Kansas Municipal News
Only 1 Kansas county ranks as being in persistent poverty in nationwide study
A recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) identified 341 counties across the country, including one in Kansas, as places where people are living at higher poverty rates. The USCB study identified places where people are living in persistent poverty. These are counties where poverty rates are maintained at levels of 20% or more for the past 30 years. Among the 341 counties named in the study, Riley County was selected as the only one from Kansas as being a place where persistent poverty exists. According to the USCB study, people living in places of higher poverty experience more severe systemic problems than those living in lower-poverty areas. This can consist of limited access to medical services, healthy and affordable food, quality education and civic engagement opportunities. Julie Gibbs, director of the Riley County Health Department (RCHD), wrote in an email that USCB data points to a 17.6% poverty rate in the county, placing them in second for the highest poverty rate in the state behind Crawford County. Gibbs said this trend is nothing new and can be tied to the large Kansas State University student population living in Manhattan, some of which attend classes while living in crumbling apartments. “The university has a large number of undergrad students (15,046 in 2021) and most complete their classes in person,” Gibbs wrote. “The students account for about 20% of the 72,000 people who reside in Riley County, and many of them do not work full time or have regular, reportable income.”
Source: KSN-TV
Sedgwick County firefighter drone can now drop a lifejacket to water rescue victims
A new drone with Sedgwick County firefighters is being called a game-changer. “I love it. Making a difference in people’s lives is something that you truly cannot explain. You just have to do it,” said Captain Maroon Faissal with the Sedgwick County Fire Department. The new drone has enough battery power and flight time to take a lifejacket and drop it where it’s needed in water rescues. This weekend the county was putting the new drone through its paces. And it was a success. “So this drone is the latest and greatest,” said Faissal. “So one of the options this drone has it will let us drop a life jacket to someone that is drowning. It’s got a camera on it that will direct the diving team to help a drowning victim. Give that victim a chance.” Faissal says the entire drone setup cost right at 30,000. Roughly half of that is the camera system which includes thermal and infrared sensors and the ability to show video to the drone operator.
Source: KSN-TV
New JoCo programs aims to offer more mental health care to people with Down syndrome
There are more than 2,000 people with Down syndrome in Kansas City, but many struggle to access mental health care. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, at least half of people with Down syndrome will encounter a major mental health concern in their lifetime — commonly anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Down Syndrome Innovations, a local group providing support and services to people with the condition, saw a gap between need and available services after a deep dive into their client base.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Mandatory cat licenses in Wichita? The animal control board just recommended it
The Wichita Animal Control Advisory Board recently recommended a plan to overhaul pet licensing, including requiring cat owners to license their animals. All dogs five months and older must be licensed with the city. Wichita pet owners might soon be required to license their cats as well as their dogs with the city every year. Mandatory licensing and microchipping are part of a 14-point plan recommended by the Animal Control Advisory Board earlier this month. “If we can get you to microchip your cat, we can not only get it back to you but we can know that it’s been vaccinated,” board President Mike Marlett said. “It’s just safer for your cat. It’s safer for everyone else.” The issue of cat licensing in Wichita “has been controversial for a long, long time,” as City Manager Robert Layton put it. City leaders rejected cat licensing proposals in 1977 and 1982. In interviews with The Eagle, Wichita cat owners expressed a wide range of opinions on the issue.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Lack of officers hampering Wichita police department’s efforts
Wichita’s police force is about 66 officers short of its authorized strength of 468 officers, according to Police Chief Joe Sullivan. The police department faces a “retention crisis,” some analysts have said, which has complicated the department’s relationship with the community and ability to mend an internal culture criticized in a consultant’s report earlier this year. Workforce shortages put officers in the position, Sullivan said, of constantly answering emergency calls, which limits more positive interactions with the public and adversely affects the officers’ own mental health. “When you’re in a department that’s not fully staffed, and you’re responding to more emergencies than you normally would, and it’s constant one after another with no break, and you’re being asked to work overtime to fill in for those vacant positions, you’re experiencing more trauma, and you’re beginning to experience exhaustion and eventually burnout,” he said. “So that’s something that we’re keenly aware of, and we are working as quickly as we can to put together an officer wellness program.”
Source: KLC Journal
Overland Park ‘build-to-rent’ subdivision offers alternative to buying a home
A subsidiary of Mission Peak Capital is finishing the initial homes of the first subdivision in the metro area consisting of all-new single-family rental homes. Renting a home in the Overland Park subdivision offers a more affordable alternative amid a still tight housing market and higher interest rates, the developer says. … The houses will have a mix of three and four bedrooms. Rent averages about $2,400 a month. The development offers an affordable alternative to buying a similar-sized home in today’s market, said P.J. Ventola, managing director of development at Mission Peak, whose subsidiary, Peak Homes, is working on The Homes at Wolf Creek. “We are less expensive than it costs to buy the same home (with) today’s interest rates,” Ventola said. “It is designed to be with like-minded people who are renting by choice.”
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Andover YMCA reopens water park
People got to slide down the slide, hang out in a pool and float along the lazy river today in Andover, because the YMCA water park is back open, just a year after a tornado ripped through the city. “I’m happy about it because we used to have to drive far to go to other parks. Now we can drive closer,” exclaimed 10-year-old Elijah Jamerson. The water park has some new features, such as a splash pad and climbing areas. “I’m glad it’s open,” said Amber Lowen of Rose Hill. “We love the Andover Y. We come here every summer.” The YMCA says the park’s first two weeks of operation are for members only.
Source: KAKE – News
Halstead considers updating their code enforcement process
The Halstead City Council considered a proposal by City Manager Ethan Reimer at their latest meeting to change the way the city addresses code enforcement issues. The city does not have a code enforcement personnel, so for an issue to be addressed, a citizen must submit a complaint, which administrative staff or the city manager will investigate. … Reimer said that since the police department already proactively patrols the city, has summons power to municipal court, and enforces other codes such as animal control regulations, the city staff would like to see the police department handle other code violation issues, such as tall grass and weeds or other nuisance issues in the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
New additions brighten downtown Sedgwick
Downtown Sedgwick recently got a little color and class with the addition of flowers and flower buckets and the Hometown Hero banners now displayed along Commercial Street. Sedgwick City Administrator Kyle Nordick said the banners will be displayed until Veterans Day, which is in November. “I want to again publicly thank the American Legion here in town for splitting the cost of our Hometown Hero banners,” Nordick said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Rural Kansans wait to see how long prescriptions by telehealth last after the pandemic
The pandemic allowed people to receive prescriptions for mental health and opioid addiction through telemedicine. Now Kansas clinicians want those flexibilities to be permanent. At the Citizens Health hospital in Colby, pandemic-driven rule changes let doctors prescribe chronic pain and mental health medications over virtual appointments. That gave hundreds of patients in northwest Kansas access to life-changing drugs. “Everybody struggles with access to mental health care,” Jenny Niblock, a nurse practitioner at the medical center, said. “Rural Kansas struggles even worse.” Before the pandemic, the only way to get a prescription for a federally regulated drug was through an in-person doctor’s visit.
Source: Garden City Telegram
Lenexa updates it fence code
Planning to install a new fence, wall or retaining wall at home? The City of Lenexa recently updated its code related to these types of projects. Under the new code, fences along the side street on corner lots may be installed 15 feet from the property line as long as they are 4 feet tall and open-style (50% or less opaque). If a fence is taller than 4 feet or is privacy-style, it cannot be installed in front of the required setback. When a fence is located within 3 feet of or directly on top of a retaining wall, the height of the fence plus the height of the retaining wall shall not exceed 10 feet. Retaining wall tiers are limited to 10 feet per tier. Additionally, there must be at least three feet of horizontal space between tiers of a tiered wall.
Source: City of Lenexa
Debt ceiling deal spares state and local pandemic aid
The White House and Republicans reached a deal over the holiday weekend that will avoid the nation’s first breach of its debt limit and leave untouched leftover pandemic aid allocated to cities and states. A House vote on the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 is set for Wednesday to move the bill ahead of a U.S. default as soon as June 5. The House Rules Committee is set to take up the legislation Tuesday afternoon. “The agreement prevents the worst possible crisis: a default for the first time in our nation’s history,” President Joe Biden said Sunday night at a White House press conference. It “takes the threat of a catastrophic default off the table.” The 99-page bill would cap discretionary spending for six years — but with a sequester mechanism in place only for the first two years — as well as rescind enforcement funding for the Internal Revenue Service and streamline energy infrastructure project permitting.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Municipal Bond Trends for May 26, 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.
Panasonic project brings focus to Johnson County’s rural roads
The massive project to build a new Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant in De Soto has re-ignited interest in the future of western Johnson County’s rural road system as officials consider a new set of planning guidelines for the area. The county planning commission unanimously recommended changes in its comprehensive rural plan Tuesday that remove land annexed by De Soto from its planning jurisdiction. Now that it is in De Soto, the city will set its own guidelines. The remaining unincorporated land will be in a “rural policy area,” meaning it will be planned as agricultural, with a rural character, limited development and a low density of one residence per 10 acres.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Michelin announces $100 million investment in Junction City
Tire manufacturer Michelin announced it will be investing over $100 million into Junction City to increase production of tracks for agricultural equipment. Over the next five years, around 200 new jobs will be added to increase the output of Camso agricultural rubber tracks, according to a press release from Michelin. Camso is a brand under the Michelin Group that specializes in off-road tires, tracks and systems…. In March, Michelin announced it would invest more than $20 million to expand its facilities in Emporia, Kansas as part of its investments in North American production, according to the press release. Michelin currently employs about 175 people at their facility in Junction City. The new investment will add around 200 jobs between 2023 and 2026.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Hillsboro mourns the death of former mayor
The Hillsboro community recently mourned the loss of former Mayor Delores Dalke and many showed up to pay their respects at the heavily attended funeral at Ebenfeld Mennonite Church last week. Dalke died on May 12, at the age of 82, on what would have been her 61st Wedding Anniversary to her deceased husband John Foster Dalke. She served Hillsboro as the oldest and only female mayor for 27 years before leaving the position in January of 2018. Between her role as mayor and her service on many boards and commissions, Dalke contributed much to making Hillsboro what it is today. Son Matt, who spoke at her funeral, believed that his mother was an extremely special person. He said, “She always made sure that she went out of her way to help others. She was a mom to all of her children’s friends. She believed in developing relationships and strived to help those in need. So many have reached out to me since my mom became ill to tell me how she helped them with financial assistance and/or emotional support or when they were in dire straits. Many of these people I have never met, but Mom made a huge difference in their lives and they are forever grateful. I feel that is a true testament to the person she was.”
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Effecting change at the neighborhood level in Pittsburg
In my last article I talked about how the growth in Pittsburg will lead to significant changes and it is important to look for ways to participate in defining Pittsburg’s future. There are many ways to engage through city advisory boards, committees, or initiatives, but one of the most direct ways to impact where you live is in your own neighborhood. I’m sure there are aspects of your block that you would like to see improved – maybe there is an empty house that is in disrepair, street signs that need replaced, or maybe you’d like to have a neighborhood cleanup or block party. Whatever you’d like to see, they are more likely to happen if the people in the neighborhood work together.
Source: Morning Sun by Jay Byers / Deputy City Manager
Local Governments Escape Ruling that Could Have Upended Property Tax Laws
A Minnesota county violated the Fifth Amendment when it sold and kept the excess proceeds from an elderly woman’s home, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a unanimous decision. “A taxpayer who loses her $40,000 house to the state to fulfill a $15,000 tax debt has made a far greater contribution to the public fisc than she owed,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion. “The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but no more.” The case, Tyler v. Hennepin County, centered on how much autonomy state governments have regarding property that is seized lawfully from owners who are delinquent on their taxes. The Fifth Amendment specifies that governments cannot take private property without justly compensating its owner. So the question was whether Hennepin County improperly took the profits it made from selling the woman’s house. In Roberts’ decision, the court blocked states from allowing counties to keep surplus funds from the homes they sell after residents fail to pay property taxes.
Source: Route Fifty – All Content
‘Somebody Somewhere’ finds big heart in the ‘Little Apple’ of Kansas
“Somebody Somewhere” is an emotional comedy on HBO and streaming on MAX that takes place in Manhattan, Kansas. It follows Sam, played by Kansas native Bridget Everett, as she returns home in search of herself. Along the way she meets chipper and compassionate Joel, played by Jeff Hiller. Hiller’s acting career spans almost 20 years — many of his roles have been bit parts. He says his success on this show comes from years of playing “someone that we all know.” “I love being able to play a character, honestly, that has a last name,” Hiller said.
Source: KCUR News
Spring Hill police ask for votes to help pay for K-9 Loki’s kidney surgery
The Spring Hill Police Department is asking you to cast a vote to help to support its K-9 officer. K-9 Loki, a Belgian Malinois/Shepherd mix, joined the Spring Hill department in 2021 after being donated by the Olathe Police Department. Loki was initially purchased by Olathe police from a kennel in Pennsylvania, but a medical scan showed Loki had an underdeveloped kidney that would need to be removed. When Olathe police notified the kennel of Loki’s condition, they were told a replacement dog would be given to the department free of charge, but if Loki was returned, he would be euthanized. To prevent Loki from being put down, Spring Hill police adopted him as a replacement for K-9 Niko, who was set to retire later that year.
Source: KSN-TV