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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2018-08-05T16:28:50-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Municipal bonds collateral damage of improving economy, climbing rates

Municipal bond yields continued their ascent, following U.S. Treasuries higher, as markets adjust to rising rates and an improving economy that created an environment in which stocks sold off not because of economic uncertainty but stabilization. The atypical relationship — falling stocks and rising USTs — is likely temporary as global markets essentially recalibrate, moving away from COVID-impacted investments, such as technology companies, and back into traditional investments that were put on the wayside during the pandemic. Municipal triple-A benchmarks rose another three to six basis points, with the largest cuts longer out the curve. Munis are correcting after sitting idle for well over a month as its taxable counterparty moved into higher-yield territory since the beginning of the year. A lot of the pressure on munis is tied to U.S. Treasury and global bond markets selling off due to the perception of a stabilizing global economy with sunnier views of vaccine effectiveness and stimulus.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Pawnee County lowered to Level Green on COVID risk assessment

Pawnee County continues to see a drop in COVID-19 cases as the county health department lowered the COVID risk assessment matrix to Level Green, which indicates no to minimal risk of spreading the virus. Pawnee County has dealt with fewer cases than in months past as conditions continue to improve. The county’s weekly COVID report shows 1,132 cases as of Feb. 23, which is an increase of two cases from a week ago. Total community cases (excluding Larned State Hospital, individuals in long-term care and Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility) were 594, which is up by only three cases from last week.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

The gradual return of events to Wichita

Century II is hosting four public events over the next four weeks — a first for the venue in nearly a year. But it’s no easy task to put on an event during a pandemic. … “We work with the Sedgwick County Health Department on a case by case basis working with the needs of each event to make sure that staff, attendees, and the people putting in the events are as safe as possible,” explained Megan Lovely, the city’s communication and special events manager.
Source: KSN-TV

Hutchinson Fire Department: Fighting future fires with fire

If you noticed smoke or flames in Reno County on Thursday, do not be alarmed. Fire Crews are doing what they can to keep wildfires from igniting. Thursday was the last day the Hutchinson Fire Department is fighting future fires with fire. “If this field was on fire it would allow the crew to come and start working without a lot of other resources,” said Doug Hanen, the Division Chief of Operations for the Hutchinson Fire Department. As the temperatures in Kansas begin to warm up, so does the risk of wildfires.
Source: KSN-TV

Iola wants rules on incentives

Iola City Council members are keen on developing a policy to codify what incentives can be offered for new business development. Councilman Carl Slaugh has taken the reins to the endeavor, asking his fellow Council members for their thoughts on what should be considered when drafting the policy, which would require approval of the full Council’s approval…. The subsequent discussion covered several areas, from setting criteria to determine how much, if any, can be offered. Members pointed to such criteria as the number of employees or revenue generated from sales taxes or utility usage. Mayor Jon Wells said incentives, and criteria, also should differentiate on whether developers are industrial, commercial or residential.
Source: The Iola Register

Johnson County city reports thieves are stealing this essential vehicle part

Lenexa police say they have seen a substantial increase in catalytic converter thefts over the last couple of months, mainly at businesses where fleets of vehicles are parked overnight. “While most any type of vehicle is at risk, lately we are seeing thieves targeting work vans, trucks and larger utility-style work vehicles,” the city said in a news release. “Stealing a catalytic converter only takes a few seconds, but can be expensive to replace and costs businesses valuable time while their fleet vehicles are out of service.”
Source: Joco 913 News

City governments in Kansas didn’t launch the tech revolution. But they’re embracing it.

With residents demanding 24/7 access to information online, cities across the state are improving their communications infrastructure, an imperative made more pressing by the covid-19 pandemic. Their efforts create more than just increasingly sophisticated websites. The roles and duties of city officials are evolving in conjunction with their communication strategies, creating both strains and opportunities for strengthening the social fabric.
Source: KLC Journal.

Reno County takes input on commercial wind regs

Speakers offered widely contrasting views of what messages it would send – and what the economic impacts would be – depending on which commercial wind development regulations the Reno County Commission adopts. A half-dozen speakers appeared in favor of regulations forwarded by the Reno County Planning Commission, while four others called for more stringent restrictions or an outright ban on wind development in the southeast corner of the county. Each side received 30 minutes to speak. The County Commission then put off for two weeks further discussion on the topic to consider what they had heard and formulate their own opinions.
Source: Hutch News.

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

Kansas may have paid $600 million worth of bogus claims for unemployment benefits last year, a legislative audit said Wednesday, more than double an estimate from the state Department of Labor. The report from the Republican-controlled Legislature’s nonpartisan auditing division suggested that nearly 1 in 4 unemployment claims paid last year could have been fraudulent amid a surge in filings during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the Department of Labor’s own data. The department on Tuesday estimated last year’s fraudulent claims as worth $290 million.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Cheney superintendent worried as gas bill skyrockets

A week after temperatures plummeted below zero, causing demand for electricity and natural gas to skyrocket, some are getting a glimpse at what it is going to cost. Cheney Superintendent David Grover says the district’s bill is usually $7,000 but now is $57,000 and it doesn’t include the coldest days. The district gets its gas from the city. “School budgets as most people understand are set July 1, read July 1 through June 30th, and there certainly was never a $300,000 cushion built into energy,” said Grover. He has reached out to local, state, and federal lawmakers for help.
Source: KSN-TV

Kansas lawmakers seek relief from increases in natural gas prices following arctic blast

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, Rep. Ron Estes, Rep. Tracey Mann, Rep. Jake LaTurner, and Rep. Sharice Davids sent letters on Tuesday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick amid extreme increases in natural gas prices. They are asking Glick to consider expeditiously Governor Laura Kelly’s emergency request to protect Kansans from the potentially severe economic consequences following the arctic blast last week. They are also asking to look into the price spike and see what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “I really think we need some type of investigation before we rely upon the federal government to try to solve this problem. We need to go back to those gas companies and figure out exactly why this price went so high,” said Sen. Marshall.
Source: KSN-TV

Housing official talks about growing demand for rental assistance in Wichita

Since the City of Wichita opened applications for the Wichita Emergency Rental Assistance Program Monday morning, more than 800 people have sent in their solicitation. City officials say they expect the number to gradually grow. The program is intended to help Wichitans pay for their overdue rent and utility bills. “Many families have been impacted by COVID-19 and are hurting, I mean we see the number of families that are struggling to get their unemployment benefits that really didn’t surprise me,” said Sally Stang, Director of Housing and Community Services for the City of Wichita. “And we’re going to continue to outreach to make sure that we are reaching everybody who might be eligible to apply.”
Source: KSN-TV

Save Century II loses in bid at state Legislature to protect Wichita buildings

After a lengthy hearing in Topeka, the state Legislature won’t be taking action to save Century II and the former Wichita downtown library. The Save Century II group argued their case for state intervention before the House Local Government Committee. Save Century II members Celeste Racette, John Todd, Karl Peterjohn and Walt Chappell were asking lawmakers to require a binding public election before any decisions are made to tear down the historic buildings to replace them with a sweeping redevelopment of the Arkansas River front where they stand.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

McPherson receives update from BPU regarding gas prices

Tim Meier with BPU provided commissioners with an update on gas prices, production and the cold snap during Monday’s city commission meeting. Meier advised that, beginning on Feb. 9, BPU became curtailed on their production and had to begin receiving oil. They maintain approximately one million gallons of oil in stock at their facilities, but with gas prices going through the roof, they knew they needed a lot of fuel generation. “Typically, natural gas is substantially cheaper than oil, but oil was actually the cheaper option,” Meier said.
Source: McPherson Weekly News » Feed

Muni yields climb 30-plus basis points in weeklong sell-off

Triple-A municipal benchmarks saw another seven basis point cut in yields on bonds outside of 10 years on Wednesday, pushing municipal to U.S. Treasury ratios higher amid sloppy trading and cheaper pricing levels on high-grade competitive deals. Municipal bonds could not ignore another rise in U.S. Treasury rates, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony and a resulting equity rebound, along with approval of emergency use of a new COVID vaccine and the likelihood of more federal stimulus. “The municipal yield curve continues to steepen, and refuge from significant price losses only exists at the very short end of the market at this time,” said Michael Pietronico, chief executive officer at Miller Tabak Asset Management.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Sedgwick county leaders to discuss changes to current health order on Friday

The current COVID-19 positive rate is down to 4-point-7 percent. That’s the lowest it’s been since the last week of September. County leaders are set to meet on Friday to discuss the current health order which expires on March 20. County commissioner Pete Meitzner said he is pleased with the community’s role in lowering the positivity rate. The county manager says fewer restrictions could be on the way but ultimately it’s up to the health officer. “Now the order that we currently have is in effect until sometime in March, we will talk with Dr. Minns on Friday about a number of things — but one of them is going to be what his feelings are on regulation right now and I would bet he will definitely want to discuss that,” said Tom Stolz, Sedgwick County manager.
Source: KSN-TV

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