Kansas Municipal News
Firms seek grants to expand broadband service in county
Proposed broadband expansions in Miami County accounted for nine of the 118 grant applications the state received for the second phase of its capital projects grant fund for broadband infrastructure expansion statewide. Gov. Laura Kelly announced in mid-July that more than 21,000 Kansas homes and businesses are set to receive high-speed internet access for the first time thanks to an $83.5 million grant program through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Broadband Development. A priority of the program is to support broadband expansion to facilitate work, education, and healthcare in areas that lack access to internet speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Rebuild of tornado-ravaged Andover YMCA targeted to finish in 2024
Closed since it was struck by a destructive EF-3 tornado on April 29, the Andover YMCA branch will be rebuilt “better than ever,” said Ron McMahon, CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA. “The whole thing will be redone — every floor, every finish, every wall will be completely redone,” McMahon said Wednesday in an interview with the WBJ. It was the first time the YMCA has announced its next steps in Andover since the tornado tore a 13-mile path through portions of Sedgwick and Butler counties three months ago. One of 10 branch locations in the Wichita area, the YMCA was one of the worst-hit businesses in the storm, which wrecked the outdoor waterpark, tore back portions of the roof and launched vehicles from the parking lot into the front lobby.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Tax relief program for small Kansas businesses
The state is launching the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief program in October and small business owners should prepare now. House Bill 2136 passed back in June invests $50 million to help small Kansas businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is funded through the American Rescue Plan… Information detailing the application process and dates for the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program is expected from the Kansas Department of Revenue. People will have until April 15, 2023, to file an application for this financial assistance.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Federal grant to help plug abandoned wells
The Kansas Corporation Commission received a $25 million federal grant to help plug 2,352 abandoned oil and gas wells in the state, most of them in eastern Kansas counties. The initial grant is part of $1.15 billion earmarked under the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help states remediate abandoned oil and gas wells. Over the next eight years, $4.7 billion has been allocated to plug abandoned wells in the U.S. The KCC is eligible to receive another $33.6 million in future formula grant funding, according to a KCC release on the grant award. “These federal grants provide Kansas with a one-time opportunity to help address the issue of abandoned wells in Kansas while helping the economy by providing good paying jobs for several years,” said Ryan A. Hoffman, KCC Conservation Division director.
Source: Parsons Sun
$1.4 Million in Grants for Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison
U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.) and Congressman Jake LaTurner (KS-02) today announced two grants totaling $1,454,770 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison. These resources – the combined total of a $1,167,300 grant and $287,470 grant – will be for design and land acquisition reimbursement associated with the planned Runway 9/27 (non-construction phases). Runway 16/34 is the existing runway, which will be abandoned. Runway 9/27 will be 4,000 ft. in length.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Valley Heights voters turn down school bond
Voters in Valley Heights USD 498 turned down an $18.54 million proposal Tuesday to issue bonds for school improvements, including building an addition at the junior-senior high school complex and moving elementary students there. The first question, which asked voters to build a new elementary school at the junior-senior high campus, failed 475-230 in Tuesday’s special election. A second question on whether to make improvements to other district buildings also went down, 442-244.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Saline County commissioners discuss innovation, examining failure & progress
Saline County commissioners and other staff met in the basement of the Salina Masonic Temple for a special workshop meeting focused on innovation in government. On Tuesday, 11 members of county staff attended the plenary study-session-style presentation by Andi Mirviss with the Centre for Public Impact. The goal of the session was not to leave with immediate solutions but to become inspired with potential ideas to overcome challenges in local government.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for August 30, 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.
Fed’s Williams pushes back on market expectations of a rate cut next year
New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said Tuesday he expects interest rates to continue higher and to remain at those levels until inflation is subdued. Echoing recent comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, Williams told the Wall Street Journal that he also is in the higher-for-longer camp when it comes to monetary policy. “We’re going to need to have restrictive policy for some time,” he said in a live interview. “This is not something we’re going to do for a very short period and then change course.” That outlook comes just a few days after Powell also used the “for some time” language to describe his expectations for benchmark interest rates. In his annual policy speech at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Fed chief noted that “the historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Fed officials renew rate-hike theme while staying vague on size
Federal Reserve officials, picking up where they left off over the weekend in Jackson Hole, stressed their commitment to defeating inflation while remaining vague on how big their policy move will be next month. Three regional Fed presidents reiterated in separate remarks on Tuesday that curbing the hottest prices in almost 40 years was their top priority, with New York Fed chief John Williams agreeing interest rates probably need to advance above 3.5% at some point to achieve their goal. “You do need to get a little bit, or somewhat above that, because you’re trying to get not just to neutral, you’re also trying to get demand back in line with supply,” he said during a virtual Wall Street Journal interview in which he pushed back against market bets that the Fed would cut rates next year. “It’s going to take some time before I would expect to see adjustments of rates downward.”
Source: The Bond Buyer
Demand High for Investments in State’s Broadband Infrastructure
Governor Laura Kelly’s goal of connecting all Kansans to high-speed broadband internet has piqued the interest of individuals and communities throughout Kansas. It also has garnered strong attention from providers seeking to make that last-mile connection. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced today that 141 applications have been submitted for the Capital Projects Fund-Infrastructure Program (CPF). The service providers’ funding requests total almost $600 million for the available $83.5 million in funding provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury under the American Rescue Plan Act. “The overwhelming response to the funding opportunity demonstrates the vast need for high-speed broadband across the state,” Lieutenant Governor Toland said. “Such volume shows that we must continue investing in broadband until every Kansan is connected.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Delays impacting Pottawatomie County emergency radio system upgrade
Pottawatomie County commissioners received a less than favorable status update Monday to its ongoing radio systems upgrade, that could see delays well into next year. Motorola representative Richard Nita told commissioners about supply chain delays for the shipment of generators, which had previously been noted to be around 52-weeks. He says their distributor now expects those to be available by the middle of next summer, at best. It was also noted that shelters for the three tower sites are on a 16-week wait, however Topeka-based TFM Comm, whom Motorola is contracted with, had not placed the order as of Monday.
Source: 1350 KMAN
De Soto won’t lose small town feel with construction of Panasonic battery plant
Ground breaking at the site of the Panasonic plant in De Soto, Kansas, will begin in September, according to officials. The small city, with fewer than 6,500 people, was selected as the construction site of the $4 billion battery plant expected to employ 4,000 workers. City officials say the plant is good for De Soto but there are challenges that come with it. “You know, it’s big, but you don’t realize how big it is until you start having meetings with the consultants, with Panasonic, with all the other interested parties and realize just what a complicated task it is,” said City Administrator Mike Brungardt.
Source: KCUR
3 small quakes recorded in Graham County
Three small earthquakes were reported Tuesday morning in northwest Kansas. The first earthquake hit around 4:53 a.m. and measured around 2.7 in magnitude. The second tremor happened about 3 minutes later and measured 2.6. The smallest, a 2.1, struck about a minute before 5 a.m. All of the earthquakes happened west of the city of Bogue near the Rooks County line.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka city manager search narrows, next step is meet & greet
The City of Topeka started the next phase in its search for the next city manager on Tuesday. … The four candidates being reviewed by the city’s governing body include Mike Harmon, David Johnston, Stephen Wade, and Abbe Yacoben. Each candidate will take part in two interview panels Tuesday. One panel will be with the governing body while the other will be with community stakeholders.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Shawnee Town 1929 chapel would be new events venue on historic site
Shawnee officials are considering adding a small chapel to the Shawnee Town 1929 historic site in the city’s downtown area. The chapel, intended to replace a church that was formerly located in the historic area, is included in the proposed capital improvements plan that is awaiting approval by the city council. Once built, it would be available for weddings and events, making it a potential revenue-generating source, said Tonya Lecuru, director of the city’s parks and recreation department.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Western Kansas’ economy threatened by reliance on Ogallala Aquifer
Tentacles of the irrigation-based agriculture economy of Kansas extend far from fields of lush, tall corn to the ethanol producers, dairy and beef facilities, meatpacking plants, and finally the homes of people living in the state’s rural areas. Earl Lewis, chief engineer of water resources with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, told state legislators Monday this chain could be broken in some areas of the state as consumption of groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer continued to outstrip natural replenishment. “We’ve got a multibillion-dollar industry built on that economy,” said Lewis, pointing to maps showing swaths of western Kansas counties fed by the Ogallala wouldn’t sustain another generation of hefty irrigation. “That’s really where we see a significant change in the economy.”
Source: The Iola Register
Riley County updates social media policy, Health Dept applies for new grant
Riley County Public Information Officer Vivienne Uccello proposed an update to the employee social media policy at Monday’s Commissioner meeting. It mainly applies to the deletion of public comments on county-run sites. Uccello explains what will be deleted: She said while private companies can delete any comment they want to; the county rarely deletes comments because it is a 1st amendment right to criticize the government. Staff will flag suspicious comments, and a supervisor will review it. The policy applies to all departments. The commissioners unanimously approved the update.
Source: 1350 KMAN
New Pittsburg FD gear provides life-saving cyanide antidote kits
When someone dies from smoke inhalation, it’s due to a fatal build-up of cyanide poisoning. But three new kits that have been delivered to the Pittsburg Fire Department are designed to prevent that fatal build-up from happening. Fire Chief Dennis Reilly says some area hospitals have “Cyanokits” but says it can be too late to reverse the damage if they can’t be administered quickly enough. Reilly says bringing the kits with them to each fire and administering them on-site gives victims a better chance of survival. “Provide that treatment at the point of injury as opposed to waiting to transport people to the hospitals so we can start doing these interventions quicker which we believe will enhance survivability for smoke inhalation victims,” said Reilly.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Appeals court rules against NextEra Energy in a lawsuit against Reno County over wind farm
The state’s appellate court has upheld a finding that petitions by opponents of a large commercial wind farm in the southeast quadrant of Reno County were legally sufficient to force a unanimous County Commission vote on a permit for the proposed development. The ruling against Pretty Prairie Wind LLC, a subsidiary that NextEra Energy created to develop the project, came more than two years after the Florida-based multinational corporation appealed a ruling by now-retired Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers.
Source: Hutch News