Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County to lease downtown Wichita building for administrative offices
Sedgwick County commissioners have voted to approve a lease agreement for a building in downtown Wichita for a three-year-period. The Ruffin Building at Douglas and Broadway will be used for the commission offices, the County Manager, the Clerk, the Treasurer, the Register of Deeds, the County Counselor, and the communications department. The move will free space in the courthouse for an expansion of courthouse space and the creation of more space for the District Attorney. The expansion project is expected to begin later this year and would be finished in the spring of 2023. It will allow the District Court to address a backlog of cases and provide space for a veterans’ court, a mental health court, and the addition of two judges and a magistrate judge.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
WSU litter study finds room for improvement
A study on litter from Wichita State’s Environment Finance Center suggests there is room for improvement. The study was put together after people in the community voiced concern about the number of plastic bags seen floating around. People involved in this study looked at 12 city parks across Wichita, which came out to two parks per city council district. Study leaders say their findings were close to what was expected. “Wichita is a unique place, but our litter certainly is not unique,” said Michelle DeHaven, program manager at the EFC. “When we compare it to other litter studies, our study showed that Wichita’s litter is similar to what communities are experiencing across the country.” Of all the trash collected during pickup events, 47% was single-use plastics. “The majority of the plastic that we found was food and beverage containers — water bottles, Gatorade-type drinks, soda bottles, alcohol bottles, chip bags and wrappers that come off convenience foods at gas stations,” DeHaven said. “A second runner up was cigarette butts. We found cigarette butts all over the place.”
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Amendment on sheriff elections proposed for KS Constitution
Many Kansas legislators want to make sure that counties don’t change the longstanding tradition of electing sheriffs by enshrining the policy in the state constitution. The Republican-controlled state House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a proposal to add language to the Kansas Constitution’s short article on county government to ensure that sheriffs are elected to four-year terms. A final vote was expected Wednesday. Only Riley County out of the state’s 105 counties doesn’t elect a sheriff. However, a commission in the state’s most populous county of Johnson County reviewed a proposal to appoint their sheriff, but ultimately decided against the change.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Some Kansas jails now allowing medical care for opioid addiction
A recent decision to let people continue treatment for drug addiction while in the Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita reflects a significant shift in thinking at Kansas sheriffs’ offices that is gaining momentum. Sedgwick officials no longer take people off of their prescriptions for medications such as buprenorphine when booked into jail. No one keeps a tally of how many Kansas jails allow incarcerated people with opioid or alcohol addictions to receive the combination of medication and counseling that can help them.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Hesston hears of vision for 40,000 square foot municipal complex
Brad Heppner, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for The Beneficient Company, unveiled his vision for Hesston during a called meeting Wednesday morning of Hesston City Council. A schematic he showed council members depicted a 40,000-square foot building for city hall, police and fire services on one end of a downtown square and a non-denominational chapel anchoring the other end. Hesston Village Park, the name Heppner gave to the vision, would include a plot of green space that is 20 percent larger than Heritage Park. He said the complex would include a 12,500-square-foot grocery store and possibly an upscale hotel modeled after the Rapp House. He said the city would need to get rid of portions of Old Highway 81 to create more density and a feeling of community.
Source: Harvey County Now
Critics say the Kansas criminal justice system’s fees and fines trap people in a cycle of poverty
After Tyler Williams spent much of his teenage years locked up in the juvenile jail system, he found himself at 19 owing more than $1,000 to the state of Kansas — including an $840 fee for hauling him from Oklahoma to face charges in Junction City. Working a minimum wage job, it took Williams two years of his young adulthood to wipe out all the fees and fines from his crimes as a kid. “It was a sigh of relief,” he said. “Having that burden gone definitely helped me get into a better mindset and take control of my life.” Fines and fees are commonly used to punish offenders and fund the court system, but critics argue they mostly make it harder for people to get their lives on track. That’s fueled a push to make the courts less reliant on ringing up revenue from people convicted of crimes. Advocates for tossing aside many of those fees and fines say lawmakers should consider dumping them if they want people to escape from cycles of poverty and crime that tend to land people back in jail.
Source: KAKE – News
Wichita police using social media to connect with families and spread awareness
Wichita police are now using social media to reach teens– before it’s too late. TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat are just a few places that investigators say kids are setting up drug deals that have ended in shootings. “We have something important to discuss,” said Officer Alex Avendano with the Wichita Police Department in a TikTok video posted Tuesday. It might just seem like a simple video on your social media feed. But it’s a new way Wichita Police officers in the Juvenile Intervention Unit are trying to spread awareness. “So, in the video, you see a guy taking pictures of drugs, and then posting it to social media, and then go on and setting up a deal and the deal goes bad,” said D.L. Watson. Officers Watson and Avendano said they made this reenactment in hopes of stopping illegal drug deals through social media.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas House overwhelmingly rejects proposal to ban no-knock warrants
Rep. Tim Johnson says he can count on one hand the number of times he executed a no-knock search warrant during his 31 years in law enforcement. The Bonner Springs Republican says he is certified in the use of special weapons and tactics and has written articles on the subject. There are times, he said during a debate Tuesday in the House, that officers need a no-knock warrant. “I still remember one particular night,” Johnson said. “We did not have a no-knock search warrant. I was the point man. And as we went in, things went south very rapidly. I never saw the man with the shotgun. I didn’t. “Not sure I remember hearing the blast. I do remember feeling pellets or projectile striking my leg. But I was engaged with another armed suspect. We should have had a no-knock search warrant. If we take that away from our law enforcement people, you’re taking away something that they need as a tool.”
Source: Kansas Reflector
Russia’s Ukraine incursion could complicate the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions
The outlook for Federal Reserve rate hikes after March may become less clear if Russia continues its incursion into Ukraine. That’s because the tensions have pushed up the price of oil and gasoline, a major purchase for many Americans, and it’s the U.S. consumer that drives about 70% of the U.S. economy. The prices of oil and other commodities have been rising on concerns that Russia’s troop movements into Ukraine and sanctions from the U.S. and allies could potentially lead to limited supplies. Russia is a major exporter of oil and natural gas. … Economists said it will be the price of oil that could ultimately drive Fed policy. The jump in oil prices is first a catalyst for inflation, and eventually it could become disinflationary if the price goes higher and endures, dampening economic growth. … “It makes things more complicated,” said Bruce Kasman, JPMorgan’s chief economist. … Kasman expects the Fed will proceed with a quarter-point increase in the fed funds rate in March, with the Ukraine situation weakening the argument for a half-point hike. His forecast is for six more rate hikes over the balance of the year. This is where the outlook becomes muddy for the central bank: On the one hand, a growth scare could slow the pace of hiking. On the other hand, economists say, the Fed may become even more aggressive if it sees a sharper pickup in inflation.
Source: CNBC
Critics say the Kansas criminal justice system’s fees and fines trap people in a cycle of poverty
After Tyler Williams spent much of his teenage years locked up in the juvenile jail system, he found himself at 19 owing more than $1,000 to the state of Kansas — including an $840 fee for hauling him from Oklahoma to face charges in Junction City. Working a minimum wage job, it took Williams two years of his young adulthood to wipe out all the fees and fines from his crimes as a kid. “It was a sigh of relief,” he said. “Having that burden gone definitely helped me get into a better mindset and take control of my life.” Fines and fees are commonly used to punish offenders and fund the court system, but critics argue they mostly make it harder for people to get their lives on track. That’s fueled a push to make the courts less reliant on ringing up revenue from people convicted of crimes. Advocates for tossing aside many of those fees and fines say lawmakers should consider dumping them if they want people to escape from cycles of poverty and crime that tend to land people back in jail.
Source: KCUR News
‘The Lowrider Teacher’: How a mechanic became a top Johnson County school leader
Erazo has worked his way up from serving as a school security officer to becoming one of the top administrators in the Olathe school district. Through his perspective, Erazo has created programs — like his lowrider bike club — that have transformed the lives of dozens of students, while helping to reshape the community they live in. … Despite being the executive director of diversity and engagement, Erazo doesn’t spend his time sitting in the district’s administrative offices. He works out of the alternative high school, to be near the kids he’s hoping to reach, or at the auto tech center, where he teaches students how to build lowrider bikes from scratch.
Source: KC Star
Great Plains Manufacturing is expanding in Salina. What does that mean for central Kansas?
One of the largest employers in Saline County is adding positions. Great Plains Manufacturing is expanding its footprint in the community. Even though Great Plains is now a part of the larger corporation of Kubota, it has roots extending back to the 1970s in Salina. David Disberger, executive vice president for Great Plains Manufacturing, said when Great Plains became part of Kubota in 2016, it was with an understanding that Great Plains knew the strategies that worked best in the industry for this part of the world. “(Kubota said) we’re not here to change you, but to learn from you,” Disberger said.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for February 22, 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.
New Goddard water park is going to be a Blast
When Rodney Steven II opens his new indoor water park in Goddard this spring, he aims to make more than just a splash. The Genesis Health Clubs owner has worked to create a one-of-a-kind theme park within his almost 100-acre Genesis Sports Complex at 19800 W. Kellogg. “It seems like water parks are always themed the same,” Steven said. “I just want it to be unique.” The new Blast Off Bay is a play off of several things. That includes all the aviation and space names for buildings in the Goddard school district and Wichita’s status as the Air Capital of the World. The science fiction theme even borrows a bit from Hutchinson’s Cosmosphere.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Kansas House advances constitutional amendment requiring elected sheriffs
Rep. Eric Smith encouraged House members Tuesday to support a constitutional amendment requiring counties to elect sheriffs, rather than risk the possibility of a county commission gaining authority to appoint the position. Smith, a Republican from Burlington who said his “real job” as a deputy sheriff for Coffee County supports his political hobby, joined other supporters of the proposal in arguing it is important to shield top law enforcement officers from the scrutiny of other elected officials. “I just want want you to consider the idea that when you have an elected sheriff out there, that individual serves you and serves your constituents as an individual who has to uphold those values that they were elected on, and you can hold them accountable for that,” Smith said.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Wichita school board votes to drop mask mandate after debate over when it should end
Starting March 11, face masks will no longer be required in Wichita Public Schools, although they will still be “encouraged and welcomed.” The Wichita Board of Education voted 4-3 Tuesday to end a masking mandate that has been in place in Kansas’ largest school district since last August. A substitute motion supported by the board’s three most conservative members that would have immediately ended mandatory masking for students, staff and visitors failed 3-4. Face coverings will still be required on school buses, because of a 2021 federal order that they be worn on all forms of public transportation. And the motion that did pass includes a proviso for the board to reconsider and extend the mandate if COVID-19 spikes again in the district’s schools.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Bonner Springs officers rescue injured bald eagle
Members of the Bonner Springs Police Department made a unique rescue Monday morning. Animal Control Officer Kendra Anthony and Cpl. Kyle Rector rescued an injured bald eagle. They found her in the tree line, flapping her wings and unable to stand. The nonprofit Operation Wildlife believes the eagle was hit by a car and may have broken her tail. The officers were able to reach the bird and named it Kendra after officer Anthony.
Source: KSN-TV
Beer in farm wineries? New proposal would allow Kansas owners to sell
A proposal in the Kansas Legislature would allow farm wineries in Kansas to sell beer, according to some vineyard owners. The bill, House Bill 2688, is currently up for debate in the House. If it passes, it will move to the Senate. The plan requires that licensed farm wineries be issued a cereal malt beverage retailer license if the statutory requirements are met. Written testimony from Phillip Bradley, a representative for the Kansas Viticulture and Farm Winery Association (KVFWA), says the measure would help the response to the growing needs of customers.
Source: KSN-TV
Masks now optional in Johnson County schools
Last week, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners lifted a countywide public health order requiring masks in all K-6 schools. That order was originally set to expire in May, but with new COVID-19 cases dropping sharply, the board acted to rescind the mandate effective immediately. Some public school districts in northern Johnson County had already begun lifting their own masking rules for students and staff or had put measures in place to end their mask requirements for younger students once the county order was lifted. Students return to class Tuesday and Wednesday after the long holiday weekend (made longer, in some cases, by canceled classes late last week due to inclement weather), and none of the four major public school districts in northern Johnson County is now requiring masks.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Rising Rates Hit Municipal Bonds
Municipal-bond investors spent more than a decade fretting about state and local government finances. Now they are worried about interest rates. Municipal budgets are in far better shape than during the aftermath of the 2007-09 financial crisis or the early-Covid shutdowns when investors fled munis in droves. But the expectation that the Federal Reserve will begin ending pandemic stimulus measures has driven yields on state and local debt, which rise when bond prices fall, to their highest levels since April 2020. “Credit has just not been the boogeyman that anyone thought it might be,” said Matt Fabian, a partner with Municipal Market Analytics. “The real risk in the sector at least for now is rates.” … Many now consider the prospect of rising rates a more immediate threat, reducing the appeal of outstanding debt by offering better returns on newly issued bonds. Benchmark 10-year, triple-A general-obligation bonds were trading at 1.65% Friday, according to Refinitiv MMD, up from 1.04% at the start of the year.
Source: Wall Street Journal