Kansas Municipal News
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
Changes to competition bill would lessen impact locally
A bill that would provide private businesses that compete with governmental entities tax exemptions of property and sales taxes has advanced out of committee in the Kansas Senate. County Administrator Anthony Swartzendruber, who previously raised concerns with county commissioners about the bill, gave them an update Tuesday morning. He said the current version of the bill no longer had the words “ambulance service” or “city” in it, the latter of which would remove any concerns of the county being in competition with a private business since the county operates a bait shop. The bill now proposes to give tax exemptions to businesses that use their property for things like child care, health and recreation, entertainment or a restaurant if they are located in a city where at least one facility operated by a governmental entity competes with the business.
Source: Harvey County Now
Halstead businesses profit from the MAYB tournaments
About 40 teams participated in the MAYB (Mid-American Youth Basketball) tournament in Halstead last Saturday, according to MAYB Executive Director Matt Flaming. He estimated that 40-50 people (including the players and coaches) from each team attend the tournaments, which means that Halstead likely saw between 1,600 and 2,000 visitors on Saturday. That’s good news for local businesses. Alan Weber, who owns two of those businesses—D’Angelo’s Pizza and Pepper’s Mexican Bar & Grill—said it helps all of the businesses on Main Street. “I’m sure people go to the grocery store to get snacks and the gas station and they come to get pizza and Mexican food, sandwiches at Subway,” Weber said. “It’s definitely nice to have the extra business and see people walk up and down Main Street and check things out.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Fire departments to get new teaching tool
County fire departments soon will give fire safety presentations using an inflatable house that teaches children how to escape, how to use extinguishers, and kitchen and fireplace safety. The house, made by a Dallas company, costs $12,655 and will be used by all departments in the county. A donation from Sunflower Wind will pay for the house. It comes complete with instructions for exit drills and other safety procedures. It can be used indoors or outdoors and has non-toxic, water-based “smoke” to simulate burning. Children crawl through the house, locate an escape route, and crawl to assigned safety locations. Marion assistant fire chief Eric Hardey said he’d been looking for a new way to do safety presentations at Marion Elementary School.
[HILLSBORO Star-Journal
How long until Hutchinson has its new firehouse ready?
Not only will Hutchinson’s newest fire station be ready on time, it will have a new way to ‘hose’ off for firefighters. Because of the higher incidence of lead, smoke and toxic fumes that firefighters face, the new fire station will have showers located on the outer rim of the building, so firefighters will not bring the contaminants inside the station after a call. There will also be a special washing machine, an extractor, that washes their bunker gear. “They take a shower, get out of their dirty clothes that they wear, and then they’ll put on hospital scrubs, and so they’ll be clean, and that’s when they will actually enter inside the fire station to put on a different uniform,” said Doug Hanen, the division chief of operations for HFD. “So they should never be taking their contaminants inside the fire station where they’re living.”
Source: Hutch News
McKee to retire as Holton city manager
With Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee’s announcement of his upcoming retirement, the Holton City Commission will be looking for someone to fill his position. During the commission’s regular meeting last night — held a day later than normal due to the Presidents Day observance on Monday — McKee, who has worked for the city since 1996 and has served as city manager since July 2016, formally announced that he would be retiring as a city employee, effective May 1. “It was a very hard decision to make, and it took a long time to make it,” McKee said. “There’s a lot of things that weighed into this decision.”
Source: Holton Recorder
Historical horse racing proposed at Towne West, Greyhound Park
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) said Wednesday it has received three applications from companies to open historical horse racing (HHR) facilities in Wichita. Boyd Gaming Corporation on Tuesday submitted its application to open a casino in Park City, which would feature 1,000 HHR units, meaning gamblers would bet on races that have already finished. On Wednesday, an application was submitted by Flint Hills Entertainment, proposing a facility at Towne West Square. It also applied to open “Eureka Downs Horse Racing Track,” which would feature live racing in Eureka, Kansas.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas City’s new airport is finally open
Kansas City’s new airport terminal has officially opened to the public, with the inaugural flight arriving from Chicago early Tuesday morning — and many more following. KCUR’s Frank Morris was there as the first passengers arrived and he spoke with Steve Kraske on Up To Date about how the big day went. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner saw some of her political support collapse last week when a man who repeatedly violated house arrest seriously injured a teenage athlete. She’s now facing an effort from Missouri’s attorney general to remove her from office. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum looks at why the outcome of the judicial bid to oust Gardner could have larger implications than just whether she stays in office.
Source: KCUR News
Lawrence to create pallet shelter village to help homeless
The City of Lawrence, Kansas continues to work on options to help those homelessness in the community. On Wednesday, the city said it is preparing to create a pallet shelter village, which will serve as an emergency shelter option for those currently experiencing homelessness. The idea is to build dozens of shelter homes out of pallets to provide a transition to permanent housing. The modular homes include heating and cooling. They are set up to include restrooms, laundry, shower and gathering space for a group of people to use.
Source: KSNT 27 News