Kansas Municipal News
Seven hikes? Fast-rising wages could cause the Fed to raise interest rates even higher this year
Too much of a good thing, in the form of rapidly rising wages, is expected to push Federal Reserve interest rate hikes at an even faster pace. Average hourly earnings jumped 0.7% in January and are now running at a 5.7% pace over the past 12 months, according to Labor Department data released Friday. Excepting a two-month period during the early days of the pandemic, that is by a wide margin the fastest-ever move in data going back to March 2007. While that has come as welcome news to workers, it’s posed a further quandary for the Fed, which increasingly is being seen as falling behind in terms of policy and having to catch up to inflation that is running at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
How Butler County was impacted by the early Feb. 2022 winter storm
The last few days have been cold and snowy in south-central Kansas and it has left a small impact on the communities. Schools, services, and businesses were closed, then the roadways have felt like an adventure. The good news is that the winter storm has passed and some good weather is on the way. We could return into the 40s and 50s, then have sunny conditions, but here is what the winter storm caused through Wednesday, Feb. 2 through Friday, Feb. 4.
Source: Andover American
The history behind the brick roads in Fort Scott
In 1952, Fort Scott was referred to as the city of brick streets because it had more brick streets per capita than any other city in the US. These bricks are a source of pride for the community, and they’re something people have been fighting to protect for decades. “We are a historic community, they provide an ambiance, a look that a lot of cities don’t have,” says Matthew Wells, Fort Scott City Commissioner, “We bill ourselves as historic Fort Scott, Kansas, and the brick streets only enhance that.” … Work on them began back in the 1880’s using a unique clay native to the area.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Neighbors raise concern over Shawnee County sand extraction operation
A Topeka-based company will now be able to operate a sand dredging pit near a local township. On Monday, Shawnee County commissioners held a public hearing regarding plans for a sand extraction operation site in Tecumseh. At the meeting, people voiced their concerns over the proposed project that will allow sand extraction. … Those from the area expressed worry about potential air and noise pollution, road erosion, and traffic concerns. Following the public hearing, commissioners made a handful of amendments to the proposal, including updates to requested fencing and limiting hours of operation. Planning Department Director Randy Anderson noted if negative issues come to the commission through Public Works or the Township, an investigation will be done. That information will be brought to the commissioners for action.
Source: KSNT News
FedEx Ground distribution center comes to Pittsburg
FedEx is building a new distribution center in Pittsburg, Kansas. The City of Pittsburg and Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce made the announcement today. Officials expect the center to open this fall. Crews are building the 250,000 square-foot FedEx Ground facility next to Kansas Crossing Casino. The new distribution facility is slated to open in October of 2022. “The new FedEx Ground distribution center is a tremendous development for Pittsburg, the region and our state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I am so grateful for the collaboration between the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Transportation in support of FedEx Ground’s fast-moving investment plans. Completion of the four-lane U.S. 69 highway expansion to Pittsburg was a critical part of this business investment and growth of our economic development capacity in Southeast Kansas and our state.”
Source: KOAMKOAM
Neosho County Community College receives grant from the USDA
The Neosho County Community College has received a $745,000 grant from the USDA. They were one of several agencies in Kansas to receive a grant, but they received the most money for their project, which is the new Mitchell Career and Technology Center. President Brian Inbody says it will open the door to several new opportunities. “It’ll bring up to eight new programs to the area, on day one it’ll have six programs located there, aerostructures, for building airplane parts, industrial maintenance technology for installing equipment in factories, welding, construction, electrical and HVAC.”
Source: KOAMKOAM
Sunflower Electric plans large solar project in Russell County
On Monday morning, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation filed an application for a solar project in Russell County. The Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project would be a 20-megawatt solar farm located on 240 acres three miles east of Russell in north-central Kansas. … The project would be Sunflower’s second solar development. The company already has the 20-MW Johnson Corner Solar Project in Stanton County in southwest Kansas. It has been in operation since April 2020. Sunflower says the Johnson Corner Solar Project is the largest operating solar facility in the state. The Russell project would match its size with approximately 75,000 solar panels on single-axis tracking.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas bill would allow firework sales year-round
Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow firework sales year-round, a move that could help small businesses and the state’s coffers collect more revenue. … Kyle Hamilton, an assistant revisor of statutes, said current law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to designate the annual firework season through rules and regulations. The existing season is June 27 and ends July 5. The bill “would override that current regulation,” Hamilton said. “The new language would define firework season for seasonal retailers as June 15 through July 6, and for annual retailers as Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.” … The bill also allows cities and counties to prohibit all fireworks sales. They also can establish a fireworks season different from the dates that would be codified in state statute.
Source: CJonline
Hutchinson’s Crisis Team is making a difference
Most people would do anything to avoid a crisis. Officer Trevor Nobbs runs toward them. Nobbs, 28, serves as the Hutchinson Police Department’s representative on a Crisis Response Team, responding to calls when officers believe a person is suffering from a mental health crisis. He works with Shanon Brandon of Mirror Inc., and Rebeca Sandoval, a private clinical social worker. While it has only been in operation for nine months, the team has had a measurable impact in Hutchinson and on the department, said Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper, who presented a report on the team’s first nine months of operation to the Hutchinson City Council last week.
Source: Hutch News
Saline County using technology to help track its snow-removal
After snow fell across much of the country this week, people were able to see if roads in Saline County were cleared by county crews before they ventured outdoors. In October of 2021, Saline County Road and Bridge installed technology that tracks the location of its snow-removal fleet. With the new technology comes the use of SnowPaths, a fleet-tracking tool that can be useful for residents hoping to know what the status of roads may be. “It allows for the citizens to see where our snowplows and motor graders have been during snow-removal events,” said Darren Fishel, the county road and bridge administrator. “That way, they can judge whether their road has been cleared or not.”
Source: Salina Journal
Economic Outlook presenters upbeat for Reno County despite challenges
Presenters at an Economic Outlook Conference in Hutchinson Wednesday described as “bullish” and “optimistic” the short-term outlook for Reno County and the region, thanks in part to nearly full employment and pent-up demand. While there are no quick fixes to many of the challenges that local businesses and the community seem to perpetually deal with in attracting or expanding businesses – including housing and childcare – the community continues working to figure out how to handle with them. But finding workers — one of the problems most oft-cited by local employers and which recently has become acute — is something business owners need to “look in the mirror” to address, said Hutchinson / Reno County Chamber of Commerce President Debra Teufel.
Source: Hutch News
Kansas’ largest pizza manufacturer is expanding, bringing hundreds of jobs and boosting state economy
One of Salina’s largest industries is expanding. Along with bringing more jobs to central Kansas, this expansion will have a ripple effect throughout the Sunflower State. Schwan’s Company buys flour from Kansas mills, sausage from Tyson in Hutchinson and packaging supplies from a vendor in the Kansas City, Kansas area. By increasing the company’s footprint in Salina, they are increasing goods that they already buy from vendors in Kansas. The pizza’s coming out of the Salina plant, Tony’s and Red Barron, are ranked second in the U.S. frozen-pizza market and first for school pizza.
Source: Salina Journal
Court to decide if law protects officer who aimed at dog but shot girl
The Kansas Supreme Court will rule whether the state’s “stand-your-ground” law protects a fired Wichita police officer who claimed self-defense immunity after shooting a girl when aiming for a dog. The ruling is likely to have wide ramifications, both for potential prosecutions in police use-of-force cases and for any situation where a shooter can claim they feared for their safety. Lower court rulings in favor of the officer have already been used as reasons not to charge other law enforcement officers in use-of-force cases.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for February 4, 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.
Sunflower Ammo redevelopment plan survives challenge from Johnson County leader
The latest plans to redevelop the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant into a massive new industrial business center survived a challenge this week from one Johnson County leader critical of a major tax incentive component of the project. The vote by a majority of the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday to support the project effectively clears the path for a series of construction and tax incentive plans to advance this spring, which officials hope will bring the first substantial construction at the contaminated former U.S. Army site since it made rocket propellant during the war in Vietnam. The new plans, led by the city of De Soto and the Sunflower Redevelopment company, envision bringing 10 million square feet of new industrial and light manufacturing space to thousands of acres on the site that are poised to receive their final environmental cleanup certifications this year.
Source: KC Star Local News
Fed could hike at all seven remaining meetings this year, Summers says
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said investors need to brace for the Federal Reserve to potentially raise interest rates at all seven remaining policy meetings this year and even for it to hike by more than a quarter point in one go. “Markets have to be prepared for a rate hike in every meeting and they have to be prepared for the possibility that, as the inflation process continues, we might need to have meetings with more than a single 25 basis point rate hike,” Summers told Bloomberg Television Friday. The Fed is “behind the curve” and anyone not open to considering that policy makers will boost rates at consecutive meetings through year-end is “underestimating the range of possibilities,” said Summers, a Harvard University professor and paid contributor to Bloomberg.
Source: The Bond Buyer
City Administrator reflects on Humboldt gas crisis as anniversary approaches
The fallout from a crippling ice storm last February had far-reaching ramifications for the city of Humboldt. As a result of wind chill warnings and stress to natural utility lines, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly declared a State of Disaster Emergency last Feb. 14. Eight days later, the Humboldt City Council declared a State of Financial Emergency. The city’s bill for the month of February soared to $1.6 million, dwarfing its monthly projected budget of $35,000 – as well as the $375,000 annual budget. The Kansas legislature ultimately passed legislation bailing out a number of municipalities that experienced the gas price crunch. Had it not been for the legislation, Humboldt was eying imminent bankruptcy. The $1.5 million loan received from the state is to be paid over a 10-year period at a fixed .25 percent interest rate, and has increased gas rates by approximately $2 per unit. Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder said that the winter snowstorm that swept through this week did not remotely compare to the drastic events of last February. Even if the city had not been slammed by the 2021 ice storm, Herder said citizens would still be faced with rising gas bills.
Source: Derby Informer
Labette Co. leaders look to restore economic recovery to pre-covid conditions
It’s a time of economic recovery across Kansas. But while some have returned to pre-pandemic conditions, others haven’t. It’s getting close in Labette County, and now officials are looking at the final steps to continue the comeback. “Reports show that Parsons and Labette County are right, almost where we were pre-COVID,” said Jim Zaleski, Parsons Economic Development Director. While unemployment may have jumped to almost 9% in Labette County at the start of the pandemic, it’s almost back to normal, now sitting at around three and a half percent according to Wichita State University.
Source: KSNF/KODE
New plans for Mission Gateway aim to restart long-troubled project from ‘square one’
A new plan aims to jump start the long-troubled Mission Gateway development a month after it missed a critical construction milestone, forcing its developers back to “some version of square one” almost 16 years after the project first began. Should Mission city leaders agree to pursue the newest iteration of the long-running redevelopment plan this spring, developer Tom Valenti suggested construction could resume as soon as the beginning of 2023 — almost three years after work stopped on the property. But city officials frustrated by years of false starts appeared to remain skeptical during Valenti’s first pitch of the new version of the project this week.
Source: KC Star Local News
Riley County appraiser says home values could increase 10% to 14%
Riley County appraisers say single-family homes in Manhattan and immediate surrounding areas could see a 10% to 14% increase in their taxable property values this year. Riley County Appraiser Greg McHenry told The Mercury on Friday about the potential level of increases. He said the housing supply is not meeting the demand in Manhattan, and residents are willing to pay more for a home. McHenry on Thursday updated the county commission on the local real estate market. County appraisers annually provides new valuations for all properties.
Source: themercury.com