Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for June 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.
Lawrence city commissioners request some tweaks to plastic bag ban, but most voice general support
Lawrence city commissioners indicated Tuesday that they will likely approve a ban on single-use plastic bags when a revision of the ordinance comes back to them in the near future. The Sustainability Advisory Board has long discussed options aiming to reduce the use of plastics in the city, which in turn could help reduce the city’s dependence on fossil fuels and prevent some pollution from the bags, contamination through microplastics from bags’ degradation, and animal deaths from eating the bags, among other concerns. … Produce bags or product bags used to prevent contamination or damage would still be allowed under the proposed ordinance. Reusable bags would be exempted from the ban, and single-use disposable paper bags would still be allowed. Kathy Richardson, the city’s director of sustainability, told commissioners on Tuesday that the Sustainability Advisory Board also wanted to add language requiring that any paper bags or reusable plastic bags sold or distributed be made of 40% post-consumer recycled content, “which many other cities also require,” Richardson said. Sprouts in Lawrence sells reusable bags that fit that description for 10 cents apiece, she said. Commissioners on Tuesday said they wanted to see the 40% PCRC information written into the ordinance before they consider final approval.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn will step aside after 25 years in office
The end of this year will mark a milestone for Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn — her last as an elected official. The city’s long-tenured mayor is not seeking reelection this fall, paving the way for Leawood to get a new mayor for the first time since 1997. After more than a quarter century leading the Johnson County suburb, Dunn says she is ready to step aside and has considered the opportunity to serve Leawood “a tremendous honor.”
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
How did trains transform Johnson County? Find out at this family-friendly exhibit
The last time you drove on Strang Line Road, you might not have thought about how it connects to Johnson County’s history. A new exhibit at the Johnson County Museum is calling attention to all the ways trains have influenced growth and development since they first rolled through the area in 1867. “Trains: Transportation and the Transformation of Johnson County” will be open through Jan. 13. Although the more permanent displays at the museum do mention trains, this exhibit takes an in-depth look, with maps, photos, artifacts and even a small model railway.
Source: Joco 913 News
Four mobile mental health teams will soon be responding to 911 crisis calls in Wichita
Mental health professionals will soon be embedded in the Wichita Police Department to respond to 911 calls, providing face-to-face help for people in crisis, rather than relying on officers who may or may not be trained to do that. At least one of four teams will be on call seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. — when first responders say they receive the most mental health-related calls — and the clinicians can be deployed with officers or called to the scene after contact is made.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Department of Commerce Makes $2 Million Available for COVID Resiliency Program
The Department of Commerce will award $2 million through the Community Development Block Grant – COVID Resiliency (CDBG-CVR) program to enable cities and counties to address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic when no other funds are available. This is a competitive CDBG grant with an application window that closes July 31, 2023. Funding for the program was made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. … Eligible activities for the CDBG-CVR program include COVID resiliency improvements for businesses such as:
- Upgrades to remain open and prevent future closures due to community illnesses and public health emergencies
- Technology, hardware, and software upgrades
- E-commerce updates
- Professional development and training
- Other updates that can be directly related to resiliency improvements
Eligible businesses must have at least 51% of their employees meet the low- to moderate-income (LMI) standards. Like other CDBG grants, cities and counties will apply for the funds on behalf of eligible businesses and then make the funds available, administering the program locally. Non-LMI communities can still qualify for this funding if not an entitlement community. The LMI requirement is determined by the business and not the city. For more information on the CDBG-CVR program and to access the application, click here.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
USD 465 voters approve school bond project
A vote to use property taxes to bankroll a $15 million bond project for Winfield schools passed with 59.5% of the vote, according to unofficial figures posted by the Cowley County Clerk on Tuesday. The bond will provide revenue for upgrades to safety and security, air quality and HVAC systems, along with deferred maintenance. Just 13% of voters in the district cast ballots with 676 in support of the bond question and 460 opposed.
Source: CourierTraveler
Rural Saline County will soon have a new option for broadband internet
Rural communities in Saline County will soon have a new option for broadband internet. Nex-Tech, an information technology company, announced Tuesday that it is making progress in a project in rural Saline County to route fiber optic cables and become a local option for high-speed internet. Nex-Tech’s broadband service is a step toward one of the County’s goals in utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funding. Among several others, the issue of access to broadband internet for Saline County’s rural residents has been a focus of the board of commissioners.
Source: Salina Journal
New courtrooms begin to take form at City-County Building in Salina
Beginning in January, people stopping by the City-County Building might have noticed some offices shifting locations and teams of construction workers navigating the building. For the past six months there has been an ongoing project to remodel parts of the building to accommodate more judges and provide more courtroom space after a state mandate increased the number of district court judges in various parts of Kansas. Court Administrator Todd Heitschmidt said the process for getting new judges has been a long time coming, but the change was abrupt. “We’ve always been asking for more judges, and just never thought we’d get them,” Heitschmidt said. “Then we got three at once.”
Source: Salina Journal
Hutchinson will become Smallville on June 15
Hutchinson City Council had lots of proclamations and concerns during their Tuesday morning meeting…. “The fictional character Clark Kent also known as Superman, arrived in Smallville, Kansas in a spaceship during a meteor shower,” Hutchinson Mayor Jon Richardson proclaimed. “I, Jon Richardson, Mayor of the City of Hutchinson, Kansas, do hereby proclaim that June 15-17, 2023, the City of Hutchinson shall be known as: Smallville, Kansas; the home of Clark Kent.”
Source: Hutch News
Former Ottawa city manager Richard Nienstedt to fill in as Topeka city manager goes on leave
Topeka city manager Stephen Wade … had requested a leave of absence, for reasons that aren’t being made public, [Mayor] Padilla said. The leave will last for an “extended” and “undisclosed” amount of time, the city said in a news release. … The mayor and council voted 10-0 Tuesday to temporarily name Richard U. Nienstedt, of Ottawa, as acting city manager. Neinstedt retired in March from the city of Ottawa, the city of Topeka said in a news release. The mayor and council also voted 10-0 to authorize Padilla to negotiate an employment agreement with Neinstedt.
Source: CJonline
Bids reach $5 million in hotel auction; Topeka doesn’t intend to own property long-term
The top bid reached $5 million Wednesday morning as the end neared for a three-day auction in which participants that include Topeka’s city government are seeking to buy The Hotel Topeka at City Center, 1717 S.W. Topeka Blvd. The auction’s reserve, which is the minimum price a seller will accept as the winning bid, had not yet been reached. Meanwhile, City Councilman Spencer Duncan said the city doesn’t plan to own the hotel long-term. … Topeka city manager Stephen Wade said in a news release last week that the city, if it acquires the hotel, will look to experts and team up with private-sector partners while developing a holistic approach to redeveloping it.
Source: CJonline
Council OKs chicken ban
The current city code prohibits the harboring of chickens within the city limits, Great Bend City Attorney Allen Glendenning said, addressing the City Council Monday night. But, recently citizens have expressed a desire to keep “backyard chickens” in the city, arguing the present regulations don’t ban the birds. So, to clarify the city’s will to prohibit chickens, the council Monday approved a revised ordinance specifically prohibiting the fowl. However, it passed on a 4-3 vote with some council members sympathetic to those wanting to keep chickens on their properties.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Area commissioners share thoughts on financial access
After Harvey County Commissioner Becky Reimer requested read-only access to the county’s accounting system (that was denied by the other two commissioners) two weeks ago and then followed it up by saying she wanted to continue to try to get that access, Harvey County Now reached out to some area counties to learn if this was something done elsewhere. None of the commissioners we spoke to had access to their county’s financial records, but at least one is considering it.
Source: Harvey County Now
Train derailment causes damage to tracks, highway near Dodge City
A highway near Dodge City was reduced to two lanes Monday night following a train derailment. Ford County Sheriff Bill Carr said the derailment caused “major damage” to the tracks and U.S. 400 at the tracks between Ft. Dodge and Cargill. The highway was reduced to two lanes. The westbound lanes were closed. Sheriff Carr said the Cargill plant is open for employees. “Please consider an alternate route if you plan on traveling east on Trail Street towards Ft. Dodge and west on Highway 400 from Ford to Dodge City,” the sheriff said on Facebook.
Source: KAKE – News
‘A really tragic series of events.’ In six hours, three fentanyl overdoses in Lawrence
In a little more than six hours, Lawrence police responded to three overdose calls, with one person dead and another in critical condition. The first call came in at 9:30 Monday night and the third about 3:45 Tuesday morning. In each of the three calls officers found evidence that led them “to believe fentanyl was the cause,” according to Lawrence police. “Overnight we had a really tragic series of events here in Lawrence,” Police Chief Rich Lockhart said as he began a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “… One of the things that we really want to emphasize here is that fentanyl is the deadliest drug that’s out in our country today.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Russell fire chief to leave Wichita hospital
Russell Fire Chief Dylan Riedel returned home Tuesday afternoon after spending four days in a Wichita burn unit. On Friday night, Riedel was injured in a fire and explosion in the 1700 block of N. Main St. and transported to Wichita. The City of Russell said there will be a welcome home at the Sale Barn supporting his recovery. Residents are asked to bring flags, horns and signs in support. The time on return will be posted on the City’s Facebook page. “They are on the road headed home! Hopedully by 5:45-6:00pm – we will update again as they get closer,” said the City of Russell.
Source: KSN-TV
City of Emporia receives more than $600,000 from federal government to assist with at-grade rail crossing improvements
The City of Emporia was recently informed that it has received needed funding to support work at the community’s various at-grade railroad crossings. City Manager Trey Cocking says he was informed the Federal Train Administration had approved a recently submitted application to support planning and development for grade separation projects at the city’s 12 at-grade crossings. At-grade crossings are where the railroad crosses with roadways and Cocking says the impending improvements will better help with flow for both vehicles and trains and will also make crossings much safer for residents. Over the past 18 months, the city has had three fatal accidents occur at local rail crossings. With that in mind, Cocking says the funding comes at a very important time for the community.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
USD 232 shifts 2 middle schools’ boundaries to head off future overcrowding
USD 232 in De Soto will send some students in future west Lenexa neighborhoods to Lexington Trails Middle School as a way to combat projected overcrowding at Mill Creek Middle School. The move pushes the current border between the Mill Creek and Lexington Trails attendance zones to the east, sending more students from the central area of the district west to De Soto for middle school. On Monday, the school board voted 6-0 to adopt the new middle school attendance boundaries for the 2023-2024 school year.
Source: Prairie Village Post
De Soto mapping out housing demand around Panasonic Plant
De Soto City leaders say they’re getting a better idea of where workers and the homes they’ll live in will be when the Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery Plant opens around 2025. The plant is expected to eventually employ about 4,000 people with advanced manufacturing skills inside the plant, with another 4,000 people taking similar or related jobs outside the facility. De Soto City Administrator Mike Brungardt says the region has about 107,000 of those workers already, with more than 60,000 within a commutable drive of De Soto.
Source: KSN-TV