Kansas Municipal News
McPherson looks to add to make water supply more sustainable
Turning on a faucet and having clean water is something most don’t think twice about but having that easy access is something the staff at the McPherson board of Public Utilities are always thinking about. Chris Unruh, a project manager with BPU says, “There’s a lot that really goes into supplying safe drinking water, being able to provide water for recreational purposes and continue to provide that reliability.” Right now the city is pulling more water from its main source, the Equus Bed aquifer, than is sustainable long term according to BPU general manager Josh Bedel. “The Kansas geological survey did a study years ago and they calculated a safe yield of 10,000 acre feet a year and currently we’re sitting close to 12,000 acre feet a year,” said Bedel. He says water levels are declining about half a foot each year.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas to receive federal funding for high-speed internet access
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said Monday that the state will receive $451.7 million in federal funding to support the construction of broadband infrastructure to provide access to high speed internet across the state. The governor said the funding will help in moving toward a goal of becoming a top ten state for broadband access by 2030. This investment is being made through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The BEAD Program, which is led by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) office at the U.S. Department of Commerce, will provide a total of $42.45 billion to State Broadband Offices to expand broadband to unserved areas across the country.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
This years Great Lenexa BBQ Battle championship was unusually close
The 2023 Great Lenexa BBQ Battle finished in a near dead heat, as the 41st annual event concluded with Damn Fine Beef and Swine from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, being crowned Grand Champion, and taking home the Grand Prize of $3,000. Head Chef Ryan Cain had to overcome stifling heat on Saturday, and collected his second Grand Champion finish since he and his wife, Kim, began competing three years ago in barbecue competitions around the Midwest. They bested 168 other competing teams in what officials from the Kansas City Barbeque Society referred to as perhaps the best and biggest event in the Midwest.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Grant Opportunity: Engaging Placemaking for Innovative Communities (EPIC)
EPIC 2023 is a pilot program funded by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission at the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation. EPIC is an opportunity for arts-driven community development projects designed to connect cross-sector local and regional stakeholders. EPIC provides technical assistance, funding, and mentorship through planning and execution.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Pittsburg Kite Festival takes off July 1
Ten thousand kites are making their way to Pittsburg all the way from India for Pittsburg’s first ever Kite Festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 1. This high-flying adventure will take place from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at Pittsburg High School. Sponsored by Al Patel with Pitt Discount Liquor and Pitt Discount Smokes along with Chirag Patel with the Pittsburg Dairy Queen, this new event is partnering with the Pittsburg Parks & Recreation Department and is free to attend. Patel is providing a kite and thread for all participants. Food trucks will also be set up at the festival for those who wish to purchase food.
Source: City of Pittsburg
Kansas Receives $451.7 Million for High Speed Broadband Infrastructure
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that Kansas will receive $451.7 million in funding to support broadband infrastructure construction to connect all Kansans, ensuring access to high-speed internet across the state. … This investment is made possible through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The BEAD Program, which is led by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) office at the U.S. Department of Commerce, will provide a total of $42.45 billion to State Broadband Offices to expand broadband to unserved areas across the country. … In anticipation of this funding, the Kansas Office of Broadband Development is completing work on strategic plans for broadband access and digital equity. Data is still being collected to better understand broadband needs, in order to deploy this funding efficiently. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development is encouraging Kansans to complete a speed test and participate in the process. To participate, residents should visit the official website, broadbandks.com, where they can complete a quick and simple online speed test. This test, which only takes a few minutes, will provide valuable data on internet connectivity throughout the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Motel owners seek city help to reopen
The Town House Motel in downtown Arkansas City may soon be back in business. The affordable motel which evolved into long-term, low-income housing for some residents, closed in December of 2020. Two of the building owners, Raju Sheth and Hasu Bhakta, approached city commissioners during a work session Friday to discuss reopening the motel. Sheth said that he had been working with building official Mike Bellis with plans to revamp and reopen the facility. A big holdup has been getting an electrician to come and make the necessary wiring improvements.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Hotel Topeka not fully in city’s hands just yet
The City of Topeka is in the process of finalizing its deal to take over Hotel Topeka. The city won an online auction bid earlier this month to acquire the hotel at $7.6 million. At the time, a city spokeswoman told KSNT 27 News that officials were finalizing the purchasing documents, then the sale would be final. After asking for a status update Thursday morning, the sale is not yet final. “Because Hotel Topeka at City Center is in receivership, the purchase has to be approved by the court. That is unlikely to occur until late July. We do not expect to have an update on whether or not the sale is final until that time.”- (Gretchen Spiker, Director of Communications for the City of Topeka) Spiker also said a request for proposals went out recently that will help the city evaluate the hotel facilities. The city previously expressed it wants to work with private partners and industry experts to develop the property. Topeka’s governing body first expressed interest in purchasing Hotel Topeka after learning it was going up for auction.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City of Readings reach continues to grow with evolution of annual Tornado Trot and Trail
What originally began as a benefit for a community impacted by a natural disaster has grown into an event with an incredible reach far beyond just the local area. The 11th annual Reading Tornado Trot and Trail took place at Reading Park Saturday morning with right around 100 participants either running or riding the route. Organizer Jan Briggs says this was easily one of the largest turnouts they have had for the event in recent memory. The Trot and Trail began back in 2011 as a benefit for the community following an EF-3 tornado that damaged the town and killed one person. Most recently the event has grown and evolved into a fundraiser benefiting Handlebars of Hope. Handlebars of Hope is a charitable organization that provides free bikes for disadvantaged residents both locally and in Mexico. Briggs says by supporting Handlebars the community now gets to play a major role in impacting the lives of so many far beyond their borders.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Wichita police use surveillance cameras to help find arrest shooting suspect in Oklahoma
Police used the Flock Safety license plate reader surveillance system to help find a 45-year-old Wichita man in Oklahoma after he was accused of shooting someone in the middle of the street in broad daylight at 18th and Chautauqua. Jeremi Mothershed will be extradited to Wichita. He has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm and aggravated battery, police said Friday. Police took the suspect vehicle description and used Flock to find a white Audi headed south toward Oklahoma. The vehicle and license plate were then relayed to law enforcement in Oklahoma. Mothershed was arrested by Norman police and booked into the jail on an unrelated charge. He had a 9mm handgun with him, Wichita police said. The shooting in Wichita happened just after 2:50 p.m. June 6 at 18th and Chautauqua. It left a 28-year-old critically injured with a gunshot wound in the upper left leg.“At the time of the incident, officers only knew that the victim was walking around the intersection … when he got into a verbal argument with a male suspect driving a white vehicle when the suspect produced a handgun and shot the victim,” police said in a news release.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wellington City Council approves $18,974 for the purchase of 20 point-blank ballistic vests
The Wellington City Council met Tuesday to clear their desks of routine purchases and resolutions before the July holiday. The first resolution of the evening completed a request from the Wellington Police Department to purchase 20 point-blank AXBIIIA ballistic vests for $18,974.40. Ballistic vests have a shelf life of five years, and this bid came in at $4,000 under budget. Police Chief Tracy Heath also stated that he would apply for a Department of Justice grant to reimburse the City for half of the cost. After that, the council approved the resolution unanimously.
Source: Sumner NewsCow
Hutchinson raises chicken count
Hutchinson residents can bring more chickens home to roost. The Hutchinson City Council voted Tuesday to increase the number of chickens a resident can own, changing it from three to eight chickens on most city properties, the Hutchinson News reported. Jim Sietnater, interim planning director, told the newspaper that keeping chickens is a growing trend. If someone wants a larger flock of chickens and has the area to do that, they can add an additional chicken for every 250 square feet. That maxes out at 20 chickens. All chickens must be fenced in, with coops being kept neat in appearance. However, roosters are still not allowed in Hutchinson, and the public slaughtering or processing of chickens remains off limits. Mayor John Richardson saw a discrepancy with the ordinance with regard to rural lands in the city, the newspaper reported. In the rural areas, there remain allowances for cattle, horses, sheep, deer, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, gamebirds, geese and other poultry. However, pigs are no longer allowed.
Source: The Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for June 23, 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.
Shawnee deputy city manager up for job in nearby Merriam
Shawnee’s Deputy City Manager and long-time city employee Caitlin Gard is the final candidate for one of the top jobs in Merriam city government. During its upcoming meeting on Monday, the Merriam City Council will vote on Gard’s appointment to serve as the assistant city administrator.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Man shot with live rounds during Cowtown gunfight slated to get $500,000 from Wichita
A man who was shot with live rounds by a fellow performer during a staged gunfight at the Old Cowtown Museum in September 2020 is expected to get $500,000 from the city. The Wichita City Council will vote on the settlement Tuesday. The victim, who was 24 at the time of the incident, was struck in the head, face and upper body with the live shotgun rounds. His injuries included a punctured aorta and pellets lodged in his skull and left eye socket, and required surgery. “The claimant has offered to accept a lump sum payment of $500,000 as full settlement of all of the claimant’s claims against the City of Wichita,” a city staff report reads…. The agenda report notes that paying the victim, whose name has not been made public, does not constitute an admission of liability from the city.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
By a narrow margin Overland Park voters OK raising sales tax for road construction
By a relatively slim margin, Overland Park voters agreed to raise the city’s sales tax to fund road construction and repair work, extra money that officials say will help slow the use of the controversial chip seal method to resurface streets. In a mail-in election that concluded Thursday, 53.4%, or 19,157 voters, agreed to raise the tax, while 46.6%, or 16,703, voted no. The city saw nearly 25% voter turnout, with 35,897 people casting ballots. The infrastructure sales tax will jump from one-eighth of a cent to three-eighths. The tax will last for 10 years, starting next April. The lower tax had been in place for 25 years and has since been approved three more times by much wider margins than this month’s vote. In 2013, 72% of voters renewed it, and 75% did so in 2008.
Source: Joco 913 News
Hutchinson residents can now keep 8 chickens, but still no roosters
The Hutchinson City Council also decided to increase the number of chickens a resident can own, changing it from three to eight chickens on most city properties. However, roosters are still not allowed in Hutchinson. Jim Sietnater, interim planning director, said keeping chickens is a growing trend. If someone wants a larger flock of chickens and has the area to do that, they can add an additional chicken for every 250 square feet. That maxes out at 20 chickens. All chickens must be fenced in, with coops being kept ‘neat’ in appearance.
Source: Hutch News
Powell Says Interest Rates Likely to Rise Further
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank didn’t raise interest rates last week as it wanted to slow down its historically rapid pace of increases, but stressed it would likely lift rates again in coming months. “We moved very quickly at the beginning, and we’ve gradually slowed down. This is just a continuation of that,” Powell said Thursday at a Senate Banking Committee hearing. The decision to hold rates steady, after 10 consecutive increases, was designed “to give ourselves more time—to stretch out the time for making these decisions.” Inflation and economic activity haven’t slowed as much as many officials anticipated this year, casting more uncertainty about how high they might lift rates. “We’re close but there’s a little further to go with rate hikes,” Powell said. At their policy meeting last week, officials left the benchmark federal-funds rate in a range between 5% and 5.25%. Most of them projected two more increases this year, which would take it to a 22-year high.
Source: WSJ.com: US Business
Officials work to deliver weather warnings to Spanish-speaking population in southwest Kansas
National Weather Service meteorologists and media professionals in southwest Kansas are working to reach more underserved populations by offering bilingual weather information. NWS-Dodge City meteorologist-in-charge Lindon Steadman said his office is creating and distributing materials, such as safety posters, that are printed in both Spanish and English. He said he is currently the only Spanish speaker working in the western Kansas weather office, in a region of the state where the population of native Spanish speakers has grown in the past decade.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Labette County obtains funding for firefighters from state insurance department
Labette County has received $91,253.76 from the Kansas Insurance Department to benefit firefighters. The department made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs), according to Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, $16,863,037.79 was distributed among 554 local FRAs throughout Kansas. “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,” Schmidt said. “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: Parsons Sun