Municipal News & Jobs

Bars in Shawnee County are now allowed to remain open until midnight seven days a week. Those modified hours became possible following a 2-1 vote Thursday morning by Shawnee County commissioners to adopt a resolution that amends hours set by a county health order issued in early July….The previous health order — created by Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino and the Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team, in consultation with some bar owners — had allowed bars to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The resolution approved Thursday is effective immediately and allows bars to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Saturday. While three additional hours of business each week might not seem like much, Abigail’s Grill & Bar owner Frankie Saiya said those hours could have a big impact.
via Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Wichita’s two big movie theater chains are reopening next week — for real this time. Both Regal, which owns the three Warren Theatres, and AMC, which owns the Northrock 14, have announced that their theaters will be reopening, one day apart. … The two chains had announced plans to open once before — in mid-July — but then COVID-19 cases started to spike and they changed their plans. Both chains plan to follow increased safety precautions, including mandatory masks for staff and customers. Both chains detail their new procedures on their websites.
via Wichita Eagle

Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday that the issue of whether the state could mandate all students to wear masks when they return to in-person classes isn’t resolved, despite an opinion from the attorney general contradicting her efforts at a statewide mandate. Kelly’s said during a virtual roundtable with teachers as districts finalize their preparations to resume classes that she thought a “more definitive” solution could come into place than the current standoff with Attorney General Derek Schmidt, although she did elaborate on what that could look like. What she didn’t want, however, was a lawsuit over the matter. “I don’t want another lawsuit, I want to appeal to the attorney general to put the health and safety of Kansans first,” she told reporters following the event. “An opinion is exactly that, it is an opinion.”
via News – Salina Journal

The Kansas Board of Regents approved two separate amounts of money Thursday morning in order to help schools during the coronavirus pandemic. The board approved $26 million to be sent to the six state universities and their specialized schools. That includes the University of Kansas, Kansas State, Wichita State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State, and Fort Hays State. This money is part of the CARES Act that Congress passed and the president signed. Governor Kelly approved sending the full amount to schools. The money can be used to provide emergency support through grants to the schools to continue to provide educational services and the ongoing functionality of the institution. An additional $64 million of CARES Act money was approved for the schools to make necessary preparations to deliver in-person instruction and prepare for campus operations in the Fall 2020 semester.
via KSN-TV

City of Lawrence leaders say they are interested in strengthening the city’s rental inspection program, which currently inspects very few of the city’s more than 21,000 rental properties. As part of their work session Tuesday evening, city commissioners all agreed Lawrence’s rental inspection program is inadequate, and that they are interested in increasing the number of units inspected and making other changes. Because of the way the current program is set up, the city inspected about 1% of the city’s rental properties last year.
Read more LJWorld.com.

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 and Beth Warren.

Local restaurants, bars, and retail shops are getting some relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Wichita is rolling out “Open Air ICT” which will allow businesses to use on-site parking, sidewalks, and streets near the venues for free. This will give businesses the opportunity to maximize the space around their location to help customers stay safe while practicing social distancing. “I think it’s going to show a big improvement in business in general,” said Delano’s Diner Manager, Amber Almos. “Most places that I’ve been to and even here at the diner itself we’ve only been seating at a 50% capacity and this way it opens up a lot more doors for us you know with being able to seat guests outside.”

via KSN-TV

About 900 Spirit AeroSystems workers who have been on unpaid furloughs for 60 days are scheduled to report back to work Friday. Originally announced as 21-day furloughs in early June, the furloughs were extended by Spirit (NYSE: SPR) on June 25 to 60 days. Furloughs, along with thousands of layoffs, are due to both the production halt of the Boeing 737 MAX at the first of the year and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. In an update on its website Tuesday, Spirit notified furloughed employees that they will report back on their previous schedule, shift and work location unless otherwise notified. Employees are required to wear a face covering while at work.
via Wichita Business Journal

Sedgwick County commissioners approved a plan Wednesday to make safe-operating grants of up to $5,000 available to small businesses beginning next week. The allocations will go up to a total of $5 million, which is part of an additional $9.3 million in federal CARES Act funding given to the county because it has the state’s highest employment rate after the effects of Covid-19. The county originally received $99.6 million in funding. The county surveyed businesses this summer for their most pressing needs in responding to the pandemic’s effects, which have taken a toll on restaurants, bars and many other hospitality and retail sectors. Of the 140 responses, the priorities were cash, personal protective equipment and supplies, training and workforce development, and Covid-19 testing.
via Wichita Business Journal

The Hutchinson Correctional Facility Central Unit is on lockdown after 84 residents and 10 staff tested positive for the coronavirus this week. The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) says a total of 99 residents and 17 staff have tested positive since the pandemic began. Five residents and 7 staff have recovered. The KDOC says all the positive cases are asymptomatic. KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda says they have consulted with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). New steps include: All residents in the Central Unit will remain locked in their cells, necessary movement will be done in cohort groups, essential resident workers in laundry and food service will continue to operate on a limited schedule, some residents may be relocated to Lansing Correctional Facility’s COVID-19 Medical Unit
via KSN-TV

After accepting just over $11 million for coronavirus relief last month from the state of Kansas, the Saline County Commission approved how that funding will be divided Tuesday. The funding comes from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund and passed through the state. Saline County administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the county received over 100 applications for funding, which were submitted to an advisory committee set up by the county commission last month.
via News – Salina Journal

City of Lawrence sanitation workers will soon vote on whether to unionize. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to adopt a resolution setting dates for the election for later in August. Teamsters Local 696 recently filed a petition with the city on behalf of the city’s 70 sanitation workers, whose duties include handling trash, recycling and yard waste collection, asking that the city conduct a union election…
Read more: LJWorld.com.

Kansas State University will not implement mandatory COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff upon returning to campus this fall, according to Dr. Kyle Goerl, medical director at Lafene Health Center. “It doesn’t seem to do much good to test an entire group of individuals once with no plan to do further surveillance testing,” Goerl said during a Virtual Town Hall Meeting put on by K-State officials Tuesday. “And so, we have elected no to do that at Kansas State.” This route is different than the one being taken by the University of Kansas, which is requiring everyone returning to campus to get tested for COVID-19 before fall classes begin. K-State will still test people who show symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
via 1350 KMAN

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 and Beth Warren.

Boy Scout Matthew Whittaker will be building a trap shooting range in Sabetha. … Whittaker presented to the commissioners about his idea of building a trap shooting range in Sabetha to complete his Eagle Scout Project. The proposed location for the range is east of the water treatment plant. M. Whittaker said the project is estimated to cost around $10,000 – $4,500 for the trap shooting machine and $5,500 for the concrete work and building.
via Sabetha Herald

Shawnee is planning an overhaul to its downtown program that incentivizes commercial improvements. Revisions to the city’s policy would simplify financial incentive packages for downtown businesses and increase reimbursable expenses. City staff, in conjunction with the Shawnee Downtown Partnership, had proposed numerous revisions to the policy after reviewing the program this summer.  …Adopted by the city in 2003, the Downtown Improvement Program is an incentive policy designed to encourage businesses to invest in their buildings to make the downtown area more attractive, according to city documents. The policy provides financial incentives to downtown businesses to assist them with costs toward improvements that maintain their appearance.
via Shawnee Mission Post

Keep those masks on, Wichita. The City Council on Tuesday extended the city’s mask mandate until after the Labor Day weekend as the fight continues against the COVID-19 pandemic. The council vote was 4-3 to continue requiring masks for employees and patrons of most public-facing businesses and indoor gatherings until Sept. 8.
via Wichita Eagle

In an effort to prop up dining and drinking establishments hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wichita City Council has approved a plan to make it easier for them to take their business outside. The new program, called Open Air ICT, will allow businesses to get a free permit to expand into outdoor spaces in city right-of-way, including streets, grassy areas, sidewalks and parking lots adjacent to their businesses, said Gary Janzen, city engineer. Restaurants and bars are forecast to be the biggest beneficiaries, although the permits could also be used for outdoor display of retail goods.
via Wichita Eagle

After six hours of public comment and debate, Wichita City Council approved its annual budget without any major changes. The Wichita Police Department got a multi-million-dollar increase while the rest of the city budget was cut by millions of dollars, despite dozens of opposition speakers and weeks of protests calling for cuts to the police budget and more spending on social services. … The City Council signed off on cutting 29 city jobs and privatizing management of Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, a measure that is projected to save $5.7 million over the next two-and-half years.
via Wichita Eagle

A nearly $5 million federal grant award made public Tuesday will enable the Topeka Metro bus service to take steps that include replacing seven buses in its aging fleet.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded a grant totaling $4,987,500 to Topeka Metro from its Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2020. “With the funding we receive from this grant, Topeka Metro will be able to improve our operations by replacing a portion of our aging bus fleet, while also investing in technology to enhance communication with our bus operators,” said Topeka Metro general manager Bob Nugent.
via Topeka Capital-Journal

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today issued a formal legal opinion addressing the authority of boards of county commissioners and local school boards to adopt public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in local public and private schools that include provisions different from executive orders issued by the governor. …
Synopsis: Because Executive Order 20-59 is a statewide order relating to public health, boards of county commissioners have statutory authority under L. 2020 Special Session, Ch. 1, § 33 to issue an order relating to public health that is less stringent than the provisions of Executive Order 20-59, if the required statutory findings are made. Boards of county commissioners, acting as a county board of health, also have authority under L. 2020 Special Session, Ch. 1, §§ 37 and 38, to review, amend, or revoke any orders issued by a local health officer as a result of an executive order of the governor. In addition, local public schools also may obtain such flexibility from their local school boards, which ordinarily have statutory and constitutional authority to adopt local policies governing matters such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and temperature taking in local schools, and Executive Order 20-59 has not displaced that preexisting local authority.
The opinion is available at http://ag.ks.gov/opinions.

The City of Wichita is offering a new program, Open Air ICT, to support local businesses and protect public health during the pandemic, the City announced Tuesday. The Wichita City Council approved the program Tuesday which will allow restaurants, bars, and retail stores to apply for a free permit to use the adjacent sidewalks, streets, and on-site parking. Businesses may use the areas for shopping, dining, drinking, and advertising. The permit will help businesses provide safer environments for their customers to social distance.
via KSN-TV

The Harvey County Commission voted unanimously at its commission meeting today to extend a local order requiring face masks be worn in Harvey County through Sept. 15 in a continued effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The order requires individuals to wear a face mask over their nose and mouth in any indoor or outdoor public space where social distance of 6 feet cannot be maintained at all times. “We really appreciate everyone that is doing their part to promote community public health by wearing a face mask,” said Dr. Doyle Detweiler, the public health officer for Harvey County.
via Harvey County Now

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 and Beth Warren.

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 and Beth Warren.

The largest underwriter in the $3.9 trillion municipal-bond market says the rally is about to face a crucial hurdle. Bank of America Corp. analysts Yingchen Li and Ian Rogow said they’re watching to see what happens if 10-year benchmark yields hit 0.5% — a threshold that may mark a test of whether investors continue stampeding into the market. Such pricing milestones are often watched in other markets, from stocks to mortgages, as a sort of psychological test of whether investors will shift gear if prices seem to heady or payouts too low.
Read more: Yahoo Finance.

A recently opened park named in honor of 19th-century Baldwin City mayor Lucy Sullivan now has a new piece of public art to pay tribute to her life and legacy. About 30 people gathered Saturday morning for the unveiling of a bench with a mural depicting Sullivan and scenes associated with her term as mayor and life in Baldwin City. … “Lucy Sullivan was the third woman elected mayor in this county,” said Jeannette Blackmar, executive director of the Lumberyard Arts Center in Baldwin City. “She was elected with an all-women city council.” Sullivan and the four-woman city council were elected in 1889, two years after Kansas first allowed women to vote in municipal elections and stand for city offices. One of the women’s campaign promises was to build a bridge over Tauy Creek, which separates the city’s railroad depot from its downtown. Crossing the creek muddied the long dresses and coats women of the day wore.
Read more: LJWorld.com.