Kansas Municipal News
Hinz excited for opportunities as new Burrton police officer
Burrton’s new full-time police officer, Mason Hinz, sees the community as a good fit for him. “I’m excited to be here and bring a new set of eyes to everything,” he said. Hinz’s first day with the department was Sept. 30, and he said he is liking his new job so far. “The first couple days have been kind of some admin, paperwork, and taking care of some stuff,” he said. “I went and walked around the schools and drove around town, kind of some introductions to faces around town. So far, it’s been an awesome experience. I’m excited to be here.” Hinz comes to Burrton after working for Halstead Police for the past two years. Through that job, he assisted Burrton Police on some calls. “So I’ve been a few times but haven’t really had a chance to just drive around and learn a lot about the city or the community,” he said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Resident voices concerns about proposed wind farms
Kathy Hisel requested that the Board of Harvey County Commissioners and members of the Harvey County Planning Commission sign affidavits that they have no conflicts of interest before signing off on any wind farms. Hisel, who addressed commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting Tuesday, said it was harder to make a dirty deal in the sunlight. She said it was important for commissioners to get a proposal for wind farms in the county right and not lose out to greed. NextEra Energy announced its intent to develop wind energy here last month. Hisel said NextEra protected its own interests and she asked commissioners to protect those of county residents. She said her initial concern was protecting the water supply from turbidity and contamination. She said she also was concerned about who would remove the turbines if they became obsolete in a few years.
Source: Harvey County Now
Housing Conference seeks solutions for affordable housing problem in McPherson County
Representatives from all aspects of the housing market were in attendance at the McPherson Housing Conference on Oct. 1 at the McPherson Community Building. Coordinated by the United Way of McPherson County, financiers, real estate agents, builders, landlords, government agency representatives and members of the faith community were all in attendance. Subject matter also covered a wide range of topics including government programs, non-profit organizations, gaps in information about the Fair Housing Act and the role of stable housing in raising children affected by trauma.
Source: McPherson Weekly News
Derby city attorney explains change in new AT&T franchise ordinance
To allow companies to provide services on the city’s dedicated right-of-way, franchise ordinances exist in Derby for said companies to operate uninterrupted. Currently, the city’s franchise ordinance with AT&T has expired, so City Attorney Jacque Butler presented a new one to the Derby City Council for a first reading at its Sept. 28 meeting. Given changes over the years, Butler pointed out that the newly proposed ordinance would be a little different. Per state law, cities can charge an access line fee or gross receipts fee as part of the franchise ordinance, with Derby using the former for several years. AT&T currently pays $2.50 per month per access line. With households no longer maintaining or using landline phone services, though, that franchise fee collected by Derby has steadily declined. At present, the city receives approximately $1,100 per month in franchise fees from AT&T. … As proposed, a move to a gross receipts franchise fee (equal to five percent of the company’s gross receipts) would bring in an estimated $1,500 per month. The structure is in line with the city’s 2020 franchise agreement with IdeaTek and mirrors those imposed on AT&T in Wichita, Bel Aire, El Dorado, Overland Park, Johnson County and more. “It’s just about changing how we’re doing business because people are changing the way they’re doing their telecommunications services,” Butler said.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Wichita cracking down on homeless camps on private property, new white lines mark boundaries
Hundreds and hundreds of people are living homeless and out on the streets in Wichita. Camping out and blocking public sidewalks is simply not allowed. City workers have painted white lines in front of the Open Door shelter on Topeka Street earlier this week. Wichita’s police say it’s in an effort to clean up homeless camps that have been causing problems. … Straight spray painted lines now mark what’s public and what’s private. “(The lines) Showing where the sidewalk is and anything outside of that is going to be trespassing,” Officer Nate Schwiethale with Wichita PD’s Homeless Outreach Team said in a video on Facebook.
Source: KAKE – News
How do white lines hope to deter homelessness in downtown Wichita?
Striping the sidewalks to curb crime. That is the latest push by Wichita police and city leaders. Around 700 to 800 a month is how many emergency calls the Wichita Homeless Outreach team said they get in the Open Door area in Downtown Wichita. They said the white lines will make a difference. “This is just us trying to do something else that eliminates the concern that stakeholders in that area have,” said Captain Wendell Nicholson, the Wichita Police Department Patrol South Bureau commander. Wichita police said drugs and violence are common at 2nd and Topeka. They said business owners reached out to them sharing their frustrations with people blocking their sidewalks, sleeping on their properties, and engaging in illegal activity.
Source: KSN-TV
Kansas housing market grows hotter
The steady rise in home prices that defined the housing market in 2021 looks to continue steadily into next year across Kansas, according to a new report forecasting the statewide housing market. The Wichita State University Center for Real Estate released its annual Kansas Housing Market Forecast Series report for 2022 Wednesday. The study projects statewide home sales increasing, construction will remain constrained by supply chain issues and home prices will continue to rise. “The supply of homes available for sale remains near historic lows,” Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate said in a release. “Although bidding wars may not be as intense as they were earlier this year, it will continue to be a sellers’ market across most market segments.”
Source: The Iola Register
Lawrence’s municipal services workers petition for election to unionize
Municipal Services and Operations workers are the latest City of Lawrence group to seek unionization with Teamsters Local 696. The union has filed a petition “with overwhelming support,” asking the city to conduct an election for the workers, according to a Wednesday news release from the Teamsters. “We are coming together to improve working conditions and secure better wages. We know that the Teamsters will give us the voice and strength to address the issues that matter most to us,” Dave Osborne, a utilities worker for the city, said in a press release. The MSO department includes three divisions — from the city’s website: infrastructure and maintenance (facilities and structures, street and stormwater maintenance, pavement management, water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment), engineering (engineering design and technical support, stormwater, utility and traffic engineering), and services (solid waste, water, wastewater, fleet management, and administrative functions).
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for October 5, 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.
Kansas wind energy just turned 20 and now it’s bracing for a quarter-life crisis
The wind farm business in Kansas has hit its awkward adolescence. It’s still growing 20 years in, but unsure what the near future might hold. If it wants to get through those tough years and continue to grow, it needs to find more workers, to figure out what to do with the dated-but-not-obsolete turbines erected two decades ago and to sort out a way to carry all that wind-harvesting muscle beyond the state’s borders. Consider the burly, newest version of wind farming at the Cimarron Bend wind farm south of Dodge City. “We just watch and listen to the towers,” said project supervisor Dewain Pfaff, who’s responsible for keeping about 300 turbines up and running. “If you can hear a noise we want to mitigate those issues as soon as possible.”
Source: KCUR News
Fort Scott to address loitering ordinance for vagrants
The Fort Scott City Commissioners on Tuesday discussed the creation of a loitering ordinance. Interim City Manager Mark McCoy said city hall and the police department have received several calls in recent weeks about an increase of vagrancy in the downtown area. He said people sleeping inside and outside Heritage Park at 1st Street.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
Treasury yields continue to climb, 10-year Treasury yield tops 1.55%
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed back above 1.56% early on Wednesday, ahead of the release of ADP’s September employment change report due later in the morning. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 3 basis points to 1.564% at 3:20 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond jumped nearly 4 basis points to 2.137%. Yields move inversely to prices and 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%. The 10-year rate topped 1.56% last week, which was its highest point since June, amid inflation and tighter monetary policy concerns.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
K-State receives $3.4 million to build new core research facility
Kansas State University received a $3.4 million grant from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to create a new research and biosecurity development lab space. University officials announced the grant Friday. The money comes from the National Institutes of Health and will be used to build up K-State’s laboratory capacity and help the university become “a premier institution in advancing the discovery and development of biosecurity strategies for emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases,” according to a statement from KSU officials. More specifically, the grant will be used to bolster the KSU Biosecurity Research Institute, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), and the USDA Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit. Bonnie Rush, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement Friday that the current labs are isolated from each other and “have limited access, research productivity, and collaboration” between faculty members.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Senators Moran, Marshall Announce $750K Grant for Wichita Entrepreneurship Coalition
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall announced a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration for Wichita State University and the Wichita Entrepreneurship Coalition. The grant will support the resources needed to recruit, support, and enable regional entrepreneurs, and improve the coalition’s access to technology and startup resources.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Local governments struggle to hire public sector workers
Some local Kansas governments are operating with 10% of their positions unfilled, making it hard to deliver the services that citizens expect. Across the state, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that Kansas has seen a 4.7% drop in the number of public sector workers, which translates into about 12,000 vacant jobs, but some towns are being hit harder. The pandemic has made the situation worse because the competitive labor market has made it hard to replace older employees who decided to retire. And private companies, which are also struggling to hire, have more flexibility in pay and benefits that city governments generally do. In Concordia, city manager Amy Lange said the government is down to the bare minimum needed to perform city functions, but with six positions open — which accounts for 10% of the city’s workforce — workers are stretched thin.
Source: KAKE – News
From firehouse to concert venue, Kansas fire chief wears multiple hats
A Kansas firefighter is doing much more than protecting his community; he spreads joy through music. Colby Fire Chief Bob McLemore spends the majority of his day answering emergency calls. When he’s not at the firehouse, he is either planning or preparing for Colby’s bluegrass festival, Pickin’ on the Plains, or setting up the sound system for the city’s Picnic in the Park. “I do sound for Picnic in the Park every Wednesday,” said McLemore of the June and July event. Picnic in the Park, put on by the Colby Chamber of Commerce, invites people to enjoy their lunch outside while listening to local musicians. McLemore has been a part of the sound crew for the event for more than 20 years.
Source: KSN-TV
Manhattan Regional Airport awarded $5.9 million Department of Defense grant to help rebuild runway
The Manhattan Regional Airport will be receiving a nearly $6 million grant to help reconstruct the airport’s runway. According to the city, the project is expected to cost more than $47 million. The current runway is 150 feet wide and 7,000 feet long. Airport Director Jesse Romo said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will only participate in funding 100 feet of that width. That is where the DOD grant comes in to help. Romo said losing that extra 50 feet would be hugely detrimental for the region.
Source: KSNT News
City officials welcome Top City Golf to Topeka
A local business is celebrating the official opening of its new facility. GreatLIFE North’s Top City Golf will provide the ultimate golfing experience to the Capital City. The concept of Top City Golf is just like Topgolf in Kansas City. The closer you can get the ball to your target, the more points you earn. City officials welcomed the golf experience to Topeka with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. They said it should give Topeka yet another fun activity for people to enjoy in town. Top City Golf is located at 350 NE U.S. 24 HWY.
Source: KSNT News
With 60 open jobs, this Kansas jail is feeling understaffing effects
Understaffing has always been an issue for guards in detention centers, but since the pandemic, the issue has only worsened. The pandemic, the overtime, the time away from families and the mental health effects have deterred people from working at correctional facilities. At Shawnee County Jail, they have felt these effects for a while. “Everybody’s tired but on top of being exhausted from working so many hours, ” said Sgt. Caitlyn Ross, “It’s now the workload because you’re now working for other officers because we don’t have them.” The department currently has 120 officers working but is budgeted for 180 workers. This means that they have 60 vacancies, which is 50% of the workers they have on staff right now.
Source: KSNT News
Is Ark City affordable? One ranking says yes
It may not feel this way to some local residents, but Arkansas City is one of the most affordable cities in Kansas. That’s according to a research group attempting to rank cities of 5,000 people or more by affordability. SmartAsset, a New York company that offers online financial advice, said it examined closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowners’ insurance, mortgage rates, and the cost of home ownership in 64 Kansas cities each over a five-year period. That cost was then measured as a proportion of median household income to determine affordability, and indexed on a scale from 0 to a top score of 100. This year marked the seventh annual study. Ark City landed as fifth most affordable city in Kansas. It held the same ranking in 2020 but was not in the top 10 in 2019, according to the SmartAsset website. With increasing water rates, planned increases in sewer rates and rising landfill costs, some might find it hard to believe Ark City’s ranking. But city commissioners contacted Monday welcomed the information even as they said they were surprised by it.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler