Municipal News & Jobs

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

The city of Wichita plans to work with state and federal officials to redesign part of the planned interchange at the Kellogg and I-235 freeways to preserve a bridge that the city wants to use for a bike and pedestrian path linking downtown Wichita to Garden Plain. The city is hoping to save an abandoned railroad bridge across the Big Ditch south of Kellogg and east of Hoover, now the eastern end point of the Prairie Sunset Trail, said Gary Janzen, city engineer. But the bridge, at the perfect spot to extend the bike trail, also happens to be at the same spot where the state Department of Transportation planned to sink a pier for a ramp in the next phase of construction on the freeway interchange.
Source: Wichita Eagle.

The Sedgwick County Zoo will ring in its 50th birthday on May 27 with an unveiling of its new entry building and zoo store, both of which will run on 100% renewable energy. The zoo also plans to announce six additional environmental initiatives to reduce the zoo’s carbon footprint. “I think the role of the modern zoo and aquarium is more important today than it’s ever been,” said Dr. Jeff Ettling, the zoo’s executive director. “We all need to take action now because we’re seeing the dramatic impact that climate change is having here at home. We really need to walk the talk. It’s one thing to talk about conservation, it’s another to actually put it into action.” These changes are part of a broader campaign the zoo started on Earth Day 2018, which included eliminating single-use plastic lids and straws and a comprehensive recycling program.
Source: Wichita Eagle.

The Federal Reserve will remain on hold for the rest of this year despite an increasing belief on Wall Street that policymakers should throttle back the stimulus they’re providing to the U.S. economy, according to the latest CNBC Fed Survey. Respondents to the survey forecast the Fed won’t reduce its $120 billion of asset purchases until January, three months later than predicted in CNBC’s March survey. And the first rate hike won’t come until December 2022, survey respondents said.
Source: CNBC.

A Johnson County judge sided with the city of Shawnee on Monday after a resident sued when she was denied entry into a city meeting without wearing a mask. It’s among the latest in a string of challenges to mask mandates under Kansas Senate Bill 40, which opened up a new system for fighting city, county and school district COVID-19 restrictions. In Johnson County alone, several residents have challenged mask mandates in three school districts — Blue Valley, Olathe and De Soto — and all were upheld.
Source: KC Star.

The storm that hit on April 26, 1991, is most known for devastating the community of Andover. But the F5 twister also hit parts of Wichita, Haysville, McConnell Air Force Base, and other parts of south-central Kansas…. Of the more than 50 tornadoes reported that day, 30 were rated an F2 or greater. But the most devastating tornado was the one that hit Andover and south-central Kansas. In south-central Kansas, 19 people died and 298 people were injured in the storms that day. In Andover, 13 people died at the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park, four died in the Greenwich Heights subdivision of southeast Wichita, one died in Cowley County, and another in Elk County. Two people died in tornadoes in Oklahoma.
Source: KSN.

The City of Edgerton and the Hillsdale Watershed Coalition are pleased to announce a new partnership for Spring 2021. All Edgerton residents who help support watershed health by planting native trees and plants, or by constructing rain barrels or rain gardens on their properties will be eligible for free technical assistance from the Miami County Conservation District’s Urban Conservationist. Those who choose to plant native trees are encouraged to apply for a 50 percent reimbursement of up to $75 per tree for up to two trees per household, and all approved native plant gardens, rain barrels, bioswales, and buffer strips are eligible for the same 50 percent reimbursement up to $1000 per project.
Source: Gardner News.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

A bronze statue of a policeman in an HPD uniform will be added to the redesigned lobby of the Law Enforcement Center this fall. Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper presented a proposed contract for the artwork to the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday, which unanimously approved awarding a contract to Thomas Jay Warren, of Rogue River, Oregon, for $50,000. Proposed to the council was an artist’s rendering of a kneeling officer, which would be placed on a pedestal to put the figure at eye level for the viewer, Hooper said.
Source: Hutch News.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

For about a decade, though, the city has been exploring the option of finding a private operator to try and reverse declining revenues, a trend that’s happening nationally. Those conversations have been reignited in the last year. More recently, the city had been exploring one possible vendor. Participants in an April 1 joint meeting with the park board and golf advisory committee heard from representatives from the Illinois-based KemperSports and First Tee, which already partners with the city to operate youth golf programs at Consolver and MacDonald.
Source: WBJ.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting State Director for Kansas Dan Fischer today announced that USDA is investing $413,000 to modernize the critical drinking water infrastructure in Kiowa, Kansas…. This specific Rural Development investment will be used to provide additional financing for the replacement of the existing water distribution system, which will consist of approximately 12,280 feet of 6-inch waterline, 18,500 feet of 4-inch waterline, 13,650 feet of 2-inch waterline, 113 valves, 21 fire hydrants and 386 service assemblies. This funding will adequately finance Phase 2 of this two-phased water system improvements project. Initial funds from Rural Development were awarded in 2018. Once this project is completed, the residents will have safe and reliable water.
Source: USDA.
For assistance with USDA loans or grants, contact Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting State Director for Kansas Dan Fischer today announced that USDA is investing $1,387,000 to modernize the critical drinking water infrastructure in Herington, Kansas. This specific Rural Development investment will be used to provide additional financing to construct a building for new a water treatment plant and equipment, and replace the existing failing water clarifiers. Once the project is completed, the city will have safe and reliable drinking water, facilities for citizens in their community.
Source: USDA.
For assistance with USDA loans or grants, contact Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.

USDA is investing $374 million in 20 states through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to build infrastructure to help expand the availability of higher-blend renewable fuels. The HBIIP program helps give consumers more environmentally-friendly fuel choices when they fill-up at the pump. This specific USDA grant will be used to create infrastructure to expand the sales and use of renewable fuels. This project will add and replace 33 dispensers and 4 storage tanks at four Triplett fueling stations located in Colby, Russell, Hays, and Goodland. This project will increase the amount of ethanol sold by over 7 million gallons per year. The purpose of this funding program is to assist owners of transportation fueling and fuel distribution facilities to expand the sales and use of ethanol and biofuel.
Source: USDA.
For assistance with USDA loans or grants, contact Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.

With unanimous support of the Scott City Council, Brad Pendergast has been hired as the new city administrator. Within an hour of the council’s vote on Monday evening, Pendergast had returned an electronic copy of his contract making the appointment. Pendergast, 33, who has been the city administrator at Oakley since 2018 … emerged from a field of four finalists interviewed by the council. “He immediately struck us as having a clear understanding of issues and challenges facing a town of our size, specific to our geographic location,” says Mayor Everett Green. “He talked to us about issues he assumed we’ve been facing and he hit them dead-on. That was impressive.” Even with only three years in city administration, Green and the council felt that Pendergast offered a clear understanding of the position. “It wasn’t just his grasp of the daily workings of municipal government, but we also felt good about his ability to relate well with our department heads, the staff and the public,” Green says.
Source: Scott County Record.

Perhaps it was only fitting that Brenda Davis’ final act as the city clerk for Scott City would be swearing in her successor during Monday’s council meeting. It was just over 21 years earlier, in November of 1999, that Davis was taking the oath of office – only seven months after she had begun working in City Hall. “That wasn’t part of the plan,” says Davis about the sudden transition from assistant clerk to city clerk following the unexpected announcement by City Clerk Sharon Ricker that she would be resigning. “At the time, city government was a whole different world to me,” she notes. “My background was in education, so I was learning something every day. And I still am.”
Source: Scott County Record.

State officials are seeking feedback from Kansans to help guide future housing development efforts. The initiative, part of the state’s first comprehensive housing needs assessment in nearly 30 years, aims to review current housing opportunities, identify strategic goals, and develop recommendations to guide future housing development. “We’ve long known that the state’s shortage of comprehensive housing data limits our ability to provide affordable homes for Kansans,” said Ryan Vincent, Executive Director of Kansas Housing Resources Corporation. “The feedback gathered through this study will be a crucial first step in identifying current needs and resources so we can ensure that every Kansas community has the housing needed to grow and thrive.” The study’s current discovery phase includes a series of public listening sessions and a statewide survey to gauge community and stakeholder input. Consultants will use feedback gathered throughout the discovery process to assess opportunities and set strategic housing goals. The project’s final phase involves developing a statewide housing plan and recommendations, with delivery anticipated by December 2021.
Learn more: KS Housing Corp.

The City of Salina Community Relations Division announced it, in partnership with Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas, was awarded $3.1 million from Kansas Housing Corporation to assist Salinans who are at risk of eviction or who have lost housing. The community relations division said the funds are available through the Emergency Solutions Grant Program through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funds can be provided to Salinans struggling to cover rent and utility payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with up to six months of emergency assistance available.
Source: Salina Journal.

The state’s revenue picture is projected to brighten slightly, giving Republican lawmakers more ammo in pursuing a range of potential spending items in the weeks to come — most notably a series of tax cuts long coveted by conservatives. The twice-annual updates to the state’s fiscal forecast announced Tuesday showed Kansas’ budget and economic standing improving after the COVID-19 pandemic, although officials cautioned it has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. “We certainly are progressing withcautiousoptimism,”Adam Proffitt, director of the budget office, said. “We think there is reason for optimism. The economy, certainly, is showing signs of improvement.”
Source: GC Telegram.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.