Kansas Municipal News
Rent keeps increasing in Wichita. Here’s what experts say is behind rising housing costs
Monthly rent costs in Wichita are steadily increasing each year, but are still low compared to markets across the country, according to local real estate experts. According to a report released by NAI Martens, an area commercial real estate agency, late last year, rent rates in Wichita increased 1.8% in 2022 and 9.4% in 2021, which was the biggest jump in the last five years. In 2020, rent rates only saw an increase of 0.4% due to the coronavirus pandemic. The big jump the following year was to “catch up” from the lower increase the year before, Jeff Englert, senior vice president of NAI Martens, said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Google Fiber is coming to Leawood after 10-year wait
Internet provider Google Fiber has started building a network for Leawood residents and businesses. Utility work began in the northern part of the city for the new network this week, which will serve both residential neighborhoods and small businesses in Leawood. Debuting in 2010, Google Fiber already serves several communities surrounding Leawood. According to the company’s FAQ page, Google Fiber is already up and running in Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Roeland Park, Lenexa and Prairie Village. Customers can opt for plans ranging from $70 to $120 a month, depending on which speeds they opt for and if they include cable television in their plan.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Overland Park exploring sales tax increase to limit chip seal use
Following years of resident complaints about its chip seal method for road repairs, Overland Park is exploring a possible solution: a sales tax increase. Residents have voiced long-standing concerns about chip seal, arguing that the finely crushed rock used as a top-layer surface often gets tracked around residential streets and can prove hazardous to children and cyclists. Increasing city sales taxes could cover costs for a different but more expensive kind of road resurfacing, allowing the city to gradually lessen its reliance on chip seal.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Wind farms are transforming the Kansas landscape. Here’s an effort to tone down their lights
Wind farms continue to spread across Kansas — but with new features that will tone down the way they interrupt wide open skies with red, blinking lights visible for miles and resented by many rural residents. This year, Kansas will get its first two wind farms designed to produce less light pollution — High Banks north of Concordia and Sunflower Wind Farm about an hour west of Emporia. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are considering a law to make other wind farms follow suit. A few states, such as North Dakota and Colorado, blazed the trail in recent years by adopting similar rules. But Kansas, which ranks fourth in the U.S. for wind power, would be the biggest windenergy-producing state to mandate light mitigation.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Did Wichita settle with its newest $400M riverfront plan for Century II?
Wichitans got their first look Tuesday at a new plan to reimagine Wichita’s downtown riverfront, including what to do with Century II, Bob Brown Expo Hall and the former central library. The new plan, though, has begged the age-old question in this city: Did Wichita settle? The preliminary concept, presented to Wichita’s City Council by international design firm Populous, comes with a $400 million price tag — significantly less than the $1.2 billion Riverfront Legacy Master Plan, which had momentum in early 2020 until it was derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for March 1, 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.
Who let the dogs in? Kansas breweries and health officials clash over indoors pet ban
From 2019 to 2022, Transport Brewery was a dog lover’s paradise, with dogs allowed in the taprooms and patios, pet adoption events and even a dog picture calendar. Then came the Kansas Department of Agriculture inspector, who informed the Shawnee brewery that the state no longer allowed dogs inside the taproom. Gone were the days of dogs dressed in holiday sweaters, or miniature sports gear. Signs had to be put up telling customers that dogs were no longer allowed. Brewery owner Mike McVey said the dog ban damaged his business, testifying in support of legislation that would allow dogs in microbreweries during a House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development hearing.
Source: The Lawrence Times
2-year Treasury yield reaches highs not seen in more than a decade
U.S. Treasurys climbed on Thursday as investors considered the prospect of further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and awaited fresh economic data. At 5:46 a.m. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury was up by 2.6 basis points to 4.022%, trading above the 4% mark at levels last seen in early November. The 2-year Treasury yield was last trading at 4.887%. Earlier in the session it had risen as high as 4.937%, a level last seen in mid-2006 according to CNBC calculations based on Refinitiv data. Yields and prices have an inverted relationship and one basis point equals 0.01%.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
A year later, the Fed still has a long way to go in the fight against inflation
It was a year ago this month that the Federal Reserve launched its first attack against inflation that had been percolating in the U.S. economy for at least the previous year. That first strike, in retrospect, would seem timid: Just a quarter percentage point increase to tackle price surges which in just a few months would peak at their highest annual rate since late 1981. It wouldn’t be long before policymakers knew that initial step wouldn’t be enough. Subsequent months saw much larger hikes, enough to raise the Fed’s benchmark borrowing rate by 4.5 percentage points to its highest since 2007. So after a year of inflation fighting, how are things going? In short, OK, but not a whole lot more. The rate hikes appeared to have quelled some of the inflation surge that inspired the policy tightening. But the notion that the Fed was too late to get started lingers, and questions are increasing over how long it will take the central bank to get back to its 2% inflation standard.
Source: CNBC
Fed’s Bostic urges 5% to 5.25% rates into 2024 to curb inflation
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic called for continued interest-rate hikes to above 5% ensure that inflation returns to the central bank’s target and doesn’t reaccelerate in a pattern similar to the 1970s. “I think we will need to raise the federal funds rate to between 5% and 5.25% and leave it there until well into 2024,” Bostic said in an online essay. “This will allow tighter policy to filter through the economy and ultimately bring aggregate supply and aggregate demand into better balance and thus lower inflation.” U.S. central bankers are waging their most aggressive action against inflation in a generation. Officials lifted their benchmark lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point at the start of February, bringing the target to a range of 4.5% to 4.75%. That was a step down from the half percentage-point increase at their December meeting, which followed four consecutive jumbo-sized 75 basis-point hikes.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Arbor Day Foundation Names City of Phillpsburg- Tree City USA
Phillipsburg, KS was named a 2022Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Phillipsburg achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Source: Phillipsburg, KS
Derby bringing back water conservation rebate program
The city of Derby will once again offer a water conservation rebate program in 2023, thanks to funding through the city of Wichita. The purpose of the rebate program is to encourage Derby residents to reduce water consumption. A $25,000 rebate allowance will be shared amongst Wichita’s wholesale customers, including Derby. Rebates will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted. Funds will be credited to the Derby utility customer’s account. Rebates are available to all Derby utility customers, including residential and commercial, owner-occupied, and rentals. Any qualifying device purchased between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, is eligible for the program while funds are available.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Mural, Public Art Funding Available from Department of Commerce
The Kansas Department of Commerce today announced multiple opportunities to support the creation of murals and public art in the state through coordinated funding programs from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC) and the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP). The programs will provide funding for communities to use public spaces for the purposes of artistic use and creative endeavors. … The programs are designed to utilize artists, creative interventions, and arts organizations to increase community vibrancy and provide space for artistic expression and public engagement. KCAIC’s Mural and Public Art Program applications are open through March 13 to all 501c3 organizations, units of local government, and federally recognized tribes across Kansas. The maximum request is $10,000. A 100% match is required for the award which must be at least 25% cash match and up to 75% in-kind match. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2024. Applications may be found here. ORP’s Rural Mural Program will also be accepting new applications from March 13 to May 1. The maximum grant award will be $7,500. Only applicants from communities with a population fewer than 15,000 are eligible. A 100% match is required for the award which must be at least 25% cash match and up to 75% in-kind match. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2023. ORP will have a Rural Mural Planning Webinar at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 3 (register here). Once the application window is open, applications will be available here.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Task force makes recommendations to phase out plastic bags in Wichita
A citizens task force is calling for a grassroots effort to phase out the use of plastic bags in the Wichita community. The committee delivered its report to Wichita City Council members in a workshop meeting Tuesday. Task force member Brett Prather said the group looked at environmental, health and economic impacts from single-use plastic bags, and they also looked at steps being taken by other cities across the U.S. Prather said 102 billion plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year and only one to three percent are recycled. He said Wichita has had more than 462.8 million plastic bags in use over the past few years. He said the task force is recommending an educational campaign to create awareness in the community and get schools, churches, and local businesses involved.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Edwardsville City Manager Michael Webb Retires
The City of Edwardsville today announced the planned retirement of Michael Webb, 60, after more than 16-years of service to the city and more than 35 years in the municipal management profession throughout Kansas, Texas, and Arizona. “Edwardsville is unique community with more than one hundred years of history. It took a special type of professional city manager to put in the work to attract quality development, work cooperatively with other governmental agencies and put us in an all-around better position financially,” said Mayor Carolyn Caiharr. “Mr. Webb is well respected in our city and among colleagues throughout the region. We wish Mr. Webb all the best in his next ventures and thank him for his 16 years of service to our city.”
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Overland Park opening all 4 outdoor pools this summer
Overland Park plans to open all four of its outdoor pools for the 2023 swim season, according to city officials. This marks the first time since summer 2019 that Stonegate Pool, the Tomahawk Ridge Aquatic Center, Young’s Pool and Bluejacket Pool will be open for the summer. Bluejacket Pool closed two summers ago due to a lifeguard shortage, and the city closed all city pools in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Shawnee won’t enforce future county mask orders or vaccine rules
Nearly three years after the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Shawnee has adopted new rules saying it will not enforce future Johnson County health orders having to do with masks, vaccines and social distancing. In a 7-1 vote Monday, the city council took the unusual step of amending one section of the Uniform Public Offense Code, a ream of local rules recommended to Kansas cities annually by the League of Kansas Municipalities. … In explaining his vote for the measure, Councilmember Tony Gillette said, “Hopefully the public realizes that we’re putting this decision out [there] for your own personal freedom.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Survey: Wichita residents see safety and street repairs as priorities
The results of a Wichita community survey are out. The survey asked residents about the city’s livability, what they like about it and what needs to be improved. … The survey report is 99 pages long. You can read it by clicking here. Or you can visit Wichita.gov and delve into each of the survey segments and compare them to previous survey results.
Source: KSN-TV
Reno County standardizes fire departments across the county
The Reno County commissioners hired fired a fire administrator, Travis Vogt, in March of 2022. Vogt has been working on making some changes so fire departments in the county will be more efficient when working together. Vogt has been working on standardizing equipment, procedures and training across the board. The Pretty Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Rick Garver, says it’s all about being on the same page before they get into a stressful situation. And it’ll ultimately make their fire response more efficient, saving more lives and more property.
Source: KSN-TV
Schools-to-homes proposal advances
BNIM, a group looking to convert Iola’s former elementary schools into housing, has passed the first phase to apply for state housing tax credits. They’ll now submit a full application. Plans to convert former elementary schools to housing are still moving forward. BNIM, a Kansas City, Mo.-based architect and design firm, is seeking Kansas Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to help pay for the first phase of the project, which would renovate McKinley and Jefferson. Renovation of Lincoln would be in the second phase. BNIM wants to convert all three former schools into housing. Their efforts hinge on a combination of tax credits, grants and other financing. The group would invest about $21.7 million into all three of the schools, converting them into around 61 mixed-income apartments with the possibility of other types of housing or amenities on the properties.
Source: The Iola Register