Kansas Municipal News
Two Economic Development Projects Moving Forward: Pork Processing Plant, Sports Complex
A meat processing plant is back in the works for Bourbon County. “I have been working to bring about the meat processing plant, a pork processing plant,” Fort Scott Mayor Matthew Wells said in an interview. Billy Madison is the owner of the business, S.H. Pork Processing. “This plant will provide farmers with an outlet for their pork processing,” Madison said. “And provide 15-30 new jobs.” This is an artists rendition of the S.H. Processing Plant that Madison will build. Submitted.
Source: Fort Scott Biz
Macksville Library launches Kids in the Kitchen program
Just one month ago, the new programming area at the Macksville City Library was an empty room, in dire need of furnishings and appliances. Now, thanks to the 2022 $5,000 Children’s Health Grant from the South Central Community Foundation, we have tables, chairs, a refrigerator, microwave, and so much more, making this a usable and welcoming space for patrons young and old. Plus, funds from this grant enabled us to purchase cookbooks, spatulas and healthy ingredients to host three special Kids in the Kitchen programs with local elementary classes.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
What the health department does
Marion County health department director Krista Schneider kicked off a meeting Saturday at Florence Carriage Manor by asking attendees what services came to mind when they thought about the health department. The No. 1 answer was vaccinations. Health department staff members administered 2,696 vaccines from April 3, 2022, through April 2 of this year, Schneider said.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Jackson County commissioners, planners discuss solar regulations
The Jackson County Commission and the Jackson County Planning Commission met Monday afternoon to review open meetings and records guidelines, as well as discuss the process for developing a special use permit for commercial solar energy projects. … County Counselor Lee Hendricks also reported that he and county commissioners plan to spend the next few months developing the “framework” for a special use permit for commercial possible solar projects. Hendricks and the county commissioners are looking at solar regulations currently in place in Kingman County, as well as other counties, including Johnson and Douglas.
Source: Holton Recorder
Voters to decide USD 336 at-large position question
On a 6-0 vote at its meeting here Monday evening, the Holton school board voted by resolution to change the method of school board election for the district, making all the school board positions at-large and not tied to any geographic area in the school district, as is currently the case. A plan of change setting forth in detail the present method of election and voting plan and the proposed change in the method of election have been prepared and are now on file in the office of the clerk of the board of education, it was reported. The proposed change would become effective if district voters approve it at the upcoming November election, it was reported.
Source: Holton Recorder
Train exhibit at Johnson County Museum now open
Johnson County Museum’s new exhibit on trains opened last Saturday, May 13. TRAINS: Transportation and the Transformation of Johnson County showcases the impact of railroads in Johnson County. The exhibit details how trains have transformed the county’s landscape, people and economy – from the early days of the Kansas Pacific Railway to the modern-day BNSF Railway. Through interactive displays, historical artifacts, and engaging visuals, visitors can learn about the county’s long history with the railroad and how it continues to shape the county today.
Source: Johnson County Kansas |
Wilson community voting on future of Central Plains School District
The future of a central Kansas school district is now in the hands of the voters. It was earlier this year that the Central Plains School District decided to close the Wilson 7-12 grade school due to a lack of funding. Now some voters in the district say the best step forward is to disband the district entirely. Enough petition signatures were gathered to put the disorganization of USD 112 up for a vote during the August 1st primary election. Superintendent Bill Lowry says if it passes, state law says other surrounding districts would take the land of the district if voters decide to disorganize. “We have about 10 school districts that border us,” Lowry said. “So, there would be about 10 school districts eligible to be assigned by the board of education.”
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita Public Schools open Future Ready Center to grow technical education opportunities
If you ask Martin Gutierrez about why he started taking technical education classes while at North High, he found it interesting and easy to understand. “It’s more of a tactile part of learning, you kind of get to have a lot more hands-on,” he told KAKE Friday. Gutierrez is one of several Wichita public school students that have been taking classes at the district’s new “Future Ready Center” while it was being finished. Friday, the district held its ceremonial opening of the former grocery store turned educational complex. WPS Superintendent Dr. Alicia Thompson says the school board has had the building for a while and had been working on a plan to best utilize it.
Source: KAKE – News
Southeast Kansas police departments catches unusual escapee
The Parsons Police Department roped an unusual escapee on Thursday (May 18). According to a release, the department was notified about a “possible traffic hazard.” The hazard? A calf that escaped from the local livestock market. Sergeant Waylon Kepley and Officer Joshua Lindsey responded. Fortunately, Sgt. Kepley grew up on a farm and helped raise cattle, so he knew that the animal could be unpredictable. The officers found the calf near Parcom on North 16th Street, eight blocks from the livestock market.
Source: KOAM News
City of Wichita gets rush of lifeguard applicants ahead of pool season
Pool season begins on May 29. At the start of May, the City of Wichita said it was nearly 40 lifeguards short of what is needed to keep all the pools open this summer. A lot of interest in the lifeguard openings sparked over the last couple of weeks. The city is hosting training sessions for over 50 applicants to get certified this pool season. “It’s absolutely fantastic that we have this number of people that are wanting to become lifeguards. Really it comes down to keeping our community safe and helping our partners within the community,” said Joe Marten, City of Wichita aquatics supervisor.
Source: KSN-TV
Is panhandling legal in Topeka?
People looking for financial help can be seen dotting roads and intersections in the Capital City, but is this a legal activity? The question of panhandlers in Topeka came up three years ago during a City Council session where members voted on whether or not to pass a new ordinance to ban panhandling. While not a total ban, it prevents panhandlers from congregating at certain places in Topeka. Panhandling is described as “a form of solicitation or begging derived from the impression created by someone holding out his hand to beg or using a container to collect money,” according to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).
Source: KSNT 27 News
Community-Police Oversight Work Group discusses hopes, concerns at first meeting
To the relief of its members, the Community-Police Oversight Work Group met for the first time Monday. Members shared their hopes, concerns and needs to move the process forward. The work group is intended to review the Lawrence Police Department’s current complaint process and make recommendations for the Community Police Review Board’s oversight of the complaint process. (Read more on the background at this link.) The group’s work was originally supposed to conclude in November, but the process has been delayed.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district will sell land to Tenants to Homeowners, start process to sell East Heights
The Lawrence school board on Monday voted to sell surplus property to Tenants to Homeowners as well as begin the process to sell East Heights and transfer the student programs held there to one of the elementary schools that will soon close. As part of the board’s consent agenda for Monday — a list of items that are considered routine and approved with one vote unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for further discussion — the board unanimously approved the sale of the property the district owns at 2600 W. 25th St., just north of the athletic fields at Holcom Park.
Source: The Lawrence Times
City committee recommends consolidating or changing most of 18 advisory boards
A city committee has reviewed the city’s advisory boards and recommends consolidating 13 boards down to five, nixing another and making the police review board the “Safe and Secure Board.” Over the last five months, the Board and Commissions Structure Committee was tasked with limiting the number of boards to 10, not counting those required by state statutes. The committee has discussed the city’s strategic plan, and the scopes and charges of all its boards and commissions, according to a Friday news release from the city. “As a result of this work, each relevant board and commission has been sorted into the outcome or commitment area to which it is most closely aligns,” according to the release.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for May 22, 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.
Fed Chair Powell says rates may not have to rise as much as expected to curb inflation
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that stresses in the banking sector could mean that interest rates won’t have to be as high to control inflation. Speaking at a monetary conference in Washington, D.C., the central bank leader noted that Fed initiatives used to deal with problems at mid-sized banks have mostly halted worst-case scenarios from transpiring. But he noted that the problems at Silicon Valley Bank and others could still reverberate through the economy. “The financial stability tools helped to calm conditions in the banking sector. Developments there, on the other hand, are contributing to tighter credit conditions and are likely to weigh on economic growth, hiring and inflation,” he said as part of a panel on monetary policy. “So as a result, our policy rate may not need to rise as much as it would have otherwise to achieve our goals,” he added. “Of course, the extent of that is highly uncertain.”
Source: CNBC
What’s going on with food sales tax, explained
Where are the food sales tax savings? … In the last five months, the state passed legislation decreasing food sales tax down to four percent. However, that decrease isn’t always reflected on the bill. And depending on the grocery store, some bills show two different sales taxes applied to different parts of the purchase. … A law went into effect in January to stair step down the state’s food sales tax rate from 6.5 percent to zero percent by 2025. Currently, the sales tax rate is at 4 percent. While the law applies to food, the devil’s in the details on what the state defines as food. The state law lists food and food ingredients as exempt. The law defines food as items meant for “Ingestion or chewing by humans and are consumed for their taste or nutritional value.” That definition extends to things like fruit, flour and uncooked meat as well as items like dietary supplements. But, that definition has limits, you can buy plenty of food that’s not sales tax exempt.
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas governor approves shift of tax dollars to private schools, but rejects cuts for small districts
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a controversial school funding bill Thursday that lets more families use state tax dollars to pay for private or home schools. But Kelly vetoed portions of the bill that could hurt some rural school districts. That line-item veto could set up a court fight between Kelly and the Kansas Legislature over the governor’s powers to tweak a funding bill crammed with policy changes. The state constitution grants Kelly the power to veto individual items of appropriations bills, but lawmakers in recent years have separated the education budget into a bill that includes both spending and policy.
Source: KCUR News
After fire and smoke incidents, electric bus is an anomaly, Wichita city officials say
City officials are calling an electric bus that caught fire early Wednesday morning an anomaly. The incident was reported around 1:30 a.m. at the Wichita transit maintenance building at 777 E. Waterman. Maintenance staff and security noticed a lithium-ion battery powered bus had caught fire. The bus is powered by 10 lithium-ion batteries. Eight are mounted on the roof and two sit in the rear of the bus. The fire apparently originated from a single battery placed on the top, said Michael Tann, director of transit for the city.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Incentives, infrastructure: Here’s what drew an $80M plastics plant to Maize
An 80-acre site within Maize Industrial Park “checked all the boxes” for a North Carolina-based manufacturer looking to build its eighth plastics plant in the Midwest, said Brad Muller, a spokesperson representing the company. Announced last week, the $80-million project from Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. will be built near 119th Street West and 53rd North in Maize. The company says it plans to create 50 new jobs over the next three years. Muller said Maize had a number of draws for the manufacturer, which produces cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, predominately for wholesale plumbing distributors. “Maize is fast growing, it’s pro-business, a well-educated workforce,” he said. “We’re conservative financially, culturally, politically conservative, and so we wanted someplace that kind of reflected our values and someplace where we can draw a workforce that’s going to appreciate those family values.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal