Kansas Municipal News
Crews battle large grass fire in Marion County
Crews from several fire departments were involved in battling a large grass fire Thursday afternoon in southeastern Marion County. The fire broke out south of Florence, and strong south winds pushed the fire and smoke to the north, creating a hazard for drivers on Highway 50. There was no word of any structures that were threatened or damaged, and no injuries were reported. The fire was 90 percent contained by evening, and firefighters were watching for hot spots.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Municipal Bond Trends for December 1, 2022
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 and Beth Warren.
Reno County daycare survey sees issues
During a Reno County Commission meeting on Tuesday, a professor from Kansas State University told the commissioners the result of a child care survey in the county. He said Hutchinson is lacking in both childcare and housing, but he thinks housing can take care of itself through attrition. He also said enforcement of policies is an issue. Bradford Wiles, Ph.D. in human development, said the county needs to create a new position to help bring change and implement childcare practices in the county. He said this person should make from $80,000 to $100,000 annually. However, he said, the highest salary an in-home childcare provider would make each year is about $25,000. The average salary in Reno County is $33,000.
Source: Hutch News
Gardner public works recognized
Seven Gardner Public Works employees were recognized for their accomplishments at the Kansas City Metro Chapter of the America Public Works Association’s Snow Removal and Equipment Training Expo. Kellen Headlee, public works director, and Mayor Todd Winters presented a trophy to Eric Willard, Public Works Street Maintenance employee, who won first place in the skid steer operations event. Jake Milkey, public works street maintenance employee, placed first in the vendor’s mini excavator event, but was unable to attend.
Source: Gardner News
KSDE Commissioner to USD 443 BOE: How does Dodge City raise happy 30 year olds?
A young lady from the Sunnyside Elementary School student council introduced herself to the Dodge City Globe with a handshake, then ushered this reporter into a classroom in which Kansas State Department of Education Commissioner Randy Watson “was happy to share really great information” with the Dodge City USD 443 Board of Education. … how does one even define success? Watson asked, rhetorically. “How does one raise a happy 30 year old?” “A successful Kansas high school graduate has the academic preparation, cognitive preparation, technical skills, employability skills and civic engagement to be successful in postsecondary education in the pursuit of the attainment of an industry-recognized certification in the workforce without the need for remediation,” he answered. In other words, a happy 30 year old has the skill set to earn a living in the middle class and the ability to serve their chosen field while giving back to their community.
Source: Dodge City Daily Globe
Kansas collects $642.3 Million in total taxes for November
The Kansas Department of Revenue today announced that total tax collections for November were $642.3 million, which is $15.4 million, or 2.5%, more than last November. Total tax receipts for Fiscal Year 2023 continue to outpace Fiscal Year 2022, with year-over-year growth at 5.4%. Total tax collections for November were 5.3% below the estimate, which was recently raised at November’s meeting of the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group to align with consistently strong revenues. The estimate for November and the remainder of FY 2023 was raised by $773.0 million.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Topgolf, Scheels bringing hundreds of jobs to Wichita
Companies new to Wichita are hiring and filling hundreds of jobs right now. Topgolf, near K-96 and Greenwich, is celebrating its grand opening Friday, Dec. 2. The company has already hired close to 300 people to work at its Wichita location. “I called my mom and I said, ‘I’ve never wanted to work somewhere as much as I wanna work here,’” new employee Anyssa Torres said. Torres and Carmella Estrada are getting trained this week to work at Topgolf. It held a hiring event last week and Estrada attended.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas Supreme Court justice tackles state’s severe shortage of rural attorneys
Eighty percent of all active Kansas attorneys live in six urban counties, leaving Kansas rural communities struggling to find legal help. The newly created Rural Justice Initiative Committee plans to tackle the issue, with the goal of attracting attorneys to practices in rural areas. In Kansas, there’s a ratio of two attorneys per 535 residents in urban areas, and a ration of one attorney per 808 residents in rural areas, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch. Wichita and Hodgeman counties have no attorneys at all, and five other rural counties have only one practicing attorney in the area. Eleven rural counties in the state have only two practicing attorneys in the area.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Kansas banking commissioner pleads for greater oversight of TEFFIs
The top banking regulator in Kansas urged legislators Thursday to embrace bills clearing a path for criminal background checks and fingerprinting of officers, directors and organizers involved in a new type of financial institution catering to wealthy people securing loans with their illiquid assets. State banking commissioner David Herndon asked a joint House and Senate committee to endorse the reforms and he reiterated frustration with state law inhibiting routine scrutiny of Beneficient Company Group, the state’s first authorized TEFFI or Technology Enabled Fiduciary Financial Institution. Beneficient, with offices in Hesston, is an online trust company offering services typically reserved for large institutional investors.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Russell warns of utility disconnect scam calls
The City of Russell is warning residents about scam phone calls. The caller calls a home or business and threatens to disconnect their electrical service if they don’t immediately pay a past-due balance. Several utility customers in Russell have reported receiving these calls. The City wants to let residents know that you should never give out personal or financial information like credit, debit card, social security, or bank account numbers, no matter how insistent they may be. Also, no utility will ask you to purchase a gift card, especially from another company like Amazon, a reloadable debit card, or some other form of non-traditional payment method to pay an outstanding balance.
Source: KSN-TV
Metal detectors are being installed at Wichita high schools
Students at Wichita West High School will be the first in the district to use security screening devices, starting Friday. The devices, approved by the school board in September, are being delivered and installed at all high schools. Staff at several Wichita high schools found guns at East, Heights and North in the first two weeks of the academic school year, The Eagle has previously reported.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
After 45 years the on job in the courthouse steps out
Clerk of the District Court Donna Oswald is retiring after more than four decades of service in Atchison County District Court. Oswald plans to retire effective Friday, Dec. 9. Through mounds of court documents to the age of e-filing in the 1st Judicial District and the entire Kansas Judicial Branch, Oswald has overseen the district court operations for most of the 21st Century up to this point.
Source: News | atchisonglobenow.com
Altamont talks water costs
Cost of water to the city of Altamont is going up from $0.004 to $0.0045 per gallon, lending to the Altamont City Council discussing the amount of water being purchased versus documented usage prior to signing a contract for 2023. Altamont City Council member Raymond Coffey told the council that Rural Water District No. 4 is checking with all cities to see if towns are wanting to decrease or increase their minimum usage and is looking at changing the maximum amount the city can purchase from three times the amount to two times the amount, which would lower the obligation of what they have to supply to the city. Coffey said that would lower the water district’s obligation of what it has to supply the city.
Source: Parsons Sun
Advocates say Johnson County needs plan to end homelessness
Local advocates are calling on Johnson County leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in Kansas’ most affluent county. The Good Faith Network, a group of more than 20 local interfaith communities, and Project 1020, Johnson County’s only winter homeless shelter that serves single adults, want county leaders to actively work toward ending homelessness.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Douglas County has one month to decide on maps for 5 commission districts
Now that Douglas County voters have called for an expansion to five county commission districts, new maps must be drawn and decided within one month. During a well-attended town hall meeting Thursday evening, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said that out of 114 precincts, 109 voted in favor of adding two commissioner districts. Two of the five precincts that voted “no” to the Nov. 8 ballot question were in the city and the other three were in the county; there was no “county versus city” split, or anything like that, Shew said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Help People in Rural and Tribal Communities Access Remote Education and Health Care Resources
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is accepting grant applications for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program to help people in rural and tribal communities access remote education and health care resources. The DLT program helps fund real-time, interactive distance learning and telemedicine services in rural and tribal areas to increase access to education, training and health care resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable. This effort is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal that every American has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. Digital equity is an important component of that mission. For instance, the DLT program gives students the opportunity to participate in classes that may be in places that are too far to access. DLT funds can also help connect rural people virtually to medical professionals without leaving their home. USDA plans to make $64 million available in fiscal year 2023. Of this amount, $12 million is intended for projects that provide substance use disorder treatment services to people in rural areas. Eligible applicants include state and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses. Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than January 30, 2023. For additional information, visit the DLT webpage.
November Trading Volume Beats Previous Records, MSRB Data Shows
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) reported that trading volume reached another record in November 2022, with 1.29 million municipal bond trades recorded. November trades exceeded October’s previous record of 1.25 million trades and was more than double the volume in November 2021. Year to date, municipal bond trade count is up 63% compared to the same period in 2021, likely fueled by individual investor demand, as customer purchases and inter-dealer trades rose more than customer sales. As anticipated in a recent press release, November 2022 was the seventh month in the last eight months with more than 1 million trades being reported to the MSRB. This compares to only eight months in the last 15 years with more than 1 million trades. Meanwhile, increased demand coupled with decreased supply caused tax-exempt benchmark yields to decline by 55-65 basis points during the month.
Source: MSRB
‘Pleasantview really needed a coffee shop,’ and now it has one
The owner of Hutchinson’s newest coffee shop believes farmers and ranchers are in need of quality coffee and a space to meet. That’s why Rodica Nisly started The Rendezvous Coffee Shop in Pleasantview. The gourmet coffee shop, which opened in late May, serves a variety of signature drinks with freshly ground coffee beans roasted in Galva. The beans come from Free Space Coffee company. The lattes, although they sometimes have names reminiscent of alcoholic beverages, are all alcohol-free. To pay homage to many in the area, Nisly serves up the Farmboy, a blend of butter rum and caramel; the Farmer’s Daughter, which has chocolate and raspberry flavors; and Highway 50, which includes amaretto and chocolate.
Source: Hutch News
New Road and Bridge appointment rocks Atchison County history
Assistant Superintendent Kim Glover, Atchison County Road and Bridge Department, has earned the distinction as being the first woman appointed to the position according to the current records on file. Road and Bridge Superintendent Joe Snyder recently announced Glover’s appointment during a county commission meeting. Glover’s appointment as the new assistant superintendent became official Nov. 16, according to Human Resource Director Jodi Moore.
Source: atchisonglobenow.com
City takes water from Lake Fort Scott
On Tuesday, the city began taking water from Lake Fort Scott. Rock Creek and Cedar Creek lakes have supplemented the Fort Scott water supply for several months as the drought conditions have continued. Fort Scott Assistant City Manager Brad Matkin said recent rains have not helped and the lakes’ waters “are dropping to levels that is posing a problem to our city water supply.”
Source: Fort Scott Tribune