Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County signs Disaster Emergency Declaration; KCC chairperson shares update from Topeka
Sedgwick County Chairman Pete Meitzner signed a State of Local Disaster Emergency Declaration for the county Wednesday due to the effects of the extreme weather and cold. The declaration is in effect starting Wednesday and will continue to remain in effect for seven days unless otherwise determined by the Board of County Commissioners. Sedgwick County stated thee Board of County Commissioners are expected to discuss this in the next few days. Sedgwick County residents are currently experiencing not only severely cold outdoor temperatures, which have led to a strain on utility services, but also experiencing water damage, water main breaks, the need for warming stations, and seeing an increase in the demand for natural gas and electricity.
Source: KSN-TV
Sedgwick County COVID-19 survey shows 65% plan to get vaccine
An anonymous survey conducted by the Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita on who would receive the COVID-19 vaccine was presented to the Sedgwick County Commission. The survey was conducted in a seven-county region in south-central Kansas. Of the 9,018 residents surveyed in Sedgwick County, 65% plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine while 19% said they may get it. The rest said they do not plan to get the vaccine. The survey in other counties had similar results. The survey was completed by 2.3% of the county’s total population of 18 years or older. Most of the respondents identified as female with a large majority reported being non-Hispanic and White/Caucasian (92%).
Source: KSN-TV
‘Peace of mind’: Many Kansas communities avoid blackouts by producing their own power supply
While a majority of Kansans rely on power companies to give them electricity, some do not have to because they have their own power supply. Dozens of Kansas communities are part of a public power group, and they each provide their own power almost like an engine. The engines are run by diesel in Mulvane at its power plant. “They are big, and they are loud,” said Brad Modlin, utility director. The engines can be anywhere between 600 to 800 degrees hot.
Source: KSNT News
Sedgwick County drops former Riverside Hospital as site for new government center
After kicking the tires, Sedgwick County has dropped a plan to buy the former Riverside Hospital to turn it into a government center. The old hospital building at 2622 W. Central had marked the most serious effort to date to move county government out of the downtown courthouse to clear space for more courtrooms and prosecutors’ offices. “A number of commissioners have walked through the facility, we’ve had our facilities folks take a look at the condition of the building . . . we’ve had architects over there looking at three or four different options on that building,” said Commissioner David Dennis. “What is obvious is that building does not meet the needs of Sedgwick County as we move forward.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
New health order expands mass gathering limit, bar hours in Douglas County
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health issued a new public health order Wednesday, expanding the mass gathering limit to 25 people and extending the hours of operation for bars and restaurants. The new health order includes the following changes: The mass gathering limit is expanded from 10 people to 25 people. If there is an outdoor event, the gathering is limited to 200 people and attendees must comply with social distancing rules. An indoor capacity limit of 50% of the lowest occupancy load on the certificate of occupancy for the facility where the gathering is occurring is now added to the order.
Source: KSNT News
Face mask requirements extended in Emporia and Jefferson County
Emporia city leaders and Jefferson County leaders voted to extend their mask ordinances on Wednesday. Jefferson County Commissioners voted 2-1 to continue the mask mandate until March 1, 2021. The ordinance was extended on Feb. 2nd and set to expire on Feb. 16. Commissioners re-evaluated it at their meeting on Tuesday to extend it again.
Source: KSNT News
New software allows Roeland Park residents to check their carbon emissions online
Roeland Park residents now have a way to check their household’s and city’s carbon footprint in real time. The city’s new carbon emissions tracking software is up and running on the city’s website, less than a year after the city set a goal to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 28% by the year 2025. Last March, the Roeland Park City Council approved an agreement with Dynamhex of Kansas City, Mo., for the company’s carbon emission tracking system and action plan.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Lawrence City Commission wants more information about cost, legal issues involved with taking over sidewalk maintenance
Before Lawrence city leaders consider taking over certain sidewalk maintenance responsibilities, they have a couple of questions for city staff, including how the city might fund a maintenance program and what kinds of legal issues it might face if it tried to enact one. At its meeting Tuesday, the City Commission received a report about the potential costs of taking over sidewalk maintenance after property owners had repaired the sidewalks to a certain level. Commissioners then directed city staff to do further research on what the ramifications of such a program might be.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Municipal Bond Trends for February 16, 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.
Regional power shortages, record chill force more blackouts in Kansas
Operators of the regional power grid again ordered utilities to implement rolling blackouts Tuesday morning to conserve natural gas and electricity as bitterly cold temperatures plunged further than ever before. The rare, emergency action is a response to skyrocketing natural gas prices, high demand for power and an unprecedented week of extreme wintry conditions for the middle swath of the country. The National Weather Service office in Topeka recorded an overnight low of -21, the seventh-coldest day ever. Low temperatures combined with moisture created problems with wind turbines, access to natural gas and the burning of coal across the Southwest Power Pool, which manages a 17-state power grid. The SPP on Monday declared its first-ever emergency and ordered all utilities to shut off power to rotating blocks of customers for 30-60 minutes. The order was reissued Tuesday morning.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Virtual Discussion on Lindsborg, child care and economic growth
Two years ago, Lindsborg’s town leaders and community partners took a hard look at what was needed to ensure that their community could thrive into the future. They surveyed residents and determined if they didn’t act soon, their town’s viability would be in doubt.
The big problem? It wasn’t a lack of jobs. It was not enough child care. In the latest edition of The Journal, a magazine published by the Kansas Leadership Center, correspondent Beccy Tanner profiles how Lindsborg is working across factions to tackle its child care challenges and upending established narratives about the future prospects of small-town America.
Read the story and join a panel that features Lt. Gov. David Toland for a livestream video discussion at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, to discuss how child care can nurture economic growth. The event, which will be broadcast on KLC’s Facebook and YouTube pages, is free of charge and no registration is required.
Add it to your calendar by visiting the event page at the KLC website.
10-year Treasury yield hits highest level in a year
Treasury yields drifted higher on Tuesday morning, as U.S. markets reopened following Presidents Day. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note climbed to 1.27% at around 10:45 a.m. ET, breaking above a the key level of 1.25% for the first time since March 2020. Meanwhile, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rose to 2.08%. Yields move inversely to prices. ” Given the fact rates are edging higher on a combination of bearish underpinnings as opposed to a distinct driver, the technical landscape is useful in gauging the extent to which any repricing may extend,” Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rate strategy at Bank of America Capital Markets told clients.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Evergy suspends rolling blackouts — for now. More outages could come without warning
Evergy and other major energy companies implemented rolling blackouts again Tuesday morning, cutting power across Kansas and Missouri to avoid a large-scale power outage in the Midwest, where subzero temperatures are wreaking havoc on power generation and driving people to use more energy to heat their homes. Evergy suspended the rolling blackouts mid-morning Tuesday, but more rounds of temporary emergency electricity shutoffs could be on the way if the region’s electricity demands continue outpacing power generation. Southwest Power Pool, which controls energy flow in Kansas and several other states, downgraded its energy emergency Tuesday afternoon, saying “all available resources have been committed to meet obligations.” But with more high energy use and a continued deep freeze in the central United States, “it is likely the system will fluctuate” until at least Thursday, meaning rolling blackouts could continue if conditions worsen.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
After 15 weeks of full hospital ICUs in Wichita, Sedgwick County reports available beds
Wichita’s two major hospitals now have available beds in their intensive care units after 15 weeks of full ICUs, the Sedgwick County Health Department reports. The health department’s weekly local hospital status was changed to “good” on Monday as Wesley Medical Center and Ascension Via Christi St. Francis reported available ICU beds for the first time since Oct. 26. For more than three months, the hospitals used contingency operations as all approximately 208 ICU beds were full. As of Monday, 18 ICU beds were available, up from zero the week before. Of the 190 in use, 30 were occupied by COVID-19 patients, which was down from 45 last week. The total COVID-19 patient count was 93, down from 126 a week ago.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Remote learning during pandemic renews fight for school choice in Kansas
As Kemper Whitlow spoke to lawmakers about his struggles with remote learning, his internet cut out. The Gardner-Edgerton High School junior was one of several students and parents who came before a Kansas House panel last week begging for a solution, or an end, to the online learning imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitlow complained of faulty internet, disengaged peers, constant screen time and social isolation.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
5 reasons Evergy is cutting power to 100,000 residents at a time
Up to 100,000 Evergy customers were without power this morning, February 16, as record low temperatures gripped the area and much of the Great Plains. These outages were intentional, created by Evergy at the request of the Southwest Power Pool as a way to conserve energy across a multi-state grid. Chuck Caisley, Evergy’s senior vice president and chief customer officer, explained five main reasons why residents are experiencing rolling power outages on one of the coldest days in decades. 1. Coldest day Temperatures early this morning plunged to record lows. In Wichita, Eisenhower Airport dropped to -17 degrees early this morning which smashed the previous record low of -6 degrees in 1903.
Source: KSN-TV
Housing leaders announce $200 million in statewide rental assistance
Kansans struggling to cover rent and utility payments due to COVID may qualify for up to 12 months of emergency assistance thanks to new federal relief. The initiative, funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, provides the state of Kansas with $200 million to support housing stability and prevent evictions and homelessness. Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) and the City of Wichita will administer the funds. “Home has never been more important,” said Ryan Vincent, KHRC Executive Director. “Home has always been a place of shelter, but in the midst of the pandemic it’s also become our virtual workplace, classroom, and gathering space. Rental assistance protects Kansans’ access to home when they need it most.”
Source: KSN-TV
‘Bitter, dangerous, arctic’ chill disrupts power grid
Public officials pleaded Monday for Kansans to turn thermostats down and conserve electricity as utilities warned that severe cold would force coordinated power outages across the Midwest. Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of emergency Sunday in anticipation of sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that reached the -30s. The extreme conditions knocked wind turbines and natural gas plants off the grid as power consumptions soared, prompting concerns about skyrocketing natural gas supplies and an inability to meet demand. Evergy, which serves eastern Kansas and western Missouri, announced plans Monday afternoon to begin shutting off power for rotating blocks of customers for 30-60 minutes at a time. The rolling blackouts were directed by the Southwest Power Pool, which markets the power supply for a 17-state region.
Source: The Iola Register
Kansas struggles to fix vaccine reporting issues
Kansas is working to fix its troubled system for sending vaccine data to the federal government, saying glitches caused about 100,000 doses that were given to not be registered as being administered. The state’s vaccination rate has consistently ranked as among the lowest in the country. As of Monday, 10% of the state’s population had been vaccinated, with 394,523 people receiving at least the first of two required doses, state health data showed. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows the state administering only 67% of the 581,975 doses it has received. The state, however, puts the figure at 68.9% and says it has received 572,275 doses. Both were an improvement from Friday.
Source: The Iola Register
Pottawatomie County opens five warming stations
Pottawatomie County has opened warming stations across the county in response to widespread controlled power outages the past two days. County officials say short-term temporary areas are available while citizens make longer term arrangements at fire stations in Olsburg, Wheaton, St. George and Havensville as well as the Sunflower Room at the Public Works/K-State Extension Office in Westmoreland. Anyone needing additional resources or information should contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 785-457-3353. The City of Manhattan has opened a warming shelter in the conference room at the Four Points Sheraton at 530 Richards Drive.
Source: 1350 KMAN