Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County judge offers Kansas legislators package of bills to stem domestic violence
District Judge Phil Journey knows the grim statistics on domestic violence and regularly comes face-to-face with perpetrators and victims of violence in the home. His vantage point from a courthouse in Sedgwick County — epicenter of the state’s domestic violence caseload — led to development of a package of reform bills he wants the 2023 Kansas Legislature to consider. Improving the state’s response to 22,500 reported incidents of domestic violence annually, he said, could put downward pressure on 3,000 aggravated assaults, 900 kidnappings and the rapes, strangulations and homicides tied to those incidents.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Manhattan to unveil new $22.5 million joint maintenance facility
A public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Friday as the City of Manhattan unveils its new $22.5 million Joint Maintenance Facility. City Manager Ron Fehr, Mayor Mark Hatesohl and representatives from BBN Architects, McCownGordon Construction and Public Works Director Rob Ott will provide comments in the north vehicle repair and maintenance shop. y.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Derby PD bringing back Citizens Police Academy
After a few years of being placed on hold, the Derby Police Department is bringing back its Citizens Police Academy in 2023. The COVID pandemic interrupted the last session of the CPA three weeks in, meaning no complete session has been held since 2018 (as it is something the department has traditionally put on in even years). Given that extended hiatus, Derby PD Lt. Caleb Rue noted the department looked forward to offering that once again in 2023.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Organization ‘Grow Kansas Film’ aims to get incentives for movie and tv production in Kansas
Kansas is one of 13 that does not provide incentives for film or television to be produced here. Filmmakers from the sunflower state say its cost Kansas opportunities. “We have missed countless, countless productions because Kansas cannot compete with other states that have incentives” Academy award winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott told the state senate’s commerce committee on Thursday. He is part of a group called “Grow Kansas film” trying to change that with a bill in both the House and Senate. “The film business has changed. Movies are shot in the place that has the best incentive, because the film business like any other business, is motivated first by profit,” Willmott told Senators.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita police chief issues Super Bowl challenge to sheriff
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan challenged Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter to a challenge on the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs will take on Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Feb. 12. Sullivan, who is originally from Philadelphia, challenged Easter to a friendly wager. If the Eagles win the game, he expects Easter to stand on the corner of Central and Main with a sign saying, “Fly Eagles Fly.” Sheriff Easter responded that he accepts that challenge because he said the Eagles “are not going to win.”
Source: KSN-TV
Shawnee Co. population growth highest in 10 years
In 2022, Shawnee County recorded its largest single-year increase in population in 10 years. This is according to the latest Kansas Division of the Budget report. Shawnee County’s population grew by 2,265 people in 2022. It’s the highest single-year percentage growth among the top-five largest counties by population in Kansas. The Greater Topeka Partnership attributes this population growth to successful strategies like Momentum 22 boosting the morale of people living in Topeka. Pivarnik says Momentum 27 offers new incentives the city hopes will continue to make Topeka a sought-after destination for newcomers.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Prairie Village to consider amending affordable housing recommendations
The Prairie Village City Council on Monday night will consider amending proposed affordable housing recommendations, potentially removing two aspects of the plan that have garnered the most criticism. The recommendations, initially put forward by a special task force last summer, have sparked months of intense public debate in Prairie Village, with a group of opponents frequently packing city council meetings, arguing that the recommendations — if implemented — would take away homeowners’ rights.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Municipal Bond Trends for February 3, 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.
Wichita City Council to vote on downtown street plan that calls for some major changes
The Wichita City Council will vote Tuesday on a concept plan for redesigning downtown streets that calls for converting several one-way roads to two-way and reducing the number of lanes on other two-way streets. The proposal, born out of Wichita’s Project Downtown master plan, aims to serve as a blueprint for improving safety and mobility in the city core. Wichita’s Capital Improvement Plan allocates $17.4 million for upgrades to downtown streets over the next 10 years.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Ignite Emporia, community stakeholders brainstorm solutions to local childcare crisis
In the continued struggle to bring affordable and accessible childcare to Emporia, community members are leaving no stone unturned. Ignite Emporia and the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Childcare Workshop on Wednesday, in partnership with ChildCare Aware of Eastern Kansas, bringing together community members with a stake in childcare. From business owners to educators to childcare providers, stakeholders from across the county met at the Trusler Business Center Wednesday to brainstorm a solution to the community’s severe lack of childcare options. To begin the meeting, participants heard from Hillsboro Community Child Care board chairman Tristen Cope about the successes of Marion County in its efforts to help build up childcare offerings in its community.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Kansas Supreme Court examines clash over expanding hog facilities, shielding water supply
The Kansas Supreme Court must arbitrate conflict sparked by a cunning Kansas regulatory maneuver to expand concentrated swine feeding operations and the response of an environmental organization claiming state regulators embraced legal fiction to weaken surface water protections. The Sierra Club won a lawsuit four years ago in Shawnee County District Court challenging farmer Terry Nelson and his partners for sidestepping maximum limits on the number of hogs packed into a single location near a creek. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment had collaborated with the Nelson family to add about 2,400 hog units at a farm in Phillips County.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Derby’s computer network restored to full service
While an investigation into the cause of a disruption to the city of Derby’s computer network is still ongoing, service has officially been restored as of Feb. 1. Since mid-January, the city has been dealing with the network disruption – with administrative and IT staff immediately beginning work with third-party computer specialists to investigate the incident. Currently, the investigation (involving federal law enforcement) is seeking to determine what impact, if any, the incident had on information stored on the city’s network systems. City staff reported Derby constantly monitors network security, carries cybersecurity insurance and works with the appropriate agencies when or if there are any concerns. The network disruption interrupted several city services, including email. Any emails sent to city addresses between Jan. 14 and Jan. 31 were not received. Individuals trying to contact city staff during that time are encouraged to now email again or call the city staff person they were attempting to reach during that time period.
Source: Derby Informer | News
$40 million announced for housing, tourism grants
Closing out the month of January, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced $40 million in funding will be made available under the ARPA Building Opportunities for the Disabled and Elderly (ABODE) and State Park Revitalization and Investment in Notable Tourism (SPRINT) grant programs. The ABODE program will provide $10 million in funding for new construction projects and renovation of affordable multi-dwelling housing units for persons with disabilities and the elderly. The SPRINT program will distribute $30 million for investments in regional tourism assets and state parks. Funds were designated by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee and approved by the State Finance Council in December. Grant submissions for both programs will close on Feb. 27. For more information, visit www.kansascommerce.gov/abode/ or www.kansascommerce.gov/sprint/.
Source: Derby Informer | News
9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Has Helped Nearly 27% More Callers in First 6 Months
New Data shows that the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has handled a nearly 27% increase in call volume compared to the six months before its launch. Based on national projections, Kansas is estimated to reach 120,000 Kansans in the hotline’s first full year of operation. The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis line first launched in July, 2022. In June 2022, Governor Kelly signed Senate Bill 19, bipartisan legislation that created the state’s three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL). Now, calls, texts, or chats to 9-8-8 involving thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crises, or other kinds of emotional distress are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can also receive the immediate support of mobile crisis teams in cases of extreme risk, referral to local mental health services, and resources for follow-up care.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Long-neglected site a diamond in the rough
A pristine lake and the advent of rail trails to Allen County helped turn a woolly wilderness into a wonderland. Today, the Lehigh Portland site could be our gateway to a state park. For the first 40 years that Iola Industries owned the land surrounding the old Lehigh quarry, “we wondered what could possibly happen here that would be good,” John McRae, president of Iola Industries, is quoted in a Register story from 2016. The land was overgrown with vines as big as your arm, the underbrush crawled with poison ivy and oak, and all kinds of trash from the abandoned cement plant littered the fields. As a kid, I remember hearing the plant’s rail cars lumber along the tracks that lay just across Elm Creek, the train’s breaks shrieking with each demand.
Source: The Iola Register
Wichita project could bring 2,000 jobs and $1.8B investment, but CHIPS Act funding is key
Kansas is giving more than $300 million in state APEX incentives to Integra Technologies to build a new semiconductor factory in Wichita. The Wichita megaproject could bring 2,000 jobs and more than $1.8 billion in capital investments to the state’s most populous city. But a few chips need to fall before it’s a done deal. Integra CEO Brett Robinson said in an interview with The Eagle that the business expansion hinges on a massive government subsidy package involving hundreds of millions in local, state and federal tax dollars aimed at boosting domestic microchip manufacturing.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Governor Kelly Announces 37 Rural Mural Projects Completed in 2022
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that 37 murals were completed in 14 Kansas communities in 2022 through the Office of Rural Prosperity’s (ORP) Rural Mural and Public Art Grant Programming. These grants helped communities with fewer than 10,000 residents create murals and public art projects to beautify public gathering spaces and offer new tourist attractions. “These murals celebrate the beauty of Kansas and highlight everything our small towns have to offer,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “As our Rural Mural program continues to grow, I look forward to seeing how it showcases each community’s individuality and contributions to our state.” The maximum amount of each grant was $10,000. Awardees were also required to provide a 1:1 match. A total of $93,500 was awarded last year.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Steps underway to move Salina toward ‘Zero Waste’
Although the Salina Municipal Solid Waste Landfill is expected to last another 180 years of service to the city, steps are being taken already to reduce the amount of waste going into the designated ground southwest of the city. When it comes to “Zero Waste,” sustainability is one of the main emphases to what Salina is looking at in terms of reducing solid waste production.
Source: Salina Journal
Topeka hired its 1st female police officer 130 years ago. Today, 13% of force are women.
Woman are better represented in the upper ranks at the Topeka Police Department than at most police agencies in similarly sized U.S. cities. But compared to those cities, women are underrepresented at the lower-level supervisory rank of sergeant. Meanwhile, Topeka’s overall percentage of female police officers, 13%, is close to average for a U.S. city its size.
Source: CJonline
In leaving Topeka, Hill’s Pet Nutrition gets $3M from taxpayers to keep headquarters in Kansas
Kansas taxpayers will give $3 million in economic development incentives to Hill’s Pet Nutrition as part of the company’s relocation of its headquarters from Topeka to Overland Park. The company didn’t mention the taxpayer-funded incentives when it announced Jan. 11 that it was moving its headquarters — despite a provision in the contract apparently requiring them to acknowledge the support of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Source: CJonline