Kansas Municipal News
Miami County’s new radio system has coverage gap
The new 800 MHz radio system designed to blanket the county with 95 percent coverage has a 12-square-mile hole in it. The $8.3 million radio system from Motorola became fully operational in early July and is to be used by first responders with all the agencies in the county. Officials with the Miami County Sheriff’s Office reported to county commissioners at their Nov. 17 study session there is a gap in coverage in the northeast corner of the county. “We have some area up there, 12 square miles, of dead space where we can’t reach our communications at the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Frank Kelly said.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Lawrence neighborhood’s road barriers aim to cut traffic but frustrate some residents
Those heading home to Old West Lawrence for the holiday might need to ask for directions. The routes that residents have taken for years are now obstructed by temporary road barriers. It’s an experimental effort to prevent speeding and excess traffic through neighborhood streets, instead pushing drivers out to arterial roads and collector streets. Some residents of the neighborhood have concerns about the barriers’ consequences — both intended and unintended. Maren Bradley, vice president of the OWL neighborhood association, said that during an annual meeting in January, residents’ concerns about speeding, unsafe drivers and the potential dangers for kids, pedestrians and bicyclists “came to a fever pitch.” Speed bumps and speed tables in the neighborhood had not achieved the desired effects, and cut-through traffic to get to the nearby University of Kansas campus has remained a concern for many.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Sedgwick County looks to San Antonio for inspiration on helping those who are homeless
Every weekday at San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters, people line up at windows to report crimes, seek advice, maybe challenge a parking ticket. But not everyone is here to conduct typical police business. Some are unsheltered and have heard the police can help them get or recover an ID, removing a huge barrier to receiving services. The ID program is the brainchild of the police department’s homeless outreach team, and it represents one piece of a puzzle that San Antonio and Bexar County (population 2 million) have been putting together since the early 2000s. Its purpose: to reduce the number of people living on the streets and to try to help those with mental illness and addiction issues who often end up in courts and jails.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Boot Hill Casino, DraftKings set groundwork for sports wagering
Managers of Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City entered an agreement with a mobile sports gambling company in anticipation the state of Kansas would eventually adopt legislation and regulations to legalize that form of wagering. DraftKings reached a deal with BHCMC, a subsidiary of Butler National Corp. that operates Boot Hill Casino, to eventually bring an online sportsbook to that western Kansas casino. “DraftKings is a leader in this fast growing industry and will bring a trusted, experienced mobile sports betting application to sports fans in Kansas when the law allows,” said Clark Stewart, chief executive officer at Boot Hill Casino.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Chase County internet gets faster by choice, construction
The novel coronavirus may have slowed your life in some ways but it may have increased your speed of internet service. An October report by the WhistleOut website showed internet download speeds in Kansas have accelerated 60.3% this year. In Cottonwood Falls, it was planned that way. “Because we were recipients of CARES broadband infrastructure grants, we were able to pass about 13,000 premises during the last quarter of 2020,” said Jade Piros de Carvalho, IdeaTek Director of Industry and Community Relations. IdeaTek’s lines cover a large area of central and southwest Kansas. But she noted Chase County was one of the company’s target locations for money allocated last year by Gov. Laura Kelly. The company spent around $4.5 million there.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Johnson County sheriff partners with biotech company to offer COVID-19 antibody tests
Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden announced on Tuesday his office will work with a biotech company to allow employees to test their immunity to COVID-19. Aditxt, the biotech company the sheriff’s office is partnering with, will draw blood from users and test their antibody levels against COVID-19. Civilian and sworn staff can access the test for free to check their immunity to the virus. The partnership comes after Kansas Governor Laura Kelly promised late Monday to sign legislation making it easy for workers to avoid COVID-19 vaccine mandates from their workplace. Aditxt has an immune monitoring technology, AditxtScoreTM, meant to provide a personalized comprehensive profile of the immune system. The Sheriff’s office said in a press release that it is “the only known antibody test that will test to the T-cell level and provide an accurate reading of an individual’s Covid-19 immunity.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Johnson County approves $1.9 million in grants to expand mental health services
Mental health services in Johnson County got a big boost from grant money recently, making it possible for county commissioners to add more than 14 full time equivalent positions in a variety of capacities. County commissioners voted earlier this month to accept more than $1.9 million in federal, state and local grant money to authorize adding jobs to such services as: a program for formerly incarcerated people with mental health or substance abuse problems; the transition to a national suicide prevention call number; services for students at Johnson County Community College.
Source: KCUR News
Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai donates $50K to hometown of Parsons, Kansas
The former chairman of the FCC has given back to his hometown in southeast Kansas. Parsons-native Ajit Pai recently donated $50,000 to a handful of schools. It all started a few months after he left the FCC. He auctioned an image of himself holding a mug — not thinking much would come out of it. To his surprise — the final bid, involving a cryptocurrency, was worth $50,000. He then worked with the “Parsons Area Community Foundation” to figure out to best way distribute the money. “I had educators that were in that town, willing to take kids like me that might not know exactly what was involved, but had the determination to bring the best out of us, that really helped make all the difference, and so I’m quite confident in the years to come, if these programs are able to be sustained, and thrive, I think that there are going to be many more students in Parsons, Kansas, and hopefully throughout Southeast Kansas and the four state region would have the same opportunities that I did,” said Ajit Pai, Former FCC Chairman.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Manhattan officials want commission to consider exclusive trash service for Aggieville
City administrators want the Manhattan City Commission to consider establishing a single trash service provider for Aggieville in an effort to clean up how the district handles its garbage and grease. MSW Consultants, based in Orlando, presented commissioners on Tuesday with two options to address trash in Aggieville. It was a work session, so no decisions were reached, and it was not immediately clear which direction the commission prefers. One would continue to allow multiple trash service providers in the district, but the city government would improve policies and regulations. The other option would establish an exclusive trash service for all businesses in the district; the city would ask for bids from private trash haulers and award the job on some as-yet undetermined basis.
Source: themercury.com
Four Cities Get Fed Funds To Hire Police
Four cities in the Sunflower State have received funds from the federal government to hire police officers. It’s part of a program Uncle Sam has run since 1994. The awards provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.
Source: WIBW News Now
Barton County is now home to a series of murals … featured near main roadways in Claflin, Ellinwood and Hoisington
Barton County is now home to a series of murals created with the purpose of interaction. Featured near main roadways in Claflin, Ellinwood and Hoisington, the murals share a common theme and message, inviting all who pass by to “Rise Above.” They also make awesome photo backgrounds. Early in 2021, the Barton Arts Movement received a $5,000 grant from Central Kansas Partnership and Rise Above Central Kansas for a public art installation on the topic of “resiliency.” “The positive message in these murals acknowledges the real challenges of everyday life, while still encouraging those who pass by to hope, dream, support each other, and persevere,” said Andrea Bauer, cochair of the Barton Arts Movement.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Getting elected as a Latina is an uphill battle in Kansas
Janeth Vasquez’s journey is a common story in southwest Kansas. Her parents immigrated to Kansas from Mexico in the 1980s, seeking a better life for their baby daughter in the growing Hispanic community that rose up around Liberal’s meatpacking plant. But what Vasquez accomplished when she became the first Latina ever elected to office in Kansas’ most Hispanic city was anything but common. “I feel like there’s no representation for us,” Vasquez said. “Latinos account for the largest portion of our population. … But at the end of the day, the largest demographic of people that have the power in town are not the Hispanics.”
Source: GC Telegram
Pittsburg one of 6 cities to benefit from $1.4m EPA grant
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday that Pittsburg is one of six cities that will benefit from a grant of more than $1.4 million to replace 16 diesel, long-haul freight trucks with 16 low-nitrogen oxide, compressed natural gas (CNG) freight trucks. The grant of $1,457,181 was awarded to the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) in Kansas City, Missouri, from the 2021 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants program. Other than Pittsburg, MEC’s project cities include Kansas City, Salina and Topeka in Kansas, along with Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. Besides replacing the diesel trucks, the funding will also allow MEC to conduct a rebate program to replace two to four diesel transit buses or off-road diesel cargo handlers with electric models.
Source: Morning Sun
Historically Speaking: How Dodge City got its name, maybe
There is a controversy about how Dodge City was named. Three people with the surname “Dodge” have been part of this argument. The debate about the name “Fort Dodge” involves two men. The third person only figures into the name of our town.
Source: Dodge Globe
Municipal Bond Trends for November 22, 2021
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.
Officials feel vaccine mandate effect on rural healthcare potentially disastrous
The December 5th deadline for compliance with President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for healthcare facilities receiving federal funds is fast approaching, leaving some healthcare officials worried about the local impact on an already stressed workforce. In September, President Biden announced that, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, his administration would make vaccination against the virus a requirement for facilities who are receiving funds from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Employees of any facility receiving those funds would have until December 5th to receive their first dose of the vaccination, with full vaccination required by January 5, 2022.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Four States fire service gather to honor the life of Lt. Malachi Brown
On October 15th the Baxter Springs fire department responded to a fire. Lieutenant Malachi Brown was injured and was transferred to a burn unit in Springfield where he later passed away. His actions to put himself before others touched many lives across the four states. The community rallied around him and his family when they needed it most, and this was on full display at Lieutenant Brown’s funeral. “We would really like to say thank you to all the community that’s came through to help our department out, help the family out,” says Gunnar Wixon, Baxter Springs Fire Chief.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Lawrence Transit riders can now purchase bus passes through an app
Riders of Lawrence Transit can now use an app to purchase bus passes, the City of Lawrence announced Monday. The free app, Token Transit, is available on the App Store and Google Play. Here’s how it works: “You can select different types of bus passes such as full fare, reduced fare or T Lift monthly passes, 10-ride punch cards, day passes, single ride tickets, Night Line and K-12 semester passes,” according to the city’s news release. “Once the selection is made and the purchase confirmed, it will be saved in your stored passes. Bus riders then activate the pass and show the ticket displayed on their phone to the driver when boarding the bus. The driver will ask for proof of eligibility for reduced fare bus passes.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
Riley County considering appeal of BOTA Home Depot decision
The Kansas Board of Tax Appeals in November rejected a Riley County request for reconsideration of a ruling that would refund more than $88,000 to Home Depot. County Counselor Clancy Holeman says Riley County is evaluating its next steps regarding a possible new appeal in court, but if things remain as is then the sum will be deducted from future tax distributions to area taxing entities. Riley County had submitted a petition for reconsideration of the BOTA’s March 2021 ruling, in which Home Depot was awarded a refund of $87,849 and 8 percent annually in interest on its $239,000 2018 tax bill. Home Depot had appealed its appraisal value with the board, arguing that the property was overvalued by 40 percent and instead should be appraised as if it were vacant. The approach is what is referred to as the ‘dark store theory’ being employed in similar cases by big box retailers across Kansas and the U.S.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Kansas lawmakers pass a bill to allow exemptions to vaccine mandates, and the governor will sign it
Republicans in the Kansas Legislature used a one-day special session to pass legislation aimed at circumventing Democratic President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The bill approved late Monday is now headed to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who promised to sign it in a one-sentence statement. The bill makes it easier for Kansans who object to getting the vaccine to claim exemptions from employers covered by the mandates as well as those that implemented their own requirements. The measure also establishes a process for imposing large fines against Kansas employers who deny exemptions. In addition, it makes people who are fired or quit over vaccine requirements eligible for unemployment payments. That drew an objection from a large business advocacy group.
Source: KCUR News