Municipal News & Jobs

In Tuesday’s general election, Douglas County voted to add two more County Commission districts, increasing the size of the county’s governing body from three seats to five. As of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday with about 60% of precincts reporting, 18,631 votes were in favor of the ballot question, good for 61.17% of the vote. The change will cut the number of constituents that one commissioner represents from around 42,000 to around 25,000. With the vote, the next step will be drawing a new district map. The commission will have to adopt the new districts prior to Jan. 1, 2023. From there, selecting commissioners for the two newly created districts would likely involve holding a special election, with the winners serving until the next general election in 2024.
Source: LJWorld

Lawrence business owners, residents, social service providers and people experiencing homelessness spoke to city leaders Tuesday evening about the city’s response to homelessness and the management of a camp in North Lawrence. During the public comment portion of the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, commissioners heard from about 20 people, with a few times that number gathered in the lobby of City Hall, about the issue. Some called for additional support for the camp, and city staff said at the end of the meeting that the city was in the process of hiring additional people to provide more monitoring at the site.
Source: LJWorld

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.

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.

A Kansas county sued over voting documents has said the matter was resolved Friday, after a national left-leaning group filed a request with Butler County for records of voters who submitted advanced ballots but encountered issues preventing them from being counted. … Terry Huelskamp, an attorney representing Butler County, said Friday afternoon the matter had been resolved.
Source: CJonline

When Kari Taylor’s daughter, Seagan, decided to move into what the family viewed as a “quirky” top-floor apartment of a home at 1126 Ohio St., it was with the caveat that a handful of maintenance issues discussed with the leasing agent would be addressed in short order. But scattered maintenance issues like leaks and electrical work quickly snowballed into the realization that the unit should never have been a living space in the first place; the apartment was condemned as uninhabitable by the City of Lawrence following an inspection in mid-October. According to the city’s notice, the unit appears to have been converted from an attic into an apartment at some point without the proper city building permits.
Source: LJWorld

Lawrence city leaders will soon consider setting up a committee to study potential changes to the city’s many advisory boards and commissions, including a recommendation to significantly reduce their overall number. The city has 45 boards, commissions, steering committees, governing boards or other related bodies, according to the city’s website. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider adopting a resolution to establish a committee to study and make recommendations regarding the structure for all boards and commissions and a reduction in their overall number.
Source: LJWorld

An ordinance to prohibit the homeless from camping in downtown Lawrence continues to be pushed for after a two-hour meeting between business and city leaders on Monday left unresolved downtown safety concerns. About 60 people attended a Downtown Lawrence Inc. meeting on Monday morning, with several business owners saying their employees are frightened as they come to and from work, and they are hearing from customers who say they no longer feel comfortable bringing their children downtown. “This is a major crisis, and I think it has been about four or five months that we have been trying to get it in the forefront of the public’s mind as an issue we need to address,” said Rick Renfro, an owner of Johnny’s Tavern, which is next door to a temporary homeless camp the city has erected in North Lawrence.
Source: LJWorld