Kansas Municipal News
‘We will not wait’: Kansas police chief promises swift action in the event of school shooting
A Kansas police chief is addressing the question of safety in elementary schools in the aftermath of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that claimed 21 lives. Chief Dan Trechter of the Saint George Police Department in Pottawatomie County took to Facebook on Tuesday to explain the measures that the SGPD is taking to ensure that children can go to school without fear. Trechter shared the SGPD’s policy regarding rapid response and deployment in an emergency situation. According to Trechter, the policy states that, “If a suspect is actively engaged in the infliction of serious bodily harm or other life-threatening activity toward others, officers should take immediate action, if reasonably practicable, while requesting additional assistance.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Wichita police chief seeks more money for overtime after spate of weekend shootings
Wichita’s interim police chief said Monday he plans to seek an increase in his overtime budget to put more officers on the street after the department responded to eight shootings over the holiday weekend. Three people died Saturday night — two in shootings and one in a hit-and-run accident. “The amount of officers we have on the street cannot withstand that type of violence and incidents in the city without affecting response times and affecting other calls,” interim chief Lem Moore said at a news conference. He did not provide details on the request for more money.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Olathe Public Schools to offer free mental health services during the summer
Olathe Public Schools will be offering free mental health counseling this summer for all staff, students and families, district officials said. The Summer H.E.L.P (Help Each Live Productively) Clinic is offering individual mental health sessions, group sessions, family therapy, parent support groups and staff wellness groups. The program has been in place since the summer of 2018, according to Becky Grubaugh, a spokesperson for the Olathe school district. Sessions are up to 50 minutes and will be conducted by Olathe Public Schools Licensed Mental Health Providers and interns from Friends University’s marriage and family therapy program. This year, many students across the school district have been touched by gun violence.
Source: Kansas City Breaking News & Sports | The Kansas City Star
KCK school board discusses increasing security
School security was discussed at the Tuesday night, May 31, meeting of the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. Plans are underway to apply for a grant for security, according to district officials. District administrators are proposing to use grant funds up to $1 million to increase lighting and cameras at school buildings. The grant would require a 50 percent match from the district. Tracy Kaiser, executive director of business operations, said although their initial thought was to apply for $1 million, they understood from state education officials that probably only $400,000 to $500,000 could be approved, so they are looking at a $200,000 or $250,000 match.
Source: Wyandotte Daily
USDA Invests Over $16 Million in Rural Community Infrastructure in Nine Kansas Communities
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting State Director for Rural Development Kansas Dan Fischer today announced that USDA is investing $16,155,000 toward nine community projects across the state. “Public infrastructure like water systems, parks and emergency response help communities thrive,” Fischer said. “USDA Rural Development puts rural people at the forefront of investment and opportunity. With these improvements Kansas towns will be able to better serve their residents and their communities will be safer and healthier.”
Background:
The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage. The program serves people and businesses in eligible rural areas with populations of 10,000 or less.
The Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program provides funding for essential community facilities and services. More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.
Project details of today’s nine announcement are:
- A $4,641,000 loan will help provide improvements to Jefferson County Rural Water District No. 13. These improvements include rehabilitating the treatment plant filters, installing 16 miles of pipe, installing backup generators, adding a new well and creating a new emergency connection to a neighboring water district. These improvements will meet the water demands of customers on peak days and will accommodate anticipated increase in future customers.
- A $350,000 loan will help make improvements to the water distribution system for the City of Linwood. The improvements include replacing nearly 6,500 feet of waterline, replacing 11 fire hydrants and 28 gate valves. Once the project is completed, it will provide safe and reliable water through a new and improved water distribution supply system.
- An $820,000 loan and $423,000 grant will be used to provide additional funding to complete improvements on the City of Highland‘s water system. The project is to construct a new ion exchange treatment plant and a non-discharging lagoon. In Sept. 2021, Rural Development obligated a $1,262,000 loan and $534,000 in grant funding for this project. Other funding includes a Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant of $600,000 and Kansas Department of Health and Environment debt forgiveness of $600,000. The project will correct issues with the current water system and the community will have safe and reliable water for years to come.
- A $968,000 loan and $1,549,000 grant will be used toward improvements on the city of Burr Oak‘s water distribution system. The project will make upgrades to the water storage tank as well as painting the interior and exterior. The proposed improvements will replace approximately 30,000 feet of waterline, install 114 new meters, along with valves and hydrants. Additional funding for this project includes a $330,000 Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant and a $75,000 Dane G. Hanson Foundation Grant. This project will provide safe and reliable water to the community for years to come.
- A $6,416,000 loan and $627,000 grant will be used to construct discharging lagoons with wetlands for the City of Linn Valley. This project includes construction of a discharging lagoon, sized for 20-year population growth. Construction of a second discharging lagoon for 40-year population growth. Once the project is complete it will provide environmental benefits and future growth potential for the community.
- A $233,000 loan will supplement previous funding to the city of Nortonville to help complete their water system improvements. The project will construct two new wells and replace cast iron waterline. Previous funding for this project consists of a Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan of $771,000 and a Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant of $501,300. With these additional funds, the city will be able to complete the project as designed and provide the citizens with safe drinking water.
- A $42,700 grant will be used toward the purchase of a shipping container to convert into public restrooms for a city park in Jetmore. The current restroom is in poor repair and is not accessible for individuals with disabilities. The new container will be engineered to include two bathrooms that will be ADA compliant. The outside will be beautified, making it consistent with the surrounding environment. Once complete, this facility will provide safe and reliable services in the park.
- A $27,500 grant will help purchase and install eight new storm sirens for the city of Wellington. The sirens will replace six storm sirens within the city limits, and sirens at Wellington Lake and Wellington Airport. All these sirens can be activated by Sumner County 911, Wellington Law Enforcement and Wellington Fire/Emergency Medical Services. Once the new sirens are installed, residents and visitors will have a more reliable emergency warning system.
- A $58,600 grant will be used to supplement previous funding to improve a small outdoor community gathering space within the City of Kingman. Currently there is no disability parking or access at the site, and it lacks adequate lighting and needs a fence installed for safety.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
Peak interest rates may be lower than expected as growth slowdown looms
Worsening economic data may force central banks to blink and take a less aggressive rate-rise stance, money markets are betting, having steadily dialled back expectations of where U.S. and British interest rates might peak. The equivalent of a half-point rate hike from the Federal Reserve has been priced out over the last three weeks, putting the peak in rates at 3% next June. That implies cumulative U.S. rate hikes of 210 basis points this cycle, versus 255 bps at the start of May, according to Fed Fund futures that reflect expectations of future interest rate moves.
Source: Reuters
Law will open school enrollment: That could have some affect on Topeka’s housing market
As educators prepare for a new open enrollment policy scheduled to go into effect after two more school years, parents who are looking for homes may be able to consider more affordable houses outside their preferred district. Open enrollment is a school choice policy that allows parents to enroll their children as students in a school outside the district they live in. While supporters of the policy pushed it as a way to increase academic opportunity, they also say it could help homebuyers find more affordable housing.
Source: CJonline
Theatre Salina experiences growth and success with regional and national exposure
As people drive down Iron Avenue in Salina, they may notice a new sign and name at a familiar and popular destination in the downtown area, Theatre Salina. Earlier this year, what was once Salina Community Theatre made the change in its name after a couple of years of discussion about what the theater means to people inside and outside the community of Salina. “We are much more regional than we’ve ever been,” said Michael Spicer, executive director for Theatre Salina. According to Spicer, about 40% of the ticket sales for the various theatrical productions at Theatre Salina come from people outside of Saline County.
Source: Salina Journal
Pretty Prairie Main Street lined with veteran banners
Veterans’ banners that honor those who fought in wars and conflicts from 1861 until today hang from poles on Main Street in Pretty Prairie…. The Pretty Prairie Community Association organized the veteran banners program for the community, selling the banners for $100 for a one-sided banner and $150 for a two-sided one, for three years. Then renewal costs are $75. The banners hang on Main Street for the entire month of May and November for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Pretty Prairie city clerk Jenifer Albright said the Community Association began the program last year with 12 banners, and this year they expanded it to 24.
Source: Hutch News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 27, 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.
Osawatomie Debuts New Logo, Branding
The chosen design features a large light-green letter “O” with an illustration of the iconic Creamery Bridge across the center in a darker green, and includes the water of the Marais des Cygnes river underneath. Osawatomie is known as the town between two rivers and was named for the Osage and the Potawatomie indigenous peoples, from whom the rivers also received their names (the Marais des Cygnes was originally known as the Osage and is part of the larger Osage River water system). The new design honors the history of the community’s origins, geographic identity, and historic landmarks, but the modern and sleek graphic gives it a fresh feel for the next generation. It was important to the design team to create a logo that embraced Osawatomie’s history but still pointed toward a bright future of growth and development.
Source: City of Osawatomie
Municipal bonds see ‘remarkable’ turnaround, but caution is warranted
Municipals made further gains on Friday, pushing yields down as much as another eight basis points, to close out a seven-day rally, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the end of March 2020 as the market began to rebound from the COVID-19-led turmoil. Triple-A yields have fallen more than half a percentage point on the 10- and 30-year, as the asset class has outperformed U.S. Treasuries… However, there are still a lot of uncertainties on the economic front, rate volatility might spike again, and supply might surprise to the upside, they said.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Salina Police Department Pledges to Advance Women in Policing
Today, the Salina Police Department has signed on to the 30×30 Pledge – a series of low and no-cost actions policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women
in law enforcement. The activities help policing agencies assess the current state of a department with regard to gender equity, equality and identify factors that may be driving any disparities and develop and implement strategies and solutions to eliminate barriers and advance women in policing. These actions address recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture.
Source: Salina KS News
Derby’s Zollinger, crew keep cemeteries maintained for Memorial Day
While cemeteries might be an afterthought most of the 365 days each year, they are central to the services that routinely take place every Memorial Day. And they’re central to the services Derby’s Paula Zollinger provides. For 26 years now, Zollinger has helped with the upkeep at Derby’s local cemeteries (El Paso and Hillcrest). Zollinger and her maintenance crew mow and trim the cemeteries, dig and backfill graves and generally keep things tidy. Those maintenance responsibilities then go into overdrive around Memorial Day – one of the biggest days of the year for the Derby cemeteries.
Source: Derby Informer
Newton looking for people to pay for home weatherization
There’s free money out there for painting and guttering if you live in a neighborhood revitalization area in Newton. In August of 2021, the city allocated $50,000 to a program that would pay half the cost of painting or guttering improvements to homes in the revitalization area. The program would pay up to $1,000 for buying materials. So far though, no one’s really used it. “Just three rebates have been issued,” said Rebecca Likiardopoulos, Director of Administrative Services with the city. “I don’t think it’s made its way into the mainstream,” she said of knowledge of the program.
Source: Harvey County Now
Four weeks since the Andover Tornado, city and community look towards long term recovery
If you drive through the Reflection Lake neighborhood in Andover and you see the shells of the dozens of homes. It was one of the hardest hit locations by the Andover tornado last month. For HOA President Scott Rackley “it does seem like just yesterday, and like you said, we’re four weeks removed.” Rackley says the last four weeks of cleanup have been a testament to the power of community. “It’s been a chance for us to unite as a neighborhood.” However, he also knows that this is going to be a long process, with insurance agencies still figuring out payouts and life not slowing down since “people are definitely just trying to rebuild and continue with their daily lives. So that kind of hinders it.”
Source: KAKE – News
With fewer volunteers, Lenexa Cemetery Association hopes to pass responsibility to city
The Lenexa Cemetery located on 87th Street Parkway and Pflumm Road could become the city’s responsibility by the end of the year. The Lenexa Cemetery Association has been responsible for the grounds since 1872. On Tuesday, the Lenexa City Council was presented with a memorandum of understanding seeking a change in operations. The association says it’s concerned about its ability to take care of the property in the future with a dwindling number of volunteers. There are about 2,000 burial plots in the four-acre cemetery and 700 have been sold. At a rate of about 10 burials a year and approximately 321 empty plots, it will be about 27 years before the cemetery is full.
Source: KC Star Local News
JoCo authorizes loan to partially finance affordable housing apartment complex in Shawnee
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has authorized a $1 million loan to partially finance the construction of a new affordable housing apartment complex in Shawnee. This is the first time Johnson County Government has provided funding for this type of project, and received authorization from the BOCC on Thursday, May 26. The Hedge Lane Apartments is a joint venture between Sunflower Development Group and Consolidated Housing Solutions. The $30.5 million project will be built just west of K-7 Highway and 75th Street. All apartments will be dedicated to workforce housing.
Source: Johnson County Kansas
School leaders raise concern over new open enrollment law
A new state law lets parents choose which school district to enroll their children in instead of being limited to the district where they live. While lawmakers say this gives families more options, school leaders say it is a headache and could cost them money. While this law doesn’t go into effect until the school year starting in 2024, several school officials are already raising alarm about the law turning open enrollment into a lottery for every student that might want to join an out-of-district school. “In Buhler, we have anywhere from 25 to 30 percent out-of-district students right now, and it’s really a system that works,” said Cindy Couchman, the superintendent of the Buhler school district. Couchman said her school district already has open enrollment in place. She said that allows them to prioritize who can join their district.
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita libraries returning to ‘new normal’ with in-person summer reading programs
After two years of hosting online and hybrid reading programs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wichita in-person summer reading programs are making a comeback. With COVID much reduced but still lurking, the programs won’t be exactly the same as they were pre-pandemic, said Erin Downey Howerton, youth services manager for the library system. “We are still taking safety measures to ensure programs are socially distanced, and are encouraging staff and customers to wear masks if they wish,” said Downey Howerton. “We are limiting participation numbers in most of our youth programs to ensure simple safety measures can be in play.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle