Kansas Municipal News
Overland Park wants to expand mental health staff and training for police
An ambitious set of recommendations to bulk up Overland Park’s mental health resources was unanimously accepted by the city council Monday night. The list includes several new staff positions for crisis intervention and co-responders, as well as mental health counselors. The vote now means city staff will begin to work some of the recommendations, which came from the city’s Mental Health Task Force, into the upcoming budget that will be proposed in about three weeks. No price tag or timeline was included with the recommendations, but it could involve a substantial commitment of resources, said City Manager Bill Ebel.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Wichita OK’s 41 days of food trucks and street drinking downtown; here’s where, when
In a sign of the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Wichita has approved a long list of outdoor activities at the Brickyard and the WaterWalk for this year and next, including a four-day party during the women’s March Madness basketball tournament next year. In each case, streets will be closed to accommodate crowds, food trucks and the outdoor sale and imbibing of alcoholic beverages. All 41 events were approved by a single vote of the City Council this week. “We want to come together again,” said Mayor Brandon Whipple. “We deserve it after what we went through last year,” when most public events had to be canceled to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Derby passes ordinance regulating micromobility companies
Following a proposal for a pilot program brought forward by Bird Scooters earlier this year, the Derby City Council took action at its most recent meeting on May 11 to address micromobility companies operating within the city limits. Given the concerns of city council members, the governing body looked to have something in place as soon as possible regulating such operations, adopting an ordinance to do just that on May 11. “It’s basically going to stop the ability for them to just say we’re going to come operate in your city without you knowing. If they do come in here and operate, we do have a fine schedule in the ordinance. We can assess those costs as well as they’re going to [have to] gather the equipment up,” said Kiel Mangus, deputy city manager.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Lawrence City Commission open to collaboration, code changes to address shortage of affordable homes
City leaders say they’re looking forward to an upcoming review of the city’s development code and potential collaboration with developers and nonprofits to help ease the city’s shortage of affordable housing. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission received a presentation from the Lawrence Home Builders Association, the Lawrence Board of Realtors, the affordable housing provider Tenants to Homeowners and others regarding shortages in Lawrence’s housing market. The presentation included ways the city could support potential housing development and help make development easier, and commissioners said they were excited at the prospects.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Lawrence task force to recommend consideration of 6-member City Commission elected by districts
A task force of Lawrence residents that has been reconsidering the city’s form of government has come out in favor of expanding the City Commission and having election by districts, as opposed to at large, in addition to having a directly elected mayor. As part of its meeting Monday evening, the City Government Study Task Force voted 8-0, with a few members absent, to recommend that the city consider changing to a six-member commission in which the commissioners are elected by geographic districts, with each serving a four-year term. Currently, the commission is five members, serving four- or two-year terms, and all five members are elected at large, meaning that all represent the city as a whole.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 18, 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.
Vaccinations in rural areas falling behind urban areas in Kansas and Missouri, CDC finds
Urban counties in Kansas and Missouri are running ahead of rural counties in vaccinating residents against the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a new study published Tuesday. Vaccine hesitancy in rural communities remains a “major barrier” for public health officials, according to the CDC study. In Kansas, 41.3% of adults in rural counties had received at least one dose as of April 10, compared with 49.7% of adults in urban areas. In Missouri, 31% of adults in rural counties had received at least one dose as of April 10, compared with 41.3% of adults in urban areas.
Source: Wichita News
Garden City’s Big Pool is back with a new name, look, and high flying attractions
A notorious Garden City landmark is getting overhauled and upgraded. The Big Pool was a historical centerpiece of Garden City that was open for nearly a century. The pool was the largest hand-dug public pool in the world when it was first built in 1921. During its hay day, the pool held nearly 2.5 million gallons of water. Twenty-eight months ago the prior Garden City city commission took up the issue of the future of The Big Pool and aquatics for the city. It was determined The Big Pool couldn’t maintain operation. The city says the facility was losing nearly 200,000 gallons of water each day and required a budget of around $800,000 for the three-month summer season. This was a significantly higher budget than other departments that operated year-round.
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita City Council approves city-owned land bank to handle ‘challenging properties’
The Wichita City Council has unanimously approved the creation of a city-funded and -operated land bank that will be overseen by trustees each council member appoints. The concept of a land bank is to acquire distressed houses and get them into the hands of local nonprofit groups that can repair or replace them, such as Habitat for Humanity or Mennonite Housing. Money could also be used to acquire abandoned commercial properties and help develop, for example, neighborhood grocery stores to address Wichita’s “food desert” problem, where low-income residents have to travel long distances by bus to get fresh meat and produce, Assistant City Manager Scot Rigby has previously said.
Source: Wichita News
Riley County commission approved federally funded pay scale increase for county employees
Riley County commissioners approved a mid year salary adjustment for county employees on Monday. The adjustment is a 1% pay scale increase for all active employees. The 1% increase is for the mid year of 2021, but will also include 2020 and the first part of 2021 for a total of 2.52%. The reason this was brought to the commission was due to the county freezing salaries for the 2021 budget last year in anticipation of economic challenges due to the pandemic. However, the impact was less than anticipated. Budget and Finance Officer Tami Robison told the commission that since county employees were considered essential, they continued to work during the pandemic. Not only did they have their normal tasks, but also added significant tasks due to the pandemic.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Builder seeks fee waiver as costs soar
Local contractor Brandon Jellings wants more incentives from the City of Arkansas City to build a housing project that has struggled to get off the ground. He met with city commissioners during a Friday work session and asked that the city waive several required permits and reduce utility connection fees. Jellings Construction is building 54 duplex-style housing units in the Compass Point Addition in northwest Ark City. The original developer planned single-family homes.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Report: Reno Co. fire districts need big overhaul
After a year of analysis, significant change may be coming to rural fire districts in Reno County. What form it takes and how quickly changes might occur is far from clear. For the last 35 years, county commissioners have tried unsuccessfully to address the needs of rural fire districts across Reno County. The overwhelming theme – shown in a comprehensive report – is that central management by a professional fire chief could solve many of the pressing issues each station faces. Existing fire chiefs could manage the specific needs of individual districts while rolling out uniform policies and training.
Source: Hutch News.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 17, 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.
Flooding in Natoma Kansas hits in a flash early Sunday
Natoma is a small town where neighbors help neighbors. When flooding hit early Sunday residents scrambled to help each other. “The elderly didn’t have a chance,” said Jeremy Makings. Makings rushed to help when he knew he couldn’t reach his wife’s grandmother. “I couldn’t get there,” said Makings. “The younger people just barely got out with their vehicles starting to float. So I stopped in town and got in a boat and started going house to house.” Makings used a very heavy “front loader” to also help get some people out.
Source: KSN-TV
Fed’s Bostic says there’s no reason to change policy despite inflation fears
Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic told CNBC on Monday that he’s comfortable with the central bank’s ultra-loose policy even as inflation gains steam in the U.S. economy. “We are still 8 million jobs short of where we were pre-pandemic,” Bostic told CNBC … Currently, the Fed is keeping short-term benchmark borrowing rates anchored near zero and is buying at least $120 billion of bonds each month. That has come even as the Consumer Price Index lurched up 4.2% in April, well above Wall Street’s expectations, and as Bostic’s own Atlanta Fed GDPNow tracker is putting second-quarter growth at 10.5%. However, April’s disappointing jobs report, with nonfarm payrolls growing just 266,000 against projections for 1 million, has Fed policymakers likely on hold, where Bostic said he will be until he sees a broader economic recovery.
Source: CNBC
Lucas ranks among best small-town art scenes in nation
National polling sponsored by USA Today Readers’ Choice 2021 has named Lucas as the fourth-best small-town arts scene in the nation. Voting took place in April and top winners were revealed early in May. The small town, with a population of 400, is the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas. It showcases the ingenuity of self-taught artists. Among all the opportunities to see and learn about art made by hundreds of Kansas and nationally based individuals is the Grassroots Art Center, celebrating its 25th year in 2021.
Source: KSN-TV
‘It’s just unreal’: Salina family picks up home after flash flood hits
In Saline County, some families had a rough wake-up call Sunday as flash floods entered their neighborhoods. Tyler Pfeifer was in the middle of a camping trip when they got a phone call early Sunday from the Saline County Dispatch saying their home was hit. “They were like, ‘Yeah, are you at your house? No? Well, it’s almost completely underwater right now,'” said Pfeifer. Pfeifer and his family rushed home. The water was gone, but its mark fully visible.
Source: KSNT News
New app to give better experience at Topeka park
Shawnee County Parks and Recreation is making your experience at a local park even better with a new app. The department partnered with “Otocast” and launched the app for Ward Meade Park a few weeks ago. The app shows 19 points of interest throughout the Old Prairie Town and botanical garden. Employees are at the park from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but if you come out in the late evening and the buildings are closed and you missed the tour, you can still hear the stories on your own time and get a first-person narrative of what life was like in the late 1800s. “It’s a really unique opportunity to hear stories and listen to some of the challenges that the early pioneers faced and also learn about our buildings as well,” said John Bell, Ward Meade Park Recreation Program Supervisor.
Source: KSNT News
Governor Kelly declares state of emergency because of flooding
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has issued a state of disaster emergency declaration for flooding that started over the weekend. The action authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in counties that meet certain criteria. “We urge residents to be aware of their safety,” Kelly said in a statement. “Flood waters can be deceptive. Although people often think of tornadoes as the big destructive force of nature in Kansas, floods can be just as damaging, if not more so. Floods affect many, many square miles, destroying or damaging roads, bridges, power lines and other vital infrastructure. I am signing this declaration to help these county governments quickly restore infrastructure and get things back to normal for their citizens.”
Source: KSNT News
Mission sets guidelines for housing assistance program
The city of Mission has set guidelines for it’s housing assistance program — and a way to get started. Mission’s housing assistance program is designed to help residents economically impacted by COVID-19 by offering rental or mortgage assistance. Eligible recipients must meet the following requirements for one month’s rent assistance.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post