Kansas Municipal News
City says freezing temperatures are putting pressure on pipe infrastructure
The City of Topeka is busy working on water main breaks following the sudden drop in temperature. City Infrastructure Communications Specialist Amanda Knowland said, since Friday, Jan. 17, city crews have responded to 38 calls for no water and emergency shut-offs for broken pipes. “Extreme weather is one of the highest contributors to water main breaks,” Knowland said. “Sudden drops in temperature freeze the ground, putting pressure on pipes.” Knowland said that in January city crews have repaired 36 water main breaks. She said city crews worked an “unusually high” number of breaks in January 2024 at 154 total.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Grinstead set to retire in July following six years as USD 284 Superintendent concluding 30 plus year career in education
USD 284 Chase County is searching for its next Superintendent. That’s because current Superintendent Glenna Grinstead is set to retire at the end of the current academic year following more than 30 years in education. Grinstead has led the district for the past six years following time as a teacher and principal at USD 452 Stanton County in Johnson City and USD 401 Chase-Raymond. Regarding her decision to retire, Grinstead says it was the “hardest decision” she has ever had to make, however, she felt the time was simply right.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
New administrator, counselor hired
Nemaha County has hired a new County Administrator and County Counselor following the resignations of Mike Miller and Brad Lippert. The previous board of the Nemaha County Commission, including Ben Glace, Jason Koch and Dylan Keim, approved the two hires during their regular commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The new Nemaha County Commission board includes Ben Glace, Jason Koch and Joseph Dalinghaus, effective Monday, Jan. 13.
Source: Sabetha Herald
Panasonic hiring as De Soto EV battery plant gets set to start production
With the first production of lithium batteries for electric vehicles expected in only a couple of months, federal, state and local officials on hand were in a celebratory mood. Some reminisced about the excitement of negotiating the tax incentives. Others looked forward to the economic boon and thousands of jobs the project is expected to create. De Soto Mayor Rick Walker remembered the “heavy sense of uncertainty” that overshadowed the site when the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant stopped production and compared it to today.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
How an Oklahoma City sales tax fuels the city’s ‘renaissance’
Oklahoma City’s claim to fame may be its stockyards and oil fields, but today it is also a growing city of over 700,000 residents and home to hundreds of high-tech aerospace and aviation firms. Fueling the city’s evolution is a one-cent sales tax established in 1993 that is dedicated to public facilities projects. David Holt was elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 2018 and in 2019 led the planning process for the fourth voter-approved renewal of the sales tax, which will provide a projected $1.1 billion over eight years to fund parks, senior and youth centers, public transit, sidewalks and bike lanes, among other projects.
Source: Smart Cities Dive – Latest News
Municipal Bond Trends for January 21, 2025
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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 17, 2025
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.
Opening eyes to town’s highlights
An effort to remind the residents of Little Sweden, and maybe visitors, too, of some of the culture in the city is now underway. The second annual Lindsborg Cultural Crawl has begun and continues until Feb. 8, giving people the opportunity to not only visit seven nonprofit cultural organizations in the city but also a chance at winning some prizes.
Source: Salina Journal
Schrage talks about the legacy he leaves behind as he steps down as Salina city manager
After almost 20 years working for Salina, city manager Mike Schrage is leaving for the next step in his career in Missouri.
Source: Salina Journal
ICMA spotlight: City of Newton’s Daniela Rivas
Daniela Rivas recently participated in a global exchange with support from ICMA’s John Garvey Scholarship, which provides funding for young ICMA members to participate in global knowledge exchange through attendance at a local government management event in a country other than their home country.
Source: ICMA Spotlight
Municipal Bond Trends for January 16, 2025
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.
Shawnee Mission cracks down on cell phones in school, following Johnson County trend
Shawnee Mission School District teachers and staff will have a new set of rules to enforce after the district’s school board voted 7-1 during its Jan. 13 meeting to approve a new cellphone policy. The new rules vary by grade level but generally prohibit most headphone use and require students’ phones to stay in their lockers throughout most, if not all, of the day. Several other Johnson County districts approved similar rules in the fall.
Source: Joco 913 News
Kansas governor proposes another $30M to address dwindling water supply
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly proposed creating a state natural resources office and spending another $30 million each year to address the state’s water crisis in her State of the State address Wednesday night. In her speech, Kelly, a Democrat, looked back over the first 25 years of the 21st century and said she sees “so many good things on the horizon” in the next 75 years. But she called the state’s dwindling water supply “seriously concerning.” “Without that water, the agricultural industry that fuels our economy and sustains our rural way of life cannot survive,” Kelly said. The Ogallala Aquifer, which provides water to the western third of the state, has been dwindling for decades. But despite warnings over the years that the Ogallala, the largest underground store of freshwater in the nation, was a finite resource, the state allowed crop irrigation to drain parts of the aquifer to crisis levels.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Emporia receives $450,000 for ‘Fix Emporia’ project
The City of Emporia has received $450,000 for the Fix Emporia program. The money comes from FHLBank Topeka’s 2024 Affordable Housing Program. The funds will be used to rehabilitate 30 owner-occupied homes in Emporia whose households fall under the 60% Area Median Income (AMI) limit. ESB Financial is also a contributing partner. Source: KSN-TV
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly presents new state budget to Republican-led House, Senate
The proposed state budget crafted by Gov. Laura Kelly features a 2.5% pay raise for state employees, expands Medicaid eligibility for 150,000 lower-income Kansans and fully finances K-12 public education. Kelly’s blueprint contained a $30 million surge in appropriations for water resource programs and called for appointment of a special task force to develop a 10-year plan for conserving the precious resource. She also proposed $10 million in matching grant funding to further spur expansion of child-care capacity statewide.
Source: The Lawrence Times
City’s snow crew was out 24 hours a day for six days after blizzard, official says
City crews plowed 42.24 million cubic feet of snow after last week’s historic snow storm, an official said Tuesday. Interim director of public works Wyatt Thompson said at the city commission meeting that officials figured if the snow was 16 inches deep, the snow they plowed between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9 could have filled City Park Pool 468 times. That amount of snow also could have filled 12,500 train cars or filled Bill Snyder Family Stadium 400 feet deep. Thompson said public works had 31 operations team members who were able to mobilize quickly.
Source: themercury.com
Municipal Bond Trends for January 15, 2025
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.
The past, present and future of Highway 77
For close to a century, U.S. Highway 77 has been a major highway in Cowley County. For a good deal of its length in the county, it is a four-lane highway from the Oklahoma state line to the north side of Winfield. However, from the north side of Winfield onward to the Butler County line, it is merely a two-lane highway. “The possibility of a future four-lane expansion for this section has not been prioritized at this time. Local consult meetings, which are held periodically, with the next round anticipated this fall, are an opportunity for communities to share input on transportation needs,” said JB Wilson, public affairs officer for KDOT. “While the idea of a four-lane expansion has been mentioned in the past, current priorities focus on addressing other critical needs identified through public feedback and assessments. We welcome community participation in the consultation meetings to help shape future projects.”
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Few public entities in Cowley County provide online access to meetings
Arkansas City residents who are unable to attend city commission meetings can now watch the meeting through a livestream or watch it later as a video. The city began broadcasting and posting recordings of the meetings earlier this month on YouTube. The new platform makes it possible for residents to stay informed by viewing meetings in real time or by accessing a recorded video at a more convenient time.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
County slows down energy storage talks
Allen County Commissioners agreed to a 180-day moratorium in regards to a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) in the southeast part of the county at their meeting Tuesday. Zoning Director Terry Call discussed the project with the commissioners. The current proposal is for a 300-megawatt storage facility near Savonburg and Elsmore. An estimated 15 to 30 acres would be needed for the facility and it would cost $300 million.
Source: The Iola Register