Kansas Municipal News
Daily Amtrak service will return to Kansas in May
Amtrak plans to resume daily service across Kansas beginning May 31, thanks to renewed federal funding. The Southwest Chief route from Los Angeles to Chicago was reduced to three days a week in October in response to falling use during the coronavirus pandemic. But the company said new federal COVID-19 relief funding will allow it to restore daily service on the Southwest Chief and 11 more long distance routes in coming months. The Southwest Chief makes several stops in Kansas, including Kansas City, Topeka, Garden City and Dodge City. Amtrak also announced last week that it plans to eventually add a new route that would connect the Southwest Chief to Oklahoma and Texas through the station in Newton, Kansas, KCUR reported.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Governor Kelly says there are no plans for “vaccine passports”
Governor Laura Kelly says she has no plans to have Kansas issue vaccine passports, which are designed to help inoculated residents travel, shop and dine out more freely. Vaccine passports, which verify people’s immunization status, have become a political flashpoint in the U.S. as they’ve come into use in Israel and under development in Europe. Some Republicans in the U.S. see them as heavy-handed government intrusion. Kelly said Monday that she’s concentrating on making sure people get tested for and vaccinated against COVID-19. The Democratic governor also signed into law a largely symbolic Republican bill requiring public schools to offer full-time, in-person classes to all students for the rest of the current semester.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Local leaders excited about possible Amtrak expansion into Wichita
Back in 2017, Amtrak ran a test train through the air capital. The goal was to gauge interest in restarting passenger service to Wichita after it had been taken off the map in the 1970’s. Ever since then local political leaders have kept in contact with Amtrak. “We’ve been working on this for quite a while. And it seems to be something that the folks in Wichita really want,” Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesperson, told KAKE News. Fast forward to 2021 and that service could be coming back. Part of President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan would feature a major expansion of Amtrak, including connecting its station in Newton to Oklahoma City and Dallas via Wichita. The federal funding would help overcome “a big obstacle” according Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Pete Meitzner. He says the cost of getting it started was one of the biggest factors holding it back. While the bill has not been introduced to the House or Senate, the potential addition of this Amtrak line is something city and county leaders believe could bring a lot of new business.
Source: KAKE – News
Tiny Kansas town sues oil and gas giant over high prices
This tiny and hard-to-find Kansas town is taking on one of the biggest energy companies on the planet, over February natural gas bills they say would bankrupt the city, the residents, or both. Mulberry, a city of about 500 folks, is suing the mega-corporation BP — formerly British Petroleum — alleging that the company gouged them by raising the price of natural gas to more than 100 times the regular price during an arctic blast that began Feb. 10 and persisted for about the next 10 days. “We feel like it’s a David and Goliath, basically,” said Amy Tucker, the assistant city clerk and one of only two administrative employees at City Hall. “With a big corporation like that, you know, we’re just a blip on their radar.” But the people of Mulberry, in Crawford County, don’t feel like they have any choice but to fight. The city can’t afford BP’s bill and if it passes the cost through to residents, they can’t afford it either, Tucker said.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Kansas is working to connect dozens of communities with trails
An exciting venture is underway in the Sunflower State: the creation of an inter-connected trail system that will link dozens of communities, generate economic activity and entice Kansans to recreate for health and the enjoyment of the outdoors. Old railroad lines are being repurposed as multiuse trails for walking and biking. Several organizations are working on building rail-trails in Kansas. More than 27 rail-trails are either completed or partially completed, and 13 are undeveloped. In fact, 565 miles are completed and 273 miles are under development or planned. The goal is to link these together into a interconnected system.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Amtrak Going Daily Again In Kansas, Easing Worries About The Future Of Passenger Rail In The State
Amtrak plans to restart daily passenger service on its Southwest Chief route across Kansas beginning May 31. In October, Amtrak cut the line’s daily service down to three days a week because of the pandemic. But the company says new federal COVID-19 relief funding will allow it to restore daily service on the Southwest Chief and 11 more of its long distance routes over the next few months. The Southwest Chief, the only Amtrak service in Kansas, runs from Chicago to Los Angeles and includes local stops in Kansas City, Topeka and Dodge City. For southwestern Kansas communities like Garden City, the route provides a connection with the rest of the state and the region. “When you live in an area like this that’s very remote,” said Lona Duvall, the president and CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, “it’s just too important that people have that freedom of movement.”
Source: KCUR News
Arma Community Garden looks to win grant funds
Officials with the Arma Community Garden are asking for the public’s votes. The garden is one of more than 300, nationwide – competing for gardens for good grant money. The top 21 vote-getters will receive $5,000 each to help their respective communities provide nutritious food. Since 2019, the garden is Arma has supplied produce to the pantries at the library and the high school.
Voting closes on April 7th.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Cowley County joins effort to promote counties
Cowley County is joining other Kansas counties in recognition of Kansas County Government during April 2021 as part of National County Government Month promoted by the National Association of Counties (NACo). County government dates to 1634 and no two counties are exactly alike. Counties are diverse in structure and services delivered to the communities vary from one county to another. During the month of April, Cowley County intends to highlight its operations and offer descriptions of services provided to the citizens. Cowley County performs numerous daily services to the public, many which are readily noticeable and many that go unnoticed.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Natural gas penalties waived for Winfield
During a Winfield City Commission workshop Thursday, City Manager Taggart Wall said that city staff were notified earlier in the day that the city will not be assessed $4.8 million in penalties it could have faced from its pipeline company for customers’ natural gas usage during an unprecedented winter storm in February. With the penalties eliminated, this brings the city’s total gas liability down from $13.2 million to $8.6 million. “They have confirmed to us in an email that we were not assessed any penalties,” Taggart said.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Iola sees record number of roofs, permits
When it comes to building and repair work this year, everything is going up. The number of permits are up as well as prices. In fact, they’re setting records. And that’s not likely to change anytime soon. “This year has been crazy. Prices are rising throughout our whole industry, and supplies are hard to come by,” Ron Boren, president of Boren’s Roofing in Iola, said. “It’s going to be an interesting summer.” Bill Weston, with H & H Roofing, agreed. Supplies are limited and costly. But his crews are busier than ever, thanks to a hail storm last May that damaged dozens of local homes, especially in the north part of Iola and rural areas.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas counties ditching mask rules before lawmakers acted
Kansas counties already had started dropping or weakening mask rules before lawmakers toppled Gov. Laura Kelly’s newly reissued order requiring them — and more are expected to follow suit even as variants first detected in South Africa and the United Kingdom have been found in the state. The order, which was similar to one passed in November, was always porous, allowing the state’s 105 counties to set their own possibly less restrictive rules or opt out of the order entirely. Kelly, a Democrat, was required to reissue it Thursday under a new Kansas law, which also gives eight top legislators the power to reject her efforts to set rules to address the pandemic.
Source: KAKE – News
Concerns grow over Wichita street racing following recent hit and run
A Wichita woman is asking for the Wichita Police Department’s help in monitoring speeding in her neighborhood. She says she lives near Meridian and Pawnee. On Wednesday, police were called out to a hit-in-run that injured a 9-year-old boy. Police say two pick-up trucks were racing in the 2700 block of S. Meridian Ave. The injured child was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. “I can watch them coming down the street and they’re flying at a high rate of speed,” said Leigh, who has lived in the area for 25 years. She wants WPD to see what she is experiencing firsthand. WPD agrees that it’s an issue, but it’s not a simple fix. “It’s not something that you can just go out in a specific location and wait for two people to come up and race, a lot of times spontaneous,” said Sergeant Keith Fort with the Wichita Police Department. Leigh fears there could be more incidents if something isn’t done.
Source: KSN-TV
Columbus Fire Department working to improve severe weather preparedness
A Southeast Kansas Fire Department is doing what it can to be severe weather ready. Severe weather season is approaching – and the Columbus Fire Department is undergoing training for its new Storm Command Center. The training actually began Wednesday and they’re using the May 22nd, 2011 tornado as an example. The department has also updated the community’s emergency response plan.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Some emergency services struggling to retain employees
Some local police and fire departments are having a difficult time filling positions. We’re talking specifically about those on the front lines – or in this case, the front phone lines. Since the start of the pandemic, agencies have been working to fill these positions for longer periods of time. This isn’t something new for departments in the area – it’s been a problem for years, nationwide. Brandy Grassl, Labette County Emergency Management Coordinator, said, “We’ve been short staffed for almost a year now.” Filling positions for first responders like 911 dispatchers continues to be difficult. Unfortunately covid-19 hasn’t helped the process.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Bird e-scooters now available to ride in Topeka
There’s a new way to get around the Capital City. Bird e-scooters launched its pilot program Thursday with free rides for healthcare workers. One hundred of these scooters are now around Topeka. The company said it’s planning to ramp up with more scooters in the coming weeks. The city of Topeka has cleared them to bring a maximum of 400 scooters into town.
Source: KSNT News
Newton welcomes a new kind of hemp business
At the same time Spallitta and Trivisonno began to look for a new home, executive director Beth Shelton at the Harvey County Economic Development Council was hearing about a new company developing prosthetics out of hemp fiber. The two sides came to an incentive agreement, approved by the city of Newton and the Harvey County Commission, where Human Plant Solutions will move into a building at the city-county airport east of Newton. The company will take up 6,000 of the 6-year-old building’s 20,000 square feet and pay no rent for six months, though it will pay utilities.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for April 1, 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.
Wichita, Sedgwick County, among areas enforcing an April burn ban
Depending on where you live, you may need to keep from enjoying any backyard chimineas and fire pits for the month of April. A burn ban is imposed in 16 counties, including Sedgwick County, by the State of Kansas through the entire month of April. Restricted activities include burning trees and brush from land clearing, crop residues, construction debris, yard waste, and the use of backyard chimineas and fire pits. The counties in the April burn ban are Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Geary, Greenwood, Johnson, Lyon, Marion, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, Sedgwick, Wabaunsee, and Wyandotte. To comply with the regulations, the Wichita Fire Department (WFD) will enforce an open burning ban during April. Effective April 1, no new burn permits will be issued and all previously issued burn permits will be suspended until at least May 1. Live fire training will also be suspended during this time.
Source: KSN-TV
Amtrak could run through Wichita again under President Biden’s transportation bill
President Joe Biden’s proposed transportation bill includes billions more for Amtrak. It could mean trains could once again run through Wichita. The map Amtrak released Wednesday shows proposed routes if funding is increased. It includes a passenger line running from Wichita, through Oklahoma City and down to Texas. Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said it could be a boost for the city. “It would not only be an economic boom for us but help us keep airline prices down. It would give more options and opportunities for Wichitans,” said Mayor Whipple. Amtrak has not served Wichita directly since 1979.
Source: KSN-TV
Wichita will continue to require employees and visitors to city facilities to wear masks
The City of Wichita will continue to require employees and visitors to all city facilities, including those who have received a vaccination, to wear masks, practice safe social distancing, and limit attendance at city facilities until further notice. On Thursday, Kansas legislators revoked an order aimed at encouraging counties to keep mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic, just hours after Gov. Laura Kelly issued it. Kelly’s order Thursday required people to wear masks indoors at businesses and public spaces and outdoors when they can’t socially distance. State law gives counties the final say, but her order meant that elected county commissions had to vote to set less restrictive rules or opt out. The order was similar to a mask policy Kelly issued in November.
Source: KSN-TV