Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for October 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.
Valley Center ponders electric utility
The City of Valley Center is considering whether to start its own electric utility. The city council on Oct. 17 heard the report of a nearly year-long study into the initiative to possibly replace Evergy. … a municipal electric utility is possible. However, city customers likely would pay slightly higher rates than Evergy’s rates in the first few years before city rates became lower than Evergy. That’s because the city could face large upfront system acquisition costs coupled with operations and maintenance.
Source: Ark Valley News
City of Lawrence launches online form for reporting new homeless camps around the city
The City of Lawrence has launched an online form to report new homeless campsites around the city, which was first announced at Tuesday’s Lawrence City Commission meeting. According to a release from the city, the form is intended to be used by community members who are “aware of a person who is currently camping and may need shelter.” The form asks respondents to provide the closest available address to the location, the date they first noticed the campsite and a description of the campsite and its occupants. The release says city staff will then go to the area indicated on the form to make contact with any individuals camping there and discuss available services in the community.
Source: LJWorld
Committee crafting Lawrence’s land development rules wants more public input on parking space requirements
As a steering committee works to develop new rules for how Lawrence should grow, one of the big questions the group has for the public is how much parking space new developments should have to provide. More specifically, the Land Development Code Steering Committee decided at its meeting on Thursday that it wants to see what members of the public think about eliminating minimum and maximum parking requirements for new residential development entirely, and mandating only a maximum amount of parking space for commercial and industrial development.
Source: LJWorld
Farm to table: Participants at workshop in Olathe learn how to process their backyard chickens
If your backyard chicken is destined to become a chicken dinner, the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Olathe can help you learn the skills to make that happen. The farm recently held a chicken processing workshop where participants learned how to slaughter, pluck and extract the chicken’s internal organs. Grace Fritz, stagecoach operations supervisor at Mahaffie, noticed that while there are a lot of classes around Johnson County about how to raise backyard chickens, there aren’t so many on going from the backyard to the kitchen table.
Source: Joco 913 News
New terminal brings excitement, concern for Topeka airport
The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) held a town hall meeting to address its upcoming changes at the Philip Billard Airport. Construction on the new terminal is set to be completed in November. The airport will have a new restaurant, improved office spaces and other amenities. It previously housed the popular Tammy’s Billard Airport Restaurant, but now, that could change.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Falling water levels at Lake Perry prompt action from Valley Falls leaders
City leaders in Valley Falls have initiated an emergency water plan in reaction to falling water levels at nearby Lake Perry due to drought conditions. Valley Falls’ City Council voted unanimously in approval to begin the first stage of the city’s emergency water plan at the Oct. 18 city council meeting, according to a press release. The plan goes into effect Thursday, Oct. 19. … Over the past 30 days, the lake’s water level has fallen 1.71 feet in elevation, according to the City of Valley Falls. As of Oct. 19 at 3:30 p.m. the lake’s elevation was at 890.27 feet and is continuing to drop at an average rate of 0.69 feet a day.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Topeka councilwoman talks city’s revised homeless camping ordinance
Topeka’s homeless concerns are growing, but one city leader ensures city staff are actively working to come up with a solution for cleaning up homeless camps on city property. Tuesday night, Topeka fire responded to a small fire at a homeless camp just north of the Kansas River. No injuries were reported, and by the time firefighters arrived, everyone had left. Though the fire was small, it is sparking further questions about the city’s camping concerns. Topeka city councilwoman Karen Hiller told 27 News the city’s revised camping ordinance, which will go into effect on Nov. 17, is expected to address some of those concerns.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Allen County dips toe in recycling pool
Allen County will start small with a recycling effort, with commissioners offering to set up a cardboard collection spot at the landfill. Commissioners directed Mark Griffith, road and bridge director, to find some sort of container to hold the cardboard. Then, it will be taken to Coffey County’s recycling center. Commissioners still need to verify their plan with Coffey County and work through the details, so it is not yet known when the new program might begin. Still, it will be a significant step toward recycling for the county after two volunteer-led efforts ended.
Source: The Iola Register
Mildred looks to the future
It’s been a century since Mildred’s halcyon days. At one time, the little burg at the northeast corner of Allen County had a population of more than 2,000, with a cement plant that employed more than 300. Alas, demand for cement declined at the end of World War I, and the Great Depression shuttered the Mildred industry for good. The town’s population slowly but surely evaporated over the ensuing generations. The high school graduated its last class in 1944; the post office closed in 1973.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2023-10
Synopsis: Members of a public body may exclude other members of the body who have threatened litigation against the body from an executive session held to consult with the body’s attorney about the potential litigation.
Read the full opinion: Kansas Attorney General Opinions
Community celebrates Gardner’s first inclusive playground
A year after local residents voiced their desire to the Gardner City Council to have an inclusive playground for disabled and special-needs children, a large crowd gathered at Veterans Park Friday morning to celebrate the city’s first play area of its kind.Community advocate Jennifer Smith said she wanted to thank her children for teaching her how to advocate and be their voice when they did not have one.“And for also teaching me how to be a better human towards others,” she said.
Source: Gardner News
Caney Valley schools going to 4-day weeks due to water shortage
A southeast Kansas school district is going to four-day weeks. The Caney Valley School District in Montgomery County will be closed on Mondays starting October 30th. District officials say they are making the change as the Caney community deals with a water shortage due to an ongoing drought. The district released a statement saying that school facilities will not be able to offer showers, and they are looking at a modified sports schedule for the rest of the semester to limit home events. The schools have been providing bottled water to students and staff, and a donation from Atmos Energy will provide water dispensers. The district is also providing alternative restroom facilities, using trailers with regular latched doors instead of the standard portable restrooms.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Derby City Clerk Ciarleglio earns special designation
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) Inc. recently announced that Derby City Clerk Lynn Ciarleglio has earned the designation of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC). IIMC grants the CMC designation only to municipal clerks who complete demanding education requirements, and have a record of significant contributions to their local government, community and state.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Mediation set to begin in Wetmore school land transfer
Mediation meetings between representatives of Jackson Heights, Prairie Hills and two other school districts regarding the possible transfer of land from Prairie Hills into the other three districts are “likely” to begin next week, Jackson Heights Superintendent Jim Howard told the USD 335 Board of Education at its monthly meeting on Monday. “We got our mediator assigned to us today,” Howard told board members regarding the request from the Jackson Heights, Nemaha Central and Vermillion school districts to have land transferred from Prairie Hills into the three districts in the wake of Prairie Hills’ decision earlier this year to close Wetmore Attendance Center, prompting the vast majority of Wetmore families to send their students to Jackson Heights.
Source: Holton Recorder
Local deputies undergo CIT training
Nearly 50 officers from six jurisdictions have attended Crisis Intervention Team training (CIT) at the Independent Living Resource Center, discussing and going over new practices to help those dealing with mental health issues. “It’s absolutely eye-opening being able to hear people be vulnerable to understand that it’s more listening and assisting the problem,” Sedgwick County Deputy Jason Richards said. These training sessions feature panels with mental health experts, lectures, and mock scenarios where law enforcement encounters someone in the field who may be in distress.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas communities, businesses address lack of daily child care options for parents
Finding affordable child care has been a challenge for families across Kansas. For many parents, it’s the choice between caring for their child and going to work. Creekstone Farms opened a new facility on Wednesday for its employees that can care for 146 kids daily in Arkansas City. They hope this will be a solution to their turnover issue. The company was experiencing a 57% turnover rate in 2014. In just a few years, that rate doubled, as they were losing over 100%. Company leaders wanted to better understand the reason behind such a dramatic increase.
Source: KSN-TV
Southeast Kansas students go back in time for Cato Kids’ Day
More than 600 kids took a trip back in time Thursday in southeast Kansas. Cato, Kansas to be exact. The students are 4th and 5th graders from schools in Pittsburg, Fort Scott, Girard, Frontenac, Uniontown, Bronaugh, and Liberal. They got to learn about the history of Cato and experience some of what life was like in the 1800s.
Source: KSNF/KODE
This JoCo city could be next to make rules for protecting mature trees
Roeland Park is taking the hot-button issue of tree preservation to the residents. After a proposed ordinance that would have put new rules in place for removing trees failed by one vote at the Roeland Park City Council this summer, the city decided to seek resident input with neighborhood meetings in each ward. Other neighboring cities like Fairway and Prairie Village have tree preservation ordinances already on the books, and have either modified or approved those policies in recent years in an attempt to preserve those suburb’s grown-out tree canopies.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Merriam is creating a public art master plan
The city of Merriam is working on a master plan to bring more public art to the city. In August, the Merriam City Council unanimously approved a nearly $30,000 contract with Julia Dixon, a Massachusetts-based consultant, to help bring a public art master plan to life. Now, the city is asking residents to take a 10-minute online survey to provide their vision for future Merriam art pieces.
Source: Prairie Village Post