Kansas Municipal News
The ‘greatest self-feeder in the world’ was invented in Halstead
One Halstead man’s innovation played an important role in the evolution of threshing equipment more than a hundred years ago. The Ruth Self-Feeder, invented and patented by Halstead resident D.C. Ruth to regulate the speed at which wheat bundles were carried into a thresher, was manufactured in Halstead from 1900-1905. At that time, Ruth Self-Feeder Manufacturing Company was the biggest business in Halstead, according to Carolyn Williams, who’s done extensive research on the company for the Halstead Historical Society. “It grew and grew and really became big,” Williams said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Cottages to address housing needs in McPherson County
Three of 10 planned Oak Harbor Cottages were completed Monday, with two families ready to move in. The cottages are a joint effort between McPherson Housing Coalition, area churches, the city, and many community businesses. “The community has really stepped up. It’s been amazing,” said Executive Director Chris Goodson…. These cottages are a big step in helping McPherson County families in crisis. The program is aimed at keeping families together in a home while working through whatever their situation may be. Source: McPherson Weekly News
County hears taxation ruling on ATVs
The Kansas Board of Tax Appeals ruled in recent cases that side-by-sides and ATVs that carry more than one passenger and are used for farming or ranching should not be exempt from taxation. Labette County commissioners heard this news from County Counselor Brian Johnson and County Appraiser DeLinda White on Monday. Commissioners and White expect a huge outcry from taxpayers because generally farm equipment is exempt from taxation. Under BOTA’s ruling, if it stands, ATVs that can carry more than one passenger, side-by-sides and even golf carts used on farm operations should be taxed at market value on a 30% assessment. This is because they are considered passenger vehicles and not farm equipment, according to BOTA. One-passenger ATVs are not considered passenger vehicles.
Source: Parsons Sun
Some JoCo pools plan to reduce hours this summer due to lifeguard shortages
It hasn’t felt like it at times this March, but we’re getting closer to summer. That means pool season is nearer to kicking off in Johnson County. Following limited operations in both 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some cities have adjusted their summer pool hours due to ongoing shortages of lifeguards and other pandemic-related limitations. Most city pools in Johnson County open on Memorial Day weekend but days and hours could be impacted beyond that.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Sunflower, Russell County Commission agree on PILOT for solar project
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and the Russell County Commission came to agreement on a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for the first ten years of the Sunflower @ Russell Solar Project on March 21. Since current Kansas law provides a 10-year property tax exemption for renewable energy projects, Sunflower offered a PILOT to the county. The payment illustrates Sunflower’s appreciation for the ability to site the project in Russell County and helps to support the county’s infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, that will be used during the construction of the solar facility.
Source: Sunflower Electric
Kansas getting closer to authorizing sports wagering
The Kansas Legislature took a significant step toward authorizing sports wagering Wednesday when the House passed a bill bringing a new form of electronic gaming to the Kansas market known as historic horse racing. The House voted 88-36 to approve what was portrayed as a “grand compromise” that’s been vigorously negotiated behind the scenes for the last several months and had support from three of the state’s four casinos.
Source: Sunflower State Journal
Hutchinson Police Department welcomes new K9
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Hutchinson Police Department (HPD) introduced their newest K9. The K9, named Stitch, was rescued from the Hutchinson Animal Shelter. Officer James Sanders and his K9 partner, Tank, the first K9 unit with HPD, welcomed Stitch. Stitch’s new partner is Officer Jesse Jones. Stitch will begin his training to become the Hutchinson Police Department’s first therapy dog. He will be assigned to the Crisis Response Unit. The HPD says, “Studies have shown that the presence of a therapy dog can assist crisis teams in de-escalating and defusing critical situations, allowing for connection with the person in crisis.”
Source: KSN-TV
Telecommunications project facing tighter scrutiny
Pam Blackburn was on a work Zoom call at her home when the power went out. A crew putting in telecommunication company Suddenlink’s infrastructure hit an underground electric line in the Louisburg resident’s yard. Blackburn said she was without power from 9 am. to 4 p.m. that day. The next day, the crew hit the underground power line again, knocking out her electricity for a second time. Blackburn, who works from home, told the Louisburg City Council at its Monday, March 21 meeting that the outages cost her two days of work. To make matters worse, her 91-year-old father was with her during the second outage, she said. “It’s 40 degrees outside and my house is completely cold, and they don’t know when they are going to get the electricity back on,” Blackburn said.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Manhattan city government hires public information officer
The Manhattan city government has hired Andrew Lawson as communications manager and public information officer. In a press release on Monday, city officials stated Lawson will be responsible for the strategic development and implementation of citywide communications plans, including public relations, media relations, crisis communications and communication with city employees and elected officials. “We are thrilled to have Andrew on board leading our communications division,” said Jared Wasinger, assistant city manager. “Andrew brings a wealth of experience in local government marketing and communications.”
Source: themercury.com
McPherson approves sending aid to Ukraine
This week, the city commission approved the donation of a considerable amount of old or expired police equipment to Ukraine to help the country as it continues to fight for its sovereignty. The McPherson City Commission approved the request from Police Chief Mikel Golden to provide the equipment to the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, which will then be distributed to the Kansas National Guard Adjunct General’s office. The adjunct general is collecting expired police equipment from police departments across the state to send to Ukraine.
Source: McPherson Weekly News
An out-of-this-world exhibit lands in a small Kansas museum
In the Rice County town of Geneseo, population 200, there is a sign at the entrance of the city museum beckoning visitors. All kinds of visitors. “Space Ships Welcome.” Welcome to Geneseo, where a movement is underway to name the town the UFO Capital of Kansas and perhaps even host a special global event on July 2 — World UFO day. Evidence of otherworldly visitors is in a new permanent exhibit at the Geneseo City Museum. When it comes to viewing the exhibit, think of a mix of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast of 1938, and episodes of “Lost in Space” and “My Favorite Martian” from the 1960s. The UFO collection was originally gathered by Elmer Janzen, a Geneseo chiropractor.
Source: Andover American
KC Chiefs president says team is exploring possible sites for stadium in Kansas: report
Could the Chiefs set up shop in Kansas? A tweet Tuesday morning from Kevin Clark, who covers the NFL for The Ringer, seemed to indicate the Chiefs are exploring the idea of building a new stadium in the Sunflower State. The idea came from Chiefs president Mark Donovan. The NFL is holding owners meetings this week in Palm Beach, Florida, and Donovan made the comment there.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Municipal Bond Trends for March 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.
Downing’s public service touch enhances community life in Atchison
The role of lifesaver is the newest achievement that Lt. David Downing Jr., Atchison Fire Department, has recently added to his list of public service work in the community. Downing singlehandedly rescued his colleague as they battled flames and black smoke that engulfed the inside of a residence about an hour past midnight at 927 Mound Street. Downing was presented a letter of commendation for his heroic act on Wednesday, March 23 at the Atchison Fire Station.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Extra crews help Sedgwick County fire contain grass fire in NE part of county
Around noon, Sedgwick County fire crews responded to a grass fire near 45th and Greenwich, in the Northeast part of the county. Deputy Chief Carl Cox says, crews were able to get the flames under control quickly, thanks in part to the extra hands they had on staff. He says on high fire risk days, they will have more trucks than usual prepped. “That pre-planning definitely helped out today with extra brush trucks and extra units on in service to help us fight the fire.” Cox adds that having tilled fields on either side of the fire area, helps contain it for crews to be able to concentrate. No injuries or damage was reported from the flames, and Cox says crews will be keeping an eye out for hotspots for the rest of the day. He says that the public needs to be really careful with their actions during high fire danger days, because “something that seemingly benign, as far as just, ‘Oh, it’s just a little spark or it’s just a little cigarette or something like that can start a catastrophic fire very quickly on a day like this.”
Source: KAKE – News
As fertilizer pollutes tap water in small towns, rural Kansans pay the price
Fifteen years ago, Robert Ellis got a letter he never wanted. Haviland’s drinking water had failed a state safety test. It had more nitrate than federal limits allow. And as mayor of this small town east of Dodge City, it was his job to help the town figure out what to do. Building a new water treatment plant would cost millions, so the town started installing water filters one home at a time. That penciled out far cheaper than one central plant. But state regulators told them no. Those in-home filters wouldn’t cut it. The town pleaded its case in a series of meetings and hearings that lasted years. To no avail. If Haviland didn’t build a plant, Ellis said, the state would have fined the town thousands of dollars a day.
Source: KCUR News
City of Lawrence selects Melissa Sieben as the new director of Municipal Services and Operations
Following a national search, the city has selected Melissa Sieben as the new director of Municipal Services and Operations, according to a news release Tuesday. Sieben, who recently served as assistant county administrator at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas for seven years, has 23 years of local government experience serving communities in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, according to the release. “I am looking forward to working with Municipal Services and Operations staff and City leadership to implement the goals of the strategic plan and continue to enhance service delivery,” Sieben said in the release. “Lawrence is an amazing community and I look forward to being part of this team that is investing in functional and efficient infrastructure!”
Source: The Lawrence Times
New manager of human services continues efforts toward safe, accessible housing for all in Douglas County
Gabi Sprague is the new human services program manager for Douglas County. She’ll focus on preventing homelessness and helping unify the work of local social service agencies. Though the title is new for Sprague, the work isn’t. Sprague previously was the Housing Stabilization Collaborative (HSC) program manager with the United Way of Douglas County. HSC represents a joint effort of multiple community organizations that began as a grant-funded program through Family Promise of Lawrence after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission: preventing homelessness, eviction and loss of utilities while helping navigate community resources. That process can feel overwhelming to those who need financial support, especially during a pandemic.
Source: The Lawrence Times
New Lawrence Police Chief Making Policy Changes
The Police Chief in Lawrence since January, Rich Lockhart, has made a couple of policy changes for the department. Lockhart says that he met with several community members and groups with concerns related to the police department. He says that national news coverage brought many questions and comments surrounding the department’s approach to chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Lockhart says no-knock search warrants do not place the value of human life as a priority, and are dangerous to all involved. Even though chokeholds and no-knock warrants were not a practice of the Lawrence Police Department, these tactics are now banned.
Source: WIBW News Now
Exceeded expectations: Wichita hosts electric NCAA women’s tournament weekend
Wichita was on display for one final women’s basketball match-up Monday night at Intrust Bank Arena, with Louisville clinching the Final Four spot in a 62-50 win over Michigan. The evening capped off an electric weekend in Wichita. An estimated 8,540 tickets were sold for the two Saturday games — including a huge showing from the underdog University of South Dakota — followed by 4,596 in attendance Monday. “I was pleasantly surprised on Saturday,” said Brad Pittman, who is associate athletic director for facilities and operations at Wichita State and serves as tournament director for NCAA games in Wichita. “My goal all along was between 10 to 12,000 total tickets sold, and I think Saturday kind of exceeded those expectations. I think it was an awesome environment. Monday, obviously, you can’t control who wins, so that’s kind of the bummer because South Dakota probably would have brought another 1,000 people with them.
Source: Wichita Business Journal