Kansas Municipal News
Headcounts are down at public schools. Now budgets are too.
In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable. Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned. “Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.” Families opting for homeschooling, private schools and other options sent enrollment down sharply in the first full school year of the pandemic, and generally it has been slow to recover.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Heavily damaged elementary school won’t reopen this spring, Andover district says
The Andover elementary school slammed by a tornado Friday night will not be used for the rest of the school year, the Andover school district said Saturday night. Prairie Creek Elementary School “suffered significant damage,” the district said in a Facebook post. “Some rooms were untouched, while others were heavily damaged.” Students who attended Prairie Creek will not have school this coming week while district leaders determine where they will attend for the rest of the school year.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Kansas’ teacher pay rising
Public school teacher pay in Kansas continues to improve in the years since the state Supreme Court ruled the Legislature was unconstitutionally underfunding education, according to a national ranking of teacher salaries. But teacher salaries in the Sunflower State still lag below the national average, as well as that of Kansas’ neighboring states.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for April 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.
Kansas Legislature’s late-night surge covers sports betting, budget, KPERS and COVID-19
The House and Senate completed a flurry of votes early Friday sending to Gov. Laura Kelly bills legalizing sports gambling, investing more than $1.1 billion in the state’s pension system and blocking government mask mandates for all contagious disease outbreaks. The 2022 Legislature, which plans to return to Topeka in late May to complete the annual session, also plowed through legislation adding details to the state budget for the fiscal year starting in July. An unprecedented influx of tax revenue — lawmakers had a $3 billion surplus to work with — allowed lawmakers to craft a state budget designed to hold in reserve nearly $2 billion in the treasury or rainy-day funds.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Horde of Lincolns celebrate Kansas’ anti-slavery roots in trip to Lecompton
Abraham Lincoln(s) paid a visit to Lecompton’s Historical Society on Saturday — roughly 30 of them. The visitors were members of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, a group of men and women across the United States who enjoy portraying Abraham or Mary Todd Lincoln. “We are living historians, you might call us, or living history reenactors,” said Kevin Wood, a Michigan-based member of the ALP. “Our goal is really just to bring to life these very important characters from our history.” The association’s visit to Lecompton served as part of its three-day annual conference in Kansas — the first one in three years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the conference mainly took place nearby in Leavenworth, its final day featured a day trip to Lecompton.
Source: Andover American
City of Andover provides tornado impact update
The City of Andover released an update Sunday morning regarding the impact of the Friday evening tornado that struck the town. The city reports that crews have completed their final rounds of damage assessment and are still working to determine the exact number of houses that were destroyed. The National Weather Service has provided a preliminary classification of EF3 and will continue assessing damage Sunday. … City Administrator Jennifer McCausland said they have been getting lots of questions about what the community needs. “We know many want to help and we are grateful,” said McCausland. “We will keep you posted on ways to help soon on the City of Andover main Facebook page.” The city is working on donation and volunteer acceptance programs and will provide an update when they are ready. Monetary donations can be made online through the United Way of the Plains website, which will be leading and coordinating volunteer efforts. Details will be released soon.
Source: KSN-TV
‘It’s absolutely a miracle’: Andover fire chief talks tornado recovery, community coming together
In a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell provided more clarity regarding the preliminary EF-3 tornado that tore through Andover on Friday evening. Russell said there are no outstanding rescues as of Saturday morning, and crews performed search and rescue on 176 heavily damaged structures.
Source: KSN-TV
Pittsburg ArtWalk returns
A longstanding Pittsburg tradition is finally making its in-person return. The Pittsburg ArtWalk returned to Broadway on Friday. Since 2006, artists have partnered with local businesses to display their work throughout downtown. More than 50 artists are taking part this year. It’s the first in-person ArtWalk since the pandemic began in 2020. A virtual version temporarily replaced it — as did a more spread out version called, “The ArtCrawl.” Organizers are happy to have the original Artwalk back.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Gov. Kelly signs State of Disaster Emergency
Following severe weather across the state, including several confirmed tornadoes causing damage, Governor Laura Kelly declared a State of Disaster Emergency. This declaration went into effect at 8:57 p.m. on Friday. It uses the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan which allow state resources to be used in local areas impacted. “We have learned from past experience that we can’t wait for the storm to hit before we respond,” Gov. Kelly said. “By taking these steps early we are able to more quickly react when the counties ask for assistance.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
Johnson County earns high marks on annual health report
A new national report gives Johnson County generally high marks in a variety of health and quality of life metrics, but the report also notes that the county has one of the highest gender pay gaps in the region. New data shows Johnson County is the healthiest county in Kansas, according to several categories, but the county also has one of the biggest gender pay gaps in the Kansas City metro. Both conclusions come from the 2022 County Health Rankings report, an annual nationwide survey of counties conducted by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Andover tornado reached farther north than thought; 1,000-plus buildings affected
More than 1,000 buildings were affected when a strong tornado swept through Andover on Friday evening. Search and rescue operations were continuing Saturday, officials said in a noon briefing. As the sun rose over the ravaged community, local emergency officials found a more widespread path of destruction than was estimated earlier. “We now know that our damage path extended approximately 3 1/2 to four miles to the north of where we believed it to have ended last night,” Andover Deputy Fire Chief Mike Roosevelt said.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Sedgwick County releases map of tornado damage path
Sedgwick County officials have released a map showing the damage path from the April 29th tornado. The tornado was on the ground for 21 minutes, starting in southeast Wichita and ending in Andover. The storm damaged or destroyed around 100 structures in Sedgwick County with close to 1,000 homes and buildings damaged or destroyed in Andover. The tornado was rated EF-3 by the National Weather Service, but damage assessments were continuing Sunday.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Andover begins tornado recovery efforts
Andover officials said Sunday that search and rescue teams and first responders have completed their final rounds through the neighborhoods damaged by the April 29th tornado. The storm damaged around 1,000 homes and buildings, but city staff continue the process of using GIS software to determine an exact number. Four people had minor injuries from the storm, and there were no fatalities. Andover police were restricting access to the hardest-hit areas by allowing only residents, requiring identification before letting them in.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Johnson County commission votes to split from KCATA, bring transit service in-house
Johnson County will soon end a contract with a regional transit authority to bring bus management services in-house. Thursday, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) voted 7-0 to end an interlocal agreement with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). In 2014 the BOCC entered into an interlocal agreement with KCATA to manage the county’s transit services. The county currently pays KCATA roughly $584,000 annually for the management of three third-party contracts with First Transit for fixed route, paratransit and dispatching services. KCATA also oversees a contract with WHC Inc., for micro transit and taxi services and EcoLane for administration services.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Wyandotte County leaders won’t confirm if data breach was ransomware attack
A mid-April attack on Wyandotte County’s computer systems continues to cripple key services in the county — including the court system. FOX4 News has learned the breach may be a ransomware attack — similar to others where the victims ultimately pay the attackers to free up their locked down systems. Victims are often faced with either paying high sums of money or losing access to their records and computers. On Wednesday, FOX4 asked leaders with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, if this security breach is a ransomware attack, as we’ve been told. However, county spokespeople refused to address the randomware topic directly, saying only the effort to repair the trouble continues.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
KCK officials release few new details on cybersecurity attack
Officials with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas gave few new details on the nature of a cybersecurity attack during a press conference Friday. Mayor Tyrone Garner and Interim County Administrator Cheryl Harrison-Lee spoke for less than 10 minutes, calling the cyberattack a “fluid situation.” “What we may have realized tomorrow may not be what we have realized today,” Garner said. The cyberattack took place April 16 and was discovered later that day by a Unified Government employee. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were notified. Local, state and federal officials are assisting in the investigation. Garner acknowledged that there have been questions about transparency surrounding the cybersecurity attack.
Source: KC Star
Kansas governor, legislators offer support for Andover after ‘stunning and heartbreaking’ tornado
Gov. Laura Kelly on Saturday surveyed damage in Andover and promised to help the town recover from the large and destructive tornado that tore through the town the night before. Legislators from the area offered prayers and assistance for the Butler County community. The National Weather Service in Wichita said the severity of damage indicated the tornado had an EF3 intensity on the 0-5 rating scale while on the ground for about 20 minutes. The governor declared an emergency Friday evening after a large storm system spawned tornadoes, large hail and strong straight-line winds across the state. On Saturday, she traveled to Andover to meet with first responders, local government officials and residents impacted by the storm.
Source: Wyandotte Daily
UG Commission delays half-cent sales tax proposal until next year
The Unified Government Commission, meeting late into the night on Thursday, delayed the half-cent sales tax increase proposal for this year, but it may come back next year. After a sometimes heated discussion on the proposed sales tax, Commissioner Christian Ramirez proposed continuing the discussion on it, with the possibility of putting it on the ballot in 2023. The original proposal was to put it on the ballot in the August 2022 primary. In a show of hands, commissioners agreed with the delay. During discussion, Commissioner Andrew Davis said he felt the commission was wasting its time. He said the commission has been very clear on its stance previously. “The commission wasn’t even considered, and we keep talking about it,” he said. “I would think that we would be considered.”
Source: Wyandotte Daily
Emporia plants tree for Arbor Day
The weather was perfect for tree planting Thursday morning at Soden’s Grove Park. City Horticulturist Joshua Nelson, assisted by Lori Edie planted a Cottonless Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) in honor of Mayor Becky Smith as part of Arbor Day festivities. Mayor Smith proclaimed April 29th as Arbor Day in Emporia during the April 20th City Commission meeting. The Cottonless Cottonwood is a fast-growing tree that it does not produce the cotton that the eastern cottonwood does, making it a less messy variety. They can reach heights of 70-80 feet. A tree is planted each year in honor of the mayor. It is part of the Tree City USA application and is a requirement to maintain that designation.
Source: Emporia Gazette