Kansas Municipal News
Wamego residents shouldn’t be alarmed by large police presence at high school
Law enforcement warns the public about violence training taking place at a local school this weekend. The Wamego Police Department (WPD) posted on social media that it will be using the Wamego High School for active violence training Friday, July 21 and Saturday July 22. The WPD, along with the Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and other law enforcement agencies, will take part in the training at and around the high school. “The Wamego Police Department is committed to the safety of our citizens and it is important for the community to know that we are doing what we can to prepare for the worst. This training is designed to bring area law enforcement and emergency service agencies together and improve officers’ response and recovery capabilities should our community face an active violence incident.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Emporia city manager speaks on new pay structure to help jobs
Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking joined the KSNT 27 News Morning show to speak about the newest pay structure that was recently approved by commission. Cocking said that the change came about as a daunting realization hit the city. “Last August, especially in public safety with our police and fire department, we realized we had a real problem,” Cocking said. “We have 41 police officers authorized and we were down to 33 police officers in the department.” He said the situation with the fire department was not much different. “…53 firefighters authorized and I think we were hovering around 10 short there,” Cocking said.
Source: KSNT 27 News
USD-475 Superintendent speaks on moving into new school
Superintendent Reginald Eggleston with USD-475 joined the 27 News morning show to speak about exciting developments at USD-475. He confirmed they are moving into Morris Hill Elementary School and they will be having a ribbon cutting to celebrate the milestone on September 22. “We are very excited about it,” Dr. Eggleston said. “The move-in will be in two phases, we are actually going to start this year with about 250 students.” Eggleston said they are going to work on continuing the second phase of construction. “Then next year, we will add and be up to capacity which could be 590 students.” The intent, Dr. Eggleston said, is to have an equal amount of students in each school on post.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Great Bend gets closer to new child care center
Barton County parents will have a new option for child care by next spring. Thursday morning, community leaders and politicians broke ground on the Advancing Barton County Childcare Center, which will be known as ABCC. Great Bend Economic Development says the idea for ABCC Inc. came from conversations with businesses that said a shortage of child care was keeping parents from being able to work. The plan is to have two of the centers in Barton County offering affordable and accessible child care. The plan got a significant boost in the past month when Governor Laura Kelly announced ABCC is getting more than $2.2 million from the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. The grant completed the funding for the first facility.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka Governing Body discusses homelessness at Tuesday’s council
If there’s one thing for certain after Tuesday night’s city council meeting, the governing body believes they need a set-in-stone plan to attack the homeless problem in our community rather than jumping from idea to idea on how to deal with it. It was brought up in Tuesday night’s meeting, statistically on average, it takes anywhere from three to five years for the city to become aware of a “new” encampment in the city. When these encampments are in non-camping areas, the individuals who live within the camps are given a 72-hour eviction notice. As of July 7th, the property maintenance division has cleaned up 10 encampments. With the governing body all on the same page that a clear plan needs to be put in place, this brings confidence to the Topeka Police Department that the ball is rolling.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Dairy Queen now open at Matfield Green service plaza
Travelers heading south of Emporia now have a sweet new option to try on the road. Dairy Queen is now open at the Kansas Turnpike’s Matfield Green service plaza, the KTA announced Thursday. The plaza is located a mile marker 97 on I-35. Subway is expected to open by end of July. Restaurant changes were announced for both the Emporia Service Area located on I-335/KTA at mile marker 132, and the Matfield Green Service Area in March of this year. At the Emporia Service Area, Subway and Taco John’s were added, while Subway and Dairy Queen were announced for Matfield Green.
Source: Emporia Gazette
McPherson fire department working to install first newborn safety device in state
The McPherson fire department is in the process of installing the first new born safety device in the state, a new initiative brought by the passing of House Bill 2024 earlier this year. The box will be installed on the outside of the McPherson fire department’s station. The purpose of this is so struggling parents can safely give up their newborn in private. McPherson fire chief TJ Wyssmann says this law is near and dear to his heart because he thinks the previous process parents had to follow under Kansas law was inhumane. Everybody had to come and bring that child and physically look us in the face and give it to a first responder which is pretty cruel,” Wysmann explained. Wyssmann was also a key figure in getting the legislation passed.
Source: KAKE – News
Municipal Bond Trends for July 20, 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.
Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2023-4: City reimbursing another city for police training
Synopsis: K.S.A. 74-5609a(b) requires that a city which employs a law enforcement officer within one year after the completion of that officer’s training reimburse the city that paid for the officer’s training.
Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions
New way for SW Kansas students to get their college degrees in Garden City
A partnership between Garden City Community College and Newman University will allow southwest Kansas students to get their college degrees without leaving southwest Kansas. With the partnership, students can get an associate degree from GCCC and a bachelor’s degree with in-person classes through the new Newman location in Garden City. Beginning this fall, students can work on completing degrees in business administration and agribusiness. And soon, Newman plans to accept applications for its nursing program. “This partnership is vital for retaining talent in Southwest Kansas and the region,” GCCC President Dr. Ryan Ruda said in a news release.
Source: KSN-TV
Prairie Village to start designing new community center concept
The concept for a new city-owned community center and relocated library branch in Prairie Village could get more concrete in coming weeks. In separate votes Monday, the Prairie Village City Council agreed to enter into separate memorandums of understanding with the YMCA and Johnson County Library to explore the idea of hosting a new community center and Corinth Library branch on the same site on the city’s civic campus off Mission Road. The idea has been discussed in some form for the better part of four years and comes a decade after the city council scuttled a previous bid for a new community center.
Source: Prairie Village Post
911 center faced chaos in wake of Friday’s storm
In just one hour after Friday’s storm passed, Allen County’s dispatchers handled nearly twice as many calls compared to the total of an average day. Between 6 and 7 p.m. on Friday, the dispatch center handled 235 calls, not including responding to radio traffic for law enforcement, fire and ambulance crews. An average day in June brought a total of 134 calls. To illustrate just how many calls that is, 911 Director Chelsie Angleton compiled a list of statistics about calls in June, the day of the storm and the days preceding and following. She presented the information to commissioners on Tuesday as part of a post-storm analysis with other county leaders. Each reviewed their department’s response, current status on cleanup and how they might improve in future events. Friday’s storm brought winds as high as 85 mph and 1.41 inches of rain in a short period of time, causing widespread power outages and damage throughout the county.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas wooed mega employers like Panasonic with mega tax breaks. But that may end
As construction crews build Panasonic’s new $4 billion factory here, the Kansas tax subsidy law that helped bring the electric vehicle battery plant to the state is set to evaporate. Kansas officials no longer have the power to underwrite mega-deal projects with hundreds of millions of dollars in state incentives. The law, known as APEX, only let the state ink one deal each year in 2022 and 2023. Those tax giveaways for those two years went to Panasonic and Integra’s planned $1.8 billion semiconductor plant in the Wichita area. Paul Hughes, the state’s deputy secretary for business development, asked lawmakers to extend the law into 2024 and beyond to keep open the possibility of bartering in tax breaks that might tempt other large employers to Kansas. Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration touts the law as a way for the state to take an active role in boosting the economy.
Source: KCUR News
Overland Park in early stages of discussing 2 tax rebate ideas
The Overland Park City Council is in the early stage of discussing two separate tax relief proposals that would rebate a portion of food sales tax and property tax payments to vulnerable residents. Members of the council’s Finance Administration and Economic Development committee took a first look Wednesday at the proposals: one, a property tax rebate put forward by Councilmembers Melissa Cheatham and Logan Heley, and the other, a food sales tax rebate offered by Councilmember Faris Farassati. The proposals were offered more as concepts with details to be worked out later.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Sedgwick County Commission approves 2.5 million dollars for Exploration Place project
Exploration Place received 2.5 million dollars from Sedgwick County Commission today. “Wichita, this county, and this region deserves projects like this,” said Jason Gregory, representing Greater Wichita Partnership. The money will go towards a massive upcoming project Exploration Place calls EP 2. “The first 23 years has been largely focused on what happens inside the building but this next vision for us focuses on what happens on the outside of the building,” said Laura Roddy, VP for Advancement at Exploration Place. This project, which is set to roll out in three phases, will break ground later this year.
Source: KAKE – News
Municipal Bond Trends for July 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.
Pittsburg City Hall updates improve accessibility
Pittsburg City Hall has undergone a significant facelift, following the completion of its City Hall Plaza – Front Steps & Ramp Project. The front entrance to City Hall is now open after an extensive exterior renovation and accessibility improvements. “The previous steps to the front entrance were deteriorated and the exterior needed updated and preserved,” said Pittsburg City Manager Daron Hall. “With the help of our team, we were able to protect the structure, improve the aesthetics, and increase safety and accessibility to this important public asset.” The City of Pittsburg partnered with Sprouls Construction, Inc., and Echelon Architecture and Design to make City Hall more ADA compliant.
Source: City of Pittsburg
Atchison leaders reflect on plant’s pending closure
The surprise announcement Thursday that a major Northeast Kansas distillery will be corked for good next year is causing a stir. MGP Ingredients, Inc. has been in business for more than 80 years, and its brand is closely linked with finely crafted liquor. Bourbons, ryes, whiskeys, gins, vodkas and more have all been produced in Atchison, Kansas, along with practical products like industrial alcohol and hand sanitizer, of particular demand in the COVID-19 era. However, citing reduced profitability in a news release, MGP said it will close its Atchison distillery by January 2024. Several other operations in Atchison are not affected.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Riley County welcomes Phillips as new budget and finance officer
Riley County recently welcomed a new Budget and Finance Officer. Brittany Phillips took on the role July 6th. Before joining Riley County, she served as board treasurer for the USD 473 Chapman School District. Phillips has also spent time in municipal budgeting for the city of Chapman. Her responsibilities will include preparing and coordinating budgets for the county programs and departments and working closely with commissioners, department heads and the county clerk to lead budget discussions. Phillips succeeds Darell Edie, who retired from the position in June.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Packed City Council meeting in Colwich with most against proposed solar project
The Colwich City Council meeting Monday night was packed with area residents protesting a proposed solar project that could be built east of town. “We just have eyesore after eyesore, and we are going to add another mile and a half onto that all the way into Maize,” said one resident to the council. The proposed solar project would be built between Colwich and Maize. Another resident, Jeff Hardin, says he does not like the look of an industrial size solar farm, and it would change the landscape. “Because I grew up on a farm,” said Hardin. “And I love the land. And as you can tell, that’s not going to happen anymore.” City council members heard from several Invenergy energy representatives about the company and its proposal to add the wind project that could add power to the grid for up to 25,000 homes.
Source: KSN-TV