Kansas Municipal News
Lenexa’s future Old Town activity center takes shape
The recreation facilities in Lenexa’s Old Town are on track to get a major overhaul by the end of next year. The plan, presented to the Lenexa City Council this week, calls for a combination of the Lenexa Community Center and Lenexa Senior Center functions, the demolition of the Senior Center and the addition of more outdoor recreation space.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Overland Park drops city food inspections, ending ‘redundancy’ with state checks
The Overland Park City Council ended the city’s unique restaurant inspection program Monday, saying it was an unnecessary duplication of state inspections and that the double inspections put a burden on local businesses. The council voted 10-1 to end the program. Overland Park is thought to be the last large city in Kansas that still does a local inspection of food service. Council committee members asked staff to explore ending the program in February and later voted to put the matter before the whole council.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Miners Hall Museum plans special program on history of McCune
Kent Smith will present “The Founding of McCune” at 2 p.m. Sunday at Miners Hall Museum. Smith, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has remained involved with the McCune Osage Township Library and regularly participates in community events. His great-great-grandfather, Sevier Wilson, emigrated in 1892 and opened one of the first general stores in McCune, while another relative operated one of the first clothing stores in the town.
Source: www.joplinglobe.com
Municipal Bond Trends for May 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Mural designs for downtown Salina trash corrals approved
Two new pieces of artwork will soon be added to the downtown Salina area after approval by the City Commission. The artwork, which will consist of murals, will be placed on trash corrals as part of a beautification project by Salina Downtown Inc., which will be providing the artists’ fees for the murals. “(Policy) requires us to take this approval to (City) Commission, but, prior to that, our…Community Art and Design (CAD) Committee goes through an approval process,” said Crystal Hammerschmidt, art services coordinator for Salina Arts and Humanities.
Source: Salina Journal
Voters approve school bonds in Nickerson, Pretty Prairie, Eudora; denied in Baldwin City
The bond for Nickerson School District, USD 309, passed with a 13% turnout. Of the 5,121 eligible voters, 682 cast a ballot, with 381 voting yes and 301 voting no. The bond is for $7.6 million over nine years. The short duration of the bond will allow the district to evaluate expenditures in 10 years. The bond to fix the Pretty Prairie Schools, USD 311, passed on Tuesday evening, garnering slightly less than a 50% turnout. Of the 1,087 registered voters, 45% voted, casting 272 for the bond and 222 against it. … Pretty Prairie School District 311 proposed a $7.7 million 20-year bond to fix roofs, windows and the middle school gym. This will also help with the leaking wall in the band and other rooms. Currently, many of the windows are also leaking. According to unofficial results from the Douglas County Elections Office, voters seem to have overwhelmingly approved nearly $40 million in bond issue projects for Eudora’s schools, while a similar proposal in Baldwin City looks to have been rejected by a fair margin. As of 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, results reported by the elections office show that the special question for Eudora had easily won approval with 971 of the 1,312 ballots accounted for — or about 74% — voting in favor of the measure. … Meanwhile, it seemed that the $25 million in bond issue projects Baldwin City’s school district was looking to undertake would remain on hold for now. … In a narrow 51.96% to 48.04% vote, residents of Pratt’s USD 382 voted to approve the use of a $16.6 million bond to pay for improvements to USD 382’s facilities. The special ballot drew 1,382 voters or 28.46% of the registered voters in the school district which, according to Pratt County Clerk Lori Voss was in line for a special election turnout.
Source: Hutch News and Hutch News and LJWorld and Pratt Tribune
Topeka’s city government creates land bank to buy, upgrade, resell distressed properties
Topeka’s city government will create a “land bank” pilot program aimed at helping address this community’s problems with abandoned properties. The program will buy distressed properties and hold them tax-free while they’re upgraded, resold and returned to the tax rolls. Topeka’s mayor and city council voted 9-0 late Tuesday, with Councilman Tony Emerson being absent, to create the program and adopt specific policy guidelines governing it.
Source: CJonline
Getting old homes back on the market in Salina
While developers are working on bringing in new houses and apartments to the Salina community, one nonprofit organization is focusing on fixing homes that are already here and getting them back into the housing market. The Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Corporation of Central Kansas, says its mission is to “(provide) quality housing in an affordable manner for low to moderate income persons.” Founded by Salinan Lance Cochran over 18 years ago, CHDO also has the goal of working to help solve housing challenges in the region.
Source: Salina Journal
Hutchinson School Board votes to close Lincoln Elementary School
After more than an hour of speeches, discussion and pointed questions, the Hutchinson School Board voted 5 to 1 to close Lincoln Elementary School during a special board meeting on Monday, May 15. The staff would move along with the students and the class size would be 20. The district’s superintendent, Dawn Johnson, Ed.D., presented the options to the school board and more than 100 community members. This discussion came about because of the lack of teachers applying for jobs in the district. At present, the district is 14 teachers short. In addition, the district is down $1.1 million.
Source: Hutch News
Natives of a small Kansas town transform rundown burger joint into regional destination
The restaurant scene in Douglass, Kansas, — a town of around 1,500 that sits 30 miles southeast of Wichita — has been a tad depressing over the past decade. Around 2014, the town’s favorite burger joint — Craig’s Drive-Inn, at 833 E. First St. — closed after more than 30 years in business. Then, in November of 2021, the Triangle Restaurant — a cafe that also served Mexican fare — also closed, leaving the town with nearly no dining options at all. A couple of months ago, the town’s Pizza Hut closed, and that was a real blow. In a small town, Pizza Hut is usually the last to go.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Governor Kelly signs bipartisan omnibus budget bill
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed an omnibus budget bill that was approved with bipartisan support. The bill signed on Monday will increase funding for higher education, expand mental health resources for students, and it provides a pay raise for state workers. The governor said the budget is fiscally responsible and will improve the state’s workforce, improve roads and expand high-speed internet. The bill increases pay rates for state employees who are earning below the market rate for similar jobs in the private sector. The bill also includes the Build Kansas Matching Grant Fund which will provide state matching dollars to communities for projects approved under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Great Bend residents support backyard chickens
A large number of Great Bend residents flocked to the City Council meeting Monday night, supporting the idea of raising chickens within the city limits, as well as voicing their frustration with what they called a vague ordinance governing backyard fowl. However, not all on the council were keen to the idea that arose during the public comment section of the City Hall meeting. No action could be taken, but it will be on the agenda June 5.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office buys new $2.5M airplane you’ll probably never want to ride in
As the sheriff of the Air Capital of the World, one of the most important and little-known tools for Jeff Easter’s department is its own private airplane, and it’s time to make a big upgrade. “The Sheriff’s Office here has had an airplane since the late 70s,” said Easter. In 1987, the department flew a Cessna T210, but its needs quickly outgrew what the small plane could do. So, in 1991, it upgraded to a Cessna C340A. Just six years later, the department traded up again for the airplane it still flies today – the Commander 690-A.
Source: KAKE – News
Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loans
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. Congress approved the federal spending — $9.7 billion for a grant and loan program the department is calling the New Empowering Rural America program, or New ERA, and $1 billion for a Powering Affordable Clean Energy program that will provide partly forgivable loans — in the energy, health and taxes law Democrats passed last summer.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Pittsburg gives housing vouchers to those facing homelessness
The Pittsburg Housing Authority was chosen to receive some additional funds to provide support for those facing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $43 million to 62 agencies throughout the country, for “stability vouchers” to address unsheltered and rural homelessness. The Pittsburg Housing Authority received five Stability Vouchers to help those individuals and families obtain permanent housing. The total amount of the vouchers depends on the number of people living in the household.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Officials predict record wheat shortage for Kansas
There has been an abundance of rain in this past week, but has it been enough to save the state’s wheat after last month’s drought? The Kansas Wheat Commission is starting it’s Wheat Tour across the state Tuesday, May 16 and top leaders tell KSNT 27 News that they expect the smallest crop in 60 years. The commission will embark on a two day tour across the state, making over 500 different stops at different wheat fields across Kansas, to determine what this year’s crop may look like. Due to the drought, they expect to find a small crop, and even many abandoned fields, leaving them to predict a potentially record low wheat crop.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Johnson County chair wants citizen panels on diversity, sustainability
A proposal to create new citizen advisory groups on diversity and sustainability are moving forward after county commissioners last week discussed – sometimes testily – how they should be set up. The groups, which will be called coalitions rather than committees, were requested by Chairman Mike Kelly and are intended to bring in opinions and expertise from the community. Each group would have up to 15 members, appointed by Kelly pending approval from the rest of the commission.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Municipal Bond Trends for May 15, 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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Abbyville Frontier Days PRCA Rodeo to begin
The Abbyville, Kansas, hometown rodeo is about as American as apple pie. With 17 flavors of homemade pies, including apple, lots of home-cooked barbecue and cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation competing, this central Kansas rodeo packs the bleachers each night. “They make over 100 pies and 17 different flavors,” said Jeff Welker, the treaurer of the board for the rodeo. “If they don’t have your flavor, then I want to know what it is.” This year’s Abbyville Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo begins at 8 p.m. May 19 and 20. Mutton Bustin’, for the 3 to 6year-old crowd, starts at 7 p.m. each night, with sign up at 6 p.m. Since 1962, this rodeo has brought in top performers. And this year is no exception. Last year, the Abbyville Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo won the 2022 PRCA Small Rodeo of the Year award.
Source: Hutch News
Winfield may shorten time for holding stray animals
Request made due to shelter overcrowding. Winfield City Commissioners will consider a request from the Cowley County Humane Society to reduce the number of days stray animals must be held by the shelter before they can be put up for adoption, in response to ongoing capacity challenges at the humane society. The State of Kansas requires municipalities to hold stray animals for a minimum of three days before they can be released if an owner is not located. Winfield’s current ordinance states animals impounded by the city animal control officer must be held for five days. If they are not claimed in that time, they can be released for adoption, euthanized or disposed of in another manner.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler