Kansas Municipal News
Topeka councilman proposes repealing after midnight license for businesses
Topeka councilman Spencer Duncan is asking city council to repeal the “After Midnight” license required for businesses to operate from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. In the last several weeks, businesses have been notified that they will need to renew the After Midnight license. Duncan said he was approached by a constituent who owns a bar in his district, District 8. According to Duncan, the fee may bring in a total of roughly $5,000. He believes the labor it takes to approve the licenses costs more than the revenue it brings to the city.
Source: KSNT News
Shawnee County Health reports more than 21,000 vaccinated
The Shawnee County Health Department reported that as of March 2 approximately 21,073 individuals, 65 and over, have been vaccinated in Shawnee County. As of March 5, 250 mass transportation and child care workers were vaccinated. Stormont Vail Health, The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus, GraceMed, VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System and the Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) released a statement on March 9 that they have met their goals based on the number of vaccine doses they received.
Source: KSNT News
Sedgwick County prepares to start up a second COVID mass-vaccination clinic
As supplies of coronavirus vaccines and personnel to give the shots improve, Sedgwick County is planning to start a second mass-vaccination clinic, officials said Tuesday. The new clinic is projected to start on a three-day-a-week basis and would allow the county to give about an additional 4,500 shots a week, said Deputy County Manager Tim Kaufman. He said the second site will be possible because Kansas Department of Health and Environment will soon provide more vaccine and lend the county additional trained personnel to administer shots.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Humboldt district strategizes spending
Humboldt school officials are creating a strategic plan on how to use $366,000 in federal relief funds. The district recently received $366,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds as part of the federal CAREs Act. Now the challenge is to create a strategic plan for how to spend it. On Monday, Superintendent Kay Lewis shared with board members an intricate color-coded “map” of the plan thus far, which included feedback from staff. Some possible items include increasing community engagement post-COVID, hiring literacy specialists, developing curriculum, improving internet and boosting student social and emotional health.
Source: The Iola Register
Positive Connections: Hutchinson man’s wheels keep turning, celebrates 57 years in almost century-old bicycle business
Nearly 100 years later and the wheels at Harley’s Bicycles in Hutchinson are still spinning. “Our business actually started in 1922, so this is about our 99th year in business,” said owner Bob Updegraff. Updegraff hadn’t even graced the earth when the original shop opened, but some might say he was born to take it over. He was introduced to the business at a young age.
Source: KSN-TV
No yolking… chickens are back in Sabetha
Housing chickens within the city limits of Sabetha has been approved. This decision comes after a brief discussion held at the Sabetha City Commission Monday, March 8. … [Mayor] Clark said he had one email that was opposed to chickens and then had several people who were in favor. Clark asked [city administrator] Allen what the normal procedure was for getting a permit. “It would be like a building permit,” Allen said. “You would have to apply for a chicken permit and have a design on it and the required setbacks.” As for checking on people meeting the requirements of the permit, Allen said they won’t be counting chickens everyday, but will look into it if a complaint is made.
Source: Sabetha Herald
Western Kansas school district stops requiring masks
Face masks are no longer required in one school district in Ford County. The Spearville Schools board of education voted Monday night, 5-1, to amend the COVID policies adopted at the beginning of the school year. Along with no longer requiring masks, the board amended the use of plexiglass shields in the classroom. “Effective immediately, masks will no longer be required in the buildings. However, if any staff or student still wishes to wear a mask, they are more than welcome to continue to do so,” said the district in a post on Facebook.
Source: KWCH.
Municipal Bond Trends for March 8, 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.
Much of Kansas to see higher electric bills
Much of Kansas will likely see higher electric bills as a result of February’s deep freeze while utility customers in the Kansas City area could get refunds. The difference has to do with how two different divisions of utility giant Evergy fared during the brutal cold. The company’s Kansas Central division had to spend an additional $100 million to buy power. Meanwhile, Evergy’s Metro Division that serves the Kansas City area was able to generate $60 million in extra revenue because it was able to generate surplus power and sell it to other utilities.
Source: KSNT News
Halstead applying for state loan to avoid paying gas bill all at once
The city of Halstead plans to take advantage of state loan to help pay its exorbitant gas bill from February. This would mean that residents can expect to have a monthly surcharge added to their bill for the coming years but not worry about paying a bill for $1,000 come April. At a work session Thursday evening, City Manager Ethan Reimer told the governing body that the state legislature had just made $100 million in state idle funds available to loan to cities like Halstead that are facing extraordinary bills relating to the energy crisis two weeks ago. The city expects its February bill to spike from $100,000 to more than $2 million, but it hasn’t received the final amount yet. Estimated price points also showed that a resident who normally paid $75 for gas in February would have received a bill for nearly $1,000, Reimer said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Judge says TV station’s open records lawsuit against Overland Park in Albers case can go forward
A Johnson County judge on Monday handed Kansas City, Mo., TV station KSHB a victory in court, ruling that an open records lawsuit against the city of Overland Park regarding the 2018 police shooting of teenager John Albers can move forward. Judge Robert Wonnell decided to allow the suit filed by KSHB and its parent company, Scripps Media Inc., to continue without disruption by denying the city’s motion to dismiss. The TV station’s suit seeks the report on the police investigation of the shooting, from the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Mulberry files lawsuit accusing BP Energy of price gouging
A small Kansas town is fighting natural gas prices charged by BP Energy during last month’s extreme cold, accusing the multinational oil and gas giant of “unconscionable profiteering” under state statute. A lawsuit filed Tuesday by the city of Mulberry says BP inflated prices for natural gas from $2.98 per mmbtu on Feb. 9 to $329.615 from Feb. 13-16. The city is asking for bills to be recalculated at a reasonable rate. Jim Zakoura, an attorney representing the city in the lawsuit, said BP took advantage of Mulberry and other Kansas towns that operate their own utilities at a moment when residents needed natural gas to heat their homes and stay alive.
Source: The Iola Register
Chetopa seeks state loan for its huge bill for electricity
The Chetopa City Council on Friday evening agreed to seek a $250,000 loan from the state to help offset a huge hit to the city’s utility budget caused by high electric costs during the February cold snap. The council also agreed that payments for the large bills that residents received could be adjusted using level pay plans or by residents paying their normal billed amount for the month plus an additional payment each month for the extra electric costs in February. The council voted that residents can have up to 15 months to pay these higher bills off completely.
Source: Parsons Sun
Plan to build 11 warehouses has some southern Johnson County residents pushing back
A proposal to build several warehouse buildings in a Southern Johnson County community has some residents upset. “We like the peace and quiet out here,” Jenni Koch, a resident said. The Koch family has been living on their 80 acres of land for 40 years. “We have horses and animals, and we love the land,” Koch said. “We love to be outside.” Their peace and quiet could be shattered if more warehouses pop up. “We have to deal with the truck traffic and just having a warehouse next to our home is not the view that we want,” Koch said.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Loan would reduce gas pains
Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder breathed a sigh of relief last week when Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation that issued $100 million to help municipalities pay sky-high utility bills incurred from the arctic blast in February. Because cities can neither take out commercial loans nor go into debt, they have little latitude but to pay their bills in a timely manner. Humboldt has been warned to expect a bill for $1.6 million for natural gas usage during the Jan. 20 to Feb. 20 billing cycle. Typically, the charge is $35,000. The city’s entire annual budget for natural gas is $375,000. The state loan program will allow municipalities affected by the rate hikes to apply for 10-year loans at a 2% interest rate. Herder hopes to apply for a loan to cover the full $1.6 million. Over 10 years, payback would be about $163,200 a year and require a 60% increase in residents’ utility bills.
Source: The Iola Register
New Dollar General Store opens in Udall
A steady stream of customers went into the new Dollar General Store just east of Udall at 3169 K-15 Friday afternoon. They were all happy to be shopping in the store, according to their comments. One man said he was glad the store is close. “If I need something, it’s nearby.” Devn Dockins said he’s lived in Udall 40 years, and it’s great to be able to shop so close to home. He’s been in the store almost every day since it opened, he said.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Municipal Bond Trends for March 5, 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.
Faulty streetlights turning blue and purple
A new problem popping up in several towns across Kansas, including Wichita and Topeka, is faulty streetlights that are turning blue and purple. An eerie scene on the streets of some northwest Wichita neighborhoods. “They’ve been popping up down the streets around here for about the past one to two months,” said April Vu. April Vu, who’s lived in west Wichita the past three years, said the blue and purple lights in her area are really distracting and she worries they might cause problems for drivers.
Source: KAKE – News
Winfield still seeking gas cost solutions
City of Winfield officials are still working to lower energy costs accrued during several days of record-breaking cold in February, even as state aid becomes available to assist municipal energy providers. Senate Bill 88, passed by both legislative chambers on Wednesday and signed into law later that day by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, establishes a $100 million low-interest loan program to help municipal utility providers facing high bills after last month’s record-breaking cold snap. The loan program will be administered by the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office using Pooled Money Investment Board (PMIB) funds. “This loan program was absolutely necessary for our cities to manage the surging utility costs,” Kelly said in a press release. “It gives cities the immediate relief they need to avoid dire financial decisions while we pursue other, long-term solutions.”
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Loan would reduce gas pains
Help is on the way. A bill signed by Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday could ease the immediate burden Humboldt faces from its utilities-based financial crisis. Recall, rate increases on natural gas during the recent cold snap slammed cities across Kansas, including Ellinwood, Pratt, Altamont, Winfield, Lyons, Burlingame and Humboldt, with unmanageable utility costs. Humboldt’s total bill was $1.6 million, a wallop to both the city and residents. City administrator Cole Herder said, “I have an example of one family whose bill is typically under $200 a month. Their bill for this month would have been $5,400. That’s an exceptional case, but I just know our residents can’t stand that. … And our major manufacturers, it’s just astronomical the amount they’d have to pay,” he added.
Source: The Iola Register