Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for January 19, 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.
Wichita developer considering $50 million ice center
As the Wichita City Council is poised to vote on a new contract for management of the Wichita Ice Center downtown, a well-known developer is poised to kick off plans for a potential new $50 million ice center in the K-96 and Greenwich area. “I am going to propose building a new ice center in Wichita,” said Rick Worner, who is involved in major developments in Wichita, Goddard and Derby. “I have run this concept by a half dozen local Wichita people and a dozen non-Wichita people — banks, financial institutions.” Sales tax and revenue bonds, or STAR bonds, are part of the attraction. The K-96 and Greenwich area, where Worner is a partner in Greenwich Place and helped open the Wichita Sports Forum, is in a STAR bonds district. One use for potential star bonds is to build a multisport athletic facility.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Sedgwick County will require COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers
Sedgwick County commissioners voted Wednesday to go along with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers, as required by the federal government, but some commissioners voiced reservations over the decision. The mandate requires health care and COMCARE workers for the county to be vaccinated by February 28th. The mandate does not apply to fire and EMS workers, and it would not apply to people working remotely. Commissioner Jim Howell said he is vaccinated and is not against the vaccine, but he doesn’t like the mandate and he doesn’t want to see a county employee terminated for not getting the vaccine. He and Commission Chairman David Dennis said if a health care worker refuses the vaccine, another position should be found for them in county government. Howell said he wants to work with employees as much as possible, saying the county has a huge deficit of people already.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Sales tax receipts good omen for local economy
Despite the pandemic, sales tax receipts took a big jump in 2021. That’s good news for local governments, and according to a local economist, it’s a good portent for area businesses, as well. For 2021, sales tax revenue in Harvey County increased 10 percent over 2020 or 12 percent compared to 2019. That number means more money for local cities. Newton received $518,000 more in sales tax receipts this year, for instance. “We did do very well this year, thank goodness,” Newton finance director Donna Pickman stated. The month of December saw an especially large jump in dollars spent, increasing by 36 percent compared to 2020.
Source: Harvey County Now
City of Moscow is awarded SHAPE Award from Kansas Department of Labor
Moscow has been awarded the SHAPE Award of Kansas from The Kansas Department of Labor. This was the first award given out this year. There have only been seven awards given out in ten years since they started giving them out in 2012. The Kansas Department of Labor makes over 500 visits to public entities a year. Moscow is one of the first in the southwest Kansas area and one of the first small cities to receive it. The Industrial Safety and Health Division recognizes safety conscious employers and employees in the public sector. The Safety and Health Award for Public Employees (SHAPE) program is designed for those public sector entities whose employees have not had a lost-time accident for a specific number of consecutive days.
Source: Hugoton Hermes News
Missing councilman forces this Johnson County town to confront an election controversy
A missing Spring Hill city councilman is forcing the small Johnson County town to confront its controversial mayoral election without saying a word. Councilman Steve Owen walked out of the city’s Jan. 10 meeting to protest the appointment of new Mayor Joe Berkey and he hasn’t returned to the dais since — avoiding three special meetings and single-handedly halting the council’s ability to appoint new members to its two vacant seats. Berkey was appointed to fill the mayor’s seat left empty by the abrupt resignation of Tyler Graves, a sitting councilman who won the race for mayor in November but shocked the town by announcing days later that he would vacate both his council seat and the mayor’s job as his family moved out of state.
Source: Joco 913 News
Goodwill’s zoning lawsuit against Olathe lumbers along
The eventual outcome of a federal lawsuit initiated last year against Olathe could factor into how officials evaluate where future thrift stores can open in the city. Recent months have seen movement in a complaint Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas initiated against Olathe in March in federal court in Kansas. Although the parties did not settle the case at a six-hour mediation session in early December, they agreed to undertake further investigation and reconvene this month “to further explore potential resolutions,” attorneys wrote in a recent court filing. In November, the Olathe City Council voted “to proceed with strategies as discussed with and directed by the governing body,” immediately after an executive session held for discussions that officials said were protected by attorney-client privilege.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Kansas’ hunt for mega-manufacturing project inspires unprecedented tax-incentive plan
The state of Kansas is among two finalists for a massive, advanced manufacturing facility capable of creating 4,000 permanent jobs and injecting more than $2.5 billion annually into the economy. The Kansas Department of Commerce offered that tantalizing information during a Senate committee hearing about creation of an extraordinary property, sales and income tax incentive program open to companies making a minimum $1 billion investment in the state over a five-year period. There was no disclosure of the prospective company or the county that could host the manufacturing facility due to confidentiality agreements. Another provision in the Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion Act would deliver tax incentives to existing or new Kansas-based suppliers if conducting a least $10 million in annual sales with this type of manufacturing giant.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Sedgwick County Commissioners OK COVID vaccination mandate; it’s jab or job for county health workers
Most workers in the county’s health and mental health departments will have to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or face possible firing, the Sedgwick County Commission decided Wednesday. The county employees will have until Feb. 28 to become fully vaccinated with the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab. The vaccine mandate for public-facing health care workers is required by the federal government and if the county doesn’t comply, it could lose more than $11 million in federal Medicare and Medicaid funding, officials said.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Parsons takes action on vicious dog rule
Parsons city commissioners Tuesday approved an ordinance — with some additions — regarding vicious dogs and animals. The ordinance allows an animal control officer to impound an animal pending the determination of being declared vicious, allows an animal that bites or attacks a human or another domestic animal to be declared vicious and specifies the procedure to do that. It also requires an owner to pay vet fees associated within three days of the rabies vaccination period and further defines a crime of harboring a vicious animal.
Source: Parsons Sun
Chetopa reviews post office flooding issue
The Chetopa City Council discussed post office flooding … at its most recent meeting Jan. 4. City Clerk Toni Crumrine said she was contacted about water pooling in the back door of the post office in Chetopa. When crews overlaid the alley by the building, it caused this water issue. Doug Moses dug a partial trench to move the water away from the door, officials said. The council members discussed this topic further. In the end, Mayor Tammy Bushong and Police Chief Scott Feagan said they would look into this situation further.
Source: Parsons Sun
Mayor, fire chief reassure county on EMS services
Steve French remembers answering the phone when he was a child. His parents ran the ambulance service out of Moran, and he would sometimes answer the telephone when calls came. He remembers a call concerning a heart attack. The ambulance arrived within minutes, but the man passed away. “I remember as a 10-year-old, hearing her cry and the trauma of her pain,” French said. “So I’ve always been in tune to those concerns. If a call goes out, I want to make sure we are there.” French, who recently took office as Iola mayor, met with Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning to introduce the new fire chief, Corey Isbell, and talk about a new contract for EMS services.
Source: The Iola Register
Marysville police department continues efforts for national accreditation
Progress toward accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies continues, Marysville Police Sgt. Anthony Escalante told the Marysville Council Jan. 10 in an update on the process. “We’re coming up on a pretty exciting time for our CALEA accreditation projects,” Escalante said. He said CALEA benefits to police here include continuous assessment, reports to make informed management decisions and best practices to limit liability and risk exposure. CALEA was launched in 1979 and is considered the gold standard in the development and application of public safety standards in the United States, as well as internationally.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
A new initiative in Kansas aimed at helping rural grocery stores keep doors open
Grocery stores across the country are dealing with staffing issues, supply chain shortages and more. Those problems are even worse for some rural grocery stores. The Rural Grocery Initiative is helping grocery store owners plan for who will take over the store when they move on, how they can maximize business value and other topics. It will all be covered in their new monthly webinar series kicking off Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The webinar series is free, but you must register beforehand. The webinar will continue on the third Thursday of each month in 2022.
Source: KAKE – News
Lawrence leaders discuss statewide housing needs, governor’s budget proposal for $20 million for moderate-income housing
As the City of Lawrence works to address its affordable housing shortage, one question local leaders had was whether $20 million proposed for housing in the governor’s recently released budget proposal could help Lawrence. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission received a presentation from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation on its recently completed Kansas Statewide Housing Assessment Report and discussed housing issues with a KHRC official. The commission, which in recent years has been working to address local affordable housing shortages, requested a presentation on the report after it was released last month.
Source: LJWorld.com
10-year Treasury yield hits 1.9% as investors bet on rate hikes
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit 1.9% on Wednesday morning, its highest point since December 2019. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note moved 2 basis points higher to 1.8916% at 4 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 1 basis point to 2.2036%. … The 10-year rate surged on Tuesday, topping 1.87%, amid growing investor anticipation that the Federal Reserve could soon start to hike interest rates. The two-year Treasury yield, which reflects short-term interest rate expectations, also topped 1% for the first time in two years. It remained higher on Wednesday morning, hovering above 1.06%.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Municipal Bond Trends for January 18, 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.
Winfield 150th celebration planned for 2023
City improvement projects, a new city flag and a multi-day celebration are among the plans that are under way for the City of Winfield’s 150th anniversary celebration to kick off in 2023. There were initial plans to host the anniversary celebration in 2020, the 150th anniversary of the city’s founding in 1870. However, all other milestone celebrations have been based on the anniversary of the city’s incorporation, which occurred in 1873, Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Sarah Werner said. Planning for next year’s festivities are in the very early stages, Werner said. Plans are being directed by a small task force along with a larger planning group consisting of representatives from local civic groups, nonprofits and other organizations.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Additional hybrids purchased for Derby PD
With two patrol vehicles set to exceed 100,000 miles in 2022, the Derby Police Department requested the purchase of two new Ford Interceptors, which was approved by the city council at its Jan. 11 meeting. Based on the bids received and the current hybrids in use by Derby PD since August 2021, Chief Robert Lee suggested the department purchase two additional hybrids in 2022. The difference in cost between the gas engine and hybrid models was $3,000 per car, but through use of the current hybrids Lee projected the cost savings to be roughly $15,000 per car over a five-year lifespan. The city approved the lowest responsible bid of $108,854 from Rusty Eck Ford for two hybrid Interceptors. While the cost is $654 over budget, Lee said that could be covered by the department’s equipment fund.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Life of Bob Dole new exhibit at Finney Coumty Museum
The Finney County Historical Museum in Garden City opened the 2022 display year today with a new short-term exhibit in the Front Door Gallery that focuses on the life and career of Robert J. Dole, who died in December as one of the best-known Kansans in history. Entitled “Bob Dole, One of the greatest of the Greatest Generation,” the exhibit incorporates many of the Russell native’s connections to Finney County and southwest Kansas, as well as his dedication to the Sunflower State. The Front Door Gallery is a small space inside the museum’s main entrance at 403 S. Fourth St., adjacent to the pedestrian arches at Lee Richardson Zoo. Admission is free and viewing hours run from 1 to 5 p.m. daily, with the exception of federal holidays Jan. 17 and Feb. 21. All other museum displays are accessible simultaneously.
Source: Greater Garden City