Kansas Municipal News
Sedgwick County sets new COVID rules on bars, stores, restaurants, sports; up to $500 fines
With hospitals full and coronavirus infection at its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Sedgwick County’s health officer has issued a new order tightening limits on mass gatherings and setting an earlier curfew on bars, nightclubs and restaurants. County commissioners also added enforcement provisions to what had been a nearly unenforceable set of rules, establishing a maximum fine of $500 for repeated violations. Kansas had 56 new COVID outbreaks in one week. KDHE names 45 of 261 active clusters Dr. Garold Minns’ new health order limits wedding receptions and other family gatherings to 100 persons, or 50 percent of the venue’s fire code capacity, whichever is less. Church weddings are exempt as religious activities.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Kelly warns of hospitalization rise but says mitigation policy will be up to counties – for now
Hospital capacity and staffing shortages remain acute concerns, Gov. Laura Kelly and Lee Norman, secretary of health and environment, said Tuesday, although statewide mitigation tactics aren’t yet on the cards. As facilities from Topeka to Wichita are seeing a shortage of available workers, Norman said the “competition for beds is getting stiffer.” And staff shortages remain a problem as doctors, nurses or technicians contract the virus or await test results. Some hospitals in Kansas had adopted a bonus structure to encourage staff to take on more shifts, Norman said.
Source: News – Wellington Daily News – Wellington, KS
State school board looking to give schools relief, but no plans yet to lower minimum hour requirement
With schools struggling to adapt to the ever changing COVID-19 situation in the state, the Kansas State Board of Education is looking for ways to relax some of the requirements school districts must follow. However, the board will not yet decide on potentially lowering the number of required instructional hours Kansas schools must provide for students.
Source: Education – Morning Sun
Kansas exceeds 100K coronavirus cases as mask debate rages
Kansas on Monday reported another record seven-day spike in coronavirus cases, pushing the state past 100,000 for the pandemic as officials wrestled with getting more residents to wear masks. The state Department of Health and Environment added 5,920 new confirmed and probable cases to the state’s tally since Friday, bringing the total to 103,553 since the pandemic began. The state averaged 2,047 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday, 15% higher than the previous record average of 1,779 for the seven days ending Friday. The state health department also reported another 15 COVID-19-related deaths over three days, bringing the pandemic total to 1,081. But Johns Hopkins University put the number of deaths in the state at 1,101.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Tax revenues hit double-digit percentage points
The State of Kansas continues to see revenue growth over the same month of the last fiscal year. October’s total tax receipts were $596.6 million, an 11.7 percent or $62.6 million increase over the estimate. That is 7.9 percent or $43.6 million, more than October of Fiscal Year 2020. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Kansans and threaten our state’s economic uncertainty, Congress must pass an economic relief bill,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “While the positive revenue trends are encouraging, the future of this revenue growth will be tied to the support we get from Washington and to every Kansas community using the tools we know work to slow the spread of COVID-19.” Individual income tax collections were $283.6 million, a 9.1% percent or $23.6 million, increase from the estimate. That is 9.1 percent or $23.6 million, more than collected in October of FY 2020. Corporate income tax collections were 74.0 percent, or $11.1 million, more than estimated with $26.1 million collected.
Source: Gardner News
With record COVID-19, these Johnson County school districts send older students online
In what might be a sign of what’s to come in Johnson County, the Spring Hill school district plans to transition middle and high school students back to online-only classes later this month in the face of skyrocketing new COVID-19 cases. In this district at the southern edge of the county, much of it rural, the school board voted 5-2 on Monday to move older students to remote learning on Nov. 30, unless new case numbers start to drop by Nov. 25. Middle and high schoolers have been learning in person, full time, since last month — unlike in other Johnson County districts, where secondary students are back in classrooms for only part of the week. With Johnson County in the “red” zone per its school criteria, local districts are reevaluating whether all students should be in school buildings. Spring Hill is the first to carve out a path for older students to return to fully online classes after learning in person.
Source: Joco 913 News
Growing up in inner-city Detroit, Lawrence’s first director of equity and inclusion started on his path with one simple question
City Manager Craig Owens announced last month that Muhammad would be Lawrence’s first director of equity and inclusion. Muhammad made the move to Lawrence over the weekend and will start his position this week. Regarding why he wanted to come to Lawrence, Muhammad said a lot of the research that he focused on in graduate school centered on Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling stemming from a Topeka case that struck down racial segregation in schools. He said the region’s long journey toward being a progressive area resonated with him. And in Lawrence, he said he saw a city that was taking initiative to address equity issues.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Overland Park looks to parking and the rules that govern it
As Overland Park strives to be more livable and conducive to walking, biking and transit, officials plan to look at an issue that hasn’t been comprehensively examined in 30 years: Parking and the rules that govern it. Those regulations include the number of spaces required for apartments, offices, stores and other developments, as well as lighting, screening and landscaping in parking areas.
Source: Joco 913 News
Wichita BOE reverses decision, middle and high schools will stick with online classes
Students in Wichita middle and high schools will no longer be going back to school in-person in a hybrid model after the Board of Education reversed an earlier decision amid skyrocketing coronavirus indicators. Wichita Public Schools will stick with the current learning model for the rest of the semester, keeping all older students online only while elementary students are in-person or remote, depending on the enrollment choice at the start of the academic year. The school board did not make any specific decisions regarding winter sports. Practices are set to start next week with the first competitions in less than a month.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Municipal Bond Trends for November 9, 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.
Sparking passion for firefighting
With only two days for planning, the Hutchinson Fire Department set up a hands-on, real-life basic fire skills training at a house on East 6th Ave. Hutchinson Fire Department Division Chief of Training and Safety Jesse Martin said that they wanted to thank Steve Petermann of Salt City Brewing Company for allowing them the use of this property for training. Using a real structure greatly enhances the realism for training. Petermann said that he plans to demolish the building to build a parking lot. The training coincided with the department’s recruit academy with four recruits slated to graduate at the end of November. Martin said, “We brought our recruits and our on-duty fire fighters here and they are going through basic fireman skills in a real residence.”
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
License plate readers in high-crime areas of Wichita will take photos of your vehicle
Wichita police might take a photo of your vehicle using an automatic license plate reader if you drive through high-crime areas. The pilot program is targeted at reducing violent crime in the city, which has had a 111% increase in drive-by shootings in one year, said Lt. Casey Slaughter. “It’s huge, it’s astounding,” Slaughter said of the increase in violent crime. “It’s one of those things where we feel as a department we’re obligated, certainly, to do something. And this is just one tool among many in the bag that we’re going to try to see if this will be something that will help us out and help us identify suspect vehicles and ultimately suspects in these violent crimes.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Wichita Councilman tests positive for COVID-19, Mayor and others in quarantine
Starting Saturday, Mayor Brandon Whipple, members of the Wichita City Council, and some City staff will be quarantined for two weeks after Council member Brandon Johnson tested positive for COVID-19. City officials say exposed personnel will not be able to return to City Hall until approximately November 18. Council meetings will continue via an online software until Council can meet in person.
Source: KSN-TV
Reno County health officials call current COVID-19 situation ‘grim’ as cases skyrocket
“There’s a 10 day incubation period in there that we were hoping maybe if we could get in front of some of these infections and spread it out” Welch tells KAKE News. Hammersmith is pleading with people to get back to those basic Covid precautions. She says that if people do not double down on their efforts to prevent the coronavirus, like practicing good hygiene, wearing a mask, social distancing, and most importantly with the holidays coming up, avoiding crowds larger than 10 people, things will get a lot worse before they get better. “Our next phase is really shutting down our communities. And nobody wants to do that. It doesn’t help with our economy,” Hammersmith tells KAKE News.
Source: KAKE – News
Topeka committee continues discussion on police reform
Anyone who has problems with a Topeka police officer needs to report that to the police department, City Councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz said Monday. “If it doesn’t get reported, he cannot get disciplined for it,” Ortiz said at Monday’s meeting of the council’s police and community committee, which is discussing topics related to police reform. Topeka police Capt. Jamey Haltom responded by noting that a page on the police department website is devoted entirely to compliments and complaints. “The department takes your comments, compliments and complaints seriously,” says that page. It includes a link people can use to provide input.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Sedgwick County positive test rate is 23%, COVID case rate is 6 times above red zone
By every measure available, the coronavirus pandemic is worse than it has ever been in the Wichita area, according to the latest data provided by local and state government. The number of people in Wichita hospitals with COVID-19 has nearly doubled in two weeks. During that time, nearly one in four people who were tested had the disease. The coronavirus hospital situation in Wichita has worsened one week after a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations caused the city’s two major hospitals to hit their capacities for intensive care unit patients.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Convention centers, museums become classrooms amid pandemic
In ordinary times, the airy convention center on a 61-acre site in Hesston, Kansas, hosts weddings, corporate retreats and church events. During the pandemic, it has become a schoolhouse for the district’s seventh- and eighth-graders. Megan Kohlman teaches literature and writing inside one of the rooms, separated from a math teacher’s space by only a plastic sheet. It’s hardly ideal, but for her it’s an upgrade from distance learning in the spring, when she juggled instruction with care of her own young children. “Everyone just really believes in the power of having kids with us as much as we can,” Kohlman said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Overland Park committee tables discussion on backyard hens
Dreams of backyard hens in northern Overland Park didn’t completely die at last week’s Community Development Committee meeting. But changes that would open up the possibility of keeping chickens for people living on less than a three-acre lot may be a longer time coming, if at all. The city council committee members became deadlocked on whether to move forward with legal changes that could allow more chickens in the northern part of the city, where properties are smaller and interest is higher. The issue was lot size. The city currently regulates hens through its planning department. As it now stands, people can have hens if they have at least three acres of land. Those on less than three acres have to go through a cumbersome process of appearing before the city planning commission to get a special use permit.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Sabetha sees increased sales tax distributions
Sabetha’s sales tax distributions are above last year’s distributions for October. This is according to the October County/City Local Sales Tax Distribution Report released by the Kansas Department of Revenue. The state issues these distributions two months after collection, so the October distribution is a reflection of August sales. Sabetha saw increased sales tax distributions in the month of October alone — with distributions of $46,321.74, a 12.2 percent increase from the $41,297.87 distributed in October 2019. Sabetha’s local sales tax rate is 1 percent.
Source: Sabetha Herald
Independence announces Park and Zoo leadership changes
Independence City Manager Kelly Passauer has announced staffing changes in the City’s Park, Zoo and Cemetery Department, in light of the pending retirement of Director Barb Beurskens. Angela Anthony has been named Park and Zoo Director and will join the City staff on November 16. Katie Southworth has been promoted to the role of Assistant Park and Zoo Director, under the City’s new reorganization plan. Anthony is currently employed as a high school science teacher in Copan, Oklahoma, but brings previous experience working as a park ranger and manager of visitor and volunteer services with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service at Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge near Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Source: Independence, KS