Kansas Municipal News
Garden City Fire Department gets pet oxygen mask kits
The Garden City Fire Department (GCFD) has recently received pet oxygen mask kits through the Project Breathe Program, a pet oxygen mask donation program, created by Invisible Fence. According to a Facebook post from the Garden City Fire Department — KS, a few months ago, crews had to use an animal oxygen mask to help a dog that they rescued from a house fire to breathe. Due to the incident, the GCFD quickly realized they needed animal oxygen masks on all of their “first-out” trucks. That is when they reached out to Invisible Fence to become a part of the Project Breathe Program.
Source: KSN-TV
Help the City of Wichita decide the budget
You can help the City of Wichita design the budget. The City is once again offering public feedback through the budget simulator tool. The exercise will help the Wichita City Council understand community priorities. The City says the data will be carefully reviewed, but it won’t be the only factor.
Source: KSN-TV
4,000 cyclists expected in Emporia this weekend, representing every state, 48 countries
More than 4,000 bicyclists will flood into Emporia this weekend for one of the largest bike races in the U.S. The UNBOUND Gravel race in Emporia will feature riders from 50 states and 48 countries, ranging in age from 10 to 89 years old, according to Jordan Titus of the UNBOUND Gravel Group. The race, which predominately runs over gravel and dirt roads, will take off in front of the historic Granada Theatre and return to the same spot. The loop distances include 25, 50, 100, 200 and 350 miles. The event will feature weekend events including All Things Gravel, which will stretch over two blocks in downtown Emporia. More than 300 vendor booths, including an outdoor beer garden, will be set up.
Source: KSNT 27 News
What did Johnson County look like 15 years ago? Google Street View now shows you
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the introduction of Google Maps’ Street View feature, the Internet search giant has launched a new function that allows users to “go back” to 2007 to see what things once looked like. How does it work? Go onto Google Maps and place the little yellow person — which can be found in the bottom-right corner of your screen — on the map where you’d like to see a street-level view. Once you’re in Street View, at the top left-hand corner of the screen, you should see a clock icon. Click on the clock and should open a pop-up where you can move a slider through different years back to 2007, showing that view over time.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Last year was busiest for new home-building in Overland Park since 2004
Overland Park saw a resurgence of single-family home building last year, with permits for single-family homes greatly outnumbering multi-family homes for the first time since 2017, according to data presented to a council committee Wednesday by the planning staff. The details: Community Development Committee members heard a generally upbeat annual report that described 2021 as a year of recovery from the pandemic challenges of 2020. Last year was a digression from an ongoing trend toward multi-family building that has been booming for at least the past five years. The year 2018, in particular, stood out as a huge year for apartment building, where 1,731 units of multi-family housing were built to 370 for single-family homes.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Rural Water District approved for ARPA funding
With significant funding already in place for projects, Rural Water District No. 4 was recently approved for $350,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding by the Neosho County Commission for water main upgrades. Covering roughly a third of the county, RWD No. 4 also expands into Labette County. Representing the district at the May 10 and May 19 county commission meetings, Troy Smith and Ron Giefer made their case to commissioners. Commissioners were informed that much of the pipe was outdated, having been placed there in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Source: The Chanute Tribune
Opportunity mindset keeps Wichita’s small businesses, attractions going
Participants in a panel discussion during the Wichita Business Journal’s ICT Summit agreed: Wichita’s unique small businesses and attractions are critical to building up the quality of life necessary to attract and retain talent. “Attracting and retaining, especially young talent, is really about vibrancy of the city, right? It’s the nightlife and the arts and culture, what makes the city really pop,” said, a partner in The Wave and The Cotillion, two local music venues. “I think we’re doing a good job, but I think we’ve got work to do.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for June 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.
Survey seeks input about Lawrence residents’ transportation priorities, experiences for new transportation plan
Local planners are looking for input from residents as they work to update the area’s long-range transportation plan, which will address all modes of transportation in the Lawrence area. Transportation 2050 will be “a blueprint for the future transportation system” of Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City, Lecompton and unincorporated areas of Douglas County, according to the project website. The plan will set regional goals and improvement recommendations to meet the region’s future transportation needs through 2050 for automobile, public transit, bicycle, pedestrian and other forms of transportation. Financial resources to implement the plan will also be identified.
Source: LJWorld
Douglas County leaders authorize 3-year extension for industrial development incentive program
Douglas County leaders authorized extending an industrial development incentive program for another three years at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting. With Commissioner Shannon Reid absent, fellow commissioners Shannon Portillo and Patrick Kelly voted to extend the Catalyst Incentive Program until April 1, 2025. The program was first adopted by the City of Lawrence in April 2017 and has since provided an assistance package offering expedited approval for new projects meeting certain criteria at Lawrence VenturePark and East Hills Business Park. Later, the program extended eligibility to any new building project of 25,000 square feet or larger on industrially zoned property within city limits.
Source: LJWorld
Municipal Bond Trends for June 1, 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.
Investors revisit muni bonds amid higher yields and strong credit
It’s been a tough year for municipal bonds, with investors cashing out amid rising interest rates. However, higher yields and strong credit may be sparking a shift, experts say. While investors piled a record-breaking $96.8 billion of net money into U.S. muni mutual and exchange-traded funds in 2021, weekly inflows have been negative for most of 2022, according to Refinitiv Lipper data. Last week’s numbers were still negative, but outflows slowed significantly, signaling more interest, according to Tom Kozlik, head of municipal research and analytics at HilltopSecurities.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
The Fed’s Mary Daly says rate hikes should continue until inflation is tamed
San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said Wednesday she backs raising interest rates aggressively until inflation comes down to a reasonable level. Those moves likely would entail multiple 50 basis point hikes at coming meetings, then a possible rest to see how the central bank policy tightening is combining with other factors to impact the massive surge in consumer prices. “We need to that expeditiously, and I see a couple of 50 basis point hikes immediately in the next coupe of meetings to get there,” she told CNBC’s Steve Liesman during an interview on “TechCheck.” “Then we need to look around and see what else is going on.” Daly said she sees some initial signs of a slowing economy and reduced inflation, but will need to see much more progress before the Fed can slow its efforts.
Source: CNBC
WSU to help Kansas communities prep, recover from natural disasters
An interdisciplinary team from Wichita State University will participate in a $24 million state initiative to help rural and urban communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Wichita State is one of 17 Kansas universities and colleges participating in the Adaptive and Resilient Infrastructures driven by Social Equity (ARISE) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and the state of Kansas. The Wichita State team will lead power-system work and capital-asset management to address resilience and infrastructure responses to disaster and extreme weather events.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Grant bring new tech to Barton County
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant has allowed Barton County to upgrade antiquated connectivity technology and bring more business to the area, said Information Technology Director Dereck Hollingshead, giving an update on the program to the County Commission Wednesday morning.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
KDWP stocks pond ahead of Sedgwick’s inaugeral fishing derby
Sedgwick’s pond is stocked and ready to be fished. That’s the message from Sedgwick Police Chief Brian Daily and David Breth, Sportfishing Education Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP). And just in time for the 2022 Kids Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 5 from 10 a.m. To 2 p.m. Several months ago when the pond was being dredged, Daily noticed that the pond would reach around ten-foot deep. He thought it would make a perfect fishing pond so he contacted Breth who instructed them where to lay gravel beds for fish to spawn. “We’re really proud of how this is turning out because it started off just as a luck thing,” Daily said. “We’ve just done everything to the tee the way that department wildlife and parks said.”
Source: Harvey County Now
Riverfest preparations underway as festival comes back for first full schedule since Covid
The stage is getting set up, banners of all the previous posters have been hung on the outside of Century II, and food vendors have started to set up their tents for the next week and a half. All of this is just some of the prep work for this year’s Riverfest. The festival kicks off Friday and for Gary Morris, it’ll be his first time back as a food vendor since 2019. “We love it because we was out with COVID and it’s just awesome to be back. See all the people and have a good time, sell some food.” The 2022 edition of Riverfest is a special one for a few reasons. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the event and it marks the return of the full nine day schedule of the festival after the last two were either canceled due to Covid or split in half. Wichita Festivals director of marketing, Jenny Venn, says, “The excitement is just booming. Its booming down here on the grounds. It’s booming, and the office, everyone’s thrilled and excited to be back to the nine day festival and to be back in full force from where we’ve been for the last couple years.”
Source: KAKE – News
Overland Park will offer the city’s small business owners Covid-19 relief grants
Small business owners in Overland Park now are eligible to apply for grants providing Covid-19 relief. The program is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The city and Kansas City-based Community Capital Fund have paired to create three new grant programs offering a total of $3 million and tailored to businesses owned and operated in Overland Park: The Impacted Industries Fund offers $50,000 grants to offset pandemic-induced staff loss for businesses with fewer than 250 full-time employees and making less than $2 million in revenue. Eligible industries include utilities, management of companies, information, education services, mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, accommodation and food services, and creative businesses. The Small Business Rescue Fund awards as much as $50,000 to for-profits, nonprofits, and home-based and digital-based businesses with fewer than 250 full-time employees and making less than $2 million in revenue. The fund can be used for payroll, offsetting economic losses, child care support for employees, business improvement needs, and training and hiring needs. The Hotel Fund will offer $50,000 grants for locally owned hotels operating in Overland Park to offset economic hardship.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
City of Topeka program aims to make mowing accessible for low-income neighborhoods
A new program by the City of Topeka’s Changing Our Culture of Property Maintenance Initiative is aiming to make affordable mowing accessible for Topeka’s low and moderate-income neighborhoods, as well as those living in Neighborhood Improvement Association areas. … The city is currently seeking proposals from businesses, organizations or people interested in developing and running the mowing service pilot program. The city said it will provide up to $25,000 to get the program started.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Experienced administrator to take helm of Osawatomie USD 367
An experienced administrator has been hired to be the new Osawatomie USD 367 superintendent. During a special meeting Tuesday, May 31, the school board voted to hire Greg Clark to take the helm as the district’s top administrator. Clark will assume his new duties at the beginning of the new 2022-23 school year on July 1. Clark is currently serving his eighth year as superintendent of Central Plains USD 112 in Holyrood, Kan., which is located in Barton County. Previously, Clark served as the PK-5 elementary principal at Ewalt Elementary in Augusta, Kan., for eight years. He began his career in education as an elementary teacher in the Derby, Kan., school district.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com