Kansas Municipal News
W. Kansas town reminisces 50 years after being featured in ‘Paper Moon’
The town of Wilson is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie “Paper Moon.” Locations in the Ellsworth County town served as settings for the movie and some locals are in the movie as extras. This Friday, May 5, the Midland Hotel in Wilson is hosting the 50th anniversary celebration for the movie starring actor Ryan O’Neil and his daughter, actress Tatum O’Neil. “The Midland is very lucky in that we played a major role in what happened in the film, so we can have that here,” said Wilson Tourism Hub Director Melinda Merrill. The hotel was used for filming and much more.
Source: KWCH
Fed increases rates a quarter point and signals a potential end to hikes
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved its 10th interest rate increase in just a little over a year and dropped a tentative hint that the current tightening cycle is at an end. In a unanimous decision widely expected by markets, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee raised its benchmark borrowing rate by 0.25 percentage point. The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but feeds through to many consumer debt products such as mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
GPT in local government: The age of hyper productivity in government has begun
Seems like everyone is talking about ChatGPT nowadays. It’s the hot new buzzword, and the source for anything from delighting examples of writing rhymed poems about any topic, to people worried it’s the harbinger of doom. GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a machine that generates human-like text based on a given text. GPT is pre-trained on vast amounts of data to develop a comprehensive understanding of language patterns and structures, enabling it to generate coherent and contextually relevant responses that are mostly accurate but not always. However, it is surprisingly good at things like summarizing text and data tables, supplying human-like answers to casual questions in a chat, and even describing images and can even pass the LSAT exam for you. There have been a few versions of GPT out there, and the most advanced version that exists at the time of writing is GPT version 4, or GPT-4.
Source: ELGL
Governor Kelly Announces $30 Million to Increase High-Speed Internet Availability
Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced a new program aimed at helping Kansas communities that lack high-speed internet. The Lasting Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (LINC) program will provide $30 million in competitive funding opportunities to build the infrastructure needed for more homes and businesses to access broadband. “This investment builds on my administration’s commitment to bring critical high-speed internet to every corner of the state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These funds will ensure that reliable internet is available regardless of location so every Kansan can participate in the global economy.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Derby City Council, staff work on honing next sales tax ballot question
Starting in March, staff and the Derby City Council began to take measures to shape the ballot question regarding a new sales tax (with the current Derby Difference sales tax to expire in 2024). With the council in general agreement to pursue a new 1% sales tax to be voted on in the 2023 general election, staff brought forward three usage options for where exactly to dedicate those funds in the city, which the council considered at its April 25 meeting.
Source: Derby Informer | News
City commission approves design contract for $10 million fire station project
Preliminary design work on a proposed $10 million fire station build and renovation project in Emporia was given the greenlight Wednesday, when Emporia City Commissioners approved a design contract between the city and Lenexa-based firm Archimages for architectural services. Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck said Archimages was one of three firms that submitted requests for qualification for the project, which will move Fire Station No. 1 from the southeast side of the Civic Auditorium into a newly constructed building — possibly in the 500 block of Market Street.
Source: Emporia Gazette
City makes moves toward increased housing options
The Hiawatha City Commission met last Monday, with the group making a pair of decisions that will begin to address the housing crisis in town. The Commission authorized City Administrator Becky Berger to sign a development agreement with The Anderson Group, LLC for duplex development, and also voted to create an ordinance forming a Housing Rehabilitation Advisory Board, consisting of the Hiawatha City Administrator, the Director of the Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development and other at-large stakeholders.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Wednesday marks 24 years since deadly Haysville tornado
On this day in 1999, an F-4 tornado ripped through the heart of Haysville. The tornado touched down about four miles north of Wellington and tracked north for 24 miles, according to the National Weather Service. The storm was so powerful that winds were estimated between 207 to 260 miles per hour. Debris was found as far north as the College Hill area in Wichita. Overall, the tornado killed six people and damaged 150 homes and 27 businesses.
Source: KAKE – News
Construction at Wichita’s Northwest Water Treatment Facility is on schedule
Construction at Wichita’s Northwest Water Treatment Facility is on schedule. The new $500 million plant, near 21st Street and Hoover, will replace the city’s 80-year-old water plant that is at risk of failing, and it will serve nearby communities. Work by Wichita Water Partners began at the location back in October 2020. On Wednesday, KSN News toured the site and was able to speak to those involved with the construction.
Source: KSN-TV
Louisburg may get its own dog park
Dog owners in Louisburg soon may have a new park to take their furry friends. Work is paying off for a group of community members who have spent the past several months organizing a campaign to get an off-leash dog park built in Louisburg. It started with a Facebook group called “Friends of Louisburg Dog Park” and has evolved into a committee working closely with members of the Louisburg City Council and Louisburg Park & Tree Board. Louisburg residents Jessica Crozier and Michelle Olson have been spearheading the effort for about nine months.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
McGowin sworn in as Louisburg’s new city clerk
Jessica McGowin is Louisburg’s new city clerk, and she also will continue her duties as utilities clerk for the city. McGowin was sworn in as the newly appointed city clerk after recent action taken by the Louisburg City Council. Kelly Bond had been serving as temporary acting city clerk…
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Johnson County homelessness advocates urge chair Mike Kelly to take action
Local religious leaders on Tuesday night pressed Johnson County Chairman Mike Kelly to take action to address mental health, homelessness and affordable housing in the Kansas City area’s wealthiest county. The Good Faith Network, an interfaith coalition of 27 local congregations and houses of worship, is seeking commitments from Kelly on a number of items, including plans for a mental health crisis stabilization center and the use of state and federal funds to address housing issues in Johnson County. On Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered at Leawood’s United Methodist Church of the Resurrection for a “Nehemiah Assembly,” billed as the “largest gathering for justice in Johnson County.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
USD 232 mulls plan to deal with middle school overcrowding
In the future, USD 232 in De Soto could send some middle schoolers living in Lenexa to Lexington Trails Middle School in De Soto. The move would be a proactive step to deal with anticipated overcrowding at Mill Creek Middle School, which currently pulls students from Riverview Elementary as well as some students from Mize and Horizon elementary schools. This week, the attendance boundary issue was an alert item on the school board’s agenda, which means it was not voted on or discussed at length, but it could come back for approval as soon as June.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Winfield to celebrate 150th anniversary
The City of Winfield will celebrate its Sesquicentennial on Saturday. The first Winfield City Council was formed in 1873. It became a cultural center in Kansas by hosting numerous Chautauquas in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Strother Field became the airbase for over 3,000 Army Air Force personnel and civilian employees during World War II, many of whom called Winfield home.
Source: KSN-TV
Federal Reserve Raises Rates, Signals Potential Pause
Federal Reserve officials signaled they might be done raising interest rates for now after approving another increase at their meeting that concluded Wednesday. “People did talk about pausing, but not so much at this meeting,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference. “We feel like we’re getting closer or maybe even there.” The unanimous decision marked the Fed’s 10th consecutive rate increase aimed at battling inflation and brings its benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 5% and 5.25%, a 16-year high.
Source: WSJ.com: US Business
Municipal Bond Trends for May 3, 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.
Cities, Towns and Villages Are Innovating to Adapt to the Changing Retail Landscape
The National League of Cities today released The Future of Cities: Adapting to Changes in the Retail Landscape, a report that analyzes the post-pandemic retail economy in cities, towns and villages nationwide. The report found that changes in central business districts have been profound, due in part to the rates of in-office work in certain geographies, and that recoveries have been uneven. “The difference in the ways that cities have recovered from the pandemic is striking and has local leaders rethinking the best ways they can support continued growth in their communities,” said NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony.
Source: nlc.org
KHP’s ‘two-step’ technique for launching vehicle searches challenged on constitutional grounds
“You guys have a safe trip,” [Trooper] Rohr said. “Drive careful.” The video shows Rohr took a few steps toward the rear of the RV before spinning back to engage Erich again. It’s known as the Kansas Two-Step — a technique taught KHP personnel to signal termination of a routine traffic stop and initiation of a separate effort to elicit information and gain entry to a vehicle to search for contraband. … [Plaintiffs are] contesting KHP’s reliance on the two-step method to question motorists in anticipation of building reasonable suspicion and compelling involuntary searches of suspect vehicles. KHP policy has clashed with a 2016 decision in the 10th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals that instructed the Kansas law enforcement agency to cease reliance on unreliable methods of detaining motorists for criminal searches.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Great Bend’s council backs raising city minimum wage
While many unknowns remain concerning the City of Great Bend’s 2023 budget, the City Council Monday night gave tacit approval of a plan that would raise the minimum wage for starting city employees to $15.50. The goal would be to make the pay more in line with other employers. The increase was the subject of a council work session following its agenda meeting. No final action could be taken. “This is really just an attempt to be more competitive in the in the job market,” Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. The idea was born of Barton County’s raising its minimum wage to $15.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Erosion issues leave county ‘between a rock and a hard spot’
Cost increases, slow government approval and a lack of payment or extension guarantees have left Harvey County up the river without a paddle on an erosion mitigation and repair project. The county applied for a Federal Emergency Management Agency program to pay 75 percent of the costs of mitigating and repairing erosion in East Park, as well as erosion caused by the Little Arkansas River in West Park. A 2019 flood caused seven areas of erosion, and three sections threaten to swallow the roadway in West Park.
Source: Harvey County Now