Kansas Municipal News
With 85 vacant positions, City of Lawrence continues to see impact of ‘great resignation’ and tight labor market
Coming out of a pandemic that disrupted the personal and work lives of many, City of Lawrence officials say they are continuing to see the effects of the so-called “great resignation,” with 85 city positions currently sitting vacant. Director of Human Resources Megan Dodge, who herself has been in her position less than a year, said that the city’s workforce has not escaped national trends that began during the pandemic, when employers saw high resignation numbers as many people changed jobs. Dodge said that at one point this year the city had more than 100 open positions, and that the job market is still making it difficult to hire new workers. “Everyone has gone through a really difficult two years,” Dodge said. “We’re experiencing the great resignation. Every employer is having a hard time hiring and recruiting people.”
Source: LJWorld
Former Mayor Carol Marinovich helped unify WyCo, launch new era of growth
At the end of the 1980s, Kansas City, Kansas, was languishing. Blight had been creeping in for decades. Adult entertainment establishments proliferated, and the population saw steady declines. A City Council member at the time, Carol Marinovich began a grassroots movement to revive the area. Backed by others on the council, she recognized the need for a single government to bring the community back to life, socially and economically. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, was born, consolidating the city and county governments and sparking a renaissance of development.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
10-year Treasury yield falls to near one-month low as recession fears intensify
U.S. Treasury yields were mixed on Friday as investors continued to assess the risk of an economic downturn. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was trading marginally lower at 2.972%, paring losses after falling to 2.941% earlier in the session — its lowest level since June 6. Meanwhile, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rose 3 basis points to 3.158%. The 2-year Treasury rate, which is typically more sensitive to U.S. monetary policy changes, was down around 2 basis points at 2.912%. The 2-year note reversed some of its losses after falling to a one-week low of 2.895%.
Source: CNBC
Mission Hills Country Club responds to pickleball noise lawsuit
The Mission Hills Country Club has responded to a lawsuit against them that claims the club’s pickleball court noise is causing a married couple “emotional distress.”… The lawsuit called for a temporary injunction to prevent the club from using tennis courts as pickleball courts, as well as a permanent injunction from building pickleball courts or playing it within 600 feet of the Franklins’ property line. Mission Hills Country Club denied a slew of allegations in an answer filed with the Johnson County District Court on June 16. The country club denies a number of allegations in the lawsuit…
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Dodge City lifts water watch
The City of Dodge City Water Watch that was issued on June 17, 2022, is lifted effective Friday, July 1. Following the Water Conservation Plan and Ordinance No. 3583, a water watch is terminated when the triggering events have ceased to exist. “Currently, water tower levels are back to normal,” said Director of Public Works Corey Keller. “Additionally, the five-day average use flows below 10.75 million gallons per day. These were the two criteria that triggered us to issue the watch.”
Source: Western Kansas News
Rice County town to become the UFO Capital of Kansas
While many people will be focused on fireworks and the nation’s independence this weekend, the residents of Geneseo in rural Rice County, population 236, are thinking more otherworldly. A festival is planned on Saturday outside the Geneseo Museum to mark “World UFO Day.” All are welcome. The occasion, said Jim Gray, president of the museum at 907 Silver St., is to celebrate the unique collection of the owner of the residence-turned-museum dedicated to his belief in extra-terrestrials and their visits to Earth.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for June 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.
JoCo rideshare program expanding next week
Public transit is expanding in Johnson County next week with RideKC Micro Transit. RideKC 499 Johnson County Micro Transit will expand its service area and operate seven days a week beginning July 5. They will still run from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The RideKC Micro Transit program allows riders to hail a ride from a van that seats 12, somewhat similarly to other rideshare services like Uber or Lyft.
Source: Kansas City Star
Some in Prairie Village irked by planned removal of massive oak for teardown-rebuild project
Some Prairie Village residents are upset about the pending removal of a mature oak tree as part of a teardown-rebuild project off Nall Avenue and W. 69th Street. Residents like Barbara Dooley are concerned not only about this specific tree at 5225 W. 69th Street, but about how common shade tree removals appear to be across Prairie Village. Dooley, whose family has lived next door to the tree for 60 years, told the Post she feels like the city’s tree canopy is disappearing as a result of the teardown rebuild phenomenon.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Sustainability Advisory Board sends plastic bag ban on to Lawrence City Commission
Lawrence’s Sustainability Advisory Board voted unanimously Thursday to approve an ordinance banning establishments from using single-use plastic bags. The draft ordinance will go next to the Lawrence City Commission for consideration. If the commission approves it, the ordinance will ban establishments — including grocery stores, restaurants and others — from providing customers with plastic shopping bags. Produce bags and reusable bags are exempted from the ban, and single-use disposable paper bags would still be allowed. A few public commenters spoke in favor of the ban. Some encouraged the SAB to move faster than the draft’s timeline of one year from the time the commission approves it for establishments to stop using plastic bags.
Source: The Lawrence Times
ATF to open first-of-its-kind Center of Excellence at Wichita State’s Innovation Campus
In a huge win for Wichita State University, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is preparing to open a Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence on the school’s Innovation Campus. The national center, unlike anything the ATF currently has, is part of its Crime Gun Intelligence strategy. There will be several components to the center. Those include a new center for ballistics analysis; a new home for the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence governing board; a new home for the ATF’s Intelligence Research Specialists Academy and other advanced training; and a new facility for crime gun intelligence training for law enforcement and anyone else nationally with a role in investigating firearms-related crimes.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Wyandotte County will pay $12.5M to Lamonte McIntyre, wrongly imprisoned for 23 years
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County will pay $12.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Lamonte McIntyre, an innocent man who spent 23 years in prison, and his mother, who alleged a Kansas City, Kansas, detective framed her son after she rejected his sexual advances. The settlement was unanimously approved by the UG’s board of commissioners Thursday night, marking an end to years of litigation. The McIntyres had initially sought a combined $123 million in damages, the majority of which was pursued for his wrongful imprisonment.
Source: Kansas City Star
Manhattan Cleanup Making Progress
The severe weather that hit Manhattan earlier this month caused considerable damage, and it’s taking a bit longer than originally anticipated to collect all the downed tree limbs. Citywide cleanup efforts moved into Area Two late last week, after City crews finished picking up tree and limb debris in Area One on June 23rd. The amount of tree and limb debris collected has been significant, leading to multiple days of work being needed in each region. Crews will only move into Area Three once Area Two is complete. Residents of any of the later collection areas – Areas Three, Four, and Five – are urged to have all tree limbs, branches, and drop debris out to the curb, to ensure they are ready.
Source: WIBW News Now
July summit in Wichita will explore how state will divvy $3.8B from infrastructure bill
Kansas is set to receive at least $3.8 billion during the next five years from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and an instructional two-day event planned in Wichita next month will explore how cities, counties and the private sector can start tapping into the funds. The Kansas Infrastructure Summit, planned for July 13-14 at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex at Wichita State University, will cover grant opportunities available under the BIL and review strategies for preparing grant applications. Attendees are also invited to share input on infrastructure priorities in Kansas, including transportation, water, energy and broadband.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for June 29, 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.
Sewer plants have made Wichita’s south side smelly for years. Is change on the way?
You get used to the smell of sewage, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant. That’s one thing Chauncey Kemp has learned from living in Plainview for 63 years. “If the wind is blowing from the west, we’ve got to stay in the house. Let all the windows down,” Kemp said. Two south Wichita wastewater facilities — plant 1, situated between I-135 and K-15, and plant 2 at 57th Street South and Hydraulic — process 90% of the city’s raw sewage. Blades at the bottom of massive circular digester tanks break up roughly 30 million gallons of sludge a day, sending it through a suction system for refining. The stench rises from vats of waste and chemicals, enveloping parts of the south side like an invisible fog.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Fireworks fun abounds in communities
The July 4 holiday brings about food, fun and the obligatory fireworks. Exactly when residents can shoot off their firecrackers — and how late they can do so — depends on where they live. Fireworks are legal to shoot in Iola from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Sunday, and then from 9 a.m to midnight on Monday, Independence Day. In LaHarpe, fireworks can be shot from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Monday. Thursday is the first day fireworks are legal for shooting in both Humboldt and Moran. Humboldt’s fireworks are allowed from 8 a.m. to midnight through Monday; Moran’s are legal from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Monday.
Source: The Iola Register
Powell: ‘No guarantee’ Fed can tame inflation
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there’s “no guarantee’’ the central bank can tame runaway inflation without hurting the job market. Speaking Wednesday at a European Central Bank forum in Sintra, Portugal, Powell repeated his hope that the Fed can achieve a so-called soft landing — raising interest rates just enough to slow the economy and rein in surging consumer prices without causing a recession and sharply raising the unemployment rate. “We believe we can do that. That is our aim,’’ he said. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said, had made the job mor2e difficult by disrupting commerce and driving up the price of food, energy and chemicals. “It’s gotten harder,’’ Powell said. “The pathways have gotten narrower.’’
Source: The Iola Register
Housing boom rolls on in Goddard
The housing boom in Goddard shows no signs of slowing. With multiple new subdivisions under construction, the city council on Monday approved rezoning of two parcels to allow construction of even more homes. A four-acre property immediately north of the Orscheln store, which is located on US-54 Highway, was donated to the city in December 2020.
Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers » Feed
Conway Springs orders new ambulance
It will take nearly two years to get here, but the wheels have been set in motion for the city of Conway Springs to purchase a new ambulance for its EMS Department. A request to purchase the new ambulance was brought before the council last week by EMS director Christina Jones. Jones said that with the time it will take for the new ambulance to be constructed and delivered, now was the time to make a decision.
Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers » Feed