Kansas Municipal News
New path to teaching: KSDE to pilot educator apprenticeship program
Ten candidates will this fall pilot a potential apprenticeship program that could be one of the best solutions to a rise in Kansas’ teacher vacancies. The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday heard an update on a pilot for teaching registered apprenticeship program that will tentatively start this fall. Shane Carter, director of licensure at the Kansas State Department of Education, said the program, if advanced past the pilot stage, is one of the most promising avenues he’s seen to help Kansas school districts grapple with increases in educator vacancies and a trickling pipeline of new teacher candidates.
Source: CJonline
Thousands of New Yorkers tried to win free trip to Topeka
More than 2,000 residents of the Big Apple entered a contest to win a free trip for four to Topeka. The 2,024 people entered the giveaway by Visit Topeka and Kansas Tourism after New York Mayor Eric Adams made comments Feb. 27 belittling the position of Topeka’s mayor. “I’d like to express my gratitude for the thousands of New Yorkers who’ve expressed interest in Topeka and Kansas and want to learn more about our great capital city,” said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka, on Wednesday. Visit Topeka has randomly chosen the winner’s name and is in the process of contacting that person, said India Yarborough, communications director for the Greater Topeka Partnership, of which Visit Topeka is a part.
Source: CJonline
Supply issues impact vehicle purchases for Saline County
The lingering effects of automobile industry shortages have left their mark in Saline County, most recently through the bid process for new vehicles in the county’s Sheriff’s Office. Low inventory has left local automobile dealers without the capability to supply entities that go out to bid with a more immediate need for a vehicle. Dealers are now saying that in order to ensure vehicle availability, they should be ordered in the last quarter of the year prior to the year a vehicle is needed. So, if the county wants new vehicles in 2024, dealers are suggesting the county gets bids to them in the last quarter of 2023.
Source: Salina Journal
Shawnee considers cracking down on AirBnBs
Shawnee appears poised to institute new restrictions on short-term rental properties, like AirBnBs, in many of its residential neighborhoods. The Shawnee City Council dove back into the issue during a council committee meeting Monday. No action was taken, but the majority of councilmembers signaled their desire to ban AirBnBs, VRBOs and other short-term rentals in single-family home neighborhoods. There was also some discussion about adding other requirements in areas where they could be allowed, like new fees or taxes. “This is getting kind of absurd,” council president Eric Jenkins said. “We don’t have neighborhoods so you can come in here and put mini-hotels in. It’s just not appropriate.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Prairie Band lauds court decision noting ‘arbitrary’ methods for issuing COVID-19 aid
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation welcomed a U.S. Court of Appeals decision in a challenge to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s method for distributing CARES Act assistance and the tribal chairman said the outcome could have ramifications for allocation of future federal funding. A series of lawsuits, including one by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation headquartered in Mayetta, led to the Court of Appeals’ declaration the Treasury Department engaged in an arbitrary and capricious process for calculating emergency aid. The Court of Appeals ordered the U.S. treasury secretary to provide further explanation of decisions regarding Prairie Band’s aid. Prairie Band Chairman Joseph Rupnick said the Washington, D.C., appellate court’s ruling was “clear vindication” of the Prairie Band’s legal effort to compel accurate determinations of relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. He said the Treasury Department’s disregard of tribal enrollment data as a barometer for directing aid ignored fundamental principles of federal law and policy. “This case is yet another example of tribes having to fight for what they’re rightly eligible for and only being recognized by the government after a lengthy legal struggle, which in this case required two separate trips to the Court of Appeals,” Rupnick said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Governor Kelly signs bill to raise the minimum smoking age to 21
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bipartisan bill from the legislature to raise the minimum smoking age from 18 to 21. House Bill 2269 makes changes in state law on the sale, purchase and possession of cigarettes and tobacco products. The Kansas Department of Revenue says raising the minimum age to 21 will bring the state into compliance with federal law, and that will allow federal funding to continue to be provided to Kansas for the enforcement of tobacco laws.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
City of Manhattan to pay close to $30K after losing appeal in case involving damaged mailbox
The Kansas Court of Appeals has affirmed that the City of Manhattan pay close to $30,000 in attorney fees to a local couple following their successful lawsuit over a damaged mailbox. The decision was published April 7 … The case stems from a December 2019 incident involving a city-owned snowplow that struck a stone mailbox, cracking its base. Marti Wickham and William Franz successfully sued the city and in November 2021 were awarded approximately $3,200 for the mailbox and roughly $10,000 for attorney fees.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Newspaper Editorial: Cities should encourage folks to mend, keep all sidewalks
Rules vary from town to town, but most cities at least used to require installation of sidewalks along with curb and gutter in new neighborhoods. Most at one time had rules about maintaining said sidewalks. We think it’s safe to say that those rules, regulations and ordinances are none too well enforced these days, and as a results, the ever-increasing number of walkers are mostly in the street. Sidewalks generally were and are installed on city property, the area along a street known as “the parking.” This is the tract between the edge of the right of way (often 60 feet) granted to a city in older subdivisions, as opposed to the width of the street itself, between the curbs, usually 30 feet.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Marijuana DUI’s no simple matter
The Kansas Department of Transportation put out a press release, warning drivers that driving high on marijuana is illegal. “April 20 each year marks the unofficial marijuana ‘holiday,’ which tends to see an increase in its use,” the release stated “But whether a person uses marijuana or another substance, they should never drive afterward, as driving under the influence penalties are not limited to defined alcohol concentrations.” Enforcing state law, however, is easier said than done, according to Deputy Police Chief Scott Powell.
Source: Harvey County Now
When a Kansas county wants people to plant milkweed but a city makes them rip it out
Oliver Hernandez’s front yard hums with plenty of bugs for the 12-year-old and his friends to find. “It’s kind of fun just knowing that there are lots of caterpillars in the yard,” he said. About a third of the yard looks like a teeny swath of prairie, with wild indigo, bee balm and, until recently, a key plant for monarch butterflies: common milkweed. Last fall, the city of Overland Park told Oliver’s mother to rip the milkweed out of her pollinator garden. That bummed Oliver because it’s a plant where brightly striped yellow, black and white caterpillars would appear each summer, grow fat on leaves and transform into the feather-light marvels of nature most famous for what they do next. … Across the U.S., milkweed bans are disappearing. But this Kansas suburb and plenty of other towns and cities across the Midwest continue to define it in their city codes as flora non-grata. Sometimes city, county and state rules conflict, leaving homeowners to navigate mixed messages from local governments that can’t see eye-to-eye on whether to promote milkweed or kill it off.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita toy store owner asks City to change ordinance
If you want to open a secondhand store in Wichita, some City of Wichita requirements might discourage you. For example, the City says some secondhand stores must fingerprint people who bring in used items. Derek Sorrells told the City Council that’s a problem. He owns Let’s Go Build, 2684 N. Greenwich, a store that buys, sells and trades Lego bricks. “I’m asking a mother who brings in $20 worth of Legos to submit her fingerprint,” he said. “There were many odd looks. Many odd looks. And there were frankly people who walked out the door.”
Source: KSN-TV
Andover YMCA rebuild continues following tornado
Almost a year following the Andover tornado, progress continues to rebuild the heavily damaged YMCA in the storm. The April 30, 202, the EF-3 moved through the east side of Andover, causing extensive damage to homes, an elementary school and the YMCA. Cars from the YMCA parking lot were thrown into the lobby, the roof was removed, and glass was shattered. YMCA employees that night reacted and got everyone to safety before the storm hit. Since the storm, work has been moving to rebuild the facility. The walls outside are being rebuilt with 6,375 new limestone blocks, and 22,600 square feet of glass is being installed to replace the damaged windows.
Source: KSN-TV
Property appraisal appeals increase by nearly 300 percent
Backlash from Miami County residents upset about skyrocketing property appraisals led to a spike in appeals being filed this year with the county appraiser’s office. Property owners had until the end of March to file their informal appeal, and Miami County Appraiser Justin Eimers confirmed Monday, April 10, that his office received a total of 1,205 informal appeals this year compared to 303 in 2022, an increase of nearly 300 percent. “The appeals process gives property owners a chance to address questions and concerns to the County Appraiser’s Office,” Eimers said. “I see the appeals process as an opportunity for the Appraiser’s Office to make necessary corrections to property characteristics and make any valuation changes that are warranted. Our goal is to get the value right.”
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Inflation rises just 0.1% in March and 5% from a year ago as Fed rate hikes take hold
Inflation cooled in March as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases showed more impact, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a widely followed measure of the costs for goods and services in the U.S. economy, rose 0.1% for the month against a Dow Jones estimate for 0.2%, and 5% from a year ago versus the estimate of 5.1%. Excluding food and energy, core CPI increased 0.4% and 5.6% on an annual basis, both as expected.
Source: Economy
Treasury yields fall after inflation comes in cooler than forecast in March
U.S. Treasurys were little changed on Wednesday ahead of the release of key March inflation figures that could impact future Federal Reserve policy moves, including its interest rate hiking campaign. As of 5:17 a.m. ET, the 10-year Treasury was trading at 3.439% after rising by less than 1 basis point. Meanwhile, the yield on the 2-year Treasury was down marginally at 4.054%. Yields and prices have an inverted relationship. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Finney County Historical Museum exhibit celebrates first Hispanic mayor
Garden City reached a unique milestone 50 years ago, on April 11 of 1973, when the community’s first Hispanic mayor was elected, and the Finney County Historical Museum has just opened a new exhibit telling the story of Mayor D.C. Garcia. Entitled “Making a Difference,” the display is located in the museum’s Front Door Gallery, where exhibits change four to six times each year. It is comprised of nearly 10 large-format photographic images, as well as a small collection of artifacts loaned from the Garcia family and others.
Source: Greater Garden City
Overland Park councilmember floats getting rid of city food sales tax
Overland Park City Councilmember Faris Farassati is looking to reduce or potentially eliminate the city’s sales tax on food. He says doing so would provide much-needed relief to residents dealing with a rise in property taxes, with the average home appraisal value in Johnson County up by 12% from last year. But city officials say cutting the local sales tax on food would have practical ramifications on Overland Park’s budget and may not even be possible under state law. Another councilmember called the proposal patently “illegal.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Municipal Bond Trends for April 11, 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.
Medicine Lodge is purchasing and re-opening local drive-in theater
Source: William Daily, City Administrator
Garden City’s Downtown Plan receives update at meeting
The Garden City Commission approved an update for the Garden City Downtown Plan at its regular meeting on April 4. The plan presented was an update on the 2013 Downtown Plan, which goes along with the city’s Comprehensive Plan and focuses on development and improvements in the Center Business District. It also establishes goals for the downtown for the next 10-20 years. Britt Palmberg, director of planning with RICK Engineering Company, presented the updated plan. … One conclusion from the meetings and engagements is that people saw the downtown as the heart of the community, Palmberg said. “They want to bring it to life, they still see it as the heart of the city and really there is a need for assorted amenities and programs to help retailers and those visiting businesses downtown,” he said. “Also, people see the need for vitality and character both inward and outward, which again, speaks to redevelopment of the downtown and to stimulate areas that lead to the downtown.” The point of the plan is not to just look at creating new, shiny objects and events in the downtown, Palmberg said, it’s also about stimulating and helping the existing retailers to “get over the hump and get to the next level.”
Source: GC Telegram