Kansas Municipal News
Law Board agrees to 6.5% COLA for RCPD with contingent on cuts elsewhere
The Riley County Law Board ended its meeting Tuesday without a finalized budget as board members worked through how to fund cost of living adjustments requested by the Riley County Police Department. The initial proposal by RCPD in April was for an 8% COLA, with a realized budget increase of almost 9%. Over the past two months, the board has scaled that back to a 6.5% COLA and 7.4% overall increase, totaling $26.9 million. The city’s delegation on the board favored pushing the COLA down to 4%, with an overall realized budget increase of 6%, but were swayed by RCPD leadership and County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, who advocated that further cuts to the COLA could jeopardize RCPD’s ability to recruit staff.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Pottawatomie County projecting a mill levy decrease in 2024 budget
Pottawatomie County officials got their first look at the proposed 2024 budget at a Monday work session. County administration is proposing an approximate half mill levy decrease, with an estimated valuation increase of over $22 million, over $229,000 in additional ad-valorem taxes and a $1.6 million increase in budgeted expenditures. Commission Chair Pat Weixelman explains where much of the added expenses are coming from. The proposal includes for a 5% cost of living adjustment for employees, as well as anniversary increases paid out at a half a percent annually and 4% every five years. County administrators are also requesting to double the deferred compensation match, which equates to about a 36 percent increase year-over-year, according to Assistant County Administrator Heather Gladbach.
Source: 1350 KMAN
County finds temporary home for Meals on Wheels
After some concern over who would provide food for the Meals on Wheels program in north and south Brown County after this month, the Brown County Commission agreed to have Lentz Express in Horton prepare the Hot Meal Program for the remainder of the year. There was a discussion about bidding the position, and Services for the Elderly Director Wanda Davis shared issues she had been encountering in the process. Tim Lentz, owner of Lentz Express, shared his opinion that bidding for a hot meal program could be problematic. The Commission voted to select Lentz’s business for the rest of 2023, but still plan to open the hot meals for bid, with some reconfigured guidelines, at the end of the year.
Source: County Government | hiawathaworldonline.com
Hutchinson City Council votes to allow aerial fireworks on private property
On Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council voted unanimously to amend its fireworks ordinance this year, allowing aerial fireworks in the city on private property. Fire Marshall Mike Cain told The Hutch Post that the only change in the new ordinance is it is now against the ordinance to discharge fireworks on public property without a special use permit. In addition, adults will now be held responsible for any juvenile offenses of the new regulations. “If you want to let your kids out and shoot, great,” Cain told the Post. “If they are doing something illegal with them, then the adult is now responsible and is assumed to have given them consent or permission to do that illegal activity.” Violating the Hutchinson fireworks ordinance is a misdemeanor. A person who is convicted of it could have to pay $250 or perform 50 hours of community service or both, plus court costs.
Source: KAKE – News
The new KCI terminal tops national travel sites 2023 list of best airports. Heres why
Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal is getting love from all over the country. A new report named KCI the best airport in the U.S. It topped a list of the 16 best airports in the world in 2023 from Travel Awaits, a travel website highlighting small towns and unique experiences. The list was split up into two categories: within the United States, or outside the country. To create the list, the site took nominations from its readers. A panel of travel industry experts and writers then reviewed those nominations, and readers voted on the finalists to determine the winners in each category.
Source: Kansas City Breaking News & Sports | The Kansas City Star
Air quality alert issued for Kansas City as ozone levels likely to reach unhealthy level
An air quality alert was issued for the Kansas City as the metro area is expected to see an unhealthy level of smog, according to the Mid-America Regional Council. An ozone alert was issued for Tuesday, the eighth time this season that the agency, commonly referred to as MARC, has issued such a warning. The poor air quality is forecast to fall under an orange ozone alert, which means unhealthy level of ground-level ozone, also known as ozone pollution or smog, is expected for people sensitive to pollution, including those with heart problems or respiratory disease like asthma and allergies. The outdoor Air Quality Index is forecast to be 105, with ozone being the primary pollutant.
Source: KC Star Local News
Why goats are invading a Wichita park
Wichita Sim’s Park was invaded by a herd of hungry goats Tuesday. The goats will be there working for two weeks to clear brush and poison ivy. The City of Wichita says the goats are more eco-friendly and can remove brush not easily reached by machinery in the sandy area. The goats arrived in a trailer, hungry and ready to eat Tuesday afternoon. “This is the most people I’ve had for a goat unload. Most of the time, I’m in a random backyard in town or out on a property in the middle of nowhere,” said Rex Rutledge with Restoration Grazing LLC.
Source: KSN-TV
Evergy pauses disconnection at Towne West after ‘documentation’ provided
A spokesperson for Evergy says it has paused service disconnection has been paused Towne West Square in Wichita. A news release sent out by Evergy at 7:41 p.m. says it has “paused service disconnection based on documentation provided toward making payment tomorrow.” Evergy says Towne West has been delinquent on its electric bill since last November. “Evergy has worked with Kohan Retail Investment Group, which owns the mall, to receive payment for the past due amount owed to Evergy,” Gina Penzig, Evergy corporate communications, said.
Source: KSN-TV
Summer Topeka Music Week brings country and rock to the Capital City
Topeka is set to be flooded with musical acts with the arrival of almost a dozen bands to the Capital City this summer. India Yarborough with the Greater Topeka Partnership said Visit Topeka is partnering up with Southwest Publishing & Mailing Corporation to deliver a lineup of ten bands to the Capital City in July as part of the Topeka Music Week. The bands will have live shows running from July 7 to July 16, occurring at the same time as Country Stampede and the Mini Fiesta.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Shawnee Mission teachers get larger-than-usual pay bump
Teachers in the Shawnee Mission School District are getting one of their biggest pay raises in recent years. It’s part of the latest contract between the district and teachers’ union, which was ratified by the Shawnee Mission school board at its meeting Monday, June 12. It’s also a continuation of efforts by the district to boost pay for positions across the district to deal with persistent staffing challenges that have bedeviled schools in recent years.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Wichita aviation companies win millions in workforce development grants
Four Wichita aviation manufacturers, as well as the Wichita Airport Authority, have been awarded millions in grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce to support their training and workforce development efforts. In total, Commerce says it awarded nearly $20 million to seven recipients through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program, with the goal of supporting capital projects that spur regional economic development in the aviation industry as it continues post-Covid recovery.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Roofs going up in Newton
With a half-year to go, 2023 has already seen more new housing starts in Newton than nine of the 11 last years. Year-to-date, the city has seen permits pulled for 34 living units. That puts the city well on pace to surpass last year’s total of 37 starts. According to City Engineer Suzanne Loomis, 20 of those starts involve single-family homes. … The number of housing starts for 2023 follows up on 2022’s 37 housing starts. In 2017, the city added 116 units, driven by the construction of apartment complexes on the south side of the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas firefighters receive $16.8 million from Kansas Insurance Department
The Kansas Insurance Department has made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs). Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, over $16.8 million has been distributed among 554 local FRAs throughout the state. Kansas Insurance Dept. Commissioner Vicki Schmidt said in a press release, “Firefighters put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges that by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones. The Act not only gives first responders needed safety nets, but it also allows local communities to provide their citizens with improved firefighting equipment and resources.”
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Funding available to power clean energy in rural communities
Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects offer a significant opportunity to revitalize rural communities and diversify the local economy. Increased tax revenue from renewable energy projects enables school districts, cities, and other entities to address local emergency services and infrastructure improvement needs while reducing the local tax burden. Additionally, farmers and landowners can earn additional income through land-lease payments from project developers, and new job opportunities arise during the development, construction, and operation of a project. Those economic benefits have not gone unnoticed in Washington, D.C.
Source: Pratt Tribune
Vogts Parga moving to Moundridge
Vogts Parga will be moving its office from downtown Newton to Moundridge. Rene Parga, owner, said the decision was based on the opportunity to put the office next to the company’s shop. “I hate to leave, but we have a better chance to have everything together,” he said. The company recently purchased buildings along I-135 highway and Highway 260 (Arrowhead Road) in Moundridge. A notice on the company’s website said the property will allow space to provide room for future growth. Parga said the company rented the Newton office and will be out of it by the end of 2023.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick County plans to build a new emergency preparedness center
Sedgwick County is buying land to build a new emergency preparedness center in southwest Wichita. Construction of the roughly 27,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost around $16 million. A federal grant the county plans to apply for could finance 70% of the project. The county commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Friday to purchase 4.9 acres at the southwest corner of MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue for $613,934. The county expects to close on the property next week. The site at MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue that Sedgwick County will purchase to construct a new Emergency Preparedness Center.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Stan Herds earthwork revering John Brown to be unveiled Saturday in Osawatomie
Lawrence artist Stan Herd has created an earthwork portrait of Kansas abolitionist John Brown for the City of Osawatomie. The first-of-its-kind tribute to Brown is set to be unveiled on Saturday. The land artwork is located at John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie. The city in April announced the new partnership with Herd in an “effort to highlight the city’s critical role in pre-Civil War American history” and “transition the currently-state maintained historic site into a national park and museum, much akin to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia,” according to a news release.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Sedgwick County FD uses new service to alert drivers
Sedgwick County Fire District 1 (SCFD) now has a new way to warn drivers that a fire truck is responding to an emergency and motorists need to use caution. SCFD vehicles were recently equipped with a system called HAAS Alert that automatically sends digital notifications to drivers in the area when a fire truck’s lights and sirens are activated. The alerts appear through GPS on cars’ navigation and entertainment screens and on drivers’ cell phones, letting them know a fire truck is en route or on the scene of an urgent call. This advance warning, in addition to traditional lights and sirens, has been proven to protect first responders and reduce the likelihood of secondary collisions near roadside incidents by up to 90%. “We’re happy to be able to add another level of protection for our firefighters, so they can respond to incidents as safely as possible,” said SCFD Chief Doug Williams. “This service gives motorists extra time to see us, slow down and move over safely. “
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Douglass city pool adds color
Douglass city pool got some bright new colors painted on its walls. It all started when the Douglass pool got new management at the beginning of the summer. They contacted a local town artist, and author Jessica Williams to see if she could paint the entrance and a couple murals on the inside walls as well. Williams has been an art enthusiast since she can remember, taking all the art classes and clubs she could. She even got to be a part of the K-State Mural team where she painted a couple murals on the K-State campus that she says are still there to this day. Williams said when she found out they wanted her to paint these murals she immediately started the rough sketches for them. Just 23 minutes later she submitted the hard rough sketches to the pool managers. Later she went up to the city pool and sketched out her design until it was perfected, then proceeded to begin the painting process. Willams has finished 2 murals already at the pool and has just a few more to start and finish for them.
Source: Andover American
Municipal Bond Trends for June 16, 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.