Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County COMCARE facing its biggest worker shortage in history
Sedgwick County mental health services are in a crucial situation. COMCARE, the largest mental health center in the state, now sits at only 58 percent of its usual staffing. More than 200 positions are open after a lot of employees left over the past year. Executive director Joan Tammany says a big reason workers are leaving is pay. On top of that, after serving as grief counselors in many ways during the pandemic, some workers need to take care of their own mental health now.
Source: KAKE – News
Fuel shortages drove February blackouts, Southwest Power Pool investigators find
Rolling outages that left thousands without power in February were driven overwhelmingly by fuel shortages — especially in natural gas, executives with the Southwest Power Pool said Monday. This winter, sustained frigid temperatures across the Midwest and South forced huge demand for energy while the weather made generators struggle to keep up. The Southwest Power Pool, a regional transmission organization spanning 17 states, twice instructed its member utility companies, including Evergy, to shut off customers’ power or “shed load” in order to keep the grid stable and avoid uncontrolled outages like those seen in Texas. For five months, SPP has been reviewing the events of February and coming up with a plan to not let it happen again. Its most urgent action items center on better predicting how much energy it will have and ensuring the fuel it needs shows up on time.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Short-End Yields Pushed to Record Lows
Municipals were stronger on the short end Monday, hitting record low levels for the second time this year in quiet trading while U.S. Treasuries were treading water and equities did much the same as all markets await Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting announcement.
Source: Bond Buyer.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 26, 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.
City of Wichita workers averaged $50K in 2020
Employees working for the city of Wichita’s departments — including police, fire, human resources and elected officials under the city council umbrella — made an average of $50,580.21 in total compensation last year, according to an analysis of 2020 public salary data obtained by The Eagle. The calculation takes into account overall pay for all employees who made money from the city in 2020 including low earning seasonal workers, such as teenage swimming pool lifeguards who made much less than the average, and those making six-figure salaries, like the police and fire chiefs, the mayor, the head of Eisenhower National Airport and the city manager. The data includes all employees who received pay from the city in 2020, including those who retired, quit or left their jobs for other reasons. The median income for all city workers was just north of $52,000 — close to the 2019 citywide median household income of $52,620 reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Wichita Eagle
How many terms should Winfield rec board members be able to serve?
Discussion over the reappointment of a Winfield Recreation Commission member at the July 6 Winfield board of education meeting has led the board to write down and clarify its policy. … The discussion at the earlier meeting centered around the number of times a person can be reappointed to the recreation commission. It was not a matter of the quality of the person’s service but the number of times that person has been reappointed automatically without a search for another person to fill the position.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Overland Park crime numbers jumped in 2020 and are on pace to increase again in 2021
Crime — especially property crime — increased in Overland Park last year with many categories on track to stay higher or increase again by the end of this year, according to police department statistics. After a dip in 2019, overall crime rates in 2020 climbed back up to slightly above where they were in 2018. Of particular note are increases in auto theft and auto burglary, but aggravated assault, domestic violence and weapons violations also increased last year. The statistics note only incidents in which officers could verify evidence that a crime had taken place, said police spokesman Officer John Lacy.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
It’s a big weekend in Pittsburg for business that celebrates the work of local artists
It’s a big weekend in Pittsburg for business that celebrates the work of local artists. And, Artforms Gallery is doing a little celebrating itself, as in its 5 anniversary. Since it started, the gallery has served as a collaborative effort between local artists. It also serves as a classroom for those who wish to take up different mediums of art. Some of those classes are available during this weekend’s open house workshops. Janet Lewis, Artforms Gallery Managing Member, says, “Right now we have 17 different artists and you’ll see a range of styles, media, price range and that sort of thing, so to be able to establish an ongoing relationship with people who really relate to you and your work, that’s the most valuable part for us as artists.”
Source: KSNF/KODE
A new public library is in the works for Frontenac, Kansas
Thanks to help from a local family, the city of Frontenac will soon welcome a new resource. It’s in the early stages of bringing a new library to town. And it’s thanks to a $4,000,000+ donation from the Tavella family. City officials hope to make this a community-led project, and are looking to establish a committee to head the effort.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Federal bill holdup delaying bus replacements, Topeka Metro says
A federal infrastructure bill holdup is delaying improvements to the Topeka Metro, according to the bus system’s manager. Congress members disagree on how to pay for the bill, according to Rob Scott, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. “The problem has been a reluctance to spend, a reluctance to tax, a desire to prioritize tax-cutting over all other priorities,” Scott said. The bill contains funding that would help get new busses rolling around Kansas’ capital city, according to Topeka Metro General Manager Robert Nugent. The bus system has to replace 26 of its vehicles in the next five years, and a current earmark request from Kansas’ 2nd Congressional Rep. Jake LaTurner would provide funding to replace seven busses.
Source: KSNT News
Journey is one for the history books: Kansas Historic Hotel road trip highlights eight landmarks
More than a dozen historic hotels are located in Kansas, with many built in the early 1900s at the height of the railroad rush. Over the past century, many of the state’s historic hotels have changed ownership and some have temporarily closed. For some, community members stepped up, realizing the importance of these hotel’s history not only to their town but also the state. Historic preservation is a common theme among hotel owners, and many have gained a spot on the National Register for Historic Places. Sara Fox, owner of Holton’s Hotel Josephine, has made historic preservation a priority since the family purchased the building in 2020.
Source: Salina Journal.
Fed meeting may test low U.S. Treasury yields
The $22 trillion market for U.S. Treasury securities may get a reality check from the Federal Reserve this week following a plunge in interest rates that bucked expectations of higher yields this year as the economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yields, which move inversely to prices, have been in a downward trend since the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting in June. The market initially perceived the Fed as being a bit hawkish as policymakers last month projected an accelerated timetable for rate hikes and opened discussions on ending crisis-era bond purchases amid a backdrop of rising inflation. But the benchmark 10-year note yield, which rose as high as 1.776% in late March, fell to its lowest level since February on Tuesday at 1.1280%.
Source: Reuters.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 23, 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.
The bond market is torn over the potential for higher inflation and lower growth
A volatile environment for government bonds is reflecting a highly uncertain future for the U.S. economy, pointing to both slower growth and stubborn inflation. After a burst higher earlier this year that scared markets, Treasury yields have fallen back sharply as investors have switched their focus from worries about price increases to the potential that the rapid burst in post-pandemic activity could start to slow down. In the 1970s, the mix of higher prices and lower growth was called “stagflation,” a pejorative that has garnered little attention since then as inflation has remained tame over the past few decades. However, the word is coming up more and more these days as the growth picture gets cloudier.
Source: CNBC
Low vaccination rates in surrounding counties concern JoCo public health officials
Mask mandates remain a talking point as health officials continue to recommend federal guidelines regarding masks and social distancing to at-risk groups. However, local leaders are only recommending, not mandating, that unvaccinated people wear face masks. The head of Johnson County’s health department, Dr. Sanmi Areola, also said no mandates or business restrictions are being considered at this time. “JCDHE monitors virus trends closely and will work with partners to make decisions to ensure the health and safety of the community,” Areola said. Because of the surge of the Delta variant, the CDC is concerned with the large demographic of Americans that remain unvaccinated— calling it a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’.
Source: Prairie Village Post
City of Lawrence allows AT&T and subcontractors to resume work
Eight days after the city of Lawrence issued a cease and desist order for AT&T to stop all ongoing utility work due to “numerous” safety complaints from citizens and other utility providers, the parties announced Friday the order had been lifted. City officials met with AT&T representatives and other local utility providers on Monday to discuss the concerns laid out in the July 15 order, which included hitting other public utility and competitor’s facilities without utility locates being performed in advance — which is illegal in Kansas. AT&T, the city said in a statement Friday, committed to the following measures to move forward with its projects in Lawrence:
Source: The Lawrence Times
Wabaunsee County opens largest public-owned building in county history
Wabaunsee County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Wabaunsee County Fair for the opening of its largest publicly owned building in county history. Hundreds of community members were at the fair to see the new Kan-Equip Arena. The county started raising money for the $400 thousand project in 2019. The arena will be used to show off livestock, but fair officials say it will also be used for much more. “Outside of this fair, this can be used for food distribution, pandemic events, any kind of event that happens in the county,” Mary Reed Spenser, Wabaunsee County Fair board president, said. “We’ve already had Shawnee County people ask to reserve this building for a rabbit show this fall and next spring.”
Source: KSNT News
Crayfish ‘Crayze’ at McPherson Lake: Invasive species make Kansas debut
Researchers have discovered a new species at McPherson Lake. The rusty crayfish is considered an invasive species. Although they have affected the waters of some of our neighboring states, it’s the first time in history we see them in Kansas. “Because this is the first population of rusty crayfish in Kansas, we don’t really know exactly what to expect,” said Chris Steffen, the Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator at Kansas Wildlife and Parks. Steffen was surprised to find the invasive crayfish, but it is the first time they are sampling for them. “It’s a larger aggressive species of crayfish that competes with our native crayfish for space, and food, and just kind of disturbs the ecosystem,” he added.
Source: KSNT News
Altamont council nixes idea for a planning board
The city of Altamont will not be forming a planning and zoning committee after city council members all stated Thursday they were not in favor of zoning in any capacity. The committee, or commission, which is different only in that it is a group of people entrusted by a government entity (like a city council) with a specific task, would have been used to research matters for the council and bring that information to them to discuss and vote on. City Administrator Audree Aguilera had said such a committee could look at housing, infrastructure and investigate other propositions for improvement…
Source: Parsons Sun
Miami County sets hearing calendar for proposed City of Golden
The County Commission has set a calendar to hear testimony from experts on a variety of topics related to the proposed city of Golden in northern Miami County. County Administrator Shane Krull presented the schedule to county commissioners Wednesday, July 21. The testimony will take place on Wednesdays through the month of August and into early September. … “The attorney recommended that we ask the city of Edgerton and the corporation NorthPoint to come and present testimony, not for or against – just what’s their plans for the future,” Roberts said. “What have they got going on that seems to have brought all this to a head. And I want the commission to really think about what’s the questions you would want them to answer to help us understand their future plans.”
Source: The Miami County Republic