Kansas Municipal News
Derby not offering public storm shelters this year, tells community to plan ahead before tornado season
The City of Derby is discontinuing its public storm shelter program. City Manager Kiel Mangus said it’s because the city could not find enough volunteers to staff the shelters. It was also struggling to tell residents when the shelters were open. “It’s either, you know, we may be open some of the time or part-time, or we are not operating,” Mangus said. “I think that’s where you kind of had to be very direct to tell people, create your plan, that’s set on sheltering in place.” Derby resident Beau Hastings said he had never heard of the program. “I don’t know anyone who knows about it,” Hastings said. The city said it is telling residents now about not having shelters available so people can plan ahead. Hastings lives in a mobile home park, and he said he’s always felt safe.
Source: KAKE – News
Community members restarting Parsons Community Garden
The Parsons Community Garden will be coming to life again after a few years of laying dormant and becoming overgrown with weeds and trees. Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways, the Wildcat Extension District and the city of Parsons are partnering to bring this asset back to the community. BCBS Pathways coordinator Lauren Coover is behind reviving the garden at 15th and Clark in hopes of it providing additional access to fresh produce for residents. She had initially intended to prepare the garden for planting in 2023, but she said James Coover, an agronomist with K-State, contacted her and told her about a special family gardening group he wanted to start to raise children’s interest. Through their discussions of plans and potential grants for both of their projects, Lauren decided to push up her plans to this year.
Source: Parsons Sun
Lawsuit challenges proposed sober living home in Overland Park’s Shannon Valley neighborhood
An Overland Park couple has filed suit in Johnson County District Court asking a judge to review the city’s decision allowing a respite house for sober living in Shannon Valley Estates. The suit, filed Feb. 22 by David and Cynthia King, claims the city denied them due process by not properly reviewing plans for the Concord House, which is separated by one house from their property on West 113th Street in the Shannon Valley subdivision. The Kings ask that a judge find the city’s actions “unlawful and invalid.” The Concord House is a project envisioned by the nonprofit Artists Helping the Homeless for 9119 W. 113th Street. It is the family home of Kar Woo, founder of the charitable group.
Source: Prairie Village Post
KPERS hope stirs debate
The year is 1998. Bill Clinton is headed toward impeachment for the most infamous affair in U.S. political history. Shania Twain and Next dominate the Billboard charts. And John Elway leads the Denver Broncos to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. It is also the last time Kansas retirees saw their pension benefit checks adjusted for inflation, a move called a cost-of-living adjustment. The 24-year wait is among the longest of any state in the country. After years of work from legislators to stabilize the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, there is optimism that the situation is finally improving after a quarter-century gap in which the state didn’t meet its obligation to pay its share.
Source: CJonline
Angus sale heads back to downtown Marquette
After the success of last year’s event, downtown Marquette will have livestock take over its streets for another cattle auction this week. Barta Farms, based out of Little River, will bring angus bulls and females to the city center Friday for its fourth Annual Bull Sale. Ryan Barta, the owner of the farm, said this is the second year that Marquette is hosting the event. “Last year, we were kind of out of a spot to have it due to COVID,” Barta said. He said after talking with Stan Von Strohe at the Smoky Valley Distillery in Marquette, they thought it could be a good experience for the people and businesses in downtown Marquette as many events were not happening during the pandemic.
Source: Salina Journal
New pickleball court to open in Hutchinson
Hutchinson Parks Director Justin Combs reports long-awaited pickleball courts in Rice Park should be ready for action by the end of the month. While a long-time coming, Combs said, it likely is just the first facility the city will construct for the paddle-ball sport that’s been growing in popularity for at least the last decade. Under Combs’ direction, and in response to pressure from local pickleball players for a place to play, the city converted a set of deteriorating tennis courts in Rice Park into four new concrete- surfaced courts for the alternative game. Depending on their level of use, the remaining tennis court also may eventually be converted.
Source: Hutch News
Municipal Bond Trends for March 10, 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.
Muni yields climb, one-year hits 1%
Municipal yields rose up to seven basis points Thursday pushing the one-year triple-A muni to 1%, a level not seen since April 2020 during the initial COVID-led selloff. U.S. Treasuries pared back some losses near the close, but the two-year hit its highest level in over two years after inflation hit its highest in 40. “The bond market seems to foresee more trouble ahead as Treasury rates rose all along the curve,” noted John Farawell, managing director and head of municipal trading at Roosevelt & Cross. “Obviously, all commodities are under pressure with the troubles in Ukraine, especially oil which has a direct effect on the consumers and the economy.” While he expects a 25-basis-point rate hike when the Federal Open Mark Committee meets, Farawell isn’t ruling out a 50-basis-point increase. “This is a new paradigm for the Fed and the administration with so many challenges prevalent.”
Source: The Bond Buyer
Three counties renews StormReady status
The National Weather Service (NWS) has announced that three counties close to Wichita — Butler, Sedgwick, Cowley — have renewed their StormReady status. The StromReady program helps arm America’s communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property–before, during, and after the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.
Source: Andover American
Senate votes to extend Kansas rural workforce recruitment and retention tool
A year after the House chose to continue offering financial incentives to Kansans moving to rural areas that are struggling with workforce, state senators followed suit, with their own added flair. The proposal would extend the Rural Opportunity Zone program by five years and expand eligibility to any county with a population less than 40,000. The program provides these designated counties the opportunity to offer income tax credits and student loan repayments to reverse population decline. Supporters said the bill provides for the program to continue while allowing the Legislature to focus on any needed tweaks.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Strother Field receives state funding for generator replacement
A $270,000 grant to replace a generator that powers airfield lighting and navigation aids at Strother Field is among the 36 projects recently selected for Kansas Airport Improvement Program funding, according to a press release from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The generator is a backup power source for the airport in the case of a power outage, according to Strother Field manager Shawn McGrew. He said the current generator has been there since at least 1984, and is in need os replacement. “We appreciate KDOT’s help with it,” McGrew said of the replacement. “Any time we can replace aging infrastructure, it’s good.”
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Consumer prices rise nearly 8% causing major inflation fears
Inflation continued to soar in February, making a range of goods and services even more expensive for Americans, according to newly released federal inflation data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Thursday reported that the Consumer Price index, a major marker of inflation, rose 7.9% in the previous 12 months. “The 12-month increase has been steadily rising and is now the largest since the period ending January 1982,” BLS said. “The all items less food and energy index rose 6.4 percent, the largest 12-month change since the period ending August 1982. The energy index rose 25.6 percent over the last year, and the food index increased 7.9 percent, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending July 1981.”
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Emporia discusses fireworks policy
The city of Emporia is reexamining its fireworks policy but initial discussions among the city commission Wednesday morning did not seem to indicate that changes are on the horizon. Commissioner Susan Brinkman said it was her understanding that there were few fireworks-related complaints last year in late June and early July. “I genuinely don’t see anything wrong with leaving it stand the way that it is, from the time that they’re sold,” Brinkman said. “Not having had (police chief Ed Owens) come to us with a lot of complaints and not seeing anyone here today really advocating for (changes) tells me that I’m okay leaving it as it is.”
Source: Emporia Gazette
Kansas State to study cost-effective ways cities can reduce exposure to lead in soil
A new study being conducted by Kansas State University researchers is looking at ways to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in soil in the hopes of finding affordable methods that could be replicated around the country. Ganga Hettiarachchi is a professor of soil and environmental chemistry and is leading the research with her team through a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Hettiarachchi said conversations with officials with the health department and Brownfields program in Kansas City, Missouri, made her realize the scope of the issue. “I came to know that the elevated blood lead levels in children in (the) urban core in Kansas City is about nine times higher than the national average,” Hettiarachchi said. “And then nearly 50% of the parcels they tested, tested soil lead concentrations greater than 400 parts per million.”
Source: Kansas Reflector
Lawrence listed as fast-growing tech hub in recent study; that could snowball, industry leader says
Lawrence is making an impact on America’s technology landscape. Data from the Brookings Institute revealed the latest trends in technology across the country and how the pandemic has disrupted the geography of tech jobs. It listed Kansas City as a “rising star” metro, and also showed how Lawrence has grown substantially in recent years. Lawrence lost 1,570 tech workers from 2015-2019; however, in 2019-2020, Lawrence saw growth of 151 workers, according to the data. A closer look at the report from Axios shows that, at 19.3%, Lawrence is the No. 1 city for growth in tech workers per capita for 2019-2020. Per capita growth shows how much a population is increasing in proportion to the general population — in other words, Lawrence’s tech worker population rose rapidly even when taking general population growth into consideration.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Lawrence’s police review board looks for path forward as city moves to establish a new task force
Lawrence’s Community Police Review Board is set to review a draft proposal that could reconfigure the board, leading one member to resign over what she sees as an effort to turn the board into little more than “window dressing.” At its meeting Thursday, the CPRB will review a project charter for a new Community-Police Oversight Task Force that would review ordinance revisions proposed by the CPRB and assess the existing complaint policies, procedures, and systems. CPRB members had sought direction from the city commission last fall after working for months on a revised ordinance that would have expanded its duties. The CPRB was established in 2018 to review racial or other bias-based complaints made against the police department. But under the current ordinance, the CPRB doesn’t review a case unless it is appealed within 14 days of a decision. The CPRB has yet to review a complaint since the board was launched.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Black Squirrel City funds approved in Marysville
A $10,000 allocation for marketing, merchandise and logistics for the celebration of the 50th anniversary designation of Marysville as the Black Squirrel City was approved recently by the Marysville City Council…. Toby Carrig, Marysville tourism director, made the presentation on behalf of the Black Squirrel Committee, which has planned events all year through Black Squirrel Day in October. Events so far have included naming of the Honorary Black Squirrel Citizens of Marysville and a panel discussion about the science and lore surrounding black squirrels.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Governor announces $160 million to support child care providers
On Thursday, March 3, Governor Laura Kelly announced $160 million in grants available for child care providers in Kansas. The third round of Child Care Sustainability Grants will aid child care providers in meeting the costs of operating their businesses through the remaining impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As we grow the economy, these grants will provide the continued support our child care facilities need to stay open and ensure that Kansas families have access to safe, quality child care,” Governor Kelly said. “This support will help our child care facilities, it will help Kansas parents, and it will help our economy.” Qualifying child care providers are guaranteed nine months of payments ranging from $1,800 per month for family child care programs to $18,000 per month for large centers. In addition, the providers will be eligible for an additional five months of funding either in the same amount or more, depending on the utilization of the grants during the first nine months.
Source: Sabetha Herald
Manhattan searches for ways to combat housing problems identified by study
Consultants who conducted a housing needs analysis said Tuesday that the city government should consider a program to help people convert rental properties into single-family homes. Commissioners on Tuesday discussed the analysis. In April 2021, the city government hired a consulting firm, Development Strategies, to conduct a study for $94,000. In addition to assessment of the housing situation, the firm provided suggestions for the city government to consider. Andy Pfister of Development Strategies suggested the city government create a reconversion loan fund to provide some financial support for people who want to convert rental properties into single-family homes. He also talked about reducing barriers to housing affordability by establishing an affordable housing fund for home repairs and renovations.
Source: themercury.com
Tobacco-free park ordinance presented in Clearwater
Shelley Rich with Tobacco Free Wichita gave a presentation to the Clearwater City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 22 proposing the city take action to make city parks tobacco free. “This will create a healthier space for children and families, “said Rich. “It creates a healthier image for visitors. More people will use the parks and attend more city events.
Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers