Kansas Municipal News
Economic recovery program available
A new lending program to bring long-term support to small businesses in Kansas is up and running. Marysville banker Leonard Wolfe said passage of the Small Business Economic Recovery Loan Program came easily in this year’s Kansas Legislature. It allows for part of the state’s idle tax funds to go into low-interest business loans through community banks, credit unions and farm credit institutions.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Parade of residents urges Overland Park to repeal pit bull ban as city weighs code change
For Tori Shirah, the chance to share with Overland Park City councilmembers about her beloved pit bull terrier Gunther was bittersweet. … Shirah was one of 25 people who spoke to the city council’s Public Safety Committee Wednesday night as the city begins to consider whether to repeal its 16-year-old ordinance banning pit bulls. All but one speaker on Wednesday supported the repeal. The speakers came from a variety of occupations. Tam Singer, CEO of Great Plains SPCA, advocated for repeal, as did Greg Musil, a development lawyer who said he’s fostered more than 100 dogs, of which a quarter were some type of pit bull mix.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Statue is long overdue reminder of DeGeer’s place in Scott City history
Maria DeGeer was a woman out of step with her time. She defied the female stereotypes of the late 1800s as a very opinionated person, pursuing causes that further advanced women in society and choosing to take control of her own life. It was those characteristics which brought her to Western Kansas where she founded Scott City and it was those same attributes which saw her leave less than a year later when shoved out of her rightful place by male members of the newly organized town company. It was because of DeGeer’s outspoken nature that she refused to let her role in history be forgotten. One hundred and thirty-five years later, she has been further memorialized with a statue on the very spot where she erected the first cabin that would eventually become Scott City.
Source: Scott County Record.
All aboard the We-Go-Swing. Wheelchair users will enjoy this addition in Merriam park
Merriam’s new We-Go-Swing has come to Chatlain Park, so people in wheelchairs can swing with others without leaving their chairs. The swing allows riders — including those in wheelchairs — to cooperate in making the device move. Other adaptive swings make people leave their wheelchairs in order to board the swing, the city said. At press time, a June 10 ribbon-cutting was scheduled at the park, 6300 Carter Ave., marking the first day of play.
Source: Joco 913 News
Are slow-moving trains holding north Wichita back? No easy traffic fix on 21st Street
In 2009, Wichita commuters celebrated the completion of a five-year, $150 million infrastructure project to elevate train tracks over busy downtown streets, cutting down on both travel times and vehicle emissions. The Central Railroad Corridor, which has saved commuters an estimated 2 million hours of travel time annually, was named one of America’s 10 best transportation projects of the year. By elevating tracks over First Street, Second Street, Central, Murdock and 13th Street, the overpass removed what the city deemed “a major obstacle to economic development in downtown Wichita.”
Source: Wichita Eagle
Douglas County Commission approves development of new rezoning standards to protect agricultural land
County leaders are moving forward with the creation of a new tool to evaluate rural rezoning requests and protect prime agricultural land. At its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission voted unanimously to initiate the process to develop an amendment to the zoning and land use regulations for unincorporated or rural areas. The amendment, once developed and approved, will establish a new system and standards to evaluate requests to rezone agricultural land to another use.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Hutch Fall Fest will celebrate the Salt City
Downtown partners announce Hutch Fall Fest. the festival will take place on Oct. 1 and 2. There will be three events as part of this festival. Hutch Rec, in a partnership with Downtown Hutch and the Downtown Hutchinson Rod Run, will host the inaugural Hutch Fall Fest, celebrating the Salt City. The event will have performances, music and food. The weekend kicks off on Oct. 1 with the 14th annual Downtown Hutchinson Rod Run & Classic Car Show.
Source: Hutch News.
Reno County to create a new position to coordinate rural fire ops
The Reno County Commission agreed Tuesday to create a new position of a fire service professional to help develop a strategic plan for improving the county’s rural volunteer fire departments. The recommendation from Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar was an alternative to one made by an outside consultant in May that the county consolidate its eight rural departments into one operating under a single fire chief.
Source: Hutch News.
Holcomb receives $224,000 in state Cost Share funding
Kansas Cost Share funds in the amount of $224,000 have been awarded to the city of Holcomb Tuesday from the state. The funds will be used to improve Henderson/Jones intersection, accommodating three lanes of traffic and allowing for a right turn lane. A center, left-turn lane will also be added on Jones Avenue, west of North Henderson Street, for the addition of a center, leftturn lane. Holcomb Mayor Janelle Gaede, is thrilled to receive the funding as the project seeks to enhance pedestrian and vehicle safety around schools and businesses in the heart of the community.
Source: GC Telegram.
Municipal Bond Trends for June 9, 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.
Heartland Flyer operating rail costs could fall to states
Plans to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer rail service from Oklahoma to Kansas will likely require the state to share in the operating costs if it eventually becomes reality. Amtrak officials said Tuesday that it would cost roughly $500 million for track upgrades plus an unknown amount in operating costs that still need to be worked out. “Amtrak is committed to working together with the states to find a way to advance this service,” Amtrak President Stephen Gardner told a roundtable of media and local officials Tuesday. “We’re in it for the long haul,” Gardner said. “This is the type of service and the type of market which deserve passenger rail and it’s our job to serve the nation and to do so in ways like the ones proposed here.”
Source: Sunflower State Journal
Kansas picks 614 small communities for portion of federal relief package
Waldron Mayor Shirley Nelson was happy to learn her tiny south-central Kansas community is slated to receive $1,517.07 in federal pandemic relief. State officials on Wednesday revealed the list of 614 small communities that will receive American Rescue Plan funds administered by the state. Waldron, with a population that fluctuates from 10 to 12, has the distinction of being the smallest city in Kansas to receive a chunk of the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package. “I’ll be glad to have it,” Nelson said. “We’re very, very small, so any extra income is very, very welcome. We have streets to take care of and stuff. It would be a really big help.” Those streets require a special kind of gravel that won’t sink into the underlying sand. Waldron, which sits along the Oklahoma border in Harper County, is a nice place to live, Nelson said, but doesn’t have a single business to support city operations. Everything is privately owned.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Counties with the lowest home prices in Kansas
The real estate market is booming right now thanks to low-interest rates, a flood of millennial buyers, and shrinking inventory. The median cost of a home has increased 20% year over year, hitting $347,500, according to a report released in April 2020 by real estate listing website Redfin. These high asking costs—while good for sellers—are pricing many buyers out of the market entirely. But all things are not equal when it comes to real estate in the United States. Credible used 2021 data calculated by the National Association of REALTORS to compile a list of counties with the lowest median home values and monthly mortgage payments in Kansas. Counties were ranked by the monthly mortgage payment for a typical home in 2020, from lowest to highest. Ties were broken by median home values in 2020.
Source: KSN-TV
Sedgwick loses administrator and superintendent, gains a flag
City Administrator Joe Turner told the council last week that City Superintendent Kermit McGinn has announced his resignation to pursue an exciting opportunity with USD 439. “We are terribly disappointed to see him go as he is an invaluable member of our team,” Turner wrote in his report to the council. “However, we are genuinely excited for him and this opportunity and wish him well.” … The Sedgwick City Council approved a resolution last week to adopt and declare the official city flag for the City of Sedgwick
Source: Harvey County Now
Kansas school leaders having to decide how to spend more than $1 billion in federal relief money
More than a billion dollars is heading to Kansas schools. The money comes from multiple federal coronavirus relief programs. On Wednesday, the Kansas State Board of Education approved $25 million for 34 districts. The money, known as ESSER II, is the second of three federal coronavirus relief bills. ESSER II includes more than $330 million specifically for Kansas schools to apply for. Some of that money has already gone out before Wednesday. What districts are spending money in round two is different than ESSER I. “With ESSER I a lot of it was technology and improving that so that you could do remote learning,” said Craig Neuenswander, deputy commissioner for fiscal and administration services at the Kansas Department of Education. “Now it’s more summer school, after school programs, different curriculum, supporting staff, by either additional staff or working extra time, so additional pay for those types of services.”
Source: KSN-TV
Keystone Pipeline expansion project at Kansas’ border shut down
The owners of a pipeline that runs through Kansas have shut down its expansion project for a new branch at the Nebraska border. TC Energy announced Thursday that it canceled its $9 billion Keystone XL Pipeline project, which would start at Steele City and run through South Dakota and Montana into Canada. The termination came after months before, President Joe Biden revoked a permit allowing the new pipeline addition to cross the Canadian border. TC Energy’s existing Keystone Pipeline has operated since 2010 and runs in two branches through Kansas: one goes east through Seneca and into Missouri before ending at Patoka, Ill. The Cushing Extension branch goes south through Washington, Clay, Dickinson, Marion, Butler and Cowley Counties into Oklahoma.
Source: KSNT News
McPherson USD 418 voters reject school bond issue, sales tax question defeated
The timing wasn’t right. The price tag was too large. The location was too congested. No swimming pool. Whatever the reason, the $112 million bond question put forth by USD-418 was met with a solid no by voters Tuesday night. The lack of clarity was also felt by district administrators. USD-418 Superintendent Shiloh Vincent said it wasn’t just one clear-cut reason he had heard for people voting against the bond during the community meetings the district hosted. “Responses have been varied, so that makes it tougher to know what needs addressed,” Vincent said while awaiting the final vote count at the McPherson County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. One thing, though, is clear: the district still needs to address its aging facilities.
Source: McPherson Weekly News
Lawrence residents will soon be able to contribute to help neighbors in need pay their bills
The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday gave a nod of approval to a program that will allow residents to donate to a utility assistance program to help others who can’t pay their bills. The program will be administered by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, which was the only group to respond to a city request for proposals, for $250 per application that gets approved by the city. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal poverty level or less, but this program will expand assistance to other customers with low incomes. The per-application cost to the city — which would come from the general fund rather than from the pool of donations, according to Kristy Webb, utility billing manager — is roughly equivalent to two or three months’ worth of the average household’s city utility bills, which include water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste and recycling.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Rescued! Maize police and Eagle Valley Raptor Center come together to save gray horned owl
Ruffled, some feather injuries, but alive, that’s the fate of a gray horned owl captured in Maize Monday morning. The Maize Police Department was busy after a gray horned owl got stuck in the netting at a local batting cage. They shared the following clip on their Facebook page Monday. The Maize Police Department eventually turned for help by calling a local raptor center. “So I kind of gave them instructions on the bird and how to get it out safely without getting hurt, put it in a cardboard box, and then one of the police detectives brought it here to us,” said Ken Lockwood with Eagle Valley Raptor Center.
Source: KSN News
The Symphony in the Flint Hills returns
The Symphony in the Flint Hills is back after two years of cancellations — and so far there’s no threat of another cancellation on the horizon. Through art, music and educational presentations, the Symphony in the Flint Hills tells the story of one of the last standing tallgrass prairies in North America. The 2019 event was cancelled after storms damaged the concert site, and the pandemic was the culprit in 2020. As vaccinations rise and the weather forecast looks more promising, Operations and Donor Relations Manager Kelly Tastove said she is excited to welcome people from across the country to the Flint Hills, where she grew up. The event is Saturday, with a rain date of Sunday.
Source: The Iola Register