Kansas Municipal News
Changes coming to iconic Abilene steam engine
A train over a century old will undergo a special overhaul for the next 18 months to help extend its life. According to officials with Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, the antique locomotive Santa Fe 3415 will be taken out of service for the next year-and-a-half for a complete safety check of the engine’s boiler and so that other improvements can be made. This is part of routine maintenance that must be conducted every 15 years as mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Shawnee city manager will resign, citing city council’s ‘different vision’
Nolan Sunderman will leave his job as Shawnee city manager on November to take a position in another city in the Kansas City area, he confirmed to the Post on Tuesday. On Monday, Sunderman told Shawnee Mayor Michelle Distler between two regularly scheduled city council meetings and emailed councilmembers that he would be leaving the job he’s held for the past four years, with his last day to be Nov. 1. Key quote: “It was a difficult decision for me,” he said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working and living here in Shawnee.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Lenexa residents will get chance to weigh in on new name for renovated Indian Trails pool
Voting will begin Friday on a new name for Lenexa’s Indian Trails Aquatic Center, as the city prepares for major renovations at that pool. What are the choices? For a three-week period beginning Friday, voters can choose their favorite new name for the pool from three possibilities: Lenexa Splash at Sar-Ko-Par Trails. Sar-Ko-Par Aquatic Center. Sar-Ko-Par Splash Aquatic Center. The process: Whichever choice gets the most votes will become the new pool name.
Source: Prairie Village Post
County gets state boost to fix damaged detour roads
County roads damaged by detour traffic around a highway construction project at Moran will get a financial boost from the state. The Kansas Department of Transportation agreed to pay for road repairs to several rural roads in the vicinity, in particular Nebraska Road and 4200th Street. Mitch Garner, the county’s Public Works director, updated commissioners on a recent meeting with representatives of KDOT. The state agreed to pay $3,401 for patching work on a section of Nebraska Road, and another $11,316 for repairs to 4200 Street from Nebraska to New Hampshire roads.
Source: The Iola Register
Allen County Clerks ready for new roles
Allen County Clerk Sherrie Riebel retires Friday after serving 25 years in the role. … Shannon Patterson, who will become the new Allen County Clerk when Sherrie Riebel retires on Friday, had no hesitation when asked what has best prepared her for the role. “I had Sherrie for a teacher,” Patterson said. “She has taught me so much and she has been an amazing clerk, so I’m following in great footsteps and I hope I live up to it.” Riebel chimed in to say it’s all about cross-training.
Source: Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for September 27, 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 to place alcohol drink opt-out rule on ballot Nov. 2023
A liquor by the drink opt-out, sparked by the efforts of Hutchinson business Sandhills Brewing Company to renew its state of Kansas liquor license, will be placed on the county’s November 2023 ballot…. K.S.A. 41-2646 states that drinking establishments such as Sandhills make at least 30% in annual profit from food sales. The law allows the board of commissioners to submit a question to the voters, following either the adoption of a resolution or upon receiving a valid petition from citizens.
Source: Hutch News
Salina hoping to build 150 duplex townhouses, using grant
The City of Salina is looking for any opportunity to help alleviate the current housing situation, with another state resource currently being considered after approval by the City Commission. During its meeting Monday, the commission approved a resolution to submit an application to the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation for the state’s 2022 moderate income housing (MIH) grant program for a development that is expected to have 338 housing units.
Source: Salina Journal
10-Year Treasury Yield Hits 4%
The yield on 10-year U.S. government bonds hit 4% for the first time in more than a decade Wednesday, the latest leg of a historically steep rise that has jolted financial markets this year. Yields, which rise when bond prices fall, have been climbing at their fastest pace in four decades because of escalating expectations for how high the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates to tamp down the worst inflation since the 1980s. … The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note touched above 4% briefly in European trading hours, before slipping back. It was at 3.985%, up from 3.963% Tuesday and roughly 3.1% at the end of August. Through Monday, it had climbed nearly 2.5 percentage points this year, the largest increase over that period since 1981.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets
Fed’s Evans says he’s getting a little nervous about going too far, too fast with rate hikes
Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans says he’s feeling apprehensive about the U.S. central bank raising interest rates too quickly in its quest to tackle runaway inflation. Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday, Evans said he remains “cautiously optimistic” that the U.S. economy can avoid a recession — provided there are no further external shocks. His comments come shortly after a slew of top Fed officials said they would continue to prioritize the fight against inflation, which is currently running near its highest levels since the early 1980s.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
911 dispatchers: Always on call, handling chaos in crashes
The dispatchers who take 911 calls about crashes on Kansas roadways are the crucial links in emergency responses. Without them, help wouldn’t arrive in time. How do they do it? Three dispatchers with Hutchinson-Reno County Emergency Communications are sharing their stories in the series. This second article focuses on Sabrina Henry, dispatch supervisor: Henry remembers getting a series of calls from panicked witnesses who encountered a crash. A vehicle had gone off the road, leaving multiple victims. She managed to calm the witnesses enough to find out where they were and how many victims. It took a few moments “to get everybody to settle down,” Henry said.
Source: Kansas Transportation
New incentive criteria opens up housing development options in Derby
Part of the push behind Derby’s recent housing study and its adoption was to make additional incentives available to the city – incentives that are seen as a means to further housing development. In particular, the Kansas Legislature made the benefits of the Rural Housing Incentive District program (RHID) more accessible in 2021, opening up the program to cities and counties with a population of less than 60,000. With the filing of the housing study, Derby can now utilize RHIDs as a development tool. The community development advisory board officially approved their addition to the city’s economic development policy back in August.
Source: Derby Informer
Merriam leaders consider hotel grant to bolster tax revenue
City leaders in Merriam will soon consider a new plan to reinvest in the city’s aging hotel stock. On Monday, the Merriam City Council reviewed a proposed grant that could help revamp local hotels to bring in more tax revenue for the city. Currently there are four hotels in Merriam, all built between 1982 and 1998. A 7% transient guest tax (TGT) applies to all hotels and Airbnbs within the city. Revenue from the TGT supports the Visitor’s Bureau, the farmers market and special community events like the Turkey Creek Festival.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
FOLRZ’s ‘A Wild Affair’ fundraiser returns to Garden City zoo
Saturday was a wild time at the Lee Richardson Zoo. The 2022 “A Wild Affair” fundraiser held by the Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo was held for the first time in two years, since the 2019 event, on Saturday. This was the event’s 15th year. Kristi Newland, zoo director, said it’s a “wonderful event where community support shines” and they get to welcome people to the zoo on a different basis to have a good time. Jessica Norton, executive director of the Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo, said a lot of people attend the event when it’s held, a lot of returning faces, but also plenty of new ones, who this might be their first exposure to the zoo.
Source: Garden City Telegram
HFED announcing new grant opportunities for downtown Hiawatha
The Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development has announced new grant opportunities for downtown. HFED Director Mikaela Moore said the organization is facilitating the second round of Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants, intended for revitalizing downtown buildings in small communities across the state. These grants were recently announced by Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland and the HEAL program is designed to bring downtown buildings back into productive use as spaces for new or expanding businesses, housing, arts and culture, civic engagement, childcare or entrepreneurship.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
McPherson County Sheriff’s Office selling breast cancer awareness patches to help local nonprofit
“All the money that… they receive stays to help benefit McPherson county residents, so every dollar that we donate to them stays in McPherson County and I couldn’t think of any better way to help support your local community than with a local charity that does something like that,” said Sgt. AJ Elmer with the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office.
Source: KAKE – News
‘I don’t think we understood the magnitude of it’: City of Wichita addresses evidence problems
On Monday, City Manager Robert Layton announced major problems found at the Wichita Police Department’s evidence building. “My office learned about potential problems with the police department’s property and evidence operation,” Layton said. He also talked about five phase plans to fix it. One of the problems found in the more than 400-page audit is a huge evidence backlog. It says the building has around 550,000 items, and that it’s “increasing at an alarming rate.” So why is the city just now making a plan? “I don’t think we understood the magnitude of it and I didn’t until I read the audit report,” Layton said.
Source: KAKE – News
Google Fiber’s impact on Kansas City 10 years later
KC Digital Drive was founded in 2012 by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to address the digital equity issues revealed when Google Fiber launched in Kansas City and to mitigate the gaps in adapting to emerging technologies in the bi-state region. Now, it’s been 10 years since those efforts began and Aaron Deacon, managing director of KC Digital Drive, says Kansas City is ahead of other big cities when it comes to access to fiber. “We have more fiber here than almost any big city in the U.S. We have a competitive fiber market,” Deacon says. “We have fiber that serves some of our poorest neighborhoods that the rest of the country kind of salivates over.”
Source: KCUR
Drought leads to fish salvage in Ellis, other towns
The drought that has been affecting communities across Kansas is causing problems for the fish at several Kansas lakes. As the water recedes, fish could die. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has issued public fish salvage orders for these four lakes: Ellis City Lake (order issued on Monday). Warren Stone Lake, east of La Crosse (order issued recently). Hodgeman State Fishing Lake, southeast of Jetmore. Goodman State Fishing Lake, east of Ness City
Source: KSNT 27 News
Bees swarm downtown Emporia after honey spill
A warning from local Emporia officials is urging people to “bee safe” following the arrival of a swarm of bees. According to the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center, the spilling of a five-gallon bucket of honey has created a “golden buffet” for the local bee population. This has resulted in a massive amount of bees in downtown Emporia. The site of the spill is an alley stretching from 600 Commercial Street to Merchant Street. Officials indicate that this could be ongoing for the next few days as the bees gobble up all of the honey. Any efforts to clean up the spilled honey have been regarded as unsafe due to the high concentration of insects.
Source: KSNT 27 News