Municipal News & Jobs

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed seven more bills, bringing to 29 the number of pieces of legislation that she has signed into law this year. So far, she has vetoed four bills, including two on Monday. She has been overridden twice so far, with the Legislature scheduled to return April 10 for more veto override votes. She has allowed three bills to become law without her signature.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that he expects President Donald Trump’s tariffs to raise inflation and lower growth, and indicated that the central bank won’t move on interest rates until it gets a clearer picture on the ultimate impacts. In a speech delivered before business journalists in Arlington, Va., Powell said the Fed faces a “highly uncertain outlook” because of the new reciprocal levies the president announced Wednesday. Though he said the economy currently looks strong, he stressed the threat that tariffs pose and indicated that the Fed will be focused on keeping inflation in check.
Source: Bonds

Should Wichita’s mayor have more power? Or should an unelected city manager continue to be the city’s most powerful official? As it stands, the mayor is the only official elected citywide. But she has no executive powers and can’t enact her agenda without the support of three other council members, who represent smaller districts. The city manager, who is appointed by the council, prepares the budget, chooses department heads and manages the daily operations of the city government.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The upcoming Rural Living Resource Fair will seek to connect community members with experts and resources designed for rural living, including a range of local vendors. The event, hosted by K-State Research and Extension Douglas County, is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at the county fairgrounds. It’s free and open to all, and no registration is required. Local experts will be present to speak on topics such as zoning and codes; well and pond management; prairie, wildlife and woodland management; brush clearing and noxious weed control; land preservation and more, according to a news release announcing the event.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Five of the six southwest Kansas counties reporting measles cases have seen kindergarten vaccination rates drop, one showing a 24 percentage point dip over a four-year period. Vaccination rates are one focus of many Kansas county health officers and medical experts as they work to educate against misinformation about vaccines in the hopes of staving off a growing measles outbreak. As of April 2, Kansas has 24 confirmed measles cases in Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties, with one case added in the past week.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday signed a bill that’s intended to create a better climate for keeping hundreds millions of dollars invested in Kansas banks. The legislation adopts a new strategy to encourage local governments to deposit their funds in banks based in Kansas. The bill is intended to ensure taxpayer dollars are invested in local communities, increase economic activity in the state, and provide Kansans access to additional capital to finance investments in their home, business, or community.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

For the first time since 2013, population growth patterns in Johnson County have necessitated a change in the boundary lines that determine which areas, municipalities and neighborhoods county commissioners represent. Commissioners kicked off the redistricting process Thursday with an introductory meeting with an official from HaystaqDNA, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that specializes in political marketing and redistricting. New maps are required when the county’s district populations become out of balance, which generally means there is at least a 10% deviation between them, said Haystaq President Anrdrew Drechsler.
Source: Johnson County Post

The Holcomb Police Department has announced the creation of the Holcomb Police Explorer Post # 2011, a program designed to engage local youth interested in law enforcement careers. Recruitment for the program will began Friday at Holcomb High School. The Explorer Post will offer students hands-on learning experiences, mentorship from officers, and opportunities to develop leadership skills while gaining insight into police work.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Investors pulled money out of municipal bond funds in March, as widespread uncertainty around President Trump’s policies mixed with concerns that the securities funding most of the country’s infrastructure could lose their tax-exempt status. Borrowing costs for local governments are now ticking higher as municipal bond supply increases while demand weakens, making it more expensive for local governments to finance public works.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets

A decade ago, backyard chickens were more a niche for part-time farmers and urban hipsters. But the Covid-19 pandemic—and more recently, a spike in egg prices—has sent Americans flocking for their own poultry. There were 11 million households with backyard chickens in 2024, up from 5.8 million in 2018, according to the American Pet Products Association. Even U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently jumped in, saying she wants to help Americans save money by making it easier to raise their own egg-layers.
Source: WSJ.com: Lifestyle

The Kansas Department of Commerce today announced the launch of a new round of Rural Mural funding to support the creation of projects in rural Kansas communities. The total amount of funding available is $125,000. “Public art is a powerful tool for rural revitalization and bringing vitality and prosperity to all regions of our state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The Kelly-Toland administration fully supports investments that improve the attractiveness of our smaller communities, engage residents and visitors alike, and help stimulate the local economy.”  The funding initiative from the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) aims to activate vacant and underused spaces through the arts — to help bring together community members around their local history and culture. 
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Wichita City Council members talked Tuesday about how to move forward with issuing proclamations, finding some common ground but disagreeing about whether proclamations should be sponsored. The conversation came after Wichita Mayor Lily Wu did not sign or read a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility at a meeting last month, which prompted several ethics complaints.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The Emporia City Commission approved Ordinance 25-05 on February 12, 2025, officially establishing a Common Consumption Area (CCA) in the downtown district. This ordinance creates a designated outdoor area where individuals may enjoy alcoholic beverages purchased from participating vendors. The CCA is set to open on April 4, 2025, following the City’s application submission to the Director of Kansas ABC and the completion of painted sidewalk signage marking its boundaries. Vertical signage will be installed after the opening.
Source: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

A total of 31.6 percent of real estate in Jackson County was tax exempt last year, which was the third highest percentage among the 100 counties reporting in the state, according to a recent report shared by the Kansas Association of Counties. Sean Robertson, Saline County appraiser, compiled the report which notes that nearly $43 billion worth of appraised real estate values were exempt from paying taxes in Kansas last year. According to the report, a total of $427,451,940 in appraised values were exempt in Jackson County last year. This number represents the value of the property and not the amount of taxes that would have been generated if those properties weren’t tax exempt.
Source: The Holton Recorder

Overland Park will soon end a special sales tax incentive at Oak Park Mall ahead of schedule, making it just a little bit cheaper to shop there. Back in 2007, Overland Park approved a 0.5% Transportation Development District (TDD) special sales tax at the mall to help pay for transportation-oriented improvements and some redevelopment at the mall site. Later, the city issued $16.2 million in revenue bonds tied to the TDD that would need to be paid back by April 1, 2032. In 2022, the city added $3.8 million more in refund bonds, with an expected payback date of 2032.
Source: Johnson County Post

Voters in the Gardner Edgerton School District approved a $100 million bond measure in a special mail-in election Tuesday that will fund the construction of a new elementary school and renovations to other district facilities. According to the Johnson County Election Office, unofficial final results show the bond passed with nearly 60% of voters supporting it. Overall, 2,236 votes were cast for the bond measure, with 1,581 against. Turnout following Tuesday’s count was about 20%.
Source: Johnson County Post

City and county staff are set to begin looking into ways to potentially “streamline” the zoning process for city developments beyond the city limits. That was a major talking point for both city and county commissioners when they convened for their latest joint session Wednesday afternoon. Following roughly 30 minutes of conversation, commissioners gave direction for City Zoning Administrator Justin Givens and County Zoning and Floodplain Manager Sam Seeley to meet with city and county legal counsel to begin developing recommendations for a process or board that could help oversee the matter.
Source: d2430

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed seven more bills, bringing to 29 the number of pieces of legislation that she has signed into law this year. So far, she has vetoed four bills, including two on Monday. She has been overridden twice so far, with the Legislature scheduled to return April 10 for more veto override votes. She has allowed three bills to become law without her signature.
Source: Sunflower State Journal