Kansas Municipal News
Proposed Paola rec commission may be on November ballot
City of Paola and USD 368 officials are working together to finalize a ballot question that would ask voters in November to approve the creation of a joint recreation commission. The possibility of a joint rec commission in Paola has been discussed for years, but the issue has come to the forefront recently because Paola is considering constructing a new sports complex in Wallace Park. During a June 1 work session, Paola City Council members directed Paola City Manager Sid Fleming to reach out to Paola Superintendent Matt Meek about the possibility of forming a task force with city and school district representatives to discuss the creation of a joint rec commission.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Prairie Village remains outlier with no plans to return to in-person city meetings
As COVID-19 precautions ease up, Prairie Village appears to be one of the only cities still hosting virtual-only meetings. However, Mayor Eric Mikkelson on Wednesday morning told the Post the city has been working on plans to convert to hybrid meetings and is “waiting on some tech replacement parts to facilitate that.” “Of course our current plans to go hybrid could change if conditions deteriorate,” Mikkelson told the Post. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, cities quickly shifted gears and took their regular meetings online with platforms like Zoom or GoToMeeting. Some cities like Lenexa returned to in-person meetings as early as summer 2020, while others like Shawnee and Merriam didn’t return to in-person meetings until May 2021 or later. Many cities like Westwood, Fairway and Mission are opting for a hybrid style, in which the city councilmembers meet in-person and the public can participate in-person or online.
Source: Prairie Village Post
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. “The market is trading on the stagflation theme,” said Aneta Markowska, chief financial economist at Jefferies. “There’s the idea that these price increases are going to cause demand destruction, cause a policy mistake and ultimately that slows growth.” For her part, Markowska thinks the trade that sent 10-year Treasury yields tumbling from a peak of around 1.75% in late March to about 1.18% earlier this week was a mistake. Yields trade opposite price, so a slump there means that investors are buying up bonds and pushing prices higher.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
North Newton residents discuss benefits of solar energy
Rodger Nugent’s electrical bills were cut by more than 60% after he installed solar panels nearly two years ago. Nugent is one of about 10 residents in North Newton who have solar panels on their roofs. He said he was lucky in that he received the solar panels gratis from Howard Schrag. Otherwise, he said converting one’s residence to solar could be kind of expensive. He installed infrastructure underneath each panel himself, and his bills have gone from $120 per month to between $30 and $40. “When I started this process, Evergy made it pretty weird and hard,” he said. What changed in April 2020, however, was that the Kansas Supreme Court ruled against Evergy for charging customers who generate their own power extra fees.
Source: Harvey County Now
Wichita Public Schools workers vote overwhelmingly in favor of new union contracts
Employees at Wichita Public Schools voted overwhelmingly to approve new union contracts with the district after USD 259 added a bonus and other worker-friendly provisions, said Esau Freeman, the business representative for the union. SEIU Local 513 represents non-teacher employees at USD 259. It has one contract for security workers at the district and another for classified employees, which includes custodians, maintenance workers, secretaries and more. “I think they really felt heard and respected because of that money that was able to be shared with the employees,” Freeman said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
These Johnson County school districts will not mandate any masks for start of school
As COVID-19 cases spike throughout the Kansas City area, almost all of Johnson County’s school districts have decided not to mandate masks when classes begin next month. This week, the Blue Valley district decided masks will be optional for everyone, but strongly encouraged for students and staff who are not fully vaccinated. Officials in the Olathe, De Soto, Spring Hill and Gardner-Edgerton districts have previously said the same. The last major Johnson County district to decide, Shawnee Mission, is expected to announce its COVID-19 protocols at a school board meeting Monday, spokesman David Smith said.
Source: Kansas City Star
Kansas closes fiscal year with $758 million above estimated tax receipts
Kansas’ tax receipts at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year exceeded anticipated revenue levels by $758 million. Gov. Laura Kelly attributed this growth to signs that efforts to strengthen the states’ economy are working. Others say it’s time to cut taxes. “It is time for the state of Kansas to look at lowering its tax rates – sales, personal income, and corporate income – all should be discussed. We encourage the Kansas Legislature and Governor Kelly to look at our Kansas Tax Modernization study conducted by the Tax Foundation,” a statement provided by Kansas Policy Institue said. “It proposes very specific recommendations for reforming the state’s tax code that will bring pro-growth structural transformations to the state.” Some of the recommendations from the Kansas Tax Modernization study include, for individual income tax, indexing tax provisions for inflation, enhancing the standard deduction, allowing an independent choice of itemization, rolling back excessive credits, and eliminating the Social Security tax cliff.
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Lawrence approves close to $2M in pay increases for three unionized worker groups
Expressing appreciation for the results of a long negotiation process, city leaders have approved close to $2 million in pay increases for three unionized employee groups, including the newly unionized solid waste workers. At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously as part of its consent agenda to approve agreements with the Teamsters Union Local No. 696, the Lawrence Police Officers’ Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1596. Collectively, the three contracts represent $1.94 million in additional pay for 2022.
Source: LJWorld.com.
County health officers regained powers as delta variant cases spike in Kansas. Will they use it?
With a key set of reforms limiting how local and state officials can respond to COVID-19 struck down in court last week, county health officers in Kansas regained a set of tools at a critical juncture, as the delta variant has seen case counts jump in recent days. Whether any counties will use their ability to issue health orders, limiting gathering sizes and imposing other mitigation requirements remains to be seen, however, as the political realities of the virus remain unchanged. Johnson County District Court Judge David Hauber opened the door last week when he ruled Senate Bill 40, the sweeping set of changes to the state’s emergency management law approved earlier this year by legislators, to be unconstitutional.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 20, 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.
Bird scooters roll into Emporia
A flock of birds has nested in downtown Emporia. Bird Scooters, that is. The electric scooters are a new mode of transportation popping up in cities around Kansas. The goal, the company said, is to give the community access to another mode of transportation and bring a boost to the economy. “A growing list of cities, states, and countries are looking to micromobility alternatives, such as scooters and bikes, not only as a means of minimizing congestion but also as a way to support local economic recovery,” a Bird spokesperson said. “We are excited to work with Emporia to offer residents safe and sustainable transportation during the pandemic and beyond.”
Source: Emporia Gazette
Schools confront more polarization with mask rules for fall
Students in Wichita, Kansas, public schools can ditch the masks when classes begin. Detroit public schools will probably require them only for the unvaccinated. In Pittsburgh, masks will likely be required regardless of vaccination status. And in some states, schools cannot mandate face coverings under any circumstances. With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are yet again confronting the realities of a polarized country and the lingering pandemic as they navigate mask requirements, vaccine rules and social distancing requirements for the fast-approaching new school year.
Source: KAKE – News
KCK schools to require mask-wearing amid renewed COVID-19 concerns
Amid growing regional concerns about COVID-19 resurgence, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Board of Education has adopted a back-to-school plan requiring all students to wear face masks except for those with health exemptions. School board members approved the fresh guidelines Tuesday night. The measure comes as area public health officials are concerned about the growing number of new cases resulting from the COVID-19 delta variant, which is spreading through parts of Missouri and beyond — especially in areas where vaccination rates are low. Other requirements for Kansas City, Kansas students returning to in-person learning include obtaining all required immunizations under Kansas law, wearing masks on school buses and staying home if symptoms of COVID-19 are present. The school district plans to have daily continuous cleaning operation of its facilities and to practice social distancing in the classrooms to the best extent possible, according to the guidance.
Source: Kansas City Star
Overland Park committee creates canopy streets award
The city of Overland Park Legacy of Greenery committee created the Canopy Street of Excellence award — and named its first-ever honoree recently.Residents on 101st Street from Hemlock Street to Hardy Drive, part of the Pinehurst Estates subdivision, won the canopy street award this year. Canopy streets are defined, per the city’s website, as those with “continuously spaced trees near the street, with overarching limbs that are usually touching, creating a canopy.”
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
City Council sides with neighbors, rejects mixed-use plan in east Wichita
In a rare break with the Planning Commission, Wichita’s City Council has rejected a proposed complex of apartments, office and retail service space proposed at the site of a closed-down school in a historically Black neighborhood in east Wichita. Siding with neighbors opposed to the plan, the council rejected the Nguyen Senior Village, a proposal for 78 apartments with a gathering center for residents, rental office space and personal service businesses that may have included such uses as a barber shop, beauty salon and laundromat. The five-acre site is the former location of Holy Savior Catholic Academy and before that, was a public school, Carter Elementary.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Johnson County: Schools should mandate masks for unvaccinated
The health department in Kansas’ most populous county urged its public schools Monday to require students and staff who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear masks indoors when classes resume for the fall. The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s guidance came with confirmed cases of the faster-spreading delta variant continuing to rise across Kansas and fueling larger numbers of new COVID-19 cases overall. “We want a return to normalcy, but we need to be cautious and get vaccinated if eligible.” said Dr. Sanmi Areola, the department’s director.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Fate of masks in schools this fall
As COVID numbers continue to increase in parts of the state, many school districts are considering masks in the classroom this fall. The Wichita school district has announced masks won’t be required, but that decision could change…. Terri Moses is the safety director for Wichita schools. She says staff are paying close attention to COVID trends in the county and taking the advice of medical experts. If hospitalizations and positive cases increase, the school board will adjust. “Change is a constant part of our response. And then in order to work with our community and keep our buildings as safe as possible, we’ve got to be ready to change when that change is necessary,” says Moses.
Source: KAKE – News
It’s official: The Covid recession lasted just two months, the shortest in U.S. history
The Covid-19 recession is in the books as one of the deepest — but also the shortest — in U.S. history, the official documenter of economic cycles said Monday. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the contraction lasted just two months, from February 2020 to the following April. Though the drop featured a staggering 31.4% GDP plunge in the second quarter of the pandemic-scarred year, it also saw a massive snapback the following period, with previously unheard of policy stimulus boosting output by 33.4%. “In determining that a trough occurred in April 2020, the committee did not conclude that the economy has returned to operating at normal capacity,” the NBER said in a news release. “The committee decided that any future downturn of the economy would be a new recession and not a continuation of the recession associated with the February 2020 peak. The basis for this decision was the length and strength of the recovery to date.”
Source: CNBC
South Hutchinson bridge in need of repair, ownership in question
A bridge in South Hutchinson desperately needs repairs. But before the bill is paid, Reno County and the city need to figure out which one of them actually owns it. The bridge on Scott Boulevard in South Hutchinson was built in 1963. It’s not clear if the city or county built it initially, but the county has maintained it over the years. The cost to repair it is $700,000. The city is asking the county to split the bill so it doesn’t come at the expense of taxpayers. “We’ve asked the county to participate as a 50/50 partner on this bridge and they refused to contribute one penny to the project. They won’t budge,” says Joseph Turner, the South Hutchinson city administrator.
Source: KAKE – News
‘Giving patrons a calming place to go.’ Johnson County library gardens grow interest in plants
While Johnson County’s libraries are growing a readership inside, outside their green spaces are growing an interest in botany. Several branches have gardens on their properties for educational or community use. At Corinth in Prairie Village, there’s a large container garden just beyond the emergency exit door in the children’s section that opens to the public for specific library programs. Diana Spencer, youth information specialist, and Meagan Condon, youth services librarian, took what was a fairly bare concrete area and made it bloom.
Source: Joco 913 News