Municipal News & Jobs

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Yesenia Leon-Tejeda, like many people on the frontier of America’s tech boom, is basking in newfound prosperity. Her hometown in northeast Oregon was not long ago known for a former chemical-weapons depot nearby, a state prison on the city’s outskirts and the strip clubs once dotting its main drag. But a growing fleet of Amazon data centers has turned the region around Umatilla into an unlikely nerve center for one of the most expensive infrastructure build-outs in U.S. history.
Read more: WSJ.com: US Business

Riley County officials invited the public to review and comment on the latest draft of the county’s comprehensive plan, officially titled “Riley County Together 2040.” The plan will replace the county’s existing Vision 2025 plan, outlining land-use goals, growth priorities and ways to implement those strategies through 2040. County planner Amanda Webb told commissioners Monday the draft plan is available for viewing on the county’s website.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The Lyon County Commission approved a premium pay policy for exempt employees who go above and beyond during certain emergencies. The premium pay option requires that an exempt employee, a salaried county employee who typically does not receive overtime pay, work 60 or more hours in a week. This work may include time spent in Lyon County or assisting other counties with emergency response.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Sedgwick’s newest police officer isn’t a typical rookie. At 35 years old, Kyle Woods comes with experience in ballistics lab testing, forensics training, and insight from long-time law enforcement family members. Sedgwick Police Chief Bryan Hall worked with Woods at the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and in the NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) program. Hall said that when he hires officers, he first looks for high integrity and then to see if there is a cultural fit. He said that without a servant’s heart and caring for the community, they won’t be a good fit for the Sedgwick P.D.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Leawood officials are asking the public to weigh in on a more specific plan for the site of its earliest government buildings, now that the city council has decided to raze the original city hall at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard. The public will get a first look at a preliminary site plan for public gathering and green space at an open-house meeting 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at The Wave at 106, 10603 Lee Blvd. The preliminary plan, drawn up by BBN Architects and based on a city council discussion last month, will be a more detailed look at how some of the elements councilmembers suggested for the 3.7-acre home of Leawood’s 1950s-era City Hall and Fire Station could fit together. Both buildings are currently vacant, except for some storage.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Shawnee recently awarded a grant loan to help a local coffee shop bring its business downtown. On Monday, the Shawnee City Council voted 5-3 to approve a $50,000 grant loan to Current State Coffee Roasters to help with renovations at its future location at 11217 Johnson Drive. Councilmembers Tony Gillette, Mike Kemmling and Jacklynn Walters were in dissent. The money comes from the Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development grant program, or SEED, which is a city-run program that provides one-time payments in the form of forgivable loans to businesses as part of the city’s efforts to encourage expansion of existing businesses and attraction of new employers, according to city documents.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Do you have pumpkins from the Halloween Holiday sitting around your house, and you’re not sure what to do with them?  The Clay Center Zoo would be happy to take them off your hands for the zoo animals. Garett Payne, Zoo Curator, said pumpkins are a special treat for most all the animals at the zoo, either for eating or playing with. Donating pumpkins to zoos or farms helps reduce food waste while providing many animals with a nutritious food source at no cost.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Even as electric vehicle sales decrease, the mayor of De Soto, Kansas, says the investment already made in the Panasonic battery plant has already benefited local residents and is helping the town as a whole grow. The plant opened earlier this year and is employing about 1,500 people.
Read more: KCUR

Cherokee County, with a population of about 19,000 people, faces a significant challenge known as a “food desert.” This term refers to areas where access to affordable and nutritious food is limited. In Cherokee County, residents can only find two grocery stores: a Harps in Baxter Springs and an Apple Market in Columbus. According to Hunger Free Kansas, 15.7 percent of the county’s population experience food insecurity, highlighting the severity of the issue. The limited number of grocery stores poses a particular problem for people who rely on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The future of a western Kansas school district is up in the air after years of funding cuts. Mathew Hendricks, superintendent of Dighton Public Schools, said the district has lost about 10% of its budget over the past two years due to declining valuations and enrollment. On top of that, the HVAC system isn’t working properly. While the district continues to make repairs, Hendricks said it would take a bond to fully fix the problem. The district will hold a community forum at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in the Dighton High School auditorium to discuss its financial future.
Read more: KSN-TV

In Ottawa County, residents will soon decide whether to ban certain types of swine facilities. Voters will be asked if corporations, companies, trusts, or partnerships should be allowed to own or lease agricultural land—directly or indirectly—to operate a “swine production facility.” The question stems from a proposed farm about 30 miles north of Salina that would house roughly 45,000 pigs.
Read more: KSN-TV

Topeka city leaders are scheduled to discuss a change to the controversial “readiness to serve” utility charge at an upcoming meeting. The Topeka City Council is set to meet on Nov. 12 and take action on a proposed ordinance regarding the city’s utility rates. Approval of this new ordinance would amend sections of the Topeka Municipal Code, 13.05.020 and 13.05.050, regarding the city’s water and wastewater rate structure, including the readiness to serve charge. Topeka’s readiness to serve charge is a monthly fee for people on all water meters, regardless of whether they are used or not. City councilmembers discussed the charge earlier this year in June with some calling it out for causing mass confusion among local residents.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The city of Lawrence has confirmed that Costco is planning to open a new store in the area. “We can confirm a site plan has been submitted and is currently in review,” a spokesperson for the city told FOX4 Monday in an email. The company submitted its site plan on Oct. 24; the plan number is SP-25-0038. According to the online portal, the plan is 33% completed.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The University of Kansas Health System’s Care Collaborative and Medical Center announced new initiatives to create specialty care delivery networks to increase access in rural communities across the state. The project is supported in part by a $12.1 million grant from The Patterson Family Foundation. This initiative will include: Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center will conduct a statewide assessment of specialty and sub-specialty care, as well as therapies and testing needed to support this care.  
Read more: KSNT 27 News

After more than 25 years as the head of the cemetery ministry at Colwich’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, John Weber is stepping down, but not before leaving a couple of markers to assist people in the search for the final resting place of their loved ones.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The city of Wichita is proposing a license for hotel operators to help regulate properties with health and safety complaints. The Wichita City Council will vote at its Thursday meeting whether to establish the license for lodging establishments that would cost a fee of $200, a city staff report said. The license would set new standards for local hotels and make it unlawful to offer hourly rates or fail to provide clean linens, remove trash or provide adequate pest control.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Arkansas City’s growing diversity has led city officials to request hiring an in-person interpreter for residents who speak Chuukese. During a work session Friday, City Manager Randy Frazer told commissioners that Municipal Court needs someone fluent in Chuukese, a language spoken primarily in the Chuuk State of Micronesia and by communities in Pohnpei and Guam. He said Tisaleen Uremoch is a local individual who can provide that service.Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

After years of wanting and asking, Wichita looks to be getting its long-awaited Cheesecake Factory. A building permit application was filed with the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department for a Cheesecake Factory restaurant at 2020 N. Rock Road at Bradley Fair. The address most recently housed Outback Steakhouse, which closed in April 2022 and has since been demolished.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.