Kansas Municipal News
Grant money saves historic building in downtown Topeka
The Thacher building in downtown Topeka was recently approved for two grants totaling $110,000. One of the grants, worth $90,000, comes from Governor Laura Kelly who also awarded grants to 14 other historical sites. The grants were allocated to the Thacher building after Jeff Carson, co-owner of the building and the company Gizmo Pictures that it homes, applied for them. The historical venue was suffering from some structural deficiencies that were accumulated over the years and needed saving. Some tenants, including Juli’s Coffee and Bistro, had to move out. The venue was designed in 1888 by world-renowned architect John G. Haskell. Haskell was also the architect for the Kansas Statehouse located just a few blocks from the Thacher Building.
Source: KSNT News
Gathering sizes grow to 300 for Shawnee County with new COVID-19 health order
Beginning Friday, mass gathering limits in Shawnee County have increased to 300 participants or 50% of total capacity, according to a press release. Restaurants, bars and nightclubs can increase their hours until 12:00 a.m. Karaoke is now allowed as well as other live performances. Consumption of food and beverage at counters is also allowed with appropriate social distancing and barriers. Organizations that are planning events that are expected to go over 300 participants must submit a written plan for the COVID-19 Incident Response Team and the Shawnee County Health Officer to review.
Source: KSNT News
Up to 2 inches of snow, wind chills as low as negative 30 in Kansas weather forecast
More snow is in the forecast for this weekend as many parts of Kansas still have snow on the ground from this past weekend’s snowfall. People who have been staying inside due to the weather may want to get groceries or run any necessary errands soon, because the forecast calls for even colder temperatures. The additional snow and any potential ice may make driving on roads more dangerous. “Bitter cold temperatures and very dangerous wind chills expect this weekend,” forecasters with the National Weather Service office in Wichita said in a tweet. “Be prepared for extreme cold.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Recreational Trail Funding opportunity
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) is not currently accepting applications for Recreational Trails Funding. The 2021 application will be uploaded in the Spring for a September 1, 2021 due date. The program provides 80 percent reimbursement to selected outdoor recreation projects. Projects that provide for motorized recreation activities are encouraged, as 30% of the funding is to be devoted to motorized projects. Qualifying projects include new trail or trailhead construction, maintenance or reconstruction of existing trails, enhancements or upgrades to existing trails/trailheads, development and planning, or land acquisition and easements.
Learn more here.
Municipal Bond Trends for February 9, 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.
How The Search For Water Is Pitting Farmers Against Cities In Western Kansas
In the late 1980s, drought left the wells that supply water to the city of Hays and Russell in western Kansas precariously low. The near-catastrophe sent city leaders on the hunt for more water. “We were just trying to survive from one year to the next,” former Hays mayor and city councilman Eber Phelps said. The cities researched their options, including looking into purchasing water from several nearby reservoirs.
Source: KCUR News
Young generations aren’t staying in Kansas after graduating from college. Here’s why
Taelyr Blehm could have stayed in Kansas. When the KU senior accepted a position as a community organizer with the DART Network — an interfaith advocacy organization focusing on social justice — she had the option to work in Kansas City, Kansas, or Lawrence. Instead, she headed to Ft. Lauderdale. “I really appreciate some of my more rural beginnings. I spent summers on the farm, I knew the same people from preschool all the way through high school,” she said. “But I feel like the town I’m from perfectly represents the stagnation of Kansas as a state.” Blehm, a 21-year-old Russell native, is part of a continuing and possibly increasing generational exodus, as college-age students and graduates pursue opportunities elsewhere. Young Kansans leave for a mix of reasons. Many, like Blehm, are drawn to bigger, more diverse cities. Others seek livelier social scenes, even if that means moving across the state line to Kansas City.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
City of Edgerton debates all-terrain vehicles, disposal
Edgerton City Council discussed the details of writing a city ordinance for all-terrain vehicles, golf carts, low-speed vehicles, micro-utility trucks and work-site utility vehicles. The ordinance would be voted on at a future council meeting. In September 2020, the Edgerton City Council held a work session to discuss possible regulations to allow various types of vehicles on city streets.
Source: Gardner News
Tobacco-free parks highlight Hoisington agenda
Meeting Monday, the Hoisington City Council directed city staff to draft a tobacco-free ordinance to be enforced at city parks. Details of the proposed ordinance provide no exemptions and include a $50 fine with court costs. “Prior to drafting an ordinance on the issue, our staff felt it was critical to get council input on enforcement and whether there would be any exceptions,” said City Manager Jonathan Mitchell. “We will draft an ordinance for a future meeting but it will likely include all forms of tobacco as well as e-cigarettes.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune
After 16 years as Overland Park’s mayor, Carl Gerlach will not seek reelection
Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in November, after holding the office since 2005. Gerlach, 66, has led Johnson County’s largest city through the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s been at the helm of Overland Park as leaders have worked to redevelop areas such as the Metcalf Avenue corridor and the downtown, attracted new luxury apartment buildings and businesses, plus added 25,000 new jobs in the past 16 years. He felt this year was the right time to retire, he told The Star. He plans to spend more time with his family and traveling, but also looks to continue volunteering and serving the community.
Source: Joco 913 News
Johnson County city bans people from 9 medians. Critics say law penalizes the homeless
The Merriam City Council on Monday passed an ordinance banning pedestrians from medians at the city’s nine busiest intersections, despite some concerns that the law would push out the homeless and panhandlers. City officials said the law is aimed at cutting down on car crashes and ensuring the safety of pedestrians, and is not meant to penalize panhandlers — a fear brought up by Councilwoman Whitney Yadrich and some residents. … The ordinance prohibits pedestrians from standing or sitting on medians at nine high-traffic intersections, other than to legally cross the street. Police Chief Darren McLaughlin brought the idea before the council, saying that distracted driving is a main cause of accidents at the intersections, where more than half of the city’s crashes occur each year. He worries about an increase in people stopping traffic to collect money there.
Source: Joco 913 News
Sedgwick County looks at more potential sites, hoping for uptick soon in vaccine supply
Sedgwick County says it’s vaccine distribution at INTRUST Bank Arena is going well. But when an anticipated jump in distribution affects vaccine supplies, the county wants to expand to as many places as they can. On Tuesday, County Manager Tom Stolz told commissioners he had begun preliminary conversations with pharmacies in Wichita and elsewhere, about sharing it’s supply when they start receiving more. Stolz told KAKE News that he expects the supply the county receives to only go higher over the next few weeks. “Can you (pharmacies) be a site in the future where we begin to get all of this vaccine in, to help us efficiently distribute it to the community?” he said of his conversations.
Source: KAKE – News
Commerce wants to expand use of STAR bonds in Kansas. Skeptics say program doesn’t work.
Kansas legislators are once again considering a renewal and modification of sales tax revenue bonds that would allow for use of public funding on rural redevelopment, hospital and company headquarters projects. Sales tax revenue, or STAR, bonds, is an economic development tool allowing Kansas municipalities to issue bonds to finance major attractions that bring in tourists from out of state. The bonds are currently available in metropolitan areas to projects with an anticipated investment of $50 million and with a projected gross annual sale of at least $50 million. There is no specific threshold in rural areas, but it must be of major state or regional significance. The bonds are paid off through sales tax revenue generated by the project. The program is set to expire at the end of June.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Various entities in southwest Kansas get together to discuss emergency response, COVID-19
Various agencies and businesses in southwest Kansas congregated Tuesday over Zoom to discuss emergency response matters and COVID-19. This get-together was an opportunity for each entity to discuss all pertinent issues and find ways to better collaborate moving forward. Colleen Drees, Finney County Public Health Director, said they have experienced significant declines in COVID cases in their community. Finney County has administered around 1,000 vaccine doses, plans to administer an additional 700 this week, and has an estimated 1,000 for next week. … Garden City Schools Public Information Coordinator Roy Cessna shared that their district surveyed staff members, and of the 87-percent [1,122 employees] of staff that responded to the survey, 51-percent of staff said they would take the COVID vaccine.
Source: KSN-TV
Harvey County expands mass gathering limits
The Harvey County Commission has loosened the requirements of a local health order that limits mass gatherings in Harvey County. The health order increases the gathering limit size from 10 to 50 people. The commission, which serves as the board of health, and in consultation with Public Health Officer Dr. Doyle Detweiler, voted to revise the order at its Feb. 9 meeting. The order requires gatherings be limited to 50 individuals where 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. It does not limit the occupancy in a facility or event if 6 feet of distance can be maintained between groups at all times.
Source: KSN-TV
Pittsburg encourages local business support on Valentines Day
The city of Pittsburg is offering an incentive to support downtown businesses this Valentines Day. Beginning Friday, the city will host, Dancing Downtown. People can shop or eat local for Valentines Day Weekend – and potentially earn a chamber gift card of $100. All they need to do is pick up a dance card and have three of the designated businesses fill it out.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Can Kansas have a normal summer? Here’s how many more vaccine doses are needed weekly.
The top doctor leading the Kansas response to the coronavirus pandemic said the state needs five times as many COVID-19 vaccine doses each week in order for Kansans to have a normal summer in 2021. The comment from Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, came during a Tuesday morning media briefing hosted by the University of Kansas Health System. Norman was asked: “What is the rate of ramp-up that we would have to have across Kansas in order to get back to summer fairs and fall festivals and baseball and weddings, or is that number even achievable?”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Vaccine surfing? Don’t try it at Sedgwick County’s COVID vaccination station
It’s called “vaccine surfing” — hanging out around a COVID-19 vaccination center at the end of the day, hoping to get a shot from the leftovers. But it won’t work at Sedgwick County’s vaccination stations, a top county official said Tuesday. While Sedgwick County is committed to not wasting any doses of the precious vaccine, its medical personnel won’t give the jab to just anybody to get rid of spare doses, said Tim Kaufman, deputy county manager.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Survey finds more than 30,000 Johson Countians live in poverty, every city impacted
Merriam, Roeland Park, Mission and Shawnee are among the northeast Johnson County cities with the highest poverty rates, according to a United Community Services of Johnson County fact sheet. The local nonprofit’s data details poverty rates for the 19 cities and seven townships in Johnson County, based on five-year estimates (2015-2019) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. While the data was collected prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic it is useful to understand the difficulties residents currently face, UCS staff said in a newsletter.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Pittsburg one of 50 best work-from-home cities in the US
Leading tech news publication PCMag just released their ranking of 50 best work-from-home cities in America and Pittsburg, Kansas made the list. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a remote work boom, driving many North Americans to find new, more affordable homes. But if you can work from anywhere, where should you go? That’s the question PCMag set out to answer. The magazine searched for cities with affordable housing, great gigabit internet connections, plus remote-friendly lifestyles, and Pittsburg passed the test with flying colors. “Our list started by looking at towns where people have and use gigabit broadband, and the work Craw-Kan and now Optic have done to put Pittsburg in the fast lane caused it to bubble up on our list,” says PCMag Analyst Sascha Segan. “Combine that with the presence of PSU, low housing prices, a walkable layout, and plenty of parks, and the city came up as a hidden gem.”