Kansas Municipal News
Gardner city’s toilets to be touchless
All city buildings in Gardner will have touchless toilets and lavatories, after the Gardner City Council approved an additional $6,100 at their Nov. 16 council meeting. At the Nov. 2, 2020, regular council meeting, $42,985 plus a ten percent contingency was approved for installation of touchless flush toilets and lavatories and was approved by Johnson County for reimbursement through CARES funding. The agreement was for the conversion of manual lavatory fixtures to touchless fixtures utilizing automatic eye technology, and included the removal and replacement of 29 stool flush valves and spuds, five urinal flush valves and spuds, and 34 lavatory faucets.
Source: Gardner News
Governor Laura Kelly Announces Three New Openings in Program to Revitalize Downtown Corridors, Strengthen Economic Development
Governor Laura Kelly today announced the Kansas Main Street program will be accepting applications for up to three new communities in the state interested in joining. The Main Street program – designed to develop and strengthen downtown corridors – has been a proven success for rural communities throughout the state…. Communities wishing to submit applications will be required to first attend an application workshop, scheduled for 2 p.m., Thursday, December 10. This virtual workshop will explain the Main Street Approach, and the process for successfully completing the application. To register for this workshop, visit this link. Applications must be submitted no later than January 29, 2021, and new communities selected as part of a competitive process will be announced in mid-February.
Source: KDOC.
Municipal Bond Trends for November 20, 2020
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.
Wichita Public Library goes back to curbside service
Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 25, all Wichita Public Library locations will go back to offering only curbside and drive-up window services. The decision was made by library staff due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Wichita and Sedgwick County. Customers will still be able to borrow materials from the Library by using the online catalog, catalog.wichitalibrary.org, to browse the collection and place holds on items. Hold and transfer fees will be waived at this time. Once materials are ready to be picked up, customers will receive a notification to retrieve materials. Customers will arrive at their designated branch, call the phone number on the signs in the parking lot, and staff will assist with their curbside pickup.
Source: KSN-TV
Garden City schools will transition to remote learning starting Monday
USD 457 Garden City Public Schools will transition all students to Level 6 ‐ Remote Learning beginning on Monday, Nov. 23. All learning will continue remotely at‐home for all students through December 22, 2020. The district said in a letter that the community is experiencing a high rate of COVID and it has impacted many families and staff members in the district. The district said they had shortages of teachers, paraeducators, nursing staff, custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, and administrators due to COVID-related absences. The district said they have been able to complete 10 weeks of on‐site classes and two weeks of hybrid classes.
Source: KSN-TV
Hutchinson police return to Tier II response plan due to COVID
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Hutchinson Police Department moved to Tier II of its response plan on Friday. The department will continue to respond to all crimes in progress, but all other calls for service will be handled over the telephone. HPD is not allowing walk-in reporting at the Law Enforcement Center. For assistance, call 620-694-2816. HPD will also continue to respond to injury accidents or alcohol-related accidents, but if involved in a non-injury accident where the vehicles are operable and there is no alcohol- or drug-use suspected, motorists are advised to move their vehicles to a safe area and exchange information required by insurance carriers.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Solar farms coming
Solar farms are coming to the region, thanks to agreements between power cooperatives and Today’s Power Inc. of Arkansas to create the Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program. “Co-ops across the state have come together across the state,” said Sarah Madden, public relations director for the Butler Electric Cooperative.” … These 12 have banded together to provide solar for our customers at a low cost for decades to come. … This is great for our entire state.” The Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program is a series of solar farms developed by Today’s Power Inc. to harvest renewable energy in the state for 12 participating electric cooperatives. The 25-year program will result in the construction of more than 20 megawatts of solar power spread out across more than 800 miles of Kansas.
Source: McPherson Sentinel
Ulysses and Garden City hospitals appeal for community’s support
The COVID-19 pandemic has impactfully touched communities all across southwest Kansas and our care teams at Centura Health’s Bob Wilson and St. Catherine hospitals have responded with compassion and courage to meet the needs of our patients, our neighbors and each other. Centura Health hospitals, Bob Wilson in Ulysses and St. Catherine in Garden City, and our clinics across southwest Kansas continue to follow COVID-19 protocols from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and our local county agencies and partners. Across southwest Kansas, we are seeing an increase in the prevalence of COVID-19 across our communities. Our incredible physicians, nurses, nurses’ assistants, technicians and therapists are fully committed to meeting the health and well-being needs of every patient, and we need the support of our communities to ensure we slow and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Source: Greater Garden City » Feed
Topeka hospitals face ‘a staffing crisis.’ One has requested resources from the Kansas National Guard; another looks to FEMA.
Like many health systems across the country, Stormont Vail is experiencing “a staffing crisis,” according to Matt Lara, the system’s public relations specialist. That staffing crisis led Stormont recently to submit a request for resources to Shawnee County Emergency Management. The department forwarded the appeal to the Kansas National Guard, and after receiving the request Thursday, the State Emergency Operations Center has been working to fulfill it. According to Lara, Stormont is seeking more than 150 additional personnel — 50 registered nurses, 25 licensed practical nurses, 40 patient care technicians, five medical assistants, 20 respiratory therapists, three medical laboratory scientists and technicians, five phlebotomists, three pharmacy technicians and three pharmacists.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Who enforces county health orders? It depends on the infraction.
Shawnee County has mask requirements, gathering limits, restrictions to bars and restaurants’ operating hours and a suspension of organized sports, excluding high school athletics. But what county department enforces theses restrictions? The recently approved emergency health order warns of a $2,500 civil penalty for anyone intentionally violating health orders. The department responsible for enforcing restrictions depends on the nature of the violation. If an individual person violates a health order it follows a different track than if a business violates a health order, but county officials said education is always the first step in the process.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas hospitals buckle, schools pull back amid virus surge
Hospitals across Kansas are buckling as coronavirus cases swell, leading many schools to scale back in-person learning and one county to intensify plans for a possible field hospital. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment added 5,939 cases to the state’s pandemic tally since Wednesday, bringing the total to 134,533. The state’s seven-day average of new cases now stands at 2,718, nearly four times higher than it was a month ago. The number of COVID-19 related deaths also rose by 84 to 1,410. “Case increases are the worst we have seen since the pandemic began,” Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told local officials and legislators during a call Friday as the state’s seven-day average for new hospitalizations and deaths jumped to record highs. “Our hospitals are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. Health care workers are burned out.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Dodge City alters annual Parade of Lights
With many special events canceled or put on hold this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the undeterred organizers of Dodge City’s annual Christmas Parade of Lights were determined to come up with a safe solution to ensure the tradition but with a twist. “The parade is a cherished holiday tradition enjoyed by hundreds of residents and out-of-town guests and we couldn’t let 2020 end without having something available for our community to enjoy,” said Jerri Whitley, with Victory Electric. “But we knew having that many people gathered along a parade route would make the task of keeping citizens safe and enforcing spectators to socially distance next to impossible.” With support from community officials and effort to create a safe, fun environment for all, parade organizers redesigned the traditional parade into a “reverse” parade format. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on November 30, spectators will drive past stationary, socially spaced floats as they “Make Your Way Down Candy Cane Lane.” The new parade format allows for social distancing between parade entries and no direct contact with spectators.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette
Ellis County notes seniors most vulnerable to COVID-19
COVID-19 numbers continue to rise dramatically in Ellis County. All deaths related to the pandemic in the county are among people older than 65. “This virus disproportionately affects those over 65, statewide,” Jason Kennedy, Ellis County Health Services director, said Monday during the Ellis County Commission meeting. Although only 18% of those over 65 have COVID-19, Kennedy said, this age group represents “100% of mortality” in the county. In Ellis County, 20 people have died of COVID-19.
Source: News – Salina Journal
Saline Co. adopts new health order limiting gatherings
The Saline County Board of Commissioners approved a public health order Friday, the same day that the county passed 2,000 total cases of COVID-19, limiting gatherings at indoor spaces to no more than 15, with several exceptions. The board accepted the order by County Health Officer Jason Tiller, but voted unanimously 4-0 to make two amendments to it. The order, which goes into effect beginning at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, will prohibit gatherings of more than 15 in indoor spaces in the county and asks people to socially distance outdoors in a park, stadium or open-air entertainment venue and wear facial coverings if they are not actively participating in a sporting activity.
Source: News – Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for November 19, 2020
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 votes to add teeth to COVID-19 rules: Violators could be fined $500
Businesses that violate Johnson County’s new COVID-19 restrictions could face fines of up to $500, the Board of Commissioners narrowly decided Thursday. The board voted 4-3 to enforce the health order, which went into effect on Monday. By the same margin last Friday, commissioners approved the order, which includes a mass gathering limit and midnight curfew on bars and restaurants, in an effort to slow the rapid spread of coronavirus. If a business does not implement social distancing or if a bar refuses to close at midnight, for example, the owner could receive a citation and fine. But officials stressed that they would focus on educating businesses before issuing any penalties.
Source: Joco 913 News
Shawnee County commissioners tighten COVID-19 restrictions
Shawnee County commissioners voted Thursday to close bars and restaurants at 9 p.m. and suspend all organized sports until Dec. 15 in an effort to slow spread of the coronavirus in the community. The county commissioners were voting whether to adopt the health department’s order that limited mass gatherings to 10 people when Gianfranco Pezzino, Shawnee County health officer, amended the health order to include language tightening restrictions on restaurants, bars and sporting events. Pezzino said at a news conference after the commission meeting that the ban on sports doesn’t apply to high school athletics.
Source: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal
New downtown policing team to reduce ‘little nuisance issues,’ boost quality of life
The Wichita Police Department has launched a new community policing team in downtown aimed at reducing nuisance issues and elevating quality of life for area businesses and residents. Community policing is a decades-old program that the department has used in its efforts to address and reduce crime. But it looks slightly different in the city’s core than it does in other areas of town. Residents who live, work and visit the area will soon see officers patrolling not only in cars, but also more on foot, on bicycles and on horseback, police said during a Thursday morning news conference.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wichita to help county enforce COVID-19 mask mandate, business restrictions
Amid an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 that has stressed local hospitals to the breaking point, Wichita has agreed to help Sedgwick County enforce its orders mandating protective face masks in public settings and putting restrictions on businesses and organized sports. By a vote of 5-2, the City Council approved a resolution that will authorize city police, firefighters and code-enforcement officers to report violations to the county, which plans to take health scofflaws to court if necessary to gain compliance with public-health orders. The county will take the lead role in all citations and prosecutions, with the city acting in support by monitoring and reporting violations, said City Manager Robert Layton.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Main Street remains the heart of the city in Hays and other Kansas towns
As the downtown goes, so does the city. Hays is making certain its downtown continues to thrive. Years ago, Hays was a part of the state’s Main Street program and hopes to join back up with the newly formed affiliate program the governor introduced last week. El Dorado, Garden City and Sterling are other Kansas towns that are part of the Main Street program. Like Hays, Wellington and Larned have expressed interest in becoming affiliates. By introducing more than 14 events each year, including the annual holiday Frostfest, the Downtown Hays Development Corporation, the nonprofit organization responsible for keeping downtown thriving, is helping to not only increase sales but boost enthusiasm. … “People are starting to recognize where the heart and soul in their community is,” said Sara Bloom, executive director of the Downtown Hays Development Corporation. “It’s in their downtown, and they are starting to reinvest in their downtown.”
Source: McPherson Sentinel