Kansas Municipal News
Topeka offers free trip to Capital City for New York City residents
Residents of New York City could be visiting the capital of Kansas for free following remarks from NYC Mayor Eric Adams earlier this week. Bob Ross with the Greater Topeka Partnership said Visit Topeka and Kansas Tourism have partnered together to offer a free trip to Topeka after NYC Mayor Eric Adams mentioned the Capital City during a recent speech. … The offer was extended to all residents of the Big Apple including the five boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, according to Ross. NYC residents are eligible for the chance to win an all-inclusive three-day, two-night stay in Topeka. The visit will include roundtrip airfare for four people out of nearby Kansas City. This will also include hotel accommodations, tickets to local attractions and $500 in gift certificates to local restaurant and retail spots. “We look forward to welcoming the Mayor of New York City to Topeka one day,” said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka. “The mayor, like many New Yorkers, may not realize everything Topeka has to offer. We decided to do something about that by partnering with Kansas Tourism to offer residents of New York City the opportunity to try out Topeka, and the great state of Kansas, for themselves!”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Bar-hopping, liquor on Sundays: Kansas pushes to change alcohol laws
Kansas lawmakers are moving forward with several bills to rewrite alcohol laws in the state. The Kansas House voted 116 to six to pass House Bill 2059 on Thursday. The proposal could change where people drink alcohol in the state. In some cases, it could mean buying a drink at a local bar, then walking down the street with your drink in hand. “Local governing bodies are best situated to interact with stakeholders and make decisions on how best to build out and police common consumption areas,” said Representative Ron Bryce, R-Coffeyville, who carried the bill. The bill makes changes to the Kansas Club and Drinking Establishment Act’s provisions related to common consumption areas to remove the requirement that a city or county require that the portions of common consumption areas on public streets or roadways be blocked from motorized traffic during events. Supporters of the legislation said the change would allow cities to designate larger and more open areas for events with common consumption area permits and to attract additional patrons.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Tammy Baird ready for new title, new responsibilities at USD 386 Madison-Virgil
As her education career has developed, Tammy Baird says she didn’t consider being a superintendent until recently — and it wasn’t originally her idea. After serving as Madison-Virgil’s junior-senior high school principal the last two years, she applied to be superintendent and was approved by the board as part of a short interview process earlier this week. The biggest immediate challenge facing Madison-Virgil is recruiting and retaining teachers. She wants to push to have the district in a good financial and academic position so students can be successful after high school. She says Madison-Virgil is a “fantastic” district because of the community and board support.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Salina looks at opioid settlement funds
Hundreds of millions of dollars has already been awarded to the state of Kansas related to the opioid crisis, and with some of that money coming to local communities within the state, Salina is looking at options for how it will spend its share. The Salina City Commission discussed these settlements during a study session Monday, with several groups, including first responders and the main addiction treatment center on hand to give their thoughts on what the current state of the crisis in the community and how the funding could be used locally. “Hopefully, by the end of this (study session), we’ll have some good conversation about how we can utilized these funds to best suit Salina and the citizens,” said Debbie Pack, the finance director for the City of Salina. … As there are still some ongoing court cases surrounding the settlements, the amount the city will receive is still unknown but there is some guidance on how the funds can be used based on the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, passed by the state legislature in 2021. … Some options for the city would be to contract with or grant funding to nonprofits, charities or other entities, or pool the funds with other subdivisions to cooperatively expend the funds.
Source: Salina Journal
“Bittersweet” retirement for Fort Scott police chief
A local police chief officially retired on Tuesday. He spent his last day on duty celebrating with hundreds of family, friends, and colleagues. “We’ve been blessed. And I’ve been blessed to serve in a community like this,” said Travis Shelton, Retired Chief, Fort Scott Police Dept. After 26 years of serving the Fort Scott community, chief Travis Shelton officially retired today at 5 o’clock. His retirement party is nothing short of sharing memories, laughs, hugs, and handshakes. The gathering included Shelton’s childhood friends, who came from Drexel, Missouri to Fort Scott to celebrate him.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Emporia drinking water finishes fourth at international contest
Emporia’s drinking water is among the best in the world — at least as judged at the internationally-known contest in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Emporia’s tap water finished tied for fourth with Miryang-Si, Gyeongsangdam-do, Republic of Korea, in the international contest. Gold went to Clearbrook, British Columbia, Canada, while silver was claimed by South Muskoska, Ontario, Canada, and bronze went to St. Paris. Ohio. Water samples were rated by appearance, taste, mouth feel and aftertaste.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Municipal Bond Trends for March 2, 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.
Why I love Winfield
A couple of weeks ago I sat in a restaurant in Wichita catching up with some of my friends who live in the city. “Are you all enjoying living in Winfield?” one of them soon asked. The three of us are similar in many ways, young working professionals with elementary-aged children and parents living close enough to engage in our kids’ lives. My immediate affirmative responses drifted to conveniences so often craved in my current life stage. My kids’ ability to attend a school a few blocks away. The experience of a college basketball game and bluegrass festival practically in my backyard. My five-minute commute to a doctor appointment, the pharmacy, the grocery store, church, work, and a skating rink.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Kansas movie theater owners write legislative script for two-year state sales tax break
Scott Zaremba owns the world’s oldest purpose-built cinema in downtown Ottawa, and asked the Kansas Senate for help keeping the two-screen venue’s doors open to movie fans. “We’re working very hard to keep it, and keep it operational. We’re at 116 years and counting,” he said. “The Plaza has been through its share of challenges, from floods, fire, wars. We’ve been through two pandemics, right, not just one, because its been open that long.” On Thursday, Zaremba requested senators endorse a bill that would enable Kansas movie theater owners to retain the state portion of sales tax collected on ticket admissions and theater concessions. The local sales tax wouldn’t be amended by Senate Bill 227, he said, but from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, theater operators statewide would retain all the state’s 6.5% sales tax on those transactions.
Source: Kansas Reflector
The federal government isn’t actually measuring how inflation is hurting rural America
In rural southwest Illinois, fourth generation grocery store owner Craig Norrenberns said his three shops across the region are “fighting the price battle.” “There’s no doubt that people are having to watch their wallets a little bit closer,” Norrenberns said. A head of lettuce is a good example. What normally costs $1 soared as high as $5 several times in the past couple months, he said. … the grocery’s most rural store in Red Bud, Illinois, is in an area not included in the Consumer Price Index, the most widely used tool to measure inflation in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics only surveys counties that include a metro or micropolitan area — a county without a town of at least 10,000 people is left out. At the same time, rural residents may be hardest hit by rising prices for groceries, gas, healthcare and heating, said University of Wisconsin-Madison economics professor Tessa Conroy, who co-authored an editorial on the issue earlier this month. “When we look at the categories where prices are going up, those are categories where rural communities tend to spend more,” Conroy said. The limitations of the Consumer Price Index stem from its creation and resources, according to Steve Reed, an economist at the BLS.
Source: KCUR News
City of Wichita considering fee to shoot aerial fireworks on July 4th
Would you be willing to pay to be able to shoot off the big fireworks on the Fourth of July in Wichita? City leaders are considering a proposal that would allow that. Right now it is illegal to shoot fireworks within the city of Wichita that goes over six feet in the air. But that could soon change by paying a $10 permit fee. “I shoot them off with my grandkids every year but we don’t shoot the big ones. But there’s plenty in my neighborhood,” said Cheno Workman, a Wichita resident. Cheno Workman loves to celebrate Independence Day every year with his grandkids. But he’s not a fan of the illegal fireworks that shoot higher than six feet that he sees in his neighborhood.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita city leaders looking at proposed Century II renovations
Century II has been a staple of downtown Wichita for decades and city leaders are looking at a project that would transform it to keep it that way for future generations. “It is important to us here in Wichita to balance our historical roots with our modern purpose and I think that we can thread the needle on a project like this,” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple. Tuesday the Wichita City Council and the public got the first look at a proposed 400 million-dollar plan to renovate and modernize Century II, the Bob Brown Expo Hall, and the old downtown library building.
Source: KAKE – News
‘I am so proud of who we are’: Topeka mayor, Kansans respond to slights from NYC mayor
Topeka mayor Mike Padilla clapped back after New York mayor Eric Adams made a snide comment on the Golden City on Tuesday. During a prayer breakfast on Tuesday, Adams claimed that it was God’s will that he would be the mayor of one of the largest cities in the world. “He could have made me the mayor of Topeka, Kansas,” Adams said at the interfaith breakfast hosted at the New York Public Library. In response to the unwarranted remark, Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla told The New York Times that Adams could have left Topeka out of his speech.
Source: KC Star Local News
Eisenhower National Airport slowly recovering from the pandemic
Data from Eisenhower National shows that the airport is slowly starting to recover from the economic downturn created by the pandemic. There was an increase of 24.5% in January in the number of passengers flying out of Eisenhower compared to the same time last year. A total of 115,439 passengers flew in and out of Wichita in January. It was also a good month for restaurants, retailers, rental car companies, and the parking garage at Eisenhower. Food and gift sales were up 34%, rental cars saw an increase of 14.75%, and parking saw a 45% increase in revenue.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas plan to penalize homeless people for sleeping on public property draws sharp criticism
A proposal to address homelessness with bans on camps for people without housing drew sharp criticism in the Kansas Legislature on Thursday. The legislation makes it a misdemeanor for unauthorized camping, sleeping or setting up long-term shelters on land controlled by the state or local government. That crime would come with a $1 fine. The bill would also let the Kansas attorney general penalize cities that don’t enforce the no-camping rule and let the state deny non-compliant cities money to combat homelessness — if a city also has an above-average homelessness rate.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Riley County appraiser: Valuations increasing by average of 13%
Most homeowners in Riley County will see value increases to their properties around 13%, according to Riley County Appraiser Anna Burson. Burson and her staff recently mailed the county change-in-value notices for 2023. County officials announced the mailings Monday. Burson said the average valuation increase for single family homes in Riley County in 2023 is 13.1%. The average value of a home in the county is $259,526. The average valuation increase for single family homes in Manhattan this year is 12.6%, with the average home value of $276,167.
Source: themercury.com
Kansas rating outlook revised to positive S&P Global Ratings says
S&P Global Ratings is expressing optimism about the fiscal health of Kansas. S&P Global Ratings revised its Kansas outlook from stable to positive on Tuesday this week. It also reaffirmed the state’s ‘AA-‘ issuer credit rating (ICR) its ‘A+’ rating for the state’s appropriation-secured debt. Additionally, S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook to positive and affirmed its ‘AA’ long-term rating for the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) highway revenue bonds outstanding.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Fed Official Says Hotter Data Will Warrant Higher Rates
The Federal Reserve will need to raise rates to higher levels than previously anticipated to prevent inflation from picking up if the recent strength in hiring and consumer spending continues, a central bank official said Thursday. “I would be very pleased if the data we receive on inflation and the labor market this month show signs of moderation,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said in remarks posted on the Fed’s website. “But wishful thinking is not a substitute for hard evidence in the form of economic data. After seeing promising signs of progress, we cannot risk a revival of inflation.” Mr. Waller didn’t say in his prepared remarks whether he would continue to favor raising interest rates by a quarter-percentage point, which was his preference at the Fed’s last meeting, or whether he would instead support a larger half-point increase at its next gathering, March 21-22. The Fed’s rate-setting committee voted unanimously last month to slow rate increases by lifting their benchmark federal-funds rate by a quarter percentage point—to a range between 4.5% and 4.75%—following larger moves of a half point in December and 0.75 point in November. At their December meeting, most Fed officials projected lifting the rate to between 5% and 5.5% this year to combat high inflation by slowing economic activity.
Source: WSJ.com: US Business
10-Year Treasury Yield Tops 4% for First Time Since November
Lingering inflation and fears of higher interest rates lifted the 10-year Treasury yield above 4% on Wednesday, marking a fresh acceleration for a historic bond-market rout. The climb carried the key measure of borrowing costs back toward the decade-plus highs reached last year. Spurring the most recent leg: a run of strong economic data that dashed hopes inflation will rapidly slow to near the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Yields topped 4% Wednesday morning after a slightly stronger-than-expected survey of manufacturing activity. Rising yields lift borrowing costs for consumers and companies, and hurt the prices of other investments by offering steady payouts with lower risk. The climb in yields has buffeted major stock indexes, with the S&P 500 losing around 2.6% in February.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Lawrence mayor to testify against proposed legislation that would take control from cities regarding homelessness issues
The mayor of Lawrence is scheduled to testify Thursday at the Kansas Capitol against proposed legislation that would take control away from local authorities who are trying to provide support for people experiencing homelessness. Lawrence Mayor Lisa Larsen will give oral testimony in Topeka against Kansas House Bill 2430, which is known as the “Safe Cities Act,” according to a news release from the City of Lawrence. The bill places requirements and restrictions on how cities can approach public camping and sleeping, and it restricts cities’ eligibility to receive state funding designated for addressing homelessness.
Source: LJWorld