Kansas Municipal News
$23 million in IRBs sought to renovate east Wichita apartment complex
The owner of Brentwood Apartments says much work needs to be done for the complex, built more than half a century ago, to be a viable affordable housing option in Wichita moving forward. And it’s asking the City Council for a hand. On Tuesday, Virginia-based CRS Housing Preservation Inc. will request a letter of intent from the Council to issue industrial revenue bonds up to $23 million to finance the costs for Brentwood Place LP, a newly created entity tied to the organization, to purchase and renovate the 196-unit complex at 6602 E. Harry. The request also involves a sales tax exemption on construction materials.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Selection process to bring historical horse racing facility to Sedgwick County begins Tuesday
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission will begin the selection process to bring a historical horse racing facility to Sedgwick County on Tuesday. The Mayor of Park City says that it’s been a 16-year-long battle to bring a facility like this to the area. in 2007, the Wichita Greyhound Park closed shortly after Sedgwick County voters said “no” to slot machines. Now with the possibility of the park being given new life, the Mayor says the City Council is hoping that will happen but says both proposals could mean significant opportunities for the city and south-central Kansas.
Source: KSN-TV
Lawrence city managers draft 2024 budget includes $2M new homeless programs department
… the City of Lawrence is planning to create a department specifically focused on unhoused people. The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2024 includes creation of a Homeless Programs Department with a budget of $2 million. The draft budget anticipates about $471.3 million in total expenditures in 2024. “Affordable housing and homelessness were the top identified issues facing our community during the strategic planning process,” City Manager Craig Owens wrote in his 2024 budget memo to the commission. City commissioners will review the draft budget Tuesday during their regular meeting at City Hall. The budget discussion will be a work session, so the commissioners will provide feedback and hear public comment but will not take any binding votes on the budget. There are more than 200 people experiencing homelessness in Lawrence currently, according to the city’s estimates, which city and county staff members have consistently said is likely much lower than the true number. The city is not a service provider. Instead, the city provides emergency and sanctuary shelter, giving providers such as Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) access to the population.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Hillsboro makes plans to honor former city leaders
Honoring two former city leaders who have recently died was a topic of discussion at the Hillsboro City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 27. City Administrator Matt Stiles said, “In the last few months, we have had some pretty big losses for community leaders—Delores Dalke and Larry Paine. Delores spent decades on the council and as mayor. Larry Paine was here for over 13 years and moved a lot of things forward for the city.” Stiles went on to say that he and Mayor Lou Thurston have discussed both leaders’ service and possible ways to honor their impact on the community. “The mayor talked to the families and the ideas kind of bubbled up that maybe we could dedicate some of the projects that they worked on to them. Delores was a really big driving force for getting the swimming pool done. It required a sales tax vote, and it took a lot of effort and a big heavy lift to get anything like that done,” said Stiles. “We would propose maybe looking at naming the pool The Delores Dalke Family Aquatic Center. It would be kind of an appropriate thing. I think her sons would like that based on the conversations the mayor’s had with them.” Stiles said that they also spoke with Paine’s family about naming the splash park after Paine as he was instrumental in getting the splash park and community plaza going as well. One suggestion was the Larry Paine Memorial Splash Pad.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Topeka’s city leaders may toughen rules against retaliatory eviction
A proposal Topeka’s mayor and city council will consider Tuesday would add “the hammer” to city rules regarding retaliatory evictions, says Councilwoman Karen Hiller. The measure would allow for landlords to be fined and/or jailed for committing acts of retaliation against tenants in good standing who are acting within their legal rights. “We’ve got to protect those folks,” Topeka City Councilman Spencer Duncan said at a June 21 meeting of the council’s public health and safety committee.
Source: CJonline
Auditors assert state law violated on spending of aid for at-risk students
The Kansas Legislature’s auditors produced the second report in four years highlighting violations of state law in distribution by public school districts of millions of dollars in state funding earmarked for students at risk of failing academically. The latest audit concentrated on $406 million appropriated during the 2021-2022 academic year to improve achievement of students who qualified for the federal free-lunch program. The Kansas State Department of Education had provided districts a list of 272 at-risk program options. The new report said none of 40 programs selected at random for review by auditors met statutory criteria. Many programs lacked evidence of success in delivery of academic support useful to struggling students, the audit said.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Derby moving forward on wastewater plant upgrades
As the city of Derby continues to make progress on larger-scale plans to improve the water and wastewater needs of the community, a common issue has come up – long lead times in purchase of construction equipment for projects. With phase one of Derby’s wastewater treatment plant improvements nearing completion, staff and council took action at the June 27 meeting to help keep that process moving, approving multiple equipment purchases for planned future upgrades at the plant. The project is currently scheduled to be bid in late 2023. However, with lead times up to a year (some longer), City Engineer Alex Lane proposed moving up the purchase of some items – like screening equipment and electrical gear.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Officials work to deliver weather warnings to Spanish-speaking population in southwest Kansas
Kansas Reflector National Weather Service meteorologists and media professionals in southwest Kansas are working to reach more underserved populations by offering bilingual weather information. NWS-Dodge City meteorologist-in-charge Lindon Steadman said his office is creating and distributing materials, such as safety posters, that are printed in both Spanish and English.
Source: Garden City Telegram
WPD proposing new regulations on Wichita party buses
Rakestraw is talking about party buses, and he says they are a problem in Wichita. “Over the last several years, we’ve had several incidents involving party buses, mainly with the younger crowd that get on there. There’s really no regulation of them. It goes out over social media that there’s, you know, that they’ve got the party bus, and people show up there. There’s no oversight over those,” he said. Rakestraw says it’s a problem he sees trending in a concerning direction.
Source: KAKE – News
Hutchinson police cracking down on unsanctioned fights
The Hutchinson Police Department (HPD) is cracking down on kids and teens involved in a fight club group that police say has evolved into jumping people and capturing it on video. HPD says the fights are set up in public and private locations, and in a Facebook post, screenshotted an Instagram account that appears to be setting them up. Some fights are scheduled, but there have been some that are not. In some cases, police say kids are getting beaten, which is being recorded and then passed around.
Source: KSN-TV
Battling blight: Wichita plans to spend more to deal with unsightly unsafe properties
Wichitans have had it with overgrown weeds, garbage-laden yards and dilapidated houses. Code enforcement scored the lowest — 24% approval — of all city services included in Wichita’s 2022 resident survey. The proposed 2024-2025 city budget aims to boost enforcement efforts, with an additional $112,000 for nuisance abatement next year and an extra $100,000 for the demolition of structures deemed dangerous and unsafe. “We are seeing an increase in nuisance conditions and blight in some areas,” said Chris Labrum, director of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, which is responsible for inspections, notifying property owners of violations and bidding out work to contractors when owners fail to make fixes on their own.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Chanute celebrates 150th
An estimated 600 people Saturday came out to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Chanute’s founding in downtown Chanute. “I think that it was a success,” said Jane Brophy, executive director of the Chanute Area Chamber of Commerce and Office of Tourism. Mayor Jacob LaRue agreed, stating he was excited about the turnout. “I think it was just a phenomenal, great day,” LaRue said. He enjoyed the community coming together to celebrate Chanute and each other. “I think it was a nice break from the mundane,” he added.
Source: The Chanute Tribune
Columbus hosts its annual Freedom Fest event
Columbus, Kansas [hosted] its annual Freedom Fest, organized by the Columbus Fire Rescue department. The festivities are taking place at Columbus City Park and will be filled with fun activities for people of all ages to enjoy. The day kicks off with a morning 5K run/walk and a Kid’s 1-mile fun run, sponsored by CUHS Softball and the Rec Commission, with all proceeds going to Titan Softball. At 5 PM, the main event, Freedom Fest, begins. The Columbus Fire Department will be serving delicious burgers and hot dogs from the Lions Shack, while the American Legion will be providing adult beverages.
Source: KOAM News
Fredonia hosts its first-ever Independence Celebration
Local residents [hosted] the first-ever Independence Celebration in Fredonia, Kansas. Organizers Shallon and Tyler Decker say their event aims to raise money for non-profit organizations and local first responders. The theme is “Honoring Our Hometown Heroes,” and the main event is a BBQ cook-off between the Fredonia Police Department, Fredonia EMS, and Wilson County Sheriff’s Department. Meal tickets will be sold, and the proceeds will be divided equally among the departments. The celebration will also include free bingo, kid activities, a cornhole tournament, and a firework display.
Source: KOAM News
Municipal Bond Trends for July 7, 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.
Its all about children and teens in Lenexa. Heres what to know about picnic market
Lenexa Public Market and City Hall will focus on the younger crowd with the return of two popular events this month: the Kid Makers Market and the Teddy Bear Picnic. Both events will be held on Saturday. The Kid Makers Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Parkway. It is expected to feature more than 40 vendors selling artwork, baked goods and food, bath and body products, crochet, jewelry and accessories. “At its heart, the Lenexa Public Market is focused on creating a space where the community can gather, spend time, create and enjoy the community they live in,” said Tessa Adcock, Lenexa Public Market manager.
Source: Joco 913 News
Derby Police Chief brings decorated career to a close
During his college days, even working as a fence salesman, Derby Police Chief Robert Lee wasn’t on the fence about a career as a police officer – he wasn’t even anywhere near it. Lee admitted he wasn’t considering that type of work in any capacity until a chance sales call changed his trajectory. While Lee was selling a fence to former Wichita Police Department Lt. Charlie Franklin, he got the recruiting spiel. Then, a few months later Franklin reached about by phone to hook Lee even more and he was sold. “The more I learned about, the more I thought about … ‘my goodness, what a great job that would be and what a way to make a difference in people’s lives.’ That’s what drew me to it,” Lee said.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Finney County discusses redistricting for precincts districts
Finney County Commissioners discussed redistricting at its regular meeting Monday. Dori Munyan, Finney County clerk and election officer, said the Finney County Election office is going to initiate a redistricting project to “consolidate and clean up our voting districts or precincts.” The redistricting will be based on the 2020 Census data to hopefully reduce the number of precincts in the county, of which there are 71. Munyan said when she took office in 2018 Finney County had 28 precincts, but after some administrative clean up in 2018 they ended up with 41 precincts, but after the legislative redistricting it increased to 71.
Source: Garden City Telegram
State officials explain possible ramifications of USD 112 vote to dissolve
Two representatives from the Kansas State Department of Education met with patrons of USD 112 Central Plains on June 27 to answer questions about the upcoming Aug. 1 vote. The vote will give patrons of the district the option to disorganize with a “yes” vote or remain the same with a “no” vote. “I’m not here to convince you how to vote,” said Scott Gordon, general counsel for KSDE. “I want you to know what will happen afterward. “You may have heard rumors or information from people who say they’re on the inside. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Nobody knows what they’re talking about.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Larned council tackles water issues
Water issues dominated agenda discussion at the Larned City Council’s meeting Monday. In the first item of new business, the council approved the establishment of a Water Rights Task Force followed up with the purchase of a new rotary fan press filtration unit for the city’s wastewater plant. City Manager Brad Eilts told the council that the statutory window was closing on the city’s ability to secure water rights for the community based on peak usage. For the past four decades, the city has operated under an unsecured water right to consume 601.2 million gallons annually. By state statute, a community has 40 years to acquire and perfect a water right amount. For Larned, that period of time expired in 2019, at which time the City of Larned applied for and received a five-year extension.
Source: Great Bend Tribune