Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for May 8, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 7, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for May 6, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Garden City approves new bonding policy for municipal court
The ordinance provides direction to the city, the Garden City Police Department and the establishment of uniform practices concerning bonding practices in the Garden City Municipal Court. James Dummermuth, city attorney, said the new procedures were created after the GCPD, the Municipal Court and some members of the public have felt that the polices created in 2016 and then amended in 2018 have not addressed the recidivism bond. So, a new policy was drafted where they’re not going to use OR Bonds – where people didn’t have to post any type of cash bond, corporate surety bond, or anything of the like, they’re arrested and released – but are going to require a cash bond in almost all situations with some exceptions.
Source: Garden City Telegram
Sedgwick County new home construction fell in 2023. Will that make housing shortage worse?
Despite the need, new home construction in Sedgwick County went down last year. The county appraiser estimated a dip in new construction of almost 12%, an estimate that included single-family homes, duplexes and quadplexes. Single-family building permits fell by 9% in the Wichita area, according to the Wichita Area Builders Association. Why? “Inflation, and how fast and high it went up and stayed up — and also interest rates…”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Has Kansas’ relocation incentive program successfully attracted residents to rural areas?
Between 2012 and 2022, 1,670 people have participated in the student loan payment program, receiving a total of about $13.3 million. According to a program audit reviewed by The Wichita Eagle, 600 people had completed the program and received five years of student loan assistance, 560 had either withdrawn or been disqualified, 260 were involved in the program at the time of the audit, 160 withdrew before receiving any payment and 90 were on the wait list.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Gardner’s past a linchpin to future
Rep. Fred Gardner grew up near Burlington and remembers the days before Wolf Creek nuclear power plant came to town. Community development skyrocketed. A new computer chip manufacturing plant is likely to have the same effect.
Source: The Iola Register
Big changes proposed for Lawrence City Commission’s public comment policy
Proposed changes to Lawrence City Commission procedures would move the general public comment period to the end of meetings, make it untelevised, and require signup in advance. Commissioners hear public comment on specific agenda items they’re considering, but people may also address the commission about any topics “germane” to city business that aren’t on the agenda during the general public comment period — which is currently near the beginning of meetings.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Kansas wheat crop deteriorates due to lack of moisture
The condition of the crop has been deteriorating rapidly, especially over the past few weeks, going from 57 percent good to excellent on February 25 to only 31 percent good to excellent by April 28, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. It has suffered from lack of moisture for much of the growing season, especially during the spring green-up. The Kansas wheat crop is also ahead of schedule, with one-third already headed, well ahead of 9 percent last year and 6 percent average. A March 26-27 freeze event took a toll on it, as there was not enough snow cover, and the plants were more advanced than they typically are at the end of March.
Source: Salina Journal
Experience at Camp Courage led young Topeka woman to pursue a career in firefighting
BreAnna Droge — the newest Topeka Fire Department recruit — said she is thankful for the women who came before her and excited for those who will follow. Droge is the first woman to be recruited to the fire department after spending time at Camp Courage, a camp designed to encourage young women ages 16 to 20 years old to learn more about firefighting.
Source: CJonline
Municipal Bond Trends for May 3, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Inside JCPRD – Provence Village: A short-lived Johnson County city
Pop quiz: How many cities in Johnson County begin with the letter “P”? The answer may surprise you. Of course, we all know Prairie Village, but what about Provence Village? The city, which was an independent third-class city, existed southwest of Olathe for less than a decade. In the postwar era, northeastern Johnson County was rapidly suburbanizing. As master-planned subdivisions grew into communities, many became large enough to incorporate as state-recognized cities. Third-class cities, the smallest in Kansas, had less than 2,000 residents. Between 1948 and 1951, a whopping 11 suburban developments were incorporated as new third-class cities in Johnson County. These included: Leawood (in 1948); Fairway, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Westwood, and Westwood Hills (in 1949); Merriam (in 1950); and Countryside, Mission, Roeland Park, and Prairie Village (in 1951). The number of incorporated cities in the county more than doubled.
While it was expanding like many of Johnson County’s existing towns, Olathe was not experiencing the boom of the county’s northeast. The 1950 census recorded 5,600 residents in Olathe, a second-class city. Still, WWI Navy veteran George Provence and his wife Aletha thought the area was well-suited for a new suburban development. In 1947, George and Aletha Provence purchased a tract of land southwest of the City of Olathe. It was bounded by the Santa Fe Railroad tracks to the south, Dennis Avenue to the north, and U.S. 50 bisected the land running from the southwest to the northeast.
Source: Johnson County Post
Douglas County Commission approves revised wind energy regulations
Douglas County commissioners voted Wednesday to approve revisions to local wind energy regulations. Alternative energy has drawn a great deal of public interest, particularly from rural residents who would be more directly impacted by large wind farms and solar farms — such as the one for which commissioners recently approved a permit.
After marathon meetings in October and January, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 6-3 to advance draft wind energy regulations with one key modification: increasing required setbacks from property lines to 2,500 feet from 1,500. The three commissioners who voted against the regulations wanted to require smaller setbacks that would have allowed more flexibility for future wind developments. Commissioners were only considering the regulations on Wednesday — no specific projects were on the agenda.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Kansas to get $28 million for safe drinking water project
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that Kansas will receive $28.6 million under a federal project to identify and replace lead water service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. Health officials have said that lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children. The EPA will be working to make sure that 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek said in a press release, “This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gives Kansas the resources it needs to continue replacing water infrastructure that ultimately ensures safe drinking water, which is essential for the health and safety of all Kansans.”
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Pottawatomie County no longer in need of volunteers as cleanup effort enters next phase
Pottawatomie County officials say significant progress has been made on the cleanup effort in Westmoreland following Tuesday’s devastating tornado. “There’s still a lot to do but we kind of considered we’ve made it to the next phase of operations. We were able to send volunteers home this (Thursday) afternoon and we will not need volunteers tomorrow (Friday),” said Riley County Public Information Officer Vivienne Leyva, speaking on behalf of Pottawatomie County Thursday. Because heavy equipment will be hauling debris away, she says it’s not safe for volunteers to be out and about. The county plans to put out a notice when volunteers may be needed again through its newly established web page: pottcounty.org/tornado.
Source: 1350 KMAN
City to open ‘the world’s best outdoor gym’ in north Wichita
A new fitness court will open this month in north Wichita, the city said Friday. Alongside Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Wichita Parks and Recreation and the National Fitness Campaign, the city announced a partnership to bring an outdoor Fitness Court to Pat Garcia Veterans Memorial Park. The Fitness Court, located at 2640 N. Wellington Place, will officially open at 1 p.m. on May 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the city said in a news release. The Fitness Court was developed by BCBSKS, Wichita Park & Recreation and NFC to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities around the state, according to the release. The city calls the Fitness Court “the world’s best outdoor gym” that allows people to use their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations. Users of the court can also download the free Fitness Court App, which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gyun into a digitally supported wellness experience, the release says.
Source: KAKE – News
City of Wichita considering making microchipping your dog and cat mandatory
The city of Wichita is looking at a recommendation made by the Animal Services Advisory Board to make it mandatory for owners to have their dogs and cats microchipped. In 2023 the animal services advisory board made a subcommittee to discuss changes that could help out the animal shelter. One of the recommendations the board made was making it mandatory for all dogs and cats to be microchipped. It says this would help get lost animals back to their owners. Lt. Derek Purcell with the Wichita Police Department agrees. He told KAKE News this is the best thing to keep animals out of the already overflowing shelter. “Right now I have 187 animals in the shelter and I have no cats with microchips and 12 dogs so that’s roughly 6% that are microchipped,” he said. A microchip is a small metal piece that is inserted between an animals shoulder blades. It’s registered to a code that is connected to your address and phone number. If a pet has an up to date chip then an owner can be found when it is scanned. Purcell says this ordinance would help a lot. Not only would every pet have a chip but the chips would also work how they’re supposed to as people would update their information yearly.
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas STAR bond proposal for Chiefs, Royals leaves billion-dollar questions unresolved
A sales tax revenue (STAR) bond proposal introduced to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals across the border would not translate to a surefire score for a new stadium if Kansas lawmakers approve it during a future session. State lawmakers this week drew new attention to the polarizing incentive program with a bill meant to increase its potential value specifically for pro sports stadiums involving at least $1 billion in investment. Their last-minute effort came days after Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt raised the prospect of a new stadium and as developers such as Sporting Kansas City co-owner Robb Heineman have conceptually pitched a venue in Kansas City, Kansas. In the abstract, the STAR bond proposal would allow new multibillion-dollar Chiefs and Royals stadiums to be 100% publicly funded through redirection of new sales taxes. For that to happen, however, team and municipal officials first would need to agree to a STAR bond plan of an unprecedented magnitude, including details on how such a project would yield the billions of dollars in annual sales so taxes could pay down that debt.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Investor learns the risks, rewards of buying a house from city
Armed with flashlights, the public can check out for themselves the boarded-up houses, one-time public housing units, that the City of Wichita is selling. Totaling 352 units in all, it’s been a two-year process to get them to new owners, and out of the city’s hands. The Housing Authority has been holding open houses for interested buyers since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved the sale of the units. They hope prospective buyers will see a new home or investment opportunity. Logan Bradshaw, the Assistant Director of Housing and Community Service said, while working at an open house in March, that there has been a lot of interest in some of the houses. But while the city’s hoping for potential homeowners to bid on the units, the open houses are mostly attended by investment buyers.
Source: KLC Journal
Body cam footage shows Wabaunsee County deputy rendering aid following tornado
The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page posted body cam footage on Thursday of the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly EF3 tornado in Westmoreland.
The body cam footage is from Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chase Stallbaumer. He took part in the search and rescue following the tornado.
Source: KSN-TV