Kansas Municipal News
Kansas lawmakers resume debate on property tax restrictions
Under this bill, modeled on longstanding Utah law, municipalities would be forced to set a property tax rate that is “revenue neutral.” If they wish to exceed this rate, they must provide notice and hold a hearing before voting on the increase. The proposed bill also repeals the local property tax lid. Eric Stafford, director of government affairs for the Kansas Chamber, argued the bill itself would accomplish what the tax lid was meant to accomplish by forcing the budget to remain neutral.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Wichita schools will bring elementary students back, send middle and high to hybrid
Most elementary school children in Wichita will return to in-person classes this week while the majority of secondary students are set to start hybrid classes in two weeks. The Board of Education on Monday adopted the in-person classes proposal made by Wichita Public Schools administrators, citing educational equality concerns for students as suburban districts hold in-person classes. The decision does not affect the approximately 40% of students whose parents opted for remote learning.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
USD 232 in De Soto becomes first JoCo district to bring older students back to school full-time this semester
Middle and high school students at USD 232 in De Soto are going back to full-time, on-site learning Feb. 1. Citing the benefits of in-person over remote learning, the rising numbers of D and F grades, the detriment to students’ mental health, and growing evidence that the risk of COVID-19 spread within school buildings remains low, the USD 232 school board on Monday unanimously agreed to bring middle and high schoolers back to the classroom in a few weeks. USD 232 secondary students were in remote learning since Nov. 30. Board members stressed that their decision is evidence of their abundance of caution based on the level of risk.
Source: Prairie Village Post
HIllsboro reviews FD compensation
City Administrator Matt Stiles presented a proposal to increase firefighter pay at the Tuesday city council meeting. Currently, the department pays $12.50 per run for firefighters and $17.34 to the chief and assistant chief. The requested increase was to $15 per run for firefighters and $20 per run for the chief and assistant chief. Stiles said the department members are paid semi-annually, for runs from December through May and June to November. Stiles said, in researching how other departments in the state function, most are volunteer and employee hybrid. However, other departments’ volunteer compensation runs from totally volunteer with no payment, to Goessel’s mileage reimbursement “all the way to $30 per run” with pay “average is about $15.69.”
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Lawrence City Commission to discuss option of directly elected mayor, other possible changes to city’s form of government
Lawrence city leaders will soon discuss the possibility of changing the city’s form of government, including having a directly elected mayor or election by districts. As part of its study session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will discuss alternative structures to the city’s current form of government, as well as potential procedures for making those changes. To inform the discussion, city legal staff will present a summary of all forms of city government, including the possibility of combining elements from multiple forms, and present options for how changes could be made.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Covid-19 Pandemic Drives Municipal Borrowing to 10-Year High
Municipal bond issuance in 2020 was the highest in a decade, reflecting the collapse of interest rates and the increased costs cities and state governments are facing from Covid-19 shutdowns. Bonds for new projects reached $252 billion last year, according to Refinitiv, a small increase from the previous year. The new borrowing drove the total amount of outstanding muni debt above $3.9 trillion for the first time since 2013, according to the Federal Reserve data from the third quarter…. Despite the increase in availability of muni bonds, investor demand remains strong. Central bank rate cuts have left investors clamoring for yield. Muni bond investments produced steady returns last year in a low-interest rate environment.
Source: WSJ.
Amid tension and national tumult, Lenexa’s new police chief aims to build trust in law enforcement
Leaning over the desk of her new office at headquarters, Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman looked darkly up at the television. She has only been police chief for a few weeks now. Still, the seasoned law enforcement officer with 31 years of experience — with 27 of those coming in Lenexa — watched with disappointment last Wednesday as the siege at the U.S. Capitol unfolded before her eyes.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Fed’s Bostic sees possible interest rate hike as soon as the second half of next year
Interest rates could rise sooner than forecast as the economy recovers more quickly than expected from the throes of the Covid-19 damage, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said Monday. While most of his colleagues don’t see a rate hike coming through until at least 2023, Bostic said that he thinks the emergency measures the Fed has taken to combat the pandemic can start to be rolled back within the next two years if not sooner. … At their December meeting, members of the Federal Open Market Committee submitted their individual expectations for the next several years. The median expectation for the Fed’s benchmark lending rate was to stay in its current targeted range of 0% to 0.25% through 2023, with a longer-range estimate of 2.5%.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Municipal Bond Trends for January 11, 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.
Lenexa proposes regulations for homeless shelters
As winter bears down on Shawnee Mission, Lenexa has proposed regulations for homeless shelters within city limits. The need for such regulations came to light after Project 1020, a cold-weather shelter, requested approvals to operate out of a church last winter. At the time, Lenexa did not have homeless shelter regulations within its city code. After the city denied the request and the church sued the city in federal court, the city agreed to allow the shelter to operate temporarily while staff develops new code. Lenexa is now working through a months-long process to refine the city code, first introduced to councilors on Jan. 5. Under the proposed regulations, shelters could operate in the city as long as they met certain conditions.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Incoming Iola city administrator driven to give back
Matthew Rehder figures it was his upbringing that led him to work in the public sector. “I had taken advantage of years of rec programs,” Rehder recalled. “As a kid, I played for city recreation programs, in city parks, all that kind of stuff.” It was a desire to give back to the community that first led Rehder, 42, to join AmeriCorps — the domestic version of the Peace Corps — then pursue a public administration degree in college. Those steps led Rehder to become Iola’s next city administrator.
Source: The Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for January 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.
Johnson County homeless shelter can’t meet the demand. Can these proposed laws help?
It’s the only place in Kansas’ most affluent county for homeless single adults without children to stay. And it’s temporary, only for the winter. There are no beds for such people the rest of the year in a time when advocates say the county’s homeless population is growing — and when evictions and job loss during the pandemic are expected to displace many more. But for the first time, some major cities in Johnson County are considering whether their laws should clearly allow shelters. Most of the cities lack any written rules stating when or where a shelter is permissible, which has led to heated battles, both between advocates and neighbors, and in court.
Source: KC Star Local News
Save Century II group floats a proposed law to save building
Save Century II efforts now include asking lawmakers to force a binding vote on any moves to take down Century II. “Has some teeth to it,” says Celeste Racette with Save Century II. “Actually makes it binding and makes it where there has to be an election. Has to be put on the ballot.” Wichita city council member Brandon Johnson says council members have moved to have a public vote on the future of Century II. “So the future of Century II will be up to a public vote,” said Johnson this week. Still, Racette says her group is going after a new law to have a public vote on demolition of buildings more than 80-thousand square feet that have been named to a historic registry. Century II would be on that list.
Source: KSN-TV
After going fully remote, Wichita school board may consider bringing its students back
A rise in community COVID-19 cases and staff shortages because of quarantine prompted the Wichita Board of Education to send its students home last month. Now the board may be asked at its Monday meeting to bring them back, according to an email sent to employees by Superintendent Alicia Thompson. The email says that the “administration is considering a recommendation” that would bring elementary school students back on Jan. 13, pre-K students back on Jan. 14 and then a blended model for middle and high school would start Jan. 25. The blended model would have different groups of students learning in person on different days. Middle and high schools have been remote since the start of the school year.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Workers’ compensation law that can have lower rewards upheld by Kansas Supreme Court
Workers injured on the job in Kansas can continue to be evaluated for impairment following medical guidelines that might reduce the amount of their workers’ compensation award, the state Supreme Court ruled. In a decision released Friday, justices reversed a ruling from the Kansas Court of Appeals that favored Howard Johnson, but also avoided the constitutional question Johnson posed. Johnson suffered a serious spinal cord injury while working as a delivery driver for U.S. Food Service. His workers’ compensation award was nearly $47,000 less than what he would have received if the injury had occurred a year earlier.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
New Allen County 911 director dives in
Chelsie Angleton is the new 911 director for Allen County after working at the critical response center for the past seven years. Before that, she served in practically every other role there, including: frontline dispatcher, certified training officer, quality assurance specialist and deputy director. As to what these different positions are responsible for, they involve everything from answering to analyzing calls, coaching dispatchers and mastering technologies. “It’s more than answering the phone and sending help,” Angleton remarked. “But as soon as I started and made it through training, I knew that this is where I wanted my career to go.” “I just found that dispatch was a perfect fit.”
Source: The Iola Register
Save Century II organizer proposes two new pieces of state legislation to support her cause
Celeste Racette, the Wichita woman behind the grassroots Save Century II group, is lobbying local and state lawmakers for support on two pieces of legislation she’s proposing that back her cause. Racette said Friday she was confident her proposals, which have been sent to Wichita’s City Council and the South Central Kansas Legislative Delegation, would receive bipartisan support. “The bill that’s being presented is going to be sponsored by both parties,” she said. “It’s not one party or the other, it’s both parties. It’s everybody. It’s everybody who cares about a beloved building like Century II.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Edgerton city council approves tarp ordinance
The Edgerton City Council recently approved new regulations on large trucks. Now any load that has the potential to spill or fly out must be tarped. The goal of the tarp ordinance is to improve safety for motorists, especially motorcyclists, and preserve the quality of streets and the adjacent stormwater system. The regulations only apply to roads within Edgerton city limits. “We expect the sheriff’s office will take an educational stance initially with drivers, but we want everyone to make sure their loads are secure,” says Donald Roberts, mayor. “This is all about making sure our streets are safe for all types of vehicles.”
Source: Gardner News
Prairie Village council to consider tree regulations that would apply to new construction
The Prairie Village City Council will consider adding tree protection regulations to its city code in the near future. Why it matters: The intent behind the proposed regulations is to preserve the city’s existing tree canopy and streetscape for “aesthetic, economic and environmental benefits,” according to city documents. City staff has been working on the ordinance draft since August 2020. A look at the details: The protection ordinance will apply to all right-of-way trees — that is, trees that are in public right-of-ways, typically between a sidewalk and a street — as well as when trees are involved in any residential structure built on a vacant lot, or when an existing home is torn down. City documents state existing trees will be retained and protected, and if a tree is removed, more than one tree would need to be put back in its place.
Source: Prairie Village Post