Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 13, 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.
Governor Laura Kelly Announces 132 new Jobs in Neodesha
Governor Laura Kelly today announced that London-based Sicut Enterprises has selected Neodesha as the site of their new North American manufacturing hub, projected to create 132 new full-time jobs over the next five years. “Sicut’s new manufacturing hub will create over 130 good-paying manufacturing jobs and generate significant investment for Neodesha and the entire Southeast region,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Our ability to recruit companies like Sicut to put down roots, proves that with our central location and world-class workforce, Kansas can compete for jobs and businesses around the globe.” Sicut Enterprises Limited is the European market leader for the manufacture and supply of recycled plastic composite railroad ties. After having successfully completed a range of demanding tests with U.S. Class 1 Railroads, the company now is expanding into North America for the first time. The company evaluated sites in multiple states before selecting Kansas, purchasing an existing building in Neodesha.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Sedgwick County offering COVID vaccine to ages 12 to 15
Sean Wentling patted his little brother on the back Thursday as he walked toward a station at the former downtown library to receive his first COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the 12 to 15 age group earlier this week. Kansas officials signed off on its use for that age group Wednesday night, making roughly 160,000 children eligible to receive the shot starting Thursday, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials. “This is an incredible step forward in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman said in a news release. “We are now able to protect our younger populations against this deadly disease.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Rep. Davids asks for $617 million in federal dollars for major highway work in Lenexa, Overland Park
Rep. Sharice Davids has requested up to $617 million in federal transportation funds to help pay for a few major highway projects in Johnson County, the lion’s share of which are aimed at funding long-hoped-for work in Lenexa. The projects are designed to improve traffic flow as Johnson County highways become more congested, particularly a stretch of U.S. 69 through southern Overland Park as well as the interchange of I-35, I-435 and K-19 highways, often referred to as the Johnson County Gateway, in Lenexa. “Each of these projects would help keep us safe and reduce the congestion that has plagued our roadways — including U.S. 69, which has been an important priority for the district since before I took office,” Davids said in a statement. “They would also bring good paying jobs and economic development to the area, giving our small businesses a much needed boost.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
CDC: You can ditch the mask in most places, indoors and out, if fully vaccinated
Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations Thursday that marks a major turning point in the pandemic. The announcement is a shift from earlier federal guidance, which had urged people who are vaccinated to continue wearing a face mask when indoors with anyone not vaccinated or when in large-group settings. With a larger share of Americans vaccinated and a growing stack of studies confirming the vaccines’ effectiveness, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the science is clear on taking additional steps toward life before the pandemic.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Governor Laura Kelly Announces 450 New Jobs in Overland Park
Governor Laura Kelly today applauded the announcement that TTEC Holdings, Inc., a world leader in global digital customer experience technology and services, will create 450 new jobs in Overland Park. The company is initially creating work-from-home positions to ultimately be housed within a new office location being built in Overland Park. These positions will be a hybrid of on-site and remote work. “TTEC Holdings will bring 450 new, high-paying jobs to Overland Park and will enhance our ability to attract new, cutting-edge businesses and talent to our state,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “We’ll continue making strategic investments in our foundation and business recruitment tools to ensure Kansas becomes the tech-hub of the Midwest. I look forward to TTEC’s partnership as our economy continues to recover from COVID-19.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Sedgwick County looking at budget challenges for 2022
Sedgwick County commissioners have been involved in a series of meetings during the past week with department leaders, hearing about their funding needs for 2022. After the past year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, County Manager Tom Stolz says the county will face challenges next year with employee compensation, workforce and staffing challenges, and stressed operations in criminal justice, first responders and the mental health system. Stolz said the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney and District Court are having workforce challenges and operational challenges with backlogs that the pandemic has made worse.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Osage County deputies recognized as life savers for heroic efforts
Monday, May 10, 2021, during the Osage County Commission meeting, Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells presented commendation bars and Life Saving Awards to sheriff’s deputies Cory Hamilton, Christian Moran, and Clayton Hartpence. Wells described the incident that occurred Feb. 25, 2021, in which Hamilton and Moran responded to a report of a non-responsive person at a residence in Scranton, Kan. Deputies, Osage County EMS, and Scranton first responders were dispatched to the scene, but Hamilton and Moran were the first to arrive. … “The quick response and immediate actions by deputies Hamilton and Moran resulted in this selfless act of saving of a human life,” Wells said as he presented the awards to the deputies. “A failure to act or action after delay could have led to a tragic outcome.”
Source: Osage County Online
Lawrence and Topeka mayors are hitting the road – to learn from Arkansas
Topeka and Lawrence have been flirting with each other for decades. “Lawrence put a ring on it,” said Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla after singing her version of “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé. De La Isla’s version of the song was encouraging all the “single cities” in northeast Kansas to get together, which is happening as De La Isla and Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei prepare for a road trip. The two mayors were joined by members of the Lawrence Chamber and the Greater Topeka Partnership to announce a joint trip to learn from the Arkansas cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville and Rogers. Those three cities could be an educational guide for how Lawrence and Topeka can grow together like the northwest Arkansas region has, multiple speakers said at Thursday’s joint news conference.
Source: CJonline.com.
Scott County ranks No. 3 in median income
Johnson County and the urban northeast corner of Kansas have built a reputation for being one of the wealthiest zip codes in the nation. While there’s money in technology and the related industry, Kansas is still an agricultural state, so it should be no surprise that one can also find high-income counties much farther to the west. Scott County is in the No. 3 spot in Kansas when it comes to median income, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Median income – which is the mid-point and not average – for Scott County is $80,900 per household. That compares with $86,600 in the Kansas City metro area and No. 2 Douglas County (Lawrence) at $84,500. “Because we’re the No. 2 ag producing county in the state, we’ve consistently ranked very high when it comes to household income,” says Katie Eisenhour, director of the Scott County Development Committee.
Source: Scott County Record.
Topeka & Lawrence teaming up with ‘Stronger Together’ prosperity partnership
The City of Topeka and the City of Lawrence will team up under a new effort called “Stronger Together” which will explore ways the cities can prosper together, the Greater Topeka Partnership announced Thursday. The announcement came at a 1:30 p.m. press event at the GTP’s downtown Topeka offices. The two cities will look into more collaboration and opportunities to benefit the public in both areas. As the first step in this partnership, GTP said Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla, Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei, Greater Topeka Partnership CEO Matt Pivarnik and Lawrence Chamber of Commerce CEO Bonnie Lowe will all travel together to Arkansas to learn about how the three cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville and Rogers work together there.
Source: KSNT News
Wind Surge, city leaders call home opener success
The City of Wichita and the Wichita Wind Surge said the team’s Tuesday home opener at Riverfront Stadium was a big success, despite the team’s loss. The Wind Surge lost Tuesday to Amarillo’s Sod Poodles in the first game of a six game series. Organizers said Wednesday that the ballgame saw nearly 8,000 people in attendance and nearly sold out the stadium. “We’re just so excited to get to do it again tonight and tomorrow,” said Katie Woods, the marketing director for the Wind Surge. Woods said the team had spent months of planning, and brought more than 400 workers in on the day of the game to ensure opening night was a success. The team tackled the coronavirus pandemic with new guidelines like masks, social distancing recommendations and even a cashless system for purchases. “That’s a big balance,” said Woods. “We really want to make sure people have a good time, but we want to keep all of our fans safe and healthy.”
Source: KAKE – News
Legislature may not have the right to tell Sedgwick County how to spend its COVID aid
The state Legislature wants Sedgwick County to turn over about $35 million to compensate businesses for restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the county may not have to, officials say. Senate Bill 273, passed early Saturday morning in the final hours of the legislative session, would require the county to set aside 35% of its funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for a state-run business compensation program. The county will receive about $100 million through ARPA, meaning it would need to set aside about $35 million of that, said county Chief Financial Officer Lindsay Poe Rousseau. But new federal regulations governing the spending of ARPA funds conflict with the state’s plan, said Justin Waggoner, the assistant county counselor who’s handled most of the issues involving the pandemic. “The federal guidance came out earlier this week,” Waggoner said. “I think the Reader’s Digest version is . . . the regulations and guidance says that states cannot dictate to municipalities how they can spend ARPA funding.”
Source: Wichita Eagle.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 12, 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.
Burrton third graders bring local history to life
A group of third graders at Burrton Elementary School are turning into quite the young history buffs. They can spout off names, dates and other facts about their town history that they’ve been learning, recently. The students just finished building a model representing downtown Burrton in the late 1800s and early 1900s. “We tried to make buildings about where they were, but we learned that there were fires, so some of these buildings maybe weren’t in a certain spot after the fire happened, but it’s pretty true to it,” teacher Michelle Armendariz said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Topeka’s JEDO approves more than $5.8 million dollars for Downtown Topeka Innovation campus
Topeka’s Joint Economic Development Organization board approved a project that is estimated to produce 20-40 full-time jobs to the capital city. The board approved up to $5.871 million to develop and build an innovation campus in downtown Topeka. JEDO will partner with BioRealty, Inc. According to Katrin Bridges, SVP of innovation at GO Toepka, the campus will have world-class facilities which will include wet labs, co-working and meeting spaces, office space for launching business research and innovation and even a rooftop space for events. It will be a 60,000-70,000 square foot facility. The total estimated cost of the campus is around $13 million.
Source: KSNT News
Manhattan talks changes to sidewalk, easement regulations
The construction of encroachments into public easements will no longer be permitted, according to the newly created Manhattan Development Code. The topic came up during the Manhattan City Commission meeting Tuesday, during which officials discussed proposed changes to subdivision standards. “When we have utility failures or need maintenance for a utility line and there are fences in the way or all sorts of other things in the way of our utility easements, it becomes a costly and cumbersome process for both the city and those homeowners and business owners,” Chad Bunger, assistant director of community development for the City of Manhattan, said. He says the policy likely will not apply to currently existing structures, at least for now.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Land use law expert affirms City of Golden petition is valid
A petition to establish the city of “Golden” in Miami County has gained another level of validation as the county moves closer to the June 23 public hearing on the matter. The Miami County Clerk’s Office verified that the petition, filed April 9, had enough valid signatures to meet the state statutory requirement. County commissioners wanted to ensure the document also met all other statutory requirements before going through a hearing process — to avoid the potential for a legal challenge to the petition’s validity in the future. The County Commission sought the legal services of a Topeka attorney who specializes in land use law and has more than 25 years of experience working with cities and counties in Kansas on a range of topics such as annexation, planning and zoning issues and others.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
City of Topeka dropping mask requirement on May 17
The City of Topeka is dropping its mask requirement in city buildings, a spokeswoman said Monday. The new rule allowing people to go into city buildings without a mask takes effect May 17. The new rule excludes the municipal court, which will still require masks, according to the City of Topeka. The new rule takes effect the same day that Kansas State University is also loosening its mask rules. K-State will require masks inside campus buildings, but anyone who is fully vaccinated can drop their mask while outside.
Source: KSNT News
Kansas School Districts Find Ditching Offensive Mascots Costs Money
What does it cost a school district to change an offensive mascot? Some Kansas schools are starting to find out. Wichita school board members voted in February to get rid of the controversial Redskins mascot at North High School. They learned recently that replacing athletic uniforms, painting over a gym floor and retrofitting the marching band could cost upward of $400,000.
Source: KCUR News