Municipal News & Jobs

After months of construction, the community was able to see some of the more high visibility aspects of the Halstead Bond Project on April 3. Both Halstead High School baseball and softball officially opened their respective facilities in action when hosting Pratt in a game that was moved thanks to weather concerns. School board members from Halstead were on hand to throw the ceremonial first pitch at each field.
Source: Harvey County Now

A group of Lawrence landlords have taken their argument against the city’s ordinance meant to ensure voucher recipients can find housing to a higher court. The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on renters’ source of income, as well as their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. It also disallows discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status. The ordinance went into effect June 1, 2023. The Landlords of Lawrence — an association of 30-plus local landlords — filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing the language of the ordinance is unconstitutionally vague and that it infringes on their discretion as businesspeople. But Douglas County District Judge Mark Simpson ruled in May 2024 that the ordinance could stand, ruling that the “prohibited conduct is simple and clear: a landlord shall not consider the source of a prospective tenant’s rent payments in determining whether to rent to that person.” 
Source: The Lawrence Times

The municipal market selloff intensified Wednesday amid the shifting implementation of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imported goods from around the globe. Following Trump’s announcement that the largest tariffs against most countries had been delayed for 90 days, the muni market had a subdued reaction as the damage done earlier in the session held. U.S. Treasuries whipsawed and ended mixed while stocks rallied on the news. Very few deals priced in the primary as most issuers and deal teams pulled the transactions amid the volatility. Munis saw large losses for the day, with some scales paring back losses.
Source: The Latest

The Bond Buyer took the pulse of professionals in various sectors of the municipal bond market to see what they are doing and advising in the midst of the market turmoil driven by President Trump’s erratic tariff policies. Alice Cheng, director of municipal credit and investor strategy at Janney, said she’d advise both investors and borrowers to play it safe. Players in equities and fixed income markets are “reacting to everything that the administration has to say,” Cheng said. “To mitigate that, perhaps wait-and-see is a better option.”
Source: The Latest

Voters in northwest Wyandotte County on Tuesday will decide the fate of a proposed $32.5 million bond for ongoing improvements in Piper Unified School District. The item, if successful, would greenlight the second in a two-phase districtwide improvement plan to accommodate rising enrollment amid space limitations.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Structural repairs to two of Wichita’s oldest high schools have cost nearly $60 million over the past three years — an expense leaders say prevents them from upgrading and repairing other district buildings. “This is the reality of our situation,” said Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld. “When we have these kinds of expenses going toward two buildings, the other 88 buildings are hard to keep up on.” About four years ago, crews discovered structural problems in a science wing at Wichita’s East High School, which is more than 100 years old. School officials shuttered 18 classrooms in that wing of the school for more than a year while repairs were completed. Meanwhile, the district has also been repairing the foundation and exterior walls at North High School, which is considered an architectural landmark.
Source: News

Galena voters pass a bond proposal for school upgrades. USD 499 Bond Question: If the bond question passes, it would allow the school district to borrow $7.5 million to fix and improve school buildings, enhance safety, and build new facilities, without increasing taxes.
Source: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

State leaders approved recognizing the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Wichita as the state’s official memorial on Wednesday. The move comes after it was vandalized this week. On Tuesday, the Kansas Firefighters Museum took to Facebook to share that the museum and memorial had been vandalized. The Wichita Fire Department took it upon themselves to clean up the memorial on Wednesday, but the building cannot be power-washed.
Source: KSN-TV

The McPherson Fire Department is inviting the community to celebrate the opening of its brand-new Fire Station 2 with a public open house on Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to noon. According to a social post from the department, the special event will allow residents to tour the station, meet local firefighters, and learn more about the equipment and resources that help keep the McPherson community safe.
Source: KSN-TV

Local and state leaders broke ground on the new South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital in Wichita. It happened at noon on Wednesday at 3901 S. Custer Ave., the site chosen for the new hospital in south Wichita. It is just west of Meridian and MacArthur Road. The hospital will have 104 beds for adults with acute mental illness. Sedgwick County will build it, and the State of Kansas will run it. Funding for the project comes from federal and state sources. Sedgwick County received $25 million in federal recovery funds for construction. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has $71.5 million of state funds to construct and operate the hospital, according to documents. The hospital is expected to be open by 2027.
Source: KSN-TV

Haysville’s $80 million bond for school infrastructure improvements passes with around 75% of voters swinging in favor. Every one of the nearly 2,000 people who turned out in the race had their own reasons for voting, but all agreed that whether your answer was “yes” or “no”, the topic is important.
Source: KSN-TV

Riley County’s planning board is making progress on its short-term rental regulations. At Monday’s county commission meeting, the planning director presented a draft with updated language on licensing requirements and other rules for commissioner feedback. One planned requirement for short-term rentals (also called vacation rentals, commonly rented on sites like Airbnb and VRBO) is a responsible agent. Webb added a rule that the responsible agent must live in Riley County while guests are in the short-term rental.
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is April 13 through 19, and it highlights the essential role dispatchers fill in emergency responses, according to Kyle McCaskey, Harvey County public information officer. The department has 24 people working there altogether, with four of those being part-time dispatchers and three being administrative.
Source: Harvey County Now

The new law updates the Kansas Open Records Act and Kansas Open Meetings Act, and a provision in it says that any governing body or agency that “elects to live stream their meeting on television, the internet or any other medium shall ensure that all aspects of the open meeting are available through the selected medium for the public to observe.” That would affect the Lawrence City Commission, which currently does not include all parts of its meetings in its live broadcasts on YouTube.
Source: LJWorld

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The stock market has been the acute point of stress for investors the past week. But the bond market hasn’t given them much of a break either. On Tuesday, as the S&P 500 tumbled for a fourth straight day, prices of long-term U.S. Treasury debt fell, too. That drove their yields, which move in an inverse relationship to prices, higher. It was especially confounding because long-term Treasury prices in preceding days hadn’t gained as much as they normally would in the face of a steep-stock market selloff. So much for government debt being a haven at a time of upheaval. The big question is why Treasury yields have behaved this way.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Last week, Wichita city leaders extended an agreement with the McPherson County Conservation District. The agreement is meant to work with farmers to reduce levels of atrazine in the Little Arkansas River, keeping those chemicals from being recharged into the Equus Beds Aquifer…. “That we pay farmers $100 an acre when they plant cropland back to grass,” Howard Miller, a leader for the Cheney Lake Watershed, said.
Source: KSN-TV

A new partnership between Fort Hays Tech Northwest and the Goodland Police Department may help speed up investigations for the department. … The school says the agreement will establish a fully functioning fingerprint lab at the Goodland Police Department.
Source: KSN-TV

The Villalobos family has been raising chickens in their backyard for five years. “So, at the start of COVID, we got chickens. We decided to hedge against some security. As everything started locking down, we wanted the kids to have something to do for fun, and it also gave us eggs,” Jeremy Villalobos said.
Source: KSN-TV

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed seven more bills, bringing to 29 the number of pieces of legislation that she has signed into law this year. So far, she has vetoed four bills, including two on Monday. She has been overridden twice so far, with the Legislature scheduled to return April 10 for more veto override votes. She has allowed three bills to become law without her signature.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that he expects President Donald Trump’s tariffs to raise inflation and lower growth, and indicated that the central bank won’t move on interest rates until it gets a clearer picture on the ultimate impacts. In a speech delivered before business journalists in Arlington, Va., Powell said the Fed faces a “highly uncertain outlook” because of the new reciprocal levies the president announced Wednesday. Though he said the economy currently looks strong, he stressed the threat that tariffs pose and indicated that the Fed will be focused on keeping inflation in check.
Source: Bonds

Should Wichita’s mayor have more power? Or should an unelected city manager continue to be the city’s most powerful official? As it stands, the mayor is the only official elected citywide. But she has no executive powers and can’t enact her agenda without the support of three other council members, who represent smaller districts. The city manager, who is appointed by the council, prepares the budget, chooses department heads and manages the daily operations of the city government.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The upcoming Rural Living Resource Fair will seek to connect community members with experts and resources designed for rural living, including a range of local vendors. The event, hosted by K-State Research and Extension Douglas County, is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at the county fairgrounds. It’s free and open to all, and no registration is required. Local experts will be present to speak on topics such as zoning and codes; well and pond management; prairie, wildlife and woodland management; brush clearing and noxious weed control; land preservation and more, according to a news release announcing the event.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Five of the six southwest Kansas counties reporting measles cases have seen kindergarten vaccination rates drop, one showing a 24 percentage point dip over a four-year period. Vaccination rates are one focus of many Kansas county health officers and medical experts as they work to educate against misinformation about vaccines in the hopes of staving off a growing measles outbreak. As of April 2, Kansas has 24 confirmed measles cases in Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties, with one case added in the past week.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday signed a bill that’s intended to create a better climate for keeping hundreds millions of dollars invested in Kansas banks. The legislation adopts a new strategy to encourage local governments to deposit their funds in banks based in Kansas. The bill is intended to ensure taxpayer dollars are invested in local communities, increase economic activity in the state, and provide Kansans access to additional capital to finance investments in their home, business, or community.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

For the first time since 2013, population growth patterns in Johnson County have necessitated a change in the boundary lines that determine which areas, municipalities and neighborhoods county commissioners represent. Commissioners kicked off the redistricting process Thursday with an introductory meeting with an official from HaystaqDNA, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that specializes in political marketing and redistricting. New maps are required when the county’s district populations become out of balance, which generally means there is at least a 10% deviation between them, said Haystaq President Anrdrew Drechsler.
Source: Johnson County Post

The Holcomb Police Department has announced the creation of the Holcomb Police Explorer Post # 2011, a program designed to engage local youth interested in law enforcement careers. Recruitment for the program will began Friday at Holcomb High School. The Explorer Post will offer students hands-on learning experiences, mentorship from officers, and opportunities to develop leadership skills while gaining insight into police work.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Investors pulled money out of municipal bond funds in March, as widespread uncertainty around President Trump’s policies mixed with concerns that the securities funding most of the country’s infrastructure could lose their tax-exempt status. Borrowing costs for local governments are now ticking higher as municipal bond supply increases while demand weakens, making it more expensive for local governments to finance public works.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets

A decade ago, backyard chickens were more a niche for part-time farmers and urban hipsters. But the Covid-19 pandemic—and more recently, a spike in egg prices—has sent Americans flocking for their own poultry. There were 11 million households with backyard chickens in 2024, up from 5.8 million in 2018, according to the American Pet Products Association. Even U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently jumped in, saying she wants to help Americans save money by making it easier to raise their own egg-layers.
Source: WSJ.com: Lifestyle

The Kansas Department of Commerce today announced the launch of a new round of Rural Mural funding to support the creation of projects in rural Kansas communities. The total amount of funding available is $125,000. “Public art is a powerful tool for rural revitalization and bringing vitality and prosperity to all regions of our state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The Kelly-Toland administration fully supports investments that improve the attractiveness of our smaller communities, engage residents and visitors alike, and help stimulate the local economy.”  The funding initiative from the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) aims to activate vacant and underused spaces through the arts — to help bring together community members around their local history and culture. 
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Wichita City Council members talked Tuesday about how to move forward with issuing proclamations, finding some common ground but disagreeing about whether proclamations should be sponsored. The conversation came after Wichita Mayor Lily Wu did not sign or read a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility at a meeting last month, which prompted several ethics complaints.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The Emporia City Commission approved Ordinance 25-05 on February 12, 2025, officially establishing a Common Consumption Area (CCA) in the downtown district. This ordinance creates a designated outdoor area where individuals may enjoy alcoholic beverages purchased from participating vendors. The CCA is set to open on April 4, 2025, following the City’s application submission to the Director of Kansas ABC and the completion of painted sidewalk signage marking its boundaries. Vertical signage will be installed after the opening.
Source: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

A total of 31.6 percent of real estate in Jackson County was tax exempt last year, which was the third highest percentage among the 100 counties reporting in the state, according to a recent report shared by the Kansas Association of Counties. Sean Robertson, Saline County appraiser, compiled the report which notes that nearly $43 billion worth of appraised real estate values were exempt from paying taxes in Kansas last year. According to the report, a total of $427,451,940 in appraised values were exempt in Jackson County last year. This number represents the value of the property and not the amount of taxes that would have been generated if those properties weren’t tax exempt.
Source: The Holton Recorder

Overland Park will soon end a special sales tax incentive at Oak Park Mall ahead of schedule, making it just a little bit cheaper to shop there. Back in 2007, Overland Park approved a 0.5% Transportation Development District (TDD) special sales tax at the mall to help pay for transportation-oriented improvements and some redevelopment at the mall site. Later, the city issued $16.2 million in revenue bonds tied to the TDD that would need to be paid back by April 1, 2032. In 2022, the city added $3.8 million more in refund bonds, with an expected payback date of 2032.
Source: Johnson County Post

Voters in the Gardner Edgerton School District approved a $100 million bond measure in a special mail-in election Tuesday that will fund the construction of a new elementary school and renovations to other district facilities. According to the Johnson County Election Office, unofficial final results show the bond passed with nearly 60% of voters supporting it. Overall, 2,236 votes were cast for the bond measure, with 1,581 against. Turnout following Tuesday’s count was about 20%.
Source: Johnson County Post

City and county staff are set to begin looking into ways to potentially “streamline” the zoning process for city developments beyond the city limits. That was a major talking point for both city and county commissioners when they convened for their latest joint session Wednesday afternoon. Following roughly 30 minutes of conversation, commissioners gave direction for City Zoning Administrator Justin Givens and County Zoning and Floodplain Manager Sam Seeley to meet with city and county legal counsel to begin developing recommendations for a process or board that could help oversee the matter.
Source: d2430

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed seven more bills, bringing to 29 the number of pieces of legislation that she has signed into law this year. So far, she has vetoed four bills, including two on Monday. She has been overridden twice so far, with the Legislature scheduled to return April 10 for more veto override votes. She has allowed three bills to become law without her signature.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has announced the recipients of waste tire product grants. These annual waste tire grants are awarded to local municipalities and public and private schools K-12 across the state. … The grants totaled $460,973.24 and were awarded to the following organizations to fund projects that include the use of recycled tire products like playground surfacing and picnic tables.
Source: KDHE, KS – News Flash

Longtime Wichita City Manager Robert Layton is retiring at the end of the year, according to a city news release. Layton joined the city of Wichita in 2009. … The Wichita City Council will lead a national search for a new city manager.
Source: Wichita Eagle

The City of Linn is excited to announce that they are working to bring a large mural to the community. … Alan Ohlde of Linn said during a recent city council meeting the idea was brought up to help celebrate Linn and its storied history. The project, which is still in its infancy, is in the idea and design phase.
Source: KCLY Radio