Kansas Municipal News
The pros and cons of county-wide zoning
County officials continue to debate the pros and cons of county-wide zoning. On May 4, Bourbon County Commissioners and County Counselor Justin Meeks discussed flood plains, free will, and the differences between zoning and codes enforcement. … Citizen Michael Hoyt said there are remedies for building in a flood plain. “I ‘m very opinionated when it comes to codes in rural America,” Meeks said. “There is a very fine line between growth and wanting growth to happen and limiting it … We don’t want anyone to die in a fire or have a structural problem with a new build. Sometimes sprinkler systems in a 200-year-old building are very expensive.”
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
Municipal Bond Trends for May 11, 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.
Teen COVID rate doubles rest of Kansas as FDA approves Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-15
Kansas teenagers, who have the highest COVID-19 case and test positivity rates in the state, may now get vaccinated. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday amended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to allow children ages 12 to 15 years old to get vaccinated. The two-shot mRNA vaccine already had emergency approval for people 16 and older. “Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic,” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
State Announces Rural Highway Funding
The state has announced 16 counties have received approximately $8.5 million through the Kansas High Risk Rural Roads, or HRRR Program. The HRRR program is a state/local partnership designed to improve safety on off-system rural roads. This year’s HRRR selections include 16 counties with total projects costs of $11 million. When Coronavirus Relief Funds and Highway Infrastructure Program funds became available earlier this year, the Kansas Department of Transportation was able to distribute twice the funds typically available for HRRR annually. Kansas HRRR funds cover 90-100 percent of total project cost, with the counties making up the difference if required.
Source: WIBW News Now
Wind Surge to begin play at Wichita’s new stadium
After a delay of just over a year caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wichita Wind Surge baseball team will finally play its first game in the new Riverfront Stadium. The Wind Surge will begin a series with Amarillo at 7:05 p.m. There will be some special activities for the home opener, including a tribute to the team’s late owner, Lou Schwechheimer. A portrait of Schwechheimer was unveiled at the stadium on Monday, and it was commissioned by Emprise Bank and painted by local artist John Oehm. The team’s senior vice president and general manager, Jared Forma, told KFDI News that the team is excited to begin play in Wichita. The team opened its season with a series at Springfield, Missouri, winning five out of six games.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Kansas has administered more than 2 million COVID-19 shots
Kansas reports that more than 2 million coronavirus vaccine shots have been administered in the state, as the federal government detailed plans to distribute nearly $1 billion in aid to Kansas cities and counties. The state health department said Monday that nearly 1.15 million people or 39.5% of the state’s population had received at least one vaccine shot. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department spelled out for the first time how it would distribute a majority of aid Kansas expects to receive from a federal coronavirus relief measure that became law in March. The aid includes $566 million to counties and $427 million for cities. Health officials reported 345 new cases of COVID-19 in Kansas, for a total of 310,927 for the pandemic. No new deaths were reported, and the state’s death count remains at 5,016. Sedgwick County reported 36 new cases since Sunday, with no new deaths. The county has a positive testing rate of 4.6 percent.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Kansas lawmakers approve bill to allow to-go sales of beer and cocktails
The state that made saloon smasher Carrie Nation famous is moving to allow people to get beer and cocktails to go after the coronavirus pandemic. Kansas lawmakers last week approved a bill to allow to-go beer and alcoholic drinks from clubs, bars and restaurants until 11 p.m., as long as the drinks are in sealed containers and clear bags that discourage tampering. The measure is headed to Gov. Laura Kelly after both chambers approved it Friday. It continues a policy Kelly set by executive order in April 2020 when Kansas was under a statewide stay-at-home order and that remained in effect through March.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Rose Hill hosting night bike ride
The Rose Hill Recreation Commission will be hosting the Light the Night Bike Ride on May 21 at School Street Pond (directly east of the elementary buildings). RHRC will illuminate the path around the pond and provide light-up materials to riders, though participants are also welcome to bring their own accessories as prizes will be awarded as part of the event. Helmets and safety equipment are recommended. Music and refreshments will be provided at the family-friendly night bike ride celebrating the start of summer.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Treasury Releases Guidance on American Rescue Plan and Opens Portal
The U.S. Department of Treasury has opened a portal for cities and counties to apply for Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Treasury also released guidance and an interim final rule on how the funds may be used. To help local leaders navigate this new information, ICMA will host a webinar on Monday, May 17, featuring a team from The Ferguson Group (an ICMA Strategic Partner). In the weeks ahead, ICMA will provide additional learning opportunities, more analysis of the guidance, as well as advice on how local governments can tap all of the available federal resources to make strategic investments and to support the long-term economic recovery in their communities.
Source: icma.org
Rural fire, EMS departments navigate staff, funding shortages
While Kansas and the rest of the nation are somewhat recovering from the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural areas of the state have felt the sting of closed businesses and limited services provided by local governments. Fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Barton County have not been exempt from the pain of limited staff and funding, although much of the shortages were an issue well before the pandemic struck in 2020. While the crunch is real, fire and emergency services in the less populated segments of the county have managed to survive although, at times, by a thread. And like many rural communities, a majority of the staff are volunteers. Last year, Barton County commissioners approved a $50,000 budget increase for county fire and EMS departments but the cost to keep these departments in operation continues to rise.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Marysville assistant police chief receives national honor
Marysville assistant police chief Matt Simpson was recognized during Monday’s City Council meeting for receiving the 2020 Tom Stone Law Enforcement Executive Development Association Award of Excellence during the recent Federal Bureau of Investigation-LEEDA conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The national award is given each year to one FBI-LEEDA member for outstanding achievement in promoting the science and art of law enforcement management, promoting the exchange of information between police executives, expansion of police leadership training and the growth of the FBI-LEEDA organization, said Marysville Police Chief Todd Ackerman, who is a former FBI-LEEDA National President. “Matt’s name was submitted for the award while he was working for the Washburn University Police Department,” Ackerman said. “While at Washburn police department, Matt had hosted at least 20 FBI-LEEDA leadership classes with 550 officers in attendance.”
Source: The Marysville Advocate
City Council OKs some teens selling tobacco in Wichita; anti-smoking group approves
Starting soon, it will be legal for some Wichita teenagers to sell smokes, although they won’t be allowed to light up themselves until they’re 21. On a 6-0 vote, with council member Jeff Blubaugh absent, the City Council Tuesday carved out an exemption in the city’s tobacco control ordinance to allow 18, 19 and 20-year-olds to sell tobacco and vaping products over the counter at local stores. The vote partially reverses a change made last June when the city raised the age for purchase and possession of tobacco from 18 to 21, in keeping with federal law.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Public wants shorter vision statement for city government
After seeing a proposed city government vision statement, the public is seeking something shorter and “less boring.” Those working on the CrossroadsMHK strategic plan met with the public last week and during a Monday virtual meeting to gather input about the draft vision statement. … During the meeting, members of the community provided feedback on the statement. In addition to adding diversity elements, some people said it needed to be shorter. “It is too long and boring,” a commenter said during Monday’s virtual meeting. Another person requested officials add something in the statement about Fort Riley. “Given the financial impact, Fort Riley should be added somehow,” one person said.
Source: themercury.com
Downtown McPherson building partially collapses
The McPherson Police Department said a downtown building partially collapsed Tuesday morning. The police department said they took a report of a loud boom in the 100 block of N. Main St. and Marlin St. Responders arrived and found that the west wall of a home above Sounds Great, 123 N. Main St. had crumbled. The police department said there were no injuries.
Source: KSN-TV
City of Pittsburg to turn 145-years-old
On May 20, 2021 the City of Pittsburg turns 145-years-old. In anticipation of this year’s event, the Downtown Advisory Board is planning a week-long celebration. With the City turning 145-years-old, the Downtown Advisory Board has a goal of collecting 145 gifts for children in our community. Starting on May 17, community members can drop off gifts at Audacious Boutique or Sonder & Co. to be given to children in need in the Pittsburg Community. Gifts will be given to local non-profits Fostering Connections and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Source: City of Pittsburg
NLC Statement on Launch of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program
Cities, towns and villages are now one step closer to accessing the funds they need to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, the Treasury guidance puts local governments in the driver’s seat, giving them direct access to funds along with the flexibility to use them as they see fit, from helping small businesses recover and supporting vaccine programs to restarting capital infrastructure projects and putting laid-off and furloughed employees back to work. Critically, these funds will also help communities address the longstanding, underlying issues that resulted in disproportionate health and economic declines for low-wage workers and minority communities throughout the pandemic. … Visit NLC’s resource hub for the latest tools, resources and events to support the local response and relief efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: NLC
FCC to begin Broadband Subsidies
On Wednesday, May 12, low-income families can begin applying for the Emergency Broadband Benefit through the FCC, to help cover the cost of their broadband service and the purchase of a new laptop, desktop or tablet. To be eligible, a family must meet at least one of the following:
The household suffered a substantial loss of income since the start of the pandemic emergency, set at Feb. 29, 2020. Persons filing under this provision must have 2020 income of less than $99,000 for single tax filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
The household’s income is less than 135% of the federal poverty level, currently $35,775 for a family of four.
…
This is a federal program and residents should apply through the FCC.
Learn more here: https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit
Source: City of Spring Hill news
More than $350B in federal recovery cash starts rolling out to states, cities, counties
States, cities and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. The Biden administration said the much-anticipated money, which was included in the massive relief law enacted earlier this year, can aid governments of all sizes in paying for a wide range of costs related to the pandemic response. … The uses for it could include running vaccination clinics and buying personal protective equipment; paying the salaries of government employees involved in battling COVID-19; or helping speed the recovery of industries, like hospitality, that have been devastated during the past year. Guidance issued Monday by the U.S. Treasury details a list of specific ways that states and local governments can use the money — and some ways they cannot, like using it to offset new tax cuts. States and localities will have even more flexibility for using any dollars deemed to be replacing revenue lost last year. … The White House fact sheet listed seven categories of uses for the state and local stimulus dollars:
- Services and programs to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19;
- Addressing negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including aid to families; recovery support for businesses and industries; and rehiring public sector staff;
- Addressing disproportionate public health and economic impacts of the crisis on the hardest-hit communities, including educational disparities;
- Increasing pay for essential workers, such as workers at nursing homes, child care centers and grocery stores;
- Rebuilding water and sewer infrastructure;
- Expanding broadband infrastructure;
- Replacing lost public sector revenue, to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Municipal Bond Trends for May 10, 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.
Argonia Days to move downtown
There are high expectations for this year’s Argonia Days celebration, which will be held Saturday, May 15, on Main Street in downtown Argonia, rather than at Salter Park a few blocks to the east. After a year of pandemic restrictions, people are starting to get together for community events. Good weather over the last couple of weeks is helping to fuel that optimism, as well. Argonia city clerk Tara Pierce, who heads up the organizational efforts, said there is plenty to do for everyone. “It’s going to be a busy day. We’re trying to keep everything all together (downtown). We thought that might help out the businesses,” she said.
Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers