Kansas Municipal News
Amazon Fulfillment Center is up and running in Park City
The 1-million-square-foot Amazon center was buzzing with workers Sunday. Park City residents say they may go apply for a job. “It’s a big building. It’s kind of overwhelming when you look at it,” said Park City resident, Robert. “It’s definitely something I’ll look into.” Local businesses in the area welcome the new Amazon center, and the people it will bring to the area. “People stop in here before they go home,” said Gabriel Biesiada with Park City Discount Liquor, about a mile from the Amazon complex. “We will pick up business from that because you know that’s a main street right there at Broadway that we’ll get a lot of traffic from.” Residents in the area watched the progress on the large complex off Broadway.
Source: KSN-TV
The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner
The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced the recipients of it’s solid waste reduction grants. $450,000 will be distributed to 24 entities across the state and help incorporate recycling, waste minimization, public education and create environmentally friendly habits. The city of Columbus hopes to use roughly $5,000 of the grant to help keep their city parks clean. Jake Letner, Columbus Community Development Coordinator, says, “We don’t really have many opportunities in our parks to recycle so we hope that by implementing these new recycling and waste bins it will improve the look of our parks and promote recycling and sustainability in our community.”
Source: KSNF/KODE
City commission to discuss half-cent sales tax question
Parsons city commissioners Monday will look at adding a question to the November ballot on continuing the city’s half-cent sales tax. Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the Municipal Building in the city commission meeting room. City officials will broadcast the meeting online at livestream.com/ParsonsKansas. People also can watch on Sparklight channel 58. The sales tax, if approved by voters, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, and last for five years.
Source: Parsons Sun
Census: Pottawatomie County has biggest percentage growth in Kansas
Pottawatomie County is No. 1. Pottawatomie County experienced the largest population growth by percentage in Kansas from 2010 to 2020, according to Census data. The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released data on its 2020 population count. Pottawatomie County’s population grew 17.3% from 21,604 to 25,348. It was one of two Kansas counties that recorded a double-digit percentage growth; Johnson County grew by 12.1% from 544,179 in 2010 to 609,863 people in 2020.
Source: themercury.com
COVID-19 brought a ‘tectonic shift’ to higher education in Kansas
The college business model — one that depends on students living on campus and attending classes in person — was broken even before the pandemic. COVID-19 just made things more obvious. Classes moved online. Campus buildings and dormitories sat empty. Students flocked home. And many haven’t returned. Enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities fell by 8.1% last fall — more than the national average. With continued uncertainty over COVID-19 and the highly contagious delta variant, universities could face the biggest money crisis in their history. “The pandemic … converged with longer-term challenges facing enrollment,” said Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents.
Source: Hutch News.
Municipal Bond Trends for August 13, 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.
U.S. 10-year Treasury yield falls below 1.3% as consumer confidence drops to 2011 levels
The 10-year Treasury yield dropped further Friday morning, briefly dipping below 1.3%, after U.S. consumer sentiment data plummeted to its lowest level since December 2011, according to data out Friday from the University of Michigan. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 6 basis points to 1.304% at 1:30 p.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond gave up 7.5 basis points, falling to 1.952%. Yields move inversely to prices and one basis point is 0.01%. U.S. consumer confidence fell in August to its lowest level since 2011, as fears about the delta variant and the reopening of the economy continue to spread. The consumer sentiment index fell 13% from the July reading to 70.2, the University of Michigan reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected a reading of 81.3 for August.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Forward delivery bond issuance smashes though previous record
Forward delivery bonds have already surpassed their annual record for issuance as issuers use the tool, along with taxable refundings, to replace the loss of tax-exempt advance refundings. Forward delivery bonds are attractive to both issuers looking for savings and investors seeking any incremental yield in an uber low-rate environment, Barclays PLC said in a Friday report. The underwriting process is similar to a typical refunding transaction, but with an extended settlement date. So far this year, $6.224 billion of forward delivery bonds have been issued, according to Bloomberg and Barclays data. That is up from about $2.724 billion in 2020 and $4.484 billion in 2019, the previous record. Prior to 2018, issuance was below $1 billion except for 2015 where it was just above that figure at $1.560 billion.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Population drops in 80 Kansas counties
Most Kansas counties lost residents over the past 10 years as the state’s population concentrated in more populous places, including the Kansas City area, new census figures released Thursday showed. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s once-a-decade count of the nation’s population showed that 80 of the state’s 105 counties declined in population since 2010, 16 of them by more than 10%. Most of those counties were rural. Five of the top 10 fastest-growing counties were in or close to the Kansas City metropolitan area. The state’s most populous county, Johnson County, has affluent Kansas City suburbs that have been growing for decades, and its population grew another 12.1% in the past 10 years. Census figures show that Kansas saw a 3% increase in population over 10 years, to almost 2.94 million. Population shifts within the state mean a shift in political clout away from rural areas and toward Kansas City and a few other areas when the Legislature redraws political boundaries next year.
Source: The Iola Register
Wichita teachers’ union votes yes on new contract with USD 259 as school year begins
Wichita school district teachers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new union contract with USD 259 as the new academic year began this week, citing pay increases and bonuses that recognize teachers’ work in the pandemic. Nearly 66% of certified staff voted on the contract, said Brent Lewis, president of United Teachers of Wichita, the union that represents USD 259 teachers as well as nurses, counselors and other staff. Of those voting, 93.5% voted yes on the agreement, while 6.5% voted no. The contract covers more than 4,000 teachers and staff across the district, and will last for one year.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Massive Amazon fulfillment center started local work Sunday in Park City
The brand-new, 1-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in Park City will become operational Sunday. Two hundred employees will begin filling orders for the online retail giant, which says it plans to employ between 700 and 1,000 workers throughout the year, depending on customer demand. “It’s truly amazing what’s been accomplished in the last 10 and a half months,” said Sean Fox, Park City’s city manager. “A year ago, nobody even knew that Amazon was coming here.”
Source: Wichita Eagle
Downtown loft program open
The Great Bend downtown loft program is now open, said Sara Hayden, president of Great Bend Development Inc., the entity spearheading the project. With applications now being sought, Hayden said she will hold a question-and-answer session at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, at the Great Bend Events Center Santa Fe Trail conference room. “Great Bend Economic Development, with support from the city, is thrilled to be able to offer this grant program to help enhance our downtown corridor and bring more opportunities for business and housing to the community,” Hayden said. “This program allows us the chance to get a lot of work done in a short period of time, making Great Bend stand out as a community that is ready for change and growth, and as a community that takes pride in our future.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune
New installation added to Garden of Isis in Lucas
Vintage computer motherboards, action figures with weapons, car parts, clock gears, and a visionary worldview – these are Mri-Pilar’s materials. Her installation, The Garden of Isis, fills the main floor of the Florence Deeble House in Lucas, and is an ongoing project 20 years in the making. This summer, Pilar installed 50 new pieces on a wall she titled “Continuum.” The works were made in the spring at an artist’s residency at the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg. “The wall is a mosaic,” Pilar said. “It is very dense and close together with few breathing spaces, but as it moves out, it starts to open up and the silver reflection starts to happen.” Years ago, when the Grassroots Art Center approved Pilar’s plan for the Garden of Isis, she lined the walls with reflective silver. Light from windows and electric fixtures plays among the thousand-plus individual pieces throughout the house once occupied by local teacher Florence Deeble. Deeble watched S.P. Dinsmoor work on his concrete Garden of Eden when she was a child. At the age of 50, Deeble began her own backyard environment with concrete and rocks she collected on her travels.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Randy Grisell, City Attorney Announces Retirement
After a 41-year career practicing law and 33 years as the City Attorney, Randy Grisell has announced his retirement at the end of 2021. “With respect to the City of Garden City, what stands out the most to me is the dedication and professionalism of the public employees that make up the city workforce,” remarked Grisell. “I have had the pleasure of working with two excellent city managers, Bob Halloran and Matt Allen. The city is fortunate to have Matt’s leadership, hopefully for many more years to come. City employees sometimes have thankless jobs, working long hours under adverse conditions so as to provide the municipal services expected and relied upon by the citizens of Garden City. I want to thank all the city employees I have been lucky enough to work with and who made my job so enjoyable,” said Grisell. … “Randy is held in high regard among city attorneys in Kansas. He treats people with respect and conducts his business with the highest integrity. Our Commissioners and staff have benefited greatly from his counsel over the last 33 years,” remarked City Manager Matt Allen.
Source: Greater Garden City
As economic impact of winter storm nears $1B, some large Kansas customers want to investigate
The total cost from a more than week-long cold snap that brought the Midwest power supply to the brink of collapse is nearly $1 billion — and growing. The greatest breakdown during the storm, which forced controlled electrical blackouts in Kansas and Missouri, industry groups have said, was natural gas, which was in short supply and rose to 200 times its normal price during the worst stretch of the storm. So far, two of Kansas’ largest natural gas companies have filed to collect a combined $539.5 million from ratepayers over as long as 10 years. Some Evergy customers in Kansas will pay for $152.3 million in power costs from Winter Storm Uri over two years. But as regulators review those companies’ plans and prepare to pass on the costs to Kansas ratepayers, some groups representing large-scale customers say that — even six months later — the state has more work to do investigating the cause of huge natural gas price spikes during the storm.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Unvaccinated Johnson County employees must get tested weekly
The most populous county in Kansas is requiring its employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing if they aren’t vaccinated. Johnson County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson said that only 46% of county employees had reported being fully vaccinated as of Wednesday. Countywide, nearly 58% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. Beginning Aug. 23, government employees who are not fully vaccinated must get tested once a week. The Kansas City Star reports that employees who work in departments providing direct care to residents are subject to tests up to twice weekly.
Source: KSN-TV
The Baxter Springs Fire Department is memorializing the firefighters who were lost on 9/11
For a second straight year, the Baxter Springs Fire Department will memorialize the 343 firefighters lost on 9/11. The department’s 343 Memorial Stair Climb will be held on Saturday, September 11th. The event is open to all first responders. Participants will climb the equivalent of 110 floors of stairs, which wearing 70lbs. of gear. There’s no cost. The first 50 to sign up will receive commemorative t-shirts and challenge coins.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Amanda Stanley hired as city attorney for the City of Topeka
Amanda Stanley has been hired as the City Attorney for the City of Topeka. Before coming to Topeka she was general counsel for the League of Kansas Municipalities. Stanley will start as the City Attorney on August 23rd. “I am excited to announce that Amanda Stanley has accepted the position of City Attorney. She has a tremendous amount of experience working with municipalities and will be a great asset to the city,” said City Manager Brent Trout. Stanley graduated from Newman University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2008 and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2014.
Source: KSNT News
How safe is the water in splash parks?
Wichita’s splash pads are inspected routinely by the city’s Environmental Health department and facility operators are expected to adhere to the water quality standards specified in the municipal code. But that level of oversight is uncommon throughout the rest of Sedgwick County and much of the state, where facilities operate in something of a water feature Wild West. … in Kansas, there are no statewide regulations for the construction, operation, filtration, disinfection or inspection of recreational water features, including pools, water parks and splash pads. And public information about the safety of any individual splash pad in the Wichita area is murky at best. “Outside of Wichita, there aren’t inspections,” Sedgwick County Health Department Director Adrienne Byrne said. “We don’t have Environmental Health with the county health department, and so cannot provide inspections unless there’s an issue like there was with Tanganyika.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
The ‘Kubota Way’: Great Plains Manufacturing set for next step in south Salina project
A first of many new milestones graced Great Plains Manufacturing Aug. 2 when the Great Plains/Kubota logo went up on a mammoth building in south Salina. It cemented what company leaders have been mapping for months. Since purchasing Salina-based Great Plains in July 2016, Kubota included Salina among four strategic growth areas in the United States, along with Edgerton in eastern Kansas, and locations in Georgia and Texas. The rapidly growing company is transforming the 750,000 square-foot structure at 3861 S. Ninth St., into Kubota’s North American Skid Steer Loader (SSL) and Compact Tracked Loader (CTL) Construction Equipment design and manufacturing center.
Source: Salina Journal