Kansas Municipal News
Hutchinson library director stays on the roof until 800 books are checked out
Prepared with a windbreaker, a thermos full of coffee, snacks and two library books, director Gregg Wamsley placed his warm knit hat on his head and sat down on his most comfortable outdoor chair at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning on the roof of the Hutchinson Public Library on Main Street. In celebration of National Library Week, Wamsley sat on the roof of the library until 800 books were checked out. By 3:30 p.m., 400 books had been checked out, making it to the halfway point, according to updates on the library’s Facebook page.
Source: Hutch News
Hutchinson labor market remains tight, labor fair entrants broke records
A job fair at Hutchinson Community College Thursday smashed previous participation records by employers looking for help as the local and regional labor markets remain extremely tight. “We have at least 155 employers signed up,” said Dave Mullins, Director of the Business and Industry Institute at Hutchinson Community College. “We usually have around 100.” The participants are from businesses and industries across the board, he said. “Everyone is looking for employees,” Mullins said. “This is as tight a labor market as we’ve ever seen. There’s definitely upward pressure on wages.” State labor data shows that workers are returning to the labor market, but a large number who left remain out, and young people, Mullins said, have been slow to jump in.
Source: Hutch News
Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles shares challenges and seeks sense of direction from community
Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles is no stranger to the community. He has lived and worked in the capital city for 28 years, hired to the Topeka Police Department straight out of college in 1994. Since then, he has worked in various divisions throughout the agency. And since November, he has been the city’s police chief after spending a year as the department’s interim leader. His path to becoming a law enforcement officer wasn’t following in his parents’ footsteps. He came from a family of educators and was the first member to join a police department.
Source: CJonline
Lawrence takes initial step toward reconsidering policy that requires most homeowners to pay for sidewalk repairs
After being in place three years, a controversial policy that generally requires property owners to pay for repairs to sidewalks bordering their homes and businesses could potentially see some changes. Though clear differences of opinion existed among the Lawrence City Commission members, commissioners directed city staff as part of their meeting Tuesday to develop a plan to gather public input regarding how the city funds sidewalk repairs. Mayor Courtney Shipley, who has pushed for years to have the city’s policy reconsidered, said how the city currently handles sidewalks is inequitable and that just because the city has not historically funded sidewalk repairs doesn’t mean that’s the right approach.
Source: LJWorld.com
Governor announces $13.2M for public transit
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly came to OCCK in Salina Thursday to announce more than $13.2 million of funding for 48 public transit projects across the state. Transit agencies in Kansas, including OCCK, will receive funding as part of the Access, Innovation and Collaboration (AIC) Public Transit Program. OCCK, provides transportation services to the general public, seniors and persons with disabilities through a variety of programs. It was chosen as the place for the announcement because of its successful expansion of the bus facility at the organization’s transportation complex, which was partially funded by Kansas Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants and was completed in November 2021. “What you see happening here in Salina is a prime example of a community and a region working together to make public transportation a viable option for many Kansans,” Kelly said.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for April 7, 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.
At this year’s Overland Park Farmers’ Market, shoppers have plenty of room to move
If you’re looking for the Overland Park Farmers Market this year, it’s moving back to its usual spot. The market’s 85 vendors will set up shop for the Saturday market April 16 at 7950 Marty St. to start the market’s 40th season. It still won’t be the shoulder-to-shoulder crowded experience many remember from years past. Although the market will operate under its pavilion, it won’t be limited to that space. To encourage better social distancing, the market is “expanding its footprint,” said Kristina Stanley, recreation supervisor for the city’s parks and recreation department. The old pavilion set-up used about 22,000 square feet. This year’s will be roughly 70,000 square feet, which will include parking lots north and south of the pavilion, as well as parts of Marty Street that will be closed to traffic during market hours.
Source: Joco 913 News
Say goodbye to one “road diet”: In this JoCo city, an experiment got mixed reviews
Late last fall, Shawnee put the downtown stretch of Johnson Drive on a “road diet,” halving the number of through traffic lanes, creating a dedicated turn lane in the middle and adding 19 parking spots. It was an experiment that officials hoped would reduce traffic speeds, improve safety for pedestrians and others, increase street parking and promote downtown as a destination. But Johnson Drive, which is to be repaved starting in late May, will be going off its diet and returning to two through lanes in each direction.
Source: Joco 913 News
Fed’s James Bullard says interest rate policy is ‘behind the curve’ but ‘all is not lost’
The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates substantially to control inflation but may not be as “behind the curve” as it appears, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said Thursday. One of the Federal Open Market Committee’s most “hawkish” members in favor of tighter policy, Bullard said a rules-based approach suggests the central bank needs to hike its benchmark short-term borrowing rate to about 3.5%. However, he said bond market adjustments to the Fed’s more aggressive policy, in which yields have surged higher, suggest rates are not that far askew. “If you take account of [forward guidance] we don’t look so bad. Not all hope is lost. That is the basic gist of this story,” Bullard said in a speech at the University of Missouri.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Schools close in Marion County because of gun threat
Several school districts in Marion County canceled classes on Thursday after a report of a telephone threat. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said a Wednesday night call made to law enforcement in the Kansas City area reported that kids were planning to bring guns to school in Marion County. The information was given to Marion County agencies and school officials, who decided to cancel classes. The KBI has been working with the Kansas State Department of Education and its Safe and Secure Schools Unit to monitor the situation.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Wichita Approves $100K for Water Conservation Rebate Program
The Wichita City Council approved $100,000 for the continuation of the Water Conservation Rebate Program. The program encourages residents to purchase water-saving household devices by offering rebates in the form of a credit to their water account. This is the 10th consecutive year of the program. Rebates are available to customers who have active utility accounts with Public Works & Utilities for the delivery of potable water. The application, list of qualifying items, program requirements and submittal instructions are available here. Online and paper applications will be accepted through December 31st, 2022 or until funds are exhausted. Devices purchased after January 1st, 2022 will be considered for rebate. There are 7 devices and appliances that are eligible for rebates. There is a limit of five rebated items per water account. Rebates will not exceed the purchase price.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Emporia greenlights next phase of zoo improvements
The Emporia City Commission gave the green light for the next phase of improvements at the David Traylor Zoo of Emporia, Wednesday afternoon. Zoo director Lisa Keith asked the commission to allow for a request for quotation on the expansion and renovation of the zoo education center. She expected work to begin this fall. “This would be an expansion/remodeling project that would bring the square footage from 3,600 square feet to 8,600 square feet with an additional outdoor space that would add an additional 1,500 square feet outdoors,” Keith said. The project encompasses a number of improvements including the additional of two classrooms, indoor space for “ambassador” animals, a library, and general building improvements.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Youth to learn about Newton’s history through local program
Downtown Newton has a rich history of buildings and the people who owned them and worked there. There’s the Ragsdale Opera House, which burned at the beginning of the 20th century and no longer is standing, to the Anderson’s Book Store location, which has stood the test of time for decades. There are the old and “new” courthouses with one replacing the other and the old First Presbyterian Church, torn down to make way for the current Harvey County Courthouse. Several local entities have combined efforts to help youth in grades four through eight learn about the rich history of Newton as part of the town’s sesquicentennial, this year.
Source: Harvey County Now
KDOT seeks public input on future of electric vehicle charging
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) invites citizens across the state to join a live Telephone Town Hall event to discuss the future of electric vehicle charging. The meeting will be conducted entirely by phone and start at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 14 (CDT). Citizens planning to attend the meeting are encouraged to sign up in advance. By signing up, each participant’s phone number will be automatically called at 6:30 p.m. that night and connect them to the meeting.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com
Could Olathe East have handled school shooting better? District officials investigate
As officials continue to investigate last month’s shooting at Olathe East High School that left three injured, they say they are reviewing whether the incident might have been better handled. They are looking at what led up to the shooting, how it was handled and how procedures were followed, Brent Kiger, the district’s director of safety services, told the Olathe school board Thursday night. He said administrators are meeting with law enforcement to review protocols, as well as interviewing all personnel who responded to the shooting. “But we also understand that there might have been a few things we could do different,” Kiger said. “And that’s what we’re doing now, sitting down with these groups of folks to figure out what can we learn in the unfortunate event of something happening similar, how can we do it better.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Johnson County emergency responders deploy to protect Kansas from wildfires
Emergency responders from the Kansas side of the metro have deployed to help protect the rest of the state. Members of the Johnson County Wildland Task Force deployed to Salina Tuesday afternoon. It includes employees from Northwest Consolidated Fire District, City of Olathe Fire Department, and City of Shawnee, KS Government Fire Department. The group shared a video showing employees packing up to leave and arriving at their posts. A utility vehicle, three brush trucks and one tender have also been deployed as part of the task force. The Kansas Forest Service and Kansas Division of Emergency Management made the decision to activate the Task Force after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a State of Disaster Emergency due to the high threat of wildfires across the state this week.
Source: KSN-TV
SE Kansas schools band together for Parsons Fire Dept.
Two southeast Kansas schools are uniting to help their local fire department. Students from Labette Community College and Parsons High School have constructed a fire training box — made from an old shipping container. They did so after the Parsons Fire Department approached the Workforce Education Department at LCC about the project. The Department has used similar containers at different training events. “I believe this is very beneficial, it helps our students out with live-training exercises in the welding world and it helps them prepare for the manufacturing we do in this area,” said Travis Brumback, PHS Welding Instructor.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Columbus Schools awarded Waste Tire Grant
A southeast Kansas school district is making things more accessible for its students. The Columbus School District has been named one of the recipients for the 2022 Waste Tire Grant. It’s an annual award from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. $9,000 will go towards resurfacing the playground at Park Elementary with recycled tires. It will help make the playground ADA accessible — which has been a goal for Superintendent Brian Smith. “I wanted to make all of our playgrounds and so by doing this at Park and then with the bond issue at Central will be moving the students from here up there, that will allow us to build new playgrounds there and actually make all our playgrounds accessible,” said Brian Smith, USD 493 Superintendent.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Topeka finishes cleaning up “Tent City”
The City of Topeka has finished its clean-up efforts at a large homeless camp as of Wednesday. The city began to clear out “Tent City” on Tuesday for public health and safety reasons. City of Topeka Director of Communications, Gretchen Spiker, said that the homeless who were located on the property would be temporarily relocated and would be able to return to the site once clean-up ended on April 6 at 5:00 p.m. Tents still remain but are located on railroad property which the City of Topeka has no jurisdiction over. As of 7 p.m. on Wednesday, no one had moved back into the site to set up tents in the cleared area.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Riley County seeks input from residents on healthcare
Riley County is hosting several public meetings during April and May for residents to share their perspectives on healthcare, financial resources and neighborhood environments. Officials said the discussion will help guide the top priorities for health in Riley County for the next three to five years. “The 2020 community needs assessment gave us a good idea of the needs in Riley County,” Riley County Health Educator Shanika Rose said in a statement. “Now we’re asking residents to help decide on top priorities, so we can address what’s most important to them.”
Source: themercury.com