Kansas Municipal News
Kansas farmers raising concern over rock quarries in Pottawatomie County
A local Kansas farming community is bringing their worries to local county commissioners after a Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigation confirmed their concerns were real. “We’ve had challenges or concerns all along with the water quality issues being allowed to go downstream on Cole Creek or Indian Creek,” Rodney Biesenthal said, a Wheaton farmer. These concerns started 10 months ago when water runoff from a local rock quarry raised concerns for farmers in the area. A rock quarry is a place where rocks, sand, and other minerals are extracted – a type of open-pit mine. After testing through the K-State Diagnostic Lab, the total suspended solids, or TSS, were above 3,700 parts per million. To put it in perspective, the max allowed is around 45.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Visit OP’s new boss looks to future following pandemic years — ‘We have a lot to offer’
Overland Park’s visitor and tourism department is officially under new leadership now that Visit Overland Park has brought Warren Wilkinson on as the organization’s new president. Who he is: Wilkinson and his family originally moved to the Kansas City area from Chicago in 2018, in part, to be closer to his children’s grandparents. (His wife is from here.) He had previously worked in travel and tourism for 20 years, including work as chief marketing officer for Visit Indy, the official tourism site for Indianapolis, Indiana. He officially started his new job with Overland Park in April. Why Visit OP: Wilkinson said part of what drew him to the open position at Visit Overland Park was how well it aligned with his previous work experience and the opportunity it provides to help define the Overland Park brand.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Is your tap water funky? City of Lawrence is working on it
Some Lawrence folks have found their tap water to smell and taste rather unappetizing lately. The city says its Municipal Services and Operations department is working to address it. “The Clinton Water Treatment Plant is currently treating water with elevated levels of geosmin, a byproduct of naturally occurring algae,” according to a news release from the city. “The geosmin poses no health risk to residents or their pets but may cause a noticeably earthy smell and taste in the water.” The city says some people can detect geosmin at very low levels; others may not notice it at all. “The City has increased treatment to eliminate as much of the smell and taste differences as possible,” according to the release.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Old West Lawrence neighbors win city board’s vote to delay action on traffic plan
Multi-modal Transportation Commission members listened to Old West Lawrence neighbors Monday and voted unanimously to hold off on approval of the city’s plan for permanent traffic barriers in the neighborhood. Several neighbors believe that through their group efforts, they have created a better plan to make the streets safer than what the city and consultants have proposed. The traffic devices placed throughout the neighborhood’s streets last fall sparked some disagreements among neighbors and had been a divisive issue. However, most of the vocal residents of the neighborhood — which spans approximately from Sixth Street south to Ninth Street and from the alley east of Kentucky Street west to Michigan Street — agreed that something needed to be done for safety and to reduce speeding and cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Jones Development seeks to annex 150 acres in Olathe
An industrial developer may reenter Olathe by annexing about 149 acres near U.S. Highway 169. On Monday evening, Kansas City-based Jones Development will go before the Olathe Planning Commission to request the annexation of about 149 acres on the northwest corner of 167th Street and U.S. Highway 169. City documents state that the developer plans to rezone and develop the site. The developer has a 40-year history of industrial work. Olathe spokesman Cody Kennedy said there are no plans right now for the type of development on the site. Annexation is a requirement before the land can be rezoned or developed.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals
Great Bend Municipal Band tradition continues
For only the second time since 2019, an audience stood to hear the Great Bend Municipal Band play “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Thursday at the band shell in the courthouse square. The band had no concerts at all in 2020 and one patriotic concert around the 4th of July in 2021. Band Director Grant Mathews said they were glad to be back after missing two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a beautiful evening for a concert,” he said. The band then performed “American Patrol,” a favorite in the repertoire of marches for over 100 years, Mathews said.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
How safe are Emporia schools? USD 253 says security, prevention are prioritzed
n the wake of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, parents of school-age children, politicians, and other community members throughout the United States are calling for better safety and prevention measures in schools. Emporia Public Schools, with nine school buildings throughout the city, implements many different security and prevention measures to ensure the district is doing everything it can to keep students safe. Todd Ayer, a security officer for USD 253 who covers the high school, said if a situation were to arise, school personnel would be able to jump on the problem quickly.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Manhattan to continue discussion of changes to meeting procedures
Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday will have a final chance to give feedback on updates to meeting procedures. Assistant city manager Jared Wasinger said the most significant change to meeting procedures is starting all city commission meetings at 6 p.m. Meeting times would change from 5:30 p.m. for a work session and 7 p.m. for a legislative meeting to 6 p.m. for all meetings. If passed, the effective date for these changes is June 30. Wasinger said the other changes to meeting procedures include finalizing proper quorum and procedures during meetings, when people speak and when motions are called.
Source: themercury.com
Country legend Will Nelson, 89, draws crowd of more than 50,000 to downtown Wichita
The Wichita Riverfest on Saturday night drew one of the biggest crowds it’s had in years when country legend Willie Nelson took the stage at Kennedy Plaza. Wichita Festivals Inc. president Nancy Duling said that Wichita Police estimated more than 50,000 people attended the show, which was so packed, it was hard to move through the crowd.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Kelly signs tax relief bill for small businesses
Kansas is sending $50 million in aid to small businesses in the state in an effort to help them recover from the COVID pandemic. Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed House Bill 2136, also called Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Act, which her office said will provide $50 million total in relief…. The bill will provide refunds “to be equal to 33% of the sum of the COVID-19 ordered shutdown days gross rebate amount and the COVID-19 ordered restricted operations days gross rebate amount,” according to the legislation’s summary.
Source: www.chanute.com
Municipal Bond Trends for June 3, 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 Mester says inflation hasn’t peaked and multiple half-point rate hikes are needed
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Friday that she doesn’t see ample evidence that inflation has peaked and thus is on board with a series of aggressive interest rate increases ahead. “I think the Fed has shown that we’re in the process of recalibrating our policy to get inflation back down to our 2% goal. That’s the job before us,” Mester said in a live interview … “I don’t want to declare victory on inflation before I see really compelling evidence that our actions are beginning to do the work in bringing down demand in better balance with aggregate supply,” she added. … Recent statements from the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee indicate that 50 basis point — or half-point — rate increases are likely at the June and July meetings. Officials are likely then to evaluate the progress that the policy tightening and other factors have had on the inflation picture.
Source: CNBC
Kansas Food Bank Releases New Study on Food Insecurity in the State
Kansas Food Bank released a new hunger study this week. Food Assistance and Hunger in the Heartland 2021 – Report for the Kansas Food Bank shows 47% of food-insecure neighbors served by Kansas Food Bank’s network in 85 counties get more than half of their monthly food from a food pantry. The study, was conducted in the summer of 2021 by the University of Missouri’s Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security in conjunction with Kansas Food Bank and many of its pantries. 73,000 different people receive food assistance each month from the food pantries and mobile food distributions in Kansas Food Bank’s network. The study does not measure those served by Kansas Food Bank’s network of congregate meal sites and shelters, senior box programs or summer and weekend (Food 4 Kids) programs for children.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Columbus splash pad grand opening date set
Columbus is celebrating the completion of a community project. Today is the grand opening of the new H&H splash pad. The city has been working on it for about a year and a half. The project took off after the Houser and Hatfield families donated $150,000 to help cover the cost. Today’s celebration was the complete summer experience with food, music, and activities like cornhole and axe throwing. Not to mention actual fun in the water.
Source: KSNF/KODE
New U.S. Census data shows Lenexa grew as many neighboring cities’ populations shrank
Lenexa saw its population increase by nearly 1,000 in the year following the decennial census, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests Lenexa has been adding population at a much faster clip than its neighbors in Johnson County since the decennial census of 2020. In fact, as Lenexa saw its population increase by nearly 1,000 residents, a number of Johnson County cities saw their populations slightly decline.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Wet winter and spring is deteriorating roads, as Topeka tries to keep up
Topeka’s city government has repaired 17,819 potholes so far this year as of Friday, compared to 26,605 in all of last year, Tony Trower, the city’s deputy director of public works, told The Capital- Journal. “We are seeing more potholes this year,” he said. The city repaired 39,761 potholes in 2020 and 28,198 in 2019, he said. “With the freeze/thaw we had this winter, and with above-average moisture and snow events, the streets are feeling the stress of the adverse weather,” Trower said.
Source: CJonline
Lawrence leaders to review proposal to form work group to reconsider city’s process for complaints against police
City of Lawrence leaders will soon consider a proposal to form a work group to review and recommend changes to how the city handles complaints against police. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider a proposal to form a Community-Police Oversight Work Group to review and make recommendations related to the police complaint process and the city’s Community Police Review Board. Dozens of complaints have been made against police since the board was created in 2018, but the board has yet to review any because of the way it was set up, and its members have called for stronger oversight.
Source: LJWorld
Hutchinson Mayor takes post overseeing state’s broadband expansion
Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho said she won’t be moving or having to give up her seat on the Hutchinson City Council after being hired to a new position at the Kansas Department of Commerce. Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho said she won’t be moving or having to give up her seat on the Hutchinson City Council after being hired to a new position at the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Source: Hutch News
Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard says it’s ‘very hard to see the case’ for the Fed pausing rate hikes
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard said Thursday that it’s unlikely the central bank will be taking a break from its current rate-hiking cycle anytime soon. Though she stressed that Fed policymakers will remain data-dependent, Brainard said the most likely path will be that the increases will continue until inflation is tamed. “Right now, it’s very hard to see the case for a pause,” she told CNBC’s Sara Eisen during a live “Squawk on the Street” interview that was her first since being confirmed to the vice chair position. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do to get inflation down to our 2% target.”
Source: CNBC
Wichita explains why West Street flooded Tuesday after so much time, money to fix it
With Tuesday’s torrential downpours, many areas of Wichita looked like a lake. At least a dozen cars at once were stuck on a flooded stretch of West Street near Central. One of them was the guy driving Austin Gillihan’s van. “I’m hoping I can get it out of here today, hopefully get it started up. Hopefully it’s just a battery. Maybe I just need to dry the air filter out,” said Gillihan. Gillihan says this isn’t just any ordinary van. His organization, Firm Foundation Ministries, provides a safe environment for people transitioning out of prison, and it uses the van every single day.
Source: KAKE – News