgotten to history until crews found it while demolishing the old courthouse in downtown Olathe after the new courthouse opened across the street. “A lot actually was stuffed into that box, and it gives a really good picture of the immense change that the county was going through in the post-war era,” said Andrew Gustafson, curator of interpretation and the project leader on the capsule exhibit. The bulk of the items enclosed in the capsule were paper records, like maps, directory books and dozens of letters from elected officials as well as letters from 14 cities in Johnson County. Also included were nearly 50 photographs — including some from the ceremony of dedication for the cornerstone that contained the capsule — and an 18-minute audio tape. Plus, a reel of microfilm museum officials initially believed was unsalvageable was ultimately successfully digitized by a conservator.
Source: Johnson County Post
Barton house moving down the road
Bobbi and Guy Barton of Halstead are planning on moving, but they’re doing it a little differently than most people. Instead of just moving out of a house, they’re having the house moved, since they had another one built on their property and live there now. The home where they used to reside in rural Halstead is devoid of people now. “We can’t have two houses on the property,” Bobbi said, adding they wanted someone to move it, versus having to tear it down. Because of Harvey County code, they’re not allowed two houses on one property, Bobbi said. The white house, which is the one someone purchased and is moving, was built in 1900. The Bartons moved there in March 2006, Guy said. “Two years ago, we started building this house,” Bobbi said, meaning the newest home they have. “We knew at the time we would rather have someone take this house,” she added about the older one. It’s 1,700 square feet and has good bones. “We figured we would have to advertise the house to sell it,” Bobbi said, adding that, out of the blue, a farmer named Eddie Weber called and said he wanted to take a look at it. He did and said, “I’ll take it.” “So no advertising needed, thankfully,” Bobbi said. Weber plans to move the house in the spring, when he’ll have it put on his property in rural Halstead. The reason they decided to build was because Bobbi had some injuries.
Source: Harvey County Now
Library offers non-traditional items to community
Reading books and using computers are just some of the reasons people are piling into the Wichita Advanced Learning Library. Behind its doors, podcasts are being made, medical equipment is being checked out, as well as other items like hot spots and telescopes. “We decided that we wanted to listen to what community members want through surveys and customer feedback and that’s how we started building our library of things,” said Communication Specialist Sean Jones. Introducing non-traditional items began back in 2021. Jones said the library is considered an urban library and part of a network called the Urban Libraries Counsel. He said they work with their counterparts at these library systems and share ideas and information about what is going on in the different communities. Jones said this is a way of keeping the community coming in. Because Sedgwick County is at medium risk for radon, the first item outside of books they had available for checkout was a radon detector and it was flying off the shelf. The AV studio has become popular for more than just recording music or creating podcasts, people use the room to work on graphic design projects using the Adobe Creative Suite offered. Technology Trainer Janelle Mercer said, “If you’re needing help with an iPhone and iPad or maybe you want to learn how to check out our e-books, we can help you with that or if you want to learn to use something like our AV studio or even our chrome books.” Jeanne Mitchell, a regular at the library, said, “You can start as a toddler and learn to read and then you can create and as an old person, senior, now I just have a great time.” Also introduced are passport application services at some of the other library branches.
Source: KAKE – News
City of Marion asking McAnarney to serve as interim city manager
The city of Marion is looking for a new city manager, and it has reached out to former Emporia city leader Mark McAnarney to fill the role on an interim basis. Marion is looking for a city manager after the resignation of Brogan Jones on Nov. 15, as reported by the Marion County Record. McAnarney served the city of Emporia for over 30 years, first as assistant city manager starting in 1989 and then as city manager in 2013. He retired in late 2021. McAnarney has not said whether he plans to take the Marion post. He served as Neodesha’s interim city manager between October and earlier this month.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Jackie Robinson statue found burned and in pieces at Wichita park amid citywide manhunt
A Wichita youth-baseball league’s Jackie Robinson statue — which was cut at its feet and stolen from McAdams Park last week, leading to a citywide manhunt and national media attention — was found charred and in pieces Tuesday morning in Garvey Park. Garvey Park is in south Wichita, about seven miles from where it was stolen. “It’s not salvageable at this time,” Wichita police spokesperson Andrew Ford said. Ford said they are still investigating to find suspects. First responders were called to a trash can fire at the park around 8:38 a.m. and found the statue. When firefighters extinguished the flames, they found pieces of the statue. It’s unclear if the statue, valued at $75,000, was cut or fell apart while being burned. It appears a fire was lit in a dumpster behind a pavilion bathroom at the park. Police were searching the area for other clues. Wichita Police Department Lt. Aaron Moses said that he didn’t think anyone was in custody. Chief Joe Sullivan and other city leaders held a news conference at 10:30 a.m. at the park. On Monday, police announced that they found what they thought was the truck used in the crime unoccupied somewhere in the city. The truck wasn’t reported stolen and police have talked with the owner. He said police have conducted close to if not over 100 interviews since the statue was stolen early Thursday morning. Vandals cut the statue at the feet and then loaded it in a truck and took off, according to surveillance video from WPD.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Towns struggle as aquifer dwindles
Brownie Wilson pulls off a remote dirt road right through a steep ditch and onto a farmer’s field. He hops out of his white Silverado pickup, mud covering nearly all of it except the Kansas Geological Survey logo stuck on the side with electrical tape. Dry cornstalks crunch under his work boots as he makes his way to a decommissioned irrigation well. He unspools a steel highway tape measure a few feet at a time and feeds it into the well until gravity takes over. He keeps a thumb on it to control the speed. How much of the tape comes out wet lets him calculate how much water has been lost here. Wilson crisscrosses western Kansas every January to measure wells and track the rapid decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, which contains the nation’s largest underground store of fresh water. Last year, some wells had dropped 10 feet or more because of the severe 2022 drought. But this year, they stayed about the same or dropped a couple feet. Some of these wells have dropped more than 100 feet since Wilson started working for the agency in 2001, he said. “Some of our issues looking forward look gargantuan,” Wilson said. “But I do think we can peck away at it and make some headway.” The Ogallala Aquifer, the underground rock and sediment formation that spans eight states from South Dakota to the Texas panhandle, is the only reliable water source for some parts of the region. But for decades, states have allowed farmers to overpump groundwater to irrigate corn and other crops that would otherwise struggle on the arid High Plains. Now, the disappearing water is threatening more than just agriculture. Rural communities are facing dire futures where water is no longer a certainty.
Source: The Iola Register
How could Kansas’ new open enrollment law change Johnson County and KCK schools?
After this school year, Kansas students will be allowed to go to any public school district in the state, as long as it has the room. Previously, districts have had discretion over whether to admit students from outside of their attendance areas. But starting this summer, schools are required to do so, which has created a complicated situation for highly ranked districts in Johnson County, which are now scrambling to prepare for a potential influx of students. “Really since the legislation passed, certainly the number of people calling us has increased. We get a few calls every week from people either checking into the process or saying they want to enroll,” said Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager. Johnson County school leaders say that as they ready to open their doors to out-of-district students, they’re concerned about maintaining appropriate class sizes, having adequate staffing levels and taking on unexpected costs. “There are districts where it won’t be a big deal because they have only one school or three schools. For those of us in larger districts, it’s a much bigger challenge,” Yeager said. Kansas lawmakers approved the open enrollment requirement in 2022, as part of a broad K-12 finance bill. The provision says each school must determine its capacity for the following year, and accept applications from non-resident students when open seats are available.
Source: Joco 913 News
Municipal Bond Trends for January 30, 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 January 29, 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.
USD 392 Osborne County Hires New Superintendent
USD 392 Board of Education announced the selection of Mr. Ron Orsak as the new Superintendent of Osborne County School District. Mr. Orsak will take the helm on July 1, 2024, from Mr. Langdon who officially resigned from his post in November of last year and will be the new Elementary Principal at Sacred Heart Schools in Colby this Fall. We thank Mr. Langdon for his efforts and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Mr. Orsak emerged from a very thorough search process as the right candidate to lead the district. The initial step was to gather input utilizing focus groups, comprised of faculty and staff from within our district, and online community surveys. The board contracted the services of KASB to conduct extensive background and reference checks, including the review of applications and supporting documentation during the hiring process. The board selected two finalists, who were greeted by community members and staff and interviewed by the Board in January. With the decision to hire Mr. Orsak, the Board feels they found a strong match to the search criteria presented, making him the right selection to serve our students, staff, and our community.
Source: Sunflower State Radio
Sewer bills going up for Andover residents
Starting in February, Andover residents will see their sewer bills increase. The City says they are wrapping up the design phase for the expansion of the wastewater plant. This year Andover will begin the process of upgrading and expanding the facility to address increasing demand and replace and update equipment to meet upcoming regulatory requirements. The rate will increase by $5 to $40 a month for residential customers. Later this year, the Andover City Council will decide on a multi-year billing structure based on the projected costs of the expansion project. Andover’s wastewater facility was first constructed in 1977 and underwent upgrades, expansions, and improvements in 1996, 2011, and 2019.
Source: KSN Local News
City of Galena clarifies when school crossing light is supposed to run
The Mayor of Galena, KS, Ashely Qualls Groves, addresses the ongoing concern regarding a Galena school traffic lights and the timing of them. “I want to clarify that those are set automatically and although it seems like odd hours, the school has after school programs nightly throughout the school year. Many kids attend these programs and in working with the school personnel, our goal is to provide the utmost safety protocols for our students.” According to city officials, they receive a lot of complaints about reckless drivers in the school zones therefore they are working to make the existing protocols safer while any students are in the building.
Source: KOAM News
City of Fort Scott addresses foam seen on local river
The City of Fort Scott addresses complaints regarding foam accumulation being seen in the river at Gunn Park. The following is from the City of Fort Scott Facebook post: “The foam that is being seen in the river at Gunn Park is caused by the amount of phosphorus in the water and is not harmful to our water supply. It is caused by the change of weather we have had over the last week (thank God for the rain). The Dam in Gunn Park is before the City of Fort Scott’s River Intake system so the water will be treated with several layers of chemicals before going into our drinking water. Remember, there are a lot of things in our river water system that goes through our water intake system so we are equipped to treat these things. So again it is not harmful to anyone.”
Source: KOAM News