Kansas Municipal News
KDOT supports ‘Safe Streets’ grant applications
The Kansas Department of Transportation is encouraging cities, counties and other local entities to submit a grant application to the 2022 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), a new U.S. DOT discretionary grant program. The SS4A program and the new Kansas SS4A Match Pilot Program represent an opportunity to leverage federal and state funding to create safety plans for city streets and county roads. Once Safety Action Plans are completed, projects identified in the plans may be eligible for future federal grants or other project funding through KDOT. State funding provided by the KDOT pilot program will contribute to the local match required by the SS4A grant. For more information on the program, visit https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A or https://arcg.is/1qKLCr0.
Source: Derby Informer | News
KCK resident hopes closing ‘Bank of KDOT’ will improve safety of Interstate 70 tight curve
As Interstate 70 exits Kansas and enters Missouri, a tight right-angle curve is a sight of many accidents over the years, Leo Eilts has witnessed. Eilts, a resident of the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, bought a building 16 years ago with a fantastic view overlooking the point where the Kansas and Missouri river meet. He quickly found his building offered a less pleasant view of accidents along that harrowing curve and fixed his security cameras on the point. “I have a front row seat to a massive demolition derby just down from my building,” Eilts said.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
KCC Launches Website Focused on Shaping Energy Efficiency Programs, Incentives
The Kansas Corporation Commission has launched Energy Smart Kansas, a website devoted to helping shape the future of energy efficiency opportunities in the state. Kansans can provide feedback about which programs and potential rebates they are interested in. They will also find information on current state and federal offerings. With record-high temperatures and rising energy costs, the KCC is inviting all Kansans to share their feedback on how energy efficiency can help provide solutions for their energy needs and equip them with the tools to save money and energy in their homes and workplaces. You can learn more or participate by visiting EnergySmartKansas.org.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Kansas Infrastructure Summit begins in Wichita
Local government and business leaders from across Kansas are gathering in Wichita for the first-ever Kansas Infrastructure Summit. It’s being held through Thursday at the Wichita State University Hughes Metropolitan Complex. More than 650 people are learning about grant opportunities from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will provide close to $3.8 billion in direct funds over the next five years for transportation, water, energy, and broadband projects. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly welcomed the participants Wednesday morning and said the summit will develop a strategy on how Kansas can be strengthened for years to come. The people at the conference are hearing from experts on the resources available. They’re talking about ways the government and the private sector can work together to maximize the impact of the grants for infrastructure projects.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Riley County area emergency personnel conduct annual active violence training
Riley County first responders started three-day-long training exercises yesterday (Tuesday) to help improve response times and interagency coordination in the event of an active violence scenario. Members of RCPD, Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County EMS, KSU PD, volunteers, representatives from USD 383 and other law enforcement partners gathered at Anthony Middle School for this year’s training. Riley County EMS Assistant Director Josh Gering said that this training is extremely valuable and would not be possible without the support of USD 383. “Riley County is very lucky. We are unique in the state of Kansas by doing this annually and doing it to this level annually… The school district is permitting us to come into the buildings every summer and do this… To allow us to come and do this is super valuable. I hope other school districts take a page out of USD 383’s book here.”
Source: 1350 KMAN
Newton softball tournament filled up local hotel rooms
More teams competing in this year’s Mexican-American Softball Tournament meant a bonanza for local restaurants and hotels. Ozell Lincoln said Coratel Inn & Suites usually filled about 30 rooms for the tournament, but this year all 53 rooms were booked during the Fourth of July weekend. He said the hotel counted on the boost provided by the annual tournament. “They do a lot for the local economy and I don’t think people realize how much business they bring,” he said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Sedgwick names park after former mayor DeHaven
A longtime public servant in Sedgwick will have his legacy immortalized. The park on the east side of town has a new official name as the Mayor Donald K. DeHaven Memorial Park. DeHaven served as Sedgwick’s mayor for 44 years, as well as six years as a member of the city council. He died on May 17, 2013. Sedgwick City Council approved a resolution designating the new park name during last week’s meeting following a discussion in executive session. The resolution notes that naming the park after DeHaven will be a lasting reminder of his faithfulness and dedication in public service to Sedgwick.
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas Lands $4 billion, 4,000-Job Panasonic Energy Electric Vehicle Battery Plant
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced that Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd., plans to build one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facilities of its kind in the United States in Kansas. Pending approval by Panasonic Holdings Corporation Board of Directors, the company has identified a site in De Soto for the potential project. The planned project is expected to create up to 4,000 new jobs and result in an investment of up to $4 billion, which represents the largest economic development project in Kansas history. The development will have ripple effects throughout the regional and state economy, supporting an estimated 4,000 additional jobs created by suppliers and community businesses and 16,500 construction jobs as cited in an independent Wichita State University economic impact study. “As the largest private investment in Kansas history and one of the largest EV battery manufacturing plants of its kind in the country, this project will be transformative for our state’s economy, providing in total 8,000 high-quality jobs that will help more Kansans create better lives for themselves and their children,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Marion County discusses option of Fort Riley taking over receiving recycling again
Recycling was the main topic of business for the weekly Marion County Board of Commissioners on Monday. Weed/HHW/Transfer Station/Recycle Director Josh Housman gave an update on Department business letting the commissioners know that he is still a few employees short. Commissioner Kent Becker told Housman that he got a call from Fort Riley and they reported that they are ready to start taking recycling again which he feels would be really helpful to Hillsboro and Marion.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Marion selects Mark Skiles to become city administrator
Marion’s city council unanimously approved a contract Monday for Mark Skiles to become city administrator. Skiles’s starting date will be July 25. … Skiles, 63, most recently was city administrator in Clinton, Oklahoma…
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
Pittsburg’s Fox Theatre receives grant funding for refurbishment
Efforts to refurbish a historic area theatre got a boost from the state’s chief executive. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has awarded over $4 million in community service tax credits to nearly 30 nonprofits. One of which is the Colonial Fox Theater in Pittsburg. Vonnie Corsini says her organization has applied for the tax credits two times in the past, and the third time turned out to be the charm. “And we’re getting $150,000 of community service tax credits which will translate into $300,000 in gifts for us. If a person for instance would donate $1,000 to us, the State of Kansas would give them back $500 in tax credits,” said Vonnie Corsini, Executive Director, Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation.
Source: KSNF/KODE
The new 988 suicide prevention hotline will connect Kansans to help near them
Think of the new 988 not just as an easier-to-remember suicide hotline. The number that goes live in Kansas on Saturday also comes with an infusion of federal tax dollars aimed at creating a more powerful and nimble lifeline to families caught in a mental health crisis. “It really spurred the initial progress to move forward with that,” said Sherrie Vaughn, the executive director of the Kansas branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “If you would have asked me four years ago, can we get there? I may have been hesitant to say yes.” The new hotline was designed to steer people to nearby help. That’s a departure from the existing system that merely connected people to therapists and social workers scattered across the country.
Source: KCUR News
Allen County commissioners consider land bank proposal
County commissioners want to learn more about legal ramifications if they start a land bank. They don’t want to see the county collect a bunch of unwanted property they’ll have to take care of, and would rather wait until developers show interest. Jonathan Goering, Thrive Allen County’s economic development director, is ready to move forward with plans to start a land bank. Commissioners, though, aren’t quite as enthusiastic. They’re concerned the county could end up with a surplus of unwanted property they’ll have to maintain, and they could lose some property tax revenue. Goering assured them they have options to control those things.
Source: The Iola Register
Manhattan to have forum on future of parks and rec programs
Residents can give input on the future of parks and recreation programming, city officials announced Tuesday. The Manhattan Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will hold a special meeting … The purpose is to gain feedback on the future of parks and recreation programming. The meeting will be a facilitated public forum, according to a press release from the city government. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend and participate. The public forum will involve a brief overview from city government staff members on the parks and rec programming and budget, followed by facilitated conversations aiming to seek community feedback and understanding while also acknowledging existing conditions, officials said.
Source: themercury.com
Inflation rose 9.1% in June, even more than expected, as price pressures intensify
Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the 8.8% Dow Jones estimate. That marked another month of the fastest pace for inflation going back to December 1981.
Source: CNBC
For 3 years, Topeka has been paying people up to $15K to move there. Is it working?
Kenyon and Stacey Gleason were already planning to move to Topeka from South Dakota…. It wasn’t until they were shopping for homes with their Topeka real estate agent that they learned another financial incentive awaited them. Kenyon could apply for Choose Topeka’s relocation program, which gives remote workers who move to Shawnee County $10,000 toward the purchase of a home. A few months later, Kenyon happily cashed the $10,000 check. … their experience also illuminates the complexities and blind spots of economic development efforts like Choose Topeka. Its approach — attempting to grow the tax base by targeting individuals rather than companies, and by using cold hard cash as opposed to convoluted subsidies — is a relatively new one, with mixed results in other areas it’s been implemented, including Tulsa, northwest Arkansas and Vermont. The Gleasons were coming to Topeka anyway: Did the city really need to write them a $10,000 check? Bob Ross, the senior vice president of marketing for the Greater Topeka Partnership, the umbrella organization for Choose Topeka, says yes. … More than a third of Choose Topeka’s participants migrated to the city from elsewhere in the state, data shows, suggesting its economic incentives contribute to a kind of Border War in miniature, where Topeka sucks up talent from small Kansas towns and neighboring counties nearly as often as it attracts a remote worker from Texas or California. (Participants who work for a local company get up to $15,000.)
Source: Kansas City Star
Municipal-Bond Issuers Fall Behind on Disclosures
U.S. states, cities and counties are taking longer to file regular financial reports, leaving bondholders in the dark and adding to pressure on prices. S&P Global Ratings last month withdrew its ratings for 30 cities, counties and other municipalities because they haven’t yet filed their 2020 financial statements. The ratings company also placed New Orleans on credit watch in April for late reporting, the largest city analysts can recall incurring that sanction in more than a decade.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets
To utilize our Continuing Bond Disclosure services, email Beth Warren.
The sixth annual Salina Comic Con is at TPEC this weekend
Coming back for the sixth straight year, the 2022 edition of Salina Comic Con is happening over the weekend in the Great Plains Manufacturing Convention Hall at Tony’s Pizza Events Center (TPEC). Featured guests at this year’s con include Justin Nimmo, the original silver ranger from “Power Rangers in Space,” C. Andrew Nelson, who has played and voiced Darth Vader several times in the Star Wars franchise of films, TV shows and video games and Alan Fernandes, the only living Tusken Raider from the original 1977 “Star Wars” film, “A New Hope.” … “As a city facility, our mission is to bring a wide variety of entertainment options to Salina and Salina Comic Con is a perfect example of an event that is family-friendly and has something for everyone,” said Marjorie Anderson, the director of marketing and partnerships for TPEC.
Source: Salina Journal
Lawrence and Douglas County leaders call for more in-depth discussion of homeless shelter, affordable housing
Douglas County leaders want to do more to help people in the local homeless shelter transition into stable housing, and they say they’ll need to work closely with City of Lawrence leaders to achieve that. Leaders from the city and the county held a joint work session on affordable housing on Tuesday, giving county commissioners a chance to learn more about housing issues in Lawrence from city leaders. But the work session only lasted about 45 minutes, and County Commissioner Shannon Reid said the governments needed to have a more extensive conversation in the future, particularly about the Lawrence Community Shelter.
Source: LJWorld
Municipal Bond Trends for July 12, 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.