Kansas Municipal News
Fed’s Bullard sees more interest rate hikes ahead and no U.S. recession
St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said Wednesday that the central bank will continue raising rates until it sees compelling evidence that inflation is falling. The central bank official said he expects another 1.5 percentage points or so in interest rate increases this year as the Fed continues to battle the highest inflation levels since the early 1980s. “I think we’ll probably have to be higher for longer in order to get the evidence that we need to see that inflation is actually turning around on all dimensions and in a convincing way coming lower, not just a tick lower here and there,” Bullard said during a live “Squawk Box” interview on CNBC.
Source: CNBC
Bentley Police celebrate National Night Out
Tuesday night was a soggy one for Bentley Police Chief James “Tim” Bryan, but it was all in the name of bringing the community together. Bryan found himself on the hot-seat of a dunk tank at the police department’s National Night Out event at Williams Park. “That’s what this is all about—having good conversations with the community,” Bryan said. The department borrowed the homemade dunk tank Matt Hayden of the Haven Police Department. Bryan noted Fire Chief Jeremy Lee would be taking a turn on the dunk tank later in the evening.
Source: Harvey County Now
Chippeaux exemplifies volunteerism as new Bentley resident
In the eyes of Bentley Mayor Tracy Pribbenow, Chris Chippeaux is the epitome of a new resident to a small community. “To me, it’s just awesome that he dives into a community with both feet,” Pribbenow said. “I wish so many new residents would consider how to really be involved and integrated into a new place.” Chippeaux and his family moved to Bentley in December of 2020, and he wasted no time joining the volunteer fire department. He also just completed his first year on the city council. “It’s not exactly what I was expecting, but I’m learning a lot with it, too,” Chippeaux said about serving on the council. “I’m pretty happy with the decision to get more involved.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Local Mennonites Reflect On Newton Impact
Mennonites from the Newton and North Newton area gathered around the Carriage Factory Art Gallery for a detailed look at how Mennonites have shaped Newton to the present. Glen Ediger presented, “The Mennonite Impact on the Newton Area,” at Carriage Factory on Thursday, July 28. This was part of a two-part presentation about the history of Mennonites in Kansas. Ediger previously presented “Mennonites Come to Kansas” in June. Much of the research done by Ediger was accomplished through Bethel College’s archives and the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO).
Source: Harvey County Now
Peabody dog violation put bite on owner
Thirteen separate dog offenses have resulted in $1,760 in fines for a dog owner who has since left Peabody. Eric J. Williams, 34, was fined in municipal court for five counts of having a dog at large, having an unvaccinated dog, being a habitual dog ordinance violator, harboring a vicious animal, having no dog tag, and having no water service in his residence. The most recent of the offenses was April 22. He was convicted last week.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Short-staffed ambulances to charge hospitals
Medical facilities that summon county ambulance crews to transfer patients or perform medical procedures soon will be charged. In the past, patients have been billed for transfers, at a much higher charge than what interim ambulance director Chuck Kenney suggested to county commissioners Friday. Under federal regulations, a hospital is responsible for the cost of transferring a patient to another facility, but ambulance services routinely bill the patients instead.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office receives raise to $23.50/hr
Amid staffing concerns that arose after a plotted riot at the Sedgwick County Jail in July, Sedgwick County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a pay raise for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. Sedgwick County Commissioners unanimously approved a pay raise for commissioned deputies and detention deputies to $23.50 per hour, which according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter, would put the agency just above the Maize Police Department and below the Bel Aire Police Department. Easter told commissioners Wednesday staffing shortages have been a major cause for concern. Two more people resigned over the weekend, making a bad situation worse.
Source: KSN-TV
Some skunks remain, but Newton track reopens
The skunk traps are working in Newton. About 10 days after Newton Schools closed the high school track because of skunks, the track reopened. Many people in the community use the track, but the school district warned them to stay away because of a lot of skunks, especially under the high jump mats. One skunk charged at a person using the track. Cody Abney, a master tracker and trapper, got to work on the problem. On Wednesday, the district announced on Facebook that five of the 11 skunks have been caught.
Source: KSN-TV
New ‘Welcome’ banners to be installed in downtown Topeka
Look up on Kansas Avenue in downtown Topeka and you will see new banners welcoming international visitors to the Capitol City. Bob Ross, with the Greater Topeka Partnership, announced Wednesday afternoon eight new banners will be installed across Kansas Avenue in Downtown Topeka. The new banners say “Welcome” in eight different languages. The languages include Spanish, English, Arabic, Mandarin, Ukrainian, Hindi, Potawatomi, and German. “Downtown Topeka is proud to be the front door for the Capitol City of Kansas,” said Rhiannon Friedman, president of Downtown Topeka Inc. “Each year people from around the world visit our city for business, family, and fun. When you visit Downtown Topeka, we want to say welcome in as many languages as possible and ensure everyone realizes our downtown businesses are honored to serve them.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Spring Hill district debuts new solar project aimed to help cut energy costs
One local school district is harnessing the power of the sun to power up its classrooms. Wednesday morning, the Spring Hill School District unveiled its newly constructed solar array. The school district partnered with Evergy and EnergyLink to install a solar array directly behind Spring Hill High School. The ground-mount solar field stretches across roughly 4 acres of land behind the school. Jeff Martin, vice president of customer operations for Evergy, said the high school’s land availability and proximity to the grid made it a perfect fit for the project.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Olathe approves incentives supporting Garmin’s massive expansion
Garmin Ltd. won two tranches of incentives from Olathe for its $240 million-plus headquarters expansion’s second phase, which will add 1,500 new jobs. On Tuesday evening, the City Council unanimously approved the tech manufacturer’s request for a 10-year, 75% property tax abatement, along with the issuance of $145.9 million in industrial revenue bonds for a component of its second-phase expansion. The company will remodel and repurpose a 580,580-square-foot facility at 1200 E. 151st St. for office and research uses in the northwest corner of 151st Street and Ridgeview Road.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Political signs must come down, City of Topeka says
With the end of the Kansas Primary Election all political signs be taken down, according to the City of Topeka. Two days after an election ends, all political signs must be removed from the public right of way. A temporary sign ordinance will be enforced starting Friday, Aug. 5. Those who violate the ordinance may have to pay a $50 penalty. Each day that the violation repeats will be treated as a separate and distinct offense. The fines go into effect following the third day after Election Day. Removal of each sign is $30.
Source: KSNT 27 News
County’s solar facility moratorium will not delay Osawatomie project
Miami County’s six-month moratorium on solar facility construction will not delay Osawatomie’s partnership with Evergy to build up to five megawatts of solar power — nearly double the originally proposed footprint — to serve the community, a city official said. Deputy City Manager Bret Glendening confirmed in an email Monday, Aug. 1, the county moratorium only applies to unincorporated areas of the county, not properties that have been annexed into a city. The Osawatomie-Evergy solar array project would be built on city-owned acreage directly north of the Osawatomie State Hospital on the northwest corner of the intersection of Old KC Road and 335th Street.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Municipal Bond Trends for August 2, 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.
Great Bend working with business owner on downtown parking
Downtown business owner Joe Andrasek envisions developing the empty lot north of his Charlie’s Place on Main Street into a multi-use gathering space. However, this would mean it would no longer be available as parking for his or other nearby establishments. That is why he appeared before the Great Bend City Council Monday night. He was seeking some form of purchase or lease agreement with the city so the city-owned lot on Williams Street behind Charlie’s would remain open to parking.
Source: GB Tribune
Prairie Village won’t have electric scooters on its street after August
Bird scooters are leaving Prairie Village at the end of the month when the one-year pilot program expires. The city council committee of the whole on Monday rejected a proposal to extend the pilot another year. Photo credit Juliana Garcia. Prairie Villagers will have until the end of this month to enjoy puttering around the city on Bird electric scooters. The city council’s committee of the whole on Monday decided against renewing the city’s one-year pilot program with Bird Rides, Inc., which would have kept the dockless, pay-as-you-go vehicles on city streets for another year.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Snapping turtle tangled in fishing line rescued from Meadowbrook Park pond
Two animal control officers from different Johnson County cities recently teamed up to rescue a snapping turtle tangled in a fishing line in the pond at Meadowbrook Park. Courtney Sievers, a community service and animal control officer for Prairie Village Police, told the Post she received a request last week from animal welfare group Operation Wildlife to help a turtle — potentially tangled in fishing line — in the Meadowbrook Park pond.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Leawood considers several options for conducting citywide survey on pit bull ban
This week, the Leawood City Council discussed the possibility of allowing residents to weigh in on its dangerous animal ordinance — the last one in Johnson County that bans pit bulls. Leawood is considering whether to send out a community survey about its pit bull ban, the last ban of its kind on the books in Johnson County. The Leawood City Council on Monday heard an overview of potential options for sending out a citywide survey asking what residents think of the city’s current rules around owning pit bulls.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Winfield Public Library goes fine-free
To ensure equitable access for all, Winfield Public Library has become a fine-free library, adopting recommendations from the American Library Association. While fees for lost or damaged books remain, existing fines have been waived. Studies show that going fine-free has positive effects for the entire community. Due to quarantine periods during COVID, WPL stopped charging for late materials in March 2020. Post-quarantine, WPL did not reinstate fines as research was gathered regarding the effect fines had on library usage. Based on data gathered, in July of 2022, the library board of directors voted to waive all existing fines and discontinue them on almost all materials. Fines will still be charged for inter-library loan items and technology (such as eReaders). Fees for lost or damaged materials remain on accounts and will continue to be charged.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
New Fed Infrastructure Law Will Aid KS Bridge Improvements
Kansas cities and counties needing to replace or repair locally owned bridges have a supportive partner in the Kansas Department of Transportation. The agency is improving programs and collaborating with partners to take advantage of new revenue streams generated by the federally approved Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). KDOT has reshaped two local bridge improvement programs which focus on city and county bridges to include approximately $137.5 million in BIL funds over the next five years. The increase will more than double and triple local bridge impvement funds currently available in these programs under the existing Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).
Source: Fort Scott Biz