Kansas Municipal News
New law honoring fallen Lenexa firefighter will benefit families for years to come
The legacy of a Lenexa firefighter will live on to help others, years after his death. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed the Michael Wells Memorial Act Monday morning. The new legislation is named after Lenexa firefighter Michael Wells. It expands benefits to families of firefighters and other first responders who lose a loved one due to service-connected conditions, like cancer. Wells passed away in September 2019 from esophageal cancer. He died two days after his 39th birthday. At the time of his death, Wells’ family wasn’t eligible for the same benefits as other fallen first responders because his death wasn’t considered a line-of-duty death.
Source: KSN-TV
Riley County making progress with mobile vaccine clinics, but is it enough?
Mobile vaccine clinics are helping, but Riley County is still nowhere close to its goal of a 70% vaccination. That’s according to county health department director Julie Gibbs, who spoke to county commissioners Monday via Zoom. She said 45% of all eligible people are fully vaccinated, according to Web IZ, the state’s reporting system. Commissioner Kathryn Focke asked if Gibbs had a target date for hitting 70%, which is the approximate threshold at which a community may begin to achieve herd immunity, experts say. “No target date,” said Gibbs, underscoring a problem health departments around the country are currently battling: the number of people seeking vaccines has plateaued.
Source: themercury.com
KDOT grants $1M for more road work
Another stretch of 16th Street will be rebuilt under a state transportation program. The Kansas Department of Transportation recently announced the approval of a city of Parsons grant under the state’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program designed for highways that run through cities. Parsons will receive $1 million for a pavement restoration project. Darrell Moyer, the city’s director of engineering and public works, said on Thursday that the work will be done on South 16th (U.S. 59) from South 21st Street to the Little Labette Creek bridge. The new work will connect with a project now underway on the highway in front of Labette Health from South 21st to Commerce Drive.
Source: Parsons Sun
How the Infrastructure Proposal Would Fund Roads, Bridges and Public Transit
The bipartisan infrastructure package working its way through the Senate will provide nearly $150 billion in new surface transportation and transit funding, part of a broader $1.2 trillion plan the White House has called a “once-in-a-generation investment.” While the investment would rank among the largest in transportation infrastructure in the nation’s history, experts say it will not uniformly close the gap in funding needed to address structural deficiencies. Public transit systems, for example, have a $176 billion backlog in funding, according to a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The infrastructure package would provide $39 billion in funding for transit over five years. That’s $10 billion less for public transit than was initially proposed in the initial infrastructure framework.
Source: Route Fifty
Can we make cheaper bridges? A KU professor thinks so
As you drive over one of the nearly 600 bridges in Sedgwick County, you’ll notice that most of them are concrete bridges. Through a project at the University of Kansas, that might change one day. William Collins, an associate professor in the department of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering at the University of Kansas recently won an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction to study innovative steel bridge designs. Such designs could lead to bridges that cost less across their lifespan than bridges in use today. “Steel is more expensive than concrete but if we can come up with a solution that doesn’t need to be replaced… this option could be more cost effective and save money in the long term, even if it’s more money up front,” Collins said.
Source: Wichita Eagle.
Governor wants to build on economic momentum in Kansas
With private sector investment in the Kansas economy on another record pace, and the unemployment level among the nation’s lowest, Gov. Laura Kelly brought her “Back in Business Tour” to Western Kansas this week. With stops in Scott City and rural Lane County, this wasn’t just an opportunity to recognize the state’s recovery from the pandemic, but learn what can be done to continue this economic momentum.
Source: Scott County Record.
In firearms range truce, city and county move to separate but shared locations
After months of sometimes testy negotiation over the future of an aging law enforcement firearms range, the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and Hutchinson Police Department have decided to each go their own way. The split, in the end, should benefit both agencies, city and county leaders learned during a joint meeting of the Hutchinson City Council and Reno County Commission earlier this week. That’s because each agency can build a range that better meets their particular needs, with redesigns that will address training desires beyond just annual qualifying at the shooting range. Under the new arrangement, the city will now control and develop the existing range on several acres at the end of Bonebrake Street, while the county will build a new range on county-owned land next to the landfill.
Source: Hutch News.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 30, 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.
Treasury yields fall after key inflation data line up with expectations
U.S. Treasury yields fell Friday after a key inflation reading came in near economists’ expectations, indicating inflationary pressures may be ebbing slightly. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 4.2 basis points to 1.227% at 11:30 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond shed 2.7 basis points to 1.889%. Yields move inversely to prices. One basis point equals 0.01%. The personal consumption expenditures index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation — increased 3.5% in June from a year prior. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected a 3.6% jump.
Source: CNBC
Electric cars are ready for longer commutes of rural Kansas
Electric cars and trucks might prove a perfect fit for rural Kansas. “They’re better vehicles. They’re more reliable. They’re less costly. They’ll save people money,” said Peter Zalzal, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund. “They’ll clean up the air and they’ll help to address climate change.” While the building of charging stations has come mostly in urban areas, Zalzal said rural areas have built-in advantages — along with some hurdles that urban areas don’t. Most people in rural areas live in single-family homes. That gives them easier access to electricity in a garage or carport to charge overnight than someone living in an apartment complex or high-rise.
Source: The Iola Register
Researchers to share findings from law enforcement contact study
Researchers who have been gathering data to determine whether racial-, ethnic- and other bias-based policing is a problem in Lawrence and Douglas County will present their preliminary findings on Monday, Aug. 9. The study asked law enforcement officers from Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence and University of Kansas police departments and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to gather data on the demographics of drivers and pedestrians they contacted, the reasons why, plus the results of the stops — whether someone was let go with a warning, ticketed, searched, arrested and so on.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Committees of turkey vultures have begun to descend upon Kansas in greater numbers.
For the past five years or so, former state Sen. Randall Hardy has watched a few dozen turkey vultures roost in a tree next to his garage. He can tell when the migratory birds return to his central Salina neighborhood each spring as the colors begin to change. “The roof is colored with white,” the District 24 Republican said, “and if you aren’t careful where you park your car in the driveway, it can change colors overnight as well.”
Source: Wichita Eagle
DOE says new building codes to cut energy costs by $138B, but EV backers see failure to advance charging
Updated building codes would save U.S. homes and businesses $138 billion in energy costs over the next three decades, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) concluded and shared in an announcement last week. However, electric vehicle advocates see a missed opportunity to advance charging infrastructure with the new rules. The International Code Council (ICC) finalized building codes in 2020 as part of a process that gets repeated every three years. DOE issued its conclusions on the energy cost savings of the most recent codes last week, and states and municipalities can now adopt the codes. The ICC-approved updates to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) would improve energy cost savings in residential buildings by more than 8.6% relative to the previous code, the agency found. Similarly, the updated commercial building codes could result in energy cost savings around 4.3%.
Source: Smart Cities Dive – Latest News
Customers of Kansas’ largest natural gas utility could pay cold snap costs for 10 years
Customers of Kansas’ largest natural gas utility could be paying off costs from February’s deep freeze for the next 10 years, the company revealed Friday. The Kansas Gas Service, which serves more than 640,000 Kansas customers, filed plans with regulators to issue securitized bonds for approximately $390 million in extraordinary costs from the cold snap — plus carrying costs — and recoup the sum from customers over five, seven or 10 years, increasing residential bills by anywhere from about $5 to $11 per month. If the Kansas Corporation Commission doesn’t approve the arrangement, KGS said it would request to recover the costs over three years “to minimize the carrying costs” of the debt.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Kelly recommends mask policies, COVID testing and community partnerships for Kansas schools
New guidance Friday from Gov. Laura Kelly ahead of the start of classes recommends schools actively plan vaccination clinics, implement universal masking policies and create a robust testing plan for faculty and students. The updated guidance also requests that students in classrooms and school other settings maintain 3 feet of physical distance, but states this recommendation should not be a barrier to keeping students from in-person learning. When distancing is not possible, Kelly recommends schools ensure other preventative measures and guidance, like wear masks, are in place. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has recommended masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors regardless of vaccination status. This includes on school premises and all forms of public transportation.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Who Can Tell You To Wear A Mask In Kansas As COVID Surges? It’s Complicated
The delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has 84 of the 105 counties in Kansas caught in a regional hot zone. Meanwhile, more than half of all eligible Kansans are not vaccinated. That leaves Gov. Laura Kelly faced with whether to use emergency powers to fight the resurging public health crisis even as that authority remains in legal limbo. A Johnson County judge’s order found a new law limiting her emergency powers flawed. While that case awaits the outcome of appeals, Kelly has yet to take forceful action in response to the resurging pandemic — like mask mandates that could slow the state’s economic recovery and that would surely draw strong resistance.
Source: KCUR News
Kansas school district to make changes after LGBTQ dispute
A northeast Kansas school district says it will provide anti-discrimination training to its teachers and staff after a controversy over the treatment of a student who said she was a lesbian. North Lyon County officials said in a letter the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas that it will also make Title IX complaint procedures more transparent and publicly state the district’s policies against discrimination. The ACLU had threatened to sue the district if it didn’t provide the training.
Source: KSN-TV
Rent soaring across the state as affordable housing becomes increasingly scarce
The housing market has been hot lately, but it’s not just homes for sale that are going up in price, rent has also seen a spike across the Sunflower State. Approximately one-third of Kansans are renters. According to property manager Ryan Smith, those searching for a new place or thinking of resigning a lease can expect to spend 5-to-10 percent more than last year. “I even have some units that increased 15%,” said Smith. Smith mentioned that although prices are soaring, renters are doing what they can to get an upperhand in a scarce market. “If I have a new listing, my wife and I can’t sleep that night because I’m getting so many emails and my phone is buzzing,” he said.
Source: KSN-TV
Requiring COVID-19 vaccinations, proof could place school districts in legal gray area
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and Kansas schools contemplate precautions to make sure students can learn in person this fall, one possible option stands out above the rest — requiring eligible students and staff to get vaccinated. But whether schools are willing to consider such an option remains to be seen, likely because it’s unclear whether they are even allowed to. “The short answer is we don’t exactly know because this issue has never been tested,” said Mark Tallman, associate director of advocacy and communication for the Kansas Association of School Boards. “There is no specific authority for school districts to require COVID vaccination.”
Source: LJWorld.com.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 29, 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.