Kansas Municipal News
“Hutch rebuilds Hutch”: renovation of historic downtown building
“Hutch rebuilds Hutch” is how Mark Davenport describes the complete renovation of the historic Hoke Building — the iconic downtown Hutchinson property that first went up in 1910 as office space and sat vacant and waiting for decades. When Mark and his wife Phoebe Davenport, a Kansas City-based couple who develop large residential and commercial properties, first began the journey of restoring the dilapidated building at First Avenue and Walnut Street in early 2021, they committed to using local contractors as much as feasibly possible.
Source: Hutch News
Could new rental properties help with Salina’s housing issues?
Beginning in 2021, the city of Salina has continually engaged with developers seeking interest for various housing projects in an effort to bring new rental housing to the community. It’s a project that has been in the works for years addressing one of the most significant issues in Saline County communities — housing. This week, the city and county discussed those efforts, and Lauren Driscoll, Salina community development services director, provided the county an update on how American Rescue Plan Act monies were being contributed to the overarching project.
Source: Salina Journal
Sedgwick County unveils new public alert system
Sedgwick County Emergency Management (SCEM) recently launched the first phase of a free service, called Civic Ready Alerts, that can notify residents by phone or email of emergencies or important news. Citizens can opt-in to receive messages regarding public safety, health, weather or other community bulletins. By sharing a home address, residents will also be able to receive alerts targeted for their neighborhood, through geo-fencing.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Local governments tasked with spending opioid settlement funds
Local governments will be faced with decisions in the coming months about how to spend thousands of dollars in opioid settlement payments paid by pharmaceutical companies and retailers for their role in the prescription-drug epidemic. So far, Harvey County has received $6,413, but it is expected to receive an additional $71,807, according to County Administrator Anthony Swartzendruber. Newton has received about $4,000 and is expected to receive an additional $40,000. Sedgwick has received $6,413.
Source: Harvey County Now
Odle brings experience and education to Burrton’s police department
Burrton Police Chief David Odle, who officially took over the position after Dave Becker retired on Dec. 23, 2022, realizes he has some work to do for the community to get to know him. He’s served part-time with the Burrton Police Department since 2020 but he’s an outsider trying to get the community to trust him. He said he is here to help and that Burrton is his responsibility. “I’m a new face,” Odle said. “I’m not a Burrton guy. I wasn’t born here. I wasn’t raised here. Burrton only knows me from me running around.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Johnson County fills newly created housing coordinator position
The newly created housing coordinator position plays a key role in the community by focusing on these main areas, addressing homelessness, preserving existing housing and developing attainable housing and promoting homeownership. After an extensive search with many qualified candidates, Megan Foreman was selected as the best fit for the position. Foreman began her role as housing coordinator on Monday, Jan. 23. In this role, Foreman will bring together community stakeholders that provide housing services and initiatives to work together to improve efficiency on how the county serves people. The position will also be a central resource for relevant data.
Source: Johnson County Kansas |
Newton BOE discusses dropping enrollment
USD-373’s enrollment has dropped by 441 students, or 13 percent, from September 2015 to December of this school year. Superintendent Fred Van Ranken provided the numbers in a presentation to the Newton Board of Education at its Monday meeting. “We need to start having difficult discussions on where we’re going to land next year and start down the road after that,” Van Ranken said. Van Ranken noted that the statistics represent the number of students in the building, not actual full-time enrollment numbers, and the numbers weren’t audited.
Source: Harvey County Now
Hill’s Pet Nutrition finishes construction on Tonganoxie plant, its fourth manufacturing facility
Hill’s Pet Nutrition has completed construction on its $250 million manufacturing facility in Tonganoxie, which targets a third-quarter opening and will create roughly 80 jobs. In 2021, Hill’s bought 84 acres in Tonganoxie Business Park at 21795 Kansas Ave. The city then entered a development agreement with the company to build a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing and distributing facility.
Source: Kansas City Business News
Manhattan gives initial approval on rule banning commissioners from dual offices
Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday unanimously gave initial approval of an ordinance prohibiting members from holding two elected offices, a move they proposed after Usha Reddi’s ascent to the Kansas Senate. But Reddi won’t be kicked off the commission because of a “grandfather” clause. The ordinance, which still requires a second commission vote for approval, states that a person holding another elected office must resign that position before being sworn in as city commissioner. It also includes a “grandfather” clause, stating any city commissioner serving in more than one elected office when the ordinance is adopted shall be entitled to complete the terms for which they serve.
Source: themercury.com
Firefighting team unified as one unit
Jessica Ellerman has been with the Atchison Fire Department for two years and Courtney Keegan has seven plus years (only one year in Atchison) in the dangerous profession. Both ladies stated the hardest part of being a firefighter is the physical demand. Both said that they must stay in top shape because of the heavy lifting and climbing up and down the fire truck. “Whether male or female, we are treated equally and the job does have a lot of demands,” Keegan said. Training is almost constant with many courses that all firefighters must take. However, the main part of their jobs is EMS calls.
Source: www.atchisonglobenow.com
Salt makes icy roads less dicey, but it poisons the land. Here’s what Kansas is doing about it
Rock salt saves lives by helping tires grip icy roads. It avoids broken bones when homeowners use it on slick sidewalks, driveways and parking lots. And in Kansas, one of the country’s top salt producers, rock salt generates paychecks. But it also costs Americans billions in corroding cars and bridges. It adds so much sodium to drinking water in some places that it can affect people’s health. And in some places, toxic salt levels kill or harm plants, animals and crops. Experts say we can take immediate steps to curb this toll without sacrificing road safety. The Kansas Department of Transportation has already taken some of those measures, including spraying brine before winter storms, a practice that can fight slippery roads with less salt. And at Wichita State University and Iowa State University, scientists are pursuing research that could change how we clear our pavement in the cold months.
Source: KCUR News
Municipal Bond Trends for January 24, 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.
10K more Wichitans will have access to fiber internet by end of 2024. What to know
More than 10,000 residents in Wichita could have access to higher-speed internet by the end of next year, thanks to a new project to expand fiber-powered broadband. “The city of Wichita has reached out to us saying they need more connectivity, and we agree,” said Jim Jamison, the president of AT&T Kansas. “So it’s really just a win-win, and we found a way to reach those homes.” Once the project is finalized, AT&T will be awarded $2.2 million from the Kansas Office of Broadband Development and use AT&T private investments to fund the $10.4 million project.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Meeting will gather input on recommended changes to development code that determines how city grows
Consultants working to update the development code that determines where and how Lawrence grows have drafted a list of 80 recommended changes and are seeking public input on the proposal. A community meeting will take place on Thursday to gather feedback on the recommended changes, which consultants with Clarion Associates developed following a four-month assessment of the code. The code assessment outlines issues with the current code and the main focus areas for the code changes, according to a project overview. … The 80 recommended changes span the various sections of the existing code and also include general suggestions. Recommendations are made related to zoning districts, density regulations, and the procedures and processes for development.
Source: LJWorld
I Know It When I See It – What is a Capital Expenditure?
According to Wikipedia, the fount of all knowledge, the phrase “I know it when I see it” is a colloquial expression by which a speaker attempts to categorize an observable fact or event, although the category is subjective or lacks clearly defined parameters. This phrase was famously used in a U.S. Supreme Court decision to describe the threshold test for obscenity. (See Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964)). Although this blog post will, unfortunately, likely not become as well known as the Jacobellis case, it will discuss, “What is a Capital Expenditure?” My guess is that a lot of tax-exempt bond advisors use intuition when determining that certain expenditures qualify as “capital expenditures” for tax-exempt bond purposes. In other words, they know a capital expenditure when they see one. However, the question as to what constitutes a “capital expenditure” under the tax-exempt bond rules may be difficult to answer at times.
Source: The Public Finance Tax Blog
Manhattan City Commission to consider new “Reddi rule” ordinance
The Manhattan City Commission tonight will consider an ordinance on first reading that would prohibit a sitting commissioner from holding a dual office. The move is a direct response to current commissioner Usha Reddi’s recent appointment to the Kansas Senate, to fill out the remainder of former Sen. Tom Hawk’s term. State law doesn’t currently prohibit someone from holding two offices simultaneously. According to the Kansas League of Municipalities, if the ordinance were passed, Manhattan would be the only known city in Kansas with such a restriction.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Reed to resign as Winfield USD 465 superintendent; accepts job in Wichita area
Dr. Nathan Reed, superintendent of Winfield USD 465, will resign from his current position to take a job in the Wichita area, he confirmed Tuesday. Reed, who announced the news to the board of education at their Monday evening meeting, declined to comment Tuesday on the specifics of his new position, but said he will remain as superintendent until his contract is up in June. The board will determine the next steps on how to seek a replacement in the coming weeks, Reed said.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Mulvane Fire pledges funds to Derby facility
Following discussion over recent years regarding a joint training facility, Mulvane Fire Rescue has pledged support to help realize that goal in Derby – with such a facility currently in the works. Already having auto-aid agreements in place, the training facility in Derby would allow Mulvane firefighters to experience a live fire in a safe, controlled environment at a three-story facility – meeting training requirements. The Mulvane City Council recently approved a contribution of $35,000 from Mulvane Fire Rescue to help with construction of the training facility in Derby.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Candice Alcaraz is Wyandotte County’s first Black female judge
During November’s local elections, Candice Alcaraz defeated 15-year incumbent Wyandotte County Judge Wes Griffin by an overwhelming majority. The win made Alcaraz the first Black female judge in the history of the county, at just 32 years old. Up until last week, she had been serving as an assistant district attorney. Alcaraz said she first decided she would run for the position back in 2020.
Source: KCUR
Law enforcement agencies supporting one another after OIS shooting
Four law enforcement officers are recovering after an officer-involved shooting (OIS) in Dodge City on Monday. Throughout this situation, law enforcement agencies say they stick together, describing their relationship as a family. Trooper Michael Racy is a Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) technical trooper, and he says in rural Kansas, so many people know one another. “We’re not in the metro,” Trooper Racy said. “We’re out here, and in rural areas, so we know each other. We know each other’s families most of the time.”
Source: KSN-TV