Kansas Municipal News
Residents of Lawrence’s Pinkney neighborhood concerned about plans for homeless shelter site
Residents of Lawrence’s Pinkney neighborhood and staff at a nearby preschool are questioning the site where the city plans to place a “village” for people experiencing homelessness, and how the project would be managed. The city has its sights set on the former location of Veritas Christian School, 256 N. Michigan St., for its Pallet Shelter Village. The land purchase and project, estimated at $1.84 million and to be paid from federal COVID-19 relief funds, is now on a timeline to provide temporary cabin-style sheltering for up to 75 people starting this July, pending Lawrence City Commission approval.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Local businesses playing a role in Hutchinson economy after recent layoffs
Recent closures and layoffs in Hutchinson have brought up questions about the local economy and the future of the town. The director at StartUp Hutch says that local businesses are often overlooked in how they drive the local economy, and those businesses are providing jobs that are different than those at a corporation. Jackson Swearer says the local businesses are typically run by people right there in the community, having an impact on more than just their customers.
Source: KSN-TV
Fed poised to approve quarter-point rate hike next week, despite market turmoil
Even with turmoil in the banking industry and uncertainty ahead, the Federal Reserve likely will approve a quarter percentage point interest rate increase next week, according to market pricing and many Wall Street experts. Rate expectations have been on a rapidly swinging pendulum over the past two weeks, varying from a half-point hike to holding the line and even at one point some talk that the Fed could cut. However, a consensus has emerged that Chairman Jerome Powell and his fellow central bankers will want to signal that while they are attuned to the financial sector upheaval, it’s important to continue the fight to bring down inflation. That likely will take the form of a 0.25 percentage point, or 25 basis point, increase, accompanied by assurances that there’s no pre-set path ahead.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Municipal market contemplates fallout from banking crisis
“The failure of Silicon Valley Bank along with Silvergate Bank and the Signature Bank of New York has created what is possibly an inflection point in the bond markets,” John Mousseau, president and director of fixed income at Cumberland Advisors, wrote in a commentary Wednesday noting the flight to quality. “The effect on the fixed-income markets has been nothing short of astonishing.” The crisis cut a wide swath across the market with … daily shifts in tax-exempt movement sometimes aligned with Treasury fluctuations and sometimes against. Some believe regional banks could face intensified scrutiny that stands to impact their role in the municipal market, but that remains to be seen. … While federal intervention has managed to tamp down worries and the crisis doesn’t bear striking resemblances to the 2008 financial crisis — that took down Wall Street investment banking behemoths Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns — it has stirred up painful memories.
Source: The Bond Buyer
One year after the first rate hike, the Fed stands at policy crossroads
The Federal Reserve is one year down its rate-hiking path, and in some ways it’s both closer and further away from its goals when it first set sail. Exactly one year ago, on March 16, 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee enacted the first of what would be eight interest rate increases. The goal: to arrest a stubborn inflation wave that central bank officials spent the better part of a year dismissing as “transitory.” In the year since, inflation as measured by the consumer price index has come down some, from an 8.5% annual rate then to 6% now and trending lower. While that’s progress, it still leaves the Fed well short of its 2% goal. “The Fed will acknowledge that they were late to the game, that inflation has been more persistent than they were expecting. So they probably should have tightened sooner,” said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. “That being said, given the fact the Fed has tightened as aggressively as they have, the economy is still very good.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Central Topeka Grocery Oasis to lease land for planned grocery store
A new agreement for a grocery store in central Topeka has been established. After the former Dillons, 1400 S.W. Huntoon closed its doors seven years ago, it left residents of the central Topeka neighborhood with nowhere to shop for fresh produce. GraceMed Capitol Family Clinic, purchased the then-vacant building and opened the facility almost two years later. Residents said Dillions served as the only full-service grocery store in the entire central Topeka area. The Capital-Journal reported in 2021 that leaders of Central Topeka Grocery Oasis Group and GraceMed were working on a location for a new grocery store, and they were still early in the planning process.
Source: CJonline
Derby officials say limited information was accessed in January system breach
Derby officials said a limited amount of information may have been accessed during a computer system breach that was discovered in mid-January, but there’s no indication that this information was misused. The city discovered a computer network disruption on January 14th, and this affected some systems. The disruption affected email services and caused utility bills to go out late. City officials said the information that was affected included residents’ names, addresses and personally identifiable information. There is no evidence of actual misuse of this information and there’s no indication that it will be misused in the future. As a cautionary step, the city is sending notices to potentially affected people with a posting on Twitter and Facebook. The city has also implemented additional security measures within its computer network and at city facilities.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
There is every reason to trust your community banks today
Residents of small towns in Kansas might think that the much-talked-about banking crisis, currently in the headlines, might not affect them. For the most part, they would be correct. But bad practices at the Silicon Valley Bank and the Signature Bank found themselves unable to supply money to their depositors who were depending upon their funds to operate private businesses. Quick action by the Federal Reserve and FDIC led to action by the Federal Government to guarantee all deposits in both banks, and hopefully, avoid the same crisis among other lending institutions. While both banks have been seized and placed up for sale, there is every reason to think our borrowing, depositing and check writing can continue, without delay, among banks across America. That brings us back to where most Kansas banks are today — in private hands, as community banks. They did not get heavily invested into crypto financing, as SVB and Signature did. And, community bankers still know their reason for existence, which is to serve the consumers who make deposits and borrow funds through their banks.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
‘We’ve done so much work’: Amtrak potentially making its way through Wichita
The last time Wichita saw an Amtrak train moving through its neighborhoods was in 1979. Over 40 years later the rumble and whistles could be back. “We’ve done so much work locally and regionally to prepare Kansas, Department of Transportation, and Oklahoma Department of Transportation to agree that they think that this is a worthy solicitation for those two states to join together to pursue,” said Sedgwick County Commissioner, Pete Meitzner.
Meitzner said financial issues such as ridership and cost caused the cancellation of many routes. He added whenever there is not enough revenue to cover the cost, the states make up for it. Meitzner said times have changed and Amtrak has made technological advances. He said he’s confident ridership will be up. The Federal Railroad Association (FRA) has approximately 51 billion in grant funding. Meitzner said Oklahoma and Kansas are going to have to split the cost. The grant will pay 80 percent of that cost.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas Supreme Court to make rare visit to rural Kansas
The Kansas Supreme Court is set to visit a town in north central Kansas for the first time in its 162-year history. The justices on the Kansas Supreme Court will travel to Concordia to conduct a special evening session on April 11, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch’s website. This visit is meant to help familiarize Kansans with the court, its work and the overall role played by the Kansas Judiciary. The session will last from 6:30 p.m. to around 8 p.m. at the Concordia High School.
All members of the public are invited to attend the special session to learn more about the court as it hears oral arguments in two cases. When the hearing concludes, the justices will greet the public during an informal reception.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Emporia residents urged to help set city’s ‘action plan’ during next week’s visioning meetings
Emporians are asked to give their thoughts on community needs and goals during a pair of visioning meetings on the calendar next week. … This part of the process connected to funding through the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge approved for Emporia back in November. The RDA is working with Atlas Community Studios on the grant, which is being split between Emporia and Tunica County, Mississippi. The USDA expects results of the grant to include an analysis of broadband Internet capacity for homes and businesses, strategy development to improve local housing, new or enhanced cultural and recreational amenities, strengthened workforce development and establishing a peer exchange network.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Sales tax cut would cost Humboldt
In late February, the Kansas Senate passed a measure, Senate Bill 248, that eliminates the collection of sales taxes on food for cities and counties as well as that charged by the state. The difference to Humboldt would be about $52,000 garnered from its 1.75% sales tax on designated grocery items. Humboldt collected $462,000 in sales tax revenues for 2022. While that may appear negligible, the fact that state legislators can order such a change goes against the people’s will, Humboldt city administrator Cole Herder said. “It’s not good policy. The people of Humboldt voted to have that tax, and now you have legislators who may not even know where Humboldt is, telling them they are going to cancel that election. Humboldt city administrator Cole Herder talks about a Kansas Senate proposal that would eliminate the collection of sales taxes on food for cities and counties as well as that charged by the state. The measure has been tabled.
Source: The Iola Register
Lawrence City Commission to consider land purchase, zoning and code exemption for Pallet Shelter Village
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider a $725,000 land purchase, a contract for $1.11 million of temporary shelters for people experiencing homelessness, and a resolution suspending zoning and code enforcement on that property for a year. The commission in December approved budgeting $4.5 million of American Rescue Plan Act money — federal COVID-19 relief funds — to purchase modular homes from Pallet, a Washington state-based “Public Benefit Corporation.” The modular Pallet homes, which will include a heating and cooling source but no bathrooms, will be part of a “village setting” that includes restrooms, laundry, shower and community gathering facilities and support service offices.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Western JoCo development at K-10/Ridgeview paves the way to future opportunity
Two decades ago, Ridgeview Road was a humble gravel road in western Lenexa. By 2020, a $30 million extension transformed it into a path of opportunity for 600 acres of all types of development. The area around the Kansas Highway 10 and Ridgeview interchange now is awash in projects either under construction or approved. News that Panasonic Ltd. is bringing a $4 billion, 4,000-job EV-battery plant down the highway undoubtedly will increase interest in the intersection. But the megaproject isn’t what triggered the current activity. “There was natural growth that was coming this way, whether it’s one plant or several companies over five to 10 years from now,” Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm said. “A boom of development was probably going to happen on the K-10 corridor anyway.”
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for March 16, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.
Emporia gets a bit more magical
Emporia Main Street, along with several local businesses, have become the new homes for a collection of Fairy Doors. The community is invited to come downtown starting this week and look high and low (well mostly low) around local businesses for some new and colorful installations. Emporia Main Street launched this concept to provide the community and visitors a fun, free activity to do while visiting downtown and surrounding businesses. “We had such a great response to our interactive murals, and we wanted to produce another initiative that would draw people downtown,” explains Jessica Buchholz, Community Development Coordinator for Emporia Main Street. “The Urban Fairy Door project is designed to generate more foot traffic for our local businesses. We know if we can get more people in front of a business they are more likely to patronize that business and spend their dollars locally.”
Source: Emporia Gazette
Burrton considering request for Sunday liquor sales
Lisa Cokeley, owner of The Wet Spot, asked the Burrton City Council to consider making Sunday sales legal at its March 7 meeting. She later explained that the fact that other little towns in the region already allowed Sunday sales meant that it could be a good opportunity for the business she and her husband purchased about a month ago. She said she didn’t know what legal hoops she or the city would have to jump through to make it a reality. “I’ve talked to others who are doing very well on Sunday sales around here,” she said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Commissioners open to changes in how back taxes are collected
The Board of Harvey County Commissioners appeared willing to consider County Treasurer Becky Fields’s request to change how tax foreclosure actions are handled for people who are behind in their property taxes. Fields asked commissioners three times, including the past two weeks, to repeal the charter amendment the county enacted in May 2019 because she said any taxes paid get applied to the most recent tax bill owed. “That doesn’t help them, because it puts them in a tax sale,” she said. Fields said she wanted the county to follow the state statute whereby someone behind on property taxes could pay the oldest taxes due first to get their property out of risk of a tax foreclosure sale. She noted that the law allowed the county to seek a foreclosure action if a property owner owed five years of back taxes.
Source: Harvey County Now
North Newton considering breaking away from planning and zoning, historic preservation commissions
North Newton Mayor Ron Braun said during the regular city council meeting Monday that allowing North Newton and Newton to have their own planning and zoning and historic preservation commissions is a matter of positivity. Currently, both towns have representatives on each of those commissions. He said the matter was formally brought up last year, and it’s just meant for each entity to deal with matters regarding their own towns. Newton takes up about 98 percent of the agendas anyway, he said. “Now the conversation focuses really not encumbering one city with another city’s agenda,” he said during the meeting.
Source: Harvey County Now
Find the economic impact of the Kansas airport nearest you
If you have ever wondered how vital an airport can be to a Kansas town, no matter how big or small, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has the answer. For example, Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport supports 20,583 jobs and has an economic output of $6.1 billion.
| Other Airports | Jobs Supported | Economic Output |
| Topeka Regional | 1,774 | $199.9 million |
| Salina Regional | 640 | $31.9 million |
| Garden City Regional | 232 | $44.5 million |
| Great Bend Municipal | 137 | $22.2 million |
| Hays Regional | 170 | $22 million |
| Goodland Municipal | 128 | $29.8 million |
“Every airport serves a unique and important role for their community,” Bob Brock, KDOT director of aviation, said in a news release. “It is this uniqueness that makes credible data on individual airports even more important to local, state and national decision-makers.” KDOT’s Division of Aviation worked with industry experts to get a close-up look at all 140 public-use airports across Kansas and put the details on a new website. The data includes the economic impact on the community, the condition of the runways and which ones need improvements.
Source: KSN-TV