Kansas Municipal News
City hears ideas for improvement, transparancy
Ideas to improve the appearance of the city of Marysville were brought to City Council Monday night by local residents Diane Schroller and Darlene Boss. The women, who are both former city council members, asked the council to improve education about basic provisions of the city code, help citizens understand how and by whom the code is enforced, give out more information about the city’s sidewalk replacement and removal of blighted property programs and to begin a program to monitor the condition of the city’s trees. Schroller and Boss said they would be willing to be part of a committee to work on these topics. They also asked the council what type of financial commitment the city would be willing to make toward programs of this nature.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Salina to purchase ‘Butterfly Tree’ sculpture, placed it near library
A sculpture that was part of the 2021 Sculpture Tour in downtown Salina will have a new home by the Salina Public Library after it was selected as the People’s Choice. “Butterfly Tree,” by Reven Marie Swanson of Colorado, was the people’s selection and is set to be purchased by the City of Salina after approval by the City Commission Monday. Brad Anderson, director of the Salina Arts and Humanities Department, said the city has purchased the People’s Choice every year since 2011, making this the 12th piece bought by the city and added to its public collection for display.
Source: Salina Journal
Hutchinson’s shortage of hotel rooms causes economic loss
… for a second consecutive year, more than a third of the teams in the [National Junior College men’s basketball] tournament are having to stay in hotels outside of Hutchinson because of not enough rooms locally. No studies have been done locally to determine the economic impact of the tournament on Hutchinson, but some from other sites hosting NJCAA tournaments for other sports estimate their impact at anywhere from $1.5 million to $4 million. Even at the low end, that means the impact of those teams not staying in Hutchinson is potentially a $500,000 to $750,000 loss for local businesses during tournament week.
Source: Hutch News
Kansas schools are bringing people from outside the classroom to teach during staffing crunch
Teaching wasn’t always the plan for Lindsey Kepka, the business teacher at Avenue A School in Hutchinson, but after 10 years into a business career, she decided to switch paths. She specialized in philanthropy and finance during her career, but after re-evaluating her impact on the community, she enrolled in the Transition to Teaching program at Fort Hays State University two years ago…. As Kansas schools address teacher shortages, more districts are looking to restricted license programs — university programs meant to train industry veterans like Kepka from outside the education industry to be teachers — to help staff high school classrooms.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for March 15, 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.
Forecasters see growing chance of a recession as Fed hikes rates this year to fight inflation
Forecasters have raised their outlooks for a recession and boosted their inflation outlook as the Federal Reserve faces the quandary of fast-rising prices and greater uncertainty from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the latest CNBC Fed Survey. The probability of recession in the US was raised to 33% in the next 12 months, up 10 percentage points from the Feb. 1 survey. The chance of a recession in Europe stands at 50%. Respondents debated whether the recent surge in commodity prices would prompt the Fed to raise rates faster because it adds to inflation or raise rates less because they reduce growth. “The tax impact of higher commodities prices is likely to slow the pace of hiking more than the inflationary impact is to accelerate it,” wrote Guy LeBas, chief fixed income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott.
Source: Economy
Governor Laura Kelly Announces $20 Million in Business Investment and 150 New Jobs in Wichita
Governor Laura Kelly today announced Fagron Sterile Services’ (FSS) new expansion in Wichita which will result in more than 150 new jobs and $20 million in capital investment over the next three years. “International investment is an important economic driver for Kansas, and we are proud to work with Fagron in support of their continued growth in Wichita,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Through Fagron’s expansion, Wichita and surrounding communities will see the benefits of continued economic growth. My administration will keep investing in the tools that make Kansas the best place in the nation to do business.” Fagron Sterile Services U.S. recently released multiple new health care product lines and developed RFID enabled syringes, resulting in rapid business growth and sales. To support this accelerated demand, the company, based in Belgium, will expand its current facility in Wichita to produce and store these new products.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Pottawatomie County approves amnesty month in May for collection of old tires, appliances
Pottawatomie County residents will have the opportunity in the month of May to dispose of unwanted passenger tires and refrigeration appliances at no cost. County Commissioners approved an amnesty month specific to those materials. County Sanitarian Scott Schwinn says it’s been a successful program in the past. “Here we’re asking to do a cleanup which rather than one day, gives people a full month to try to come in and get rid of some of the stuff would sit around with water in it,” he said. “There’s still some old refrigeration stuff out there that is still dangerous to children and others who might get to playing in them.” The program will be open to Pottawatomie County residents from May 1 to May 31. All non-passenger vehicle tires will be collected at half the normal rate of charge. Free disposal of refrigeration appliances also are included. Schwinn explains what that constitutes.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Hiawatha City Administrator tenders resignation, takes position in North Kansas City
Hiawatha City Administrator Mike Nichols will be leaving the City on April 6, after offering his resignation at Monday night’s meeting. Nichols has secured the same position with North Kansas City, Mo., and will begin on April 11 after serving the City of Hiawatha since December of 2013. Nichols briefly addressed his departure at Monday night’s meeting of the Hiawatha City Commission. His last commission meeting will be on March 28.
Source: City Government | hiawathaworldonline.com
Council addresses Derby Fire and Rescue staffing needs
Both recent efforts and looming deadlines led the Derby City Council to move forward – on multiple fronts – in pursuit of hiring more firefighting personnel at its meeting on March 8. Firstly, the city council approved authorization of a contract for a fire staffing study through AP Triton (at a total cost of $29,831), something City Manager Kiel Mangus reported has not been done since Derby shifted to a full-time department in 2005. In 2021, the city applied for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from FEMA to hire three additional full-time firefighters with the intent of adding a position at Fire Station 82 and expanding the total full-time firefighters on shift to nine. Currently, eight full-time firefighters serve per shift – five at Fire Station 81 and three at Fire Station 82.
Source: Derby Informer
More than 96% of Wyandotte County homes increased in value this year
Property owners in Wyandotte county can expect to see their home appraisal values in the mail soon, and most can expect the value of their property to go up. According to Wyandotte County Appraiser Matthew Willard, 96% of homes in the county will see an increase in value. The county’s overall median home price went up 17% in 2021 in comparison to the previous year. The average home sale price is $206,176 and the year over year increase is 13.20%. … The market is hot. One of the main factors driving up home values is the lack of supply in the housing market. Willard said that on average a healthy market should have around six months of residential supply, but in 2021 the county’s market had less than one month in residential inventory.
Source: KC Star Local News
Topeka receives $1.7M for homeless housing program
The City of Topeka will receive $1.7 million to help fund its homeless housing and service program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to a City of Topeka spokesperson, along with an additional $51,737 in planning funds, this cash will go to Topeka’s Shelter Plus Care program. This announcement comes just one day after the city said their homeless population had increased since 2021 with its Point in Time Homeless Count. “Shelter Plus Care helps around 240 households on a given month,” Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka, said. “This renewal of funding can help some of those unsheltered individuals in the community, as that number is increasing.”
Source: KSNT News
City of Topeka to discuss redistricting plans due to population shifts
City of Topeka leaders are meeting tonight to discuss drawing new city council districts. Each district in the city needs to have around 14,000 people in it. Two city districts don’t have enough to meet that number at the moment and three of them have too many. Districts 1 and 2 in Topeka each need an additional 600 people to balance out the map. District 1 Councilwoman Karen Hiller says redistricting is about more than the numbers. “That redistricting commission looks at the numbers but they also look at what are the natural boundaries,” Hiller said. “Whether it’s the river or the interstate or neighborhood areas that are contiguous that we want to keep together if we can.”
Source: KSNT News
Johnson County police departments say they face challenges filling officer vacancies
With fewer people applying to become police officers than in years past, unfilled positions remain a major concern for some local departments in Johnson County. The problem is due to a variety of factors, according to officials the Post talked to. Some agencies attribute their vacancies to the typical cycle of attrition as officers retire and transfer to other departments. Others are growing their forces and adding new positions that have yet to be filled. Still others say that fewer people want to become police officers for various reasons, including negative perceptions of the profession, which are exacerbating staffing challenges.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Lifeguard shortage could leave some Overland Park pools closed this summer, city warns
An ongoing lifeguard shortage could crimp city pool operations in Overland Park this summer. City officials say they are currently short the number of lifeguards they need, creating the possibility that some city pools might operate on reduced hours or remain closed entirely. This isn’t a new problem locally. Last summer, several Johnson County cities — including Roeland Park, Prairie Village and Shawnee — struggled to fill lifeguard positions and reduced pool hours as a result. That coincided with broader lifeguard shortages across the country, an issue attributed at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Incentive could lead to more apartments in Paola
Paola City Council members recently expressed their support of an incentive that could help with the development of six apartments inside a building on the west side of Paola’s Park Square. Acting Interim City Manager Randi Shannon … said the owner is installing a fire suppression system for the apartments, which will require a 4-inch water line to be brought in through the foundation, as well as a 2-inch line for the second-floor apartments. The owner requested an incentive to help ease the financial burden because the total cost would be $5,500 just in connection fees — $1,500 for the 4-inch line and $4,000 for the 4-inch line. Council members previously had discussed, during their Feb. 1 work session, considering a 50 percent reduction of the connection fees because they realize the need for alternative housing options and the importance of supporting rehabilitation projects.
Source: The Miami County Republic
Pittsburg area economy continued to improve in 2021
Despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburg area economy continued to improve in 2021, according a new report from the Kelce College of Business at Pittsburg State University. The recently released 2021 economic summary and projections for the Pittsburg Micropolitan Area, also known as Crawford County, shows that for the most part, Pittsburg has made progress on its economic development goals over the last several years. According to the report, Pittsburg “is gaining a reputation nationwide for economic growth and a high quality of life.”
Source: Pittsburg Morning Sun
Salina’s new fire chief starts work today
New Fire Chief Anthony “Tony” Sneidar Jr. may be coming from a big city, but he knows and loves everything about the small-scale and country feel of a city like Salina. Sneidar, who officially begins as the head of the Salina Fire Department Tuesday, spent 28 years in the Philadelphia Fire Department, working his way up the ranks of that department before retiring as an assistant fire chief in 2020.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for March 14, 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.
10-year Treasury yield hits 2.14% — its highest point since July 2019
The 10-year Treasury yield hit 2.145% on Monday, its highest level since July 2019, with investors focused on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note last jumped 12 basis points to 2.135%. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rose 10 basis points to 2.471%. … In addition to the war in Ukraine, investors are also looking ahead to the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting, which starts on Tuesday. The Fed is expected to announce on Wednesday that it will be raising its target funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point from zero.
Source: CNBC