Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for October 28, 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.
Which came first, the dinosaurs or the STAR bond district?
Much like the classic chicken and egg paradox, Derby’s STAR bond district and Field Station: Dinosaurs are inextricably linked, with each playing a role in the others origin – but which came first? According to Developer Rick Worner, with National Realty Advisors, the seeds for the dinosaur park were planted first. Worner, who worked on the first STAR bond project in Kansas (the speedway on the edge of Kansas City), was working on another project in Wichita near K-96 and Greenwich. He had a number of other ideas and was looking for a family-friendly city to cultivate some of them. During a meeting with Steve Barrett of JP Weigand, Worner mentioned that informal search and Barrett was quick to recommend a nearby location – Derby.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Wichita schools changing meal distribution plan
With Wichita’s middle and high school students having to option to return to class November 9, the district will change how school lunches are distributed. All students can get free meals for the rest of the school year, thanks to USDA’s expansion of the summer meals program. With a mix of online and in-person classes coming, meal pickups will switch over to a pre-order system. Yellow tickets for pickup will no longer be used, and families will need to complete an order form online to pickup meals. These orders will include an email confirmation that will be needed get curbside meals. Distribution will happen on Wednesdays. Students attending class in-person more than two days a week will not be eligible for curbside meal pickups. School officials will be keeping track of how this system works, and make any adjustments as needed.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Wichita hospitals looking at overflow options for COVID-19
One Wichita hospital is at capacity and another is at 90 percent this week, according to an update presented Wednesday to Sedgwick County commissioners. County Manager Tom Stolz said he received information from Ascension Via Christi that it was at capacity, while Wesley had reported 90 percent earlier in the week. Stolz said the information came from the county’s health officer, Dr. Garold Minns, who had talked with hospital officials earlier in the day. Stolz said hospitals will be talking to county officials about getting emergency funding to develop more capacity for patients. Commissioner Lacey Cruse said this news should not stop people from going to the hospital if they need treatment. Commissioner David Dennis says more data will be needed to determine the next steps.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office partnering with Ring security
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with home security company Ring “in an effort to make the community safer,” the Sheriff’s Office announced last week. Ring devices sometimes capture video footage of suspicious activity or a criminal in the act, whether that be a theft or another form of crime. Ring owners will now have the ability to share these videos with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office through the Neighbors app, which can be downloaded for free on Apple’s App Store or the Google Play app store. The Sheriff’s Office will function as a public safety user on the Neighbors app. That means it can post information about crime and safety alerts, view and comment on public posts within its jurisdiction, and use the video request feature to ask Ring to request recorded video footage from Ring device owners who are in the area of an active investigation.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Johnson County health officials urge school districts to cancel indoor winter sports
Health officials in Johnson County are urging school districts not to allow indoor winter sports, such as basketball and wrestling, where COVID-19 mitigation techniques aren’t possible. In a letter sent to superintendents throughout the county, Health Department Director Dr. Sanmi Areola said there are risks associated with indoor sports due to the level of community transmission of the virus. “While school districts permitted athletics and activities during the summer and fall months, many were outdoor sports that allowed for some safeguards to minimize the risk of widespread transmissions,” Dr. Areola said.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Boeing’s 737 MAX plan gets murkier for Wichita
Even with the plane nearing its long-awaited return, what comes next for the 737 MAX and Wichita got more uncertain with new delivery plans revealed Wednesday by the Boeing Co. While Boeing (NYSE: BA) maintained its production plan of increasing to 31 per month on the MAX by early 2022, the company also added a year — now through the end of 2022 — to the amount of time it expects will be needed to delivery the aircraft it already has in storage. And, in prioritizing delivery of the completed jets, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said it will be new production that feels the pinch if either side of that equation needs changed.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Lawrence whole-home Airbnbs now subject to new rules, possible fines up to $2,500
The city’s new prohibitions on many Airbnbs and other short-term rentals where the operator doesn’t also live in the home are now in effect, and those who continue to operate such rentals could soon be fined up to $2,500. Earlier this month, the Lawrence City Commission voted 4-1 to prohibit non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in neighborhoods that are zoned for single-family homes, allowing them only in residential areas zoned as multi-family and in specific types of properties. Those new regulations went into effect over the weekend, and the city will soon start enforcing them.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Municipal Bond Trends for October 27, 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.
Election looms as De La Isla balances life as Topeka mayor and congressional candidate
Michelle De La Isla said her days were already long when she was serving as Topeka’s mayor, but her days are even more hectic after as her campaign for Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District seat enters the final stretch. De La Isla has campaigned before, for city council and mayor, but said running for Congress is different, especially during a pandemic. She noted her campaign staff has grown from past elections to this one. When running for city council, she ran the campaign mostly by herself. For mayor, she had two co-chairs helping her, and now, she has a team of consultants helping her manage everything.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Hutchinson hospital reaching ICU capacity
They haven’t filled every bed available in the intensive care unit since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but during periods over the past two weeks Hutchinson Regional Medical Center has reached its capacity in terms of staffing, a Hutchinson Regional Medical Center official reported Tuesday. At the same time, health officials are finding more people are unwilling to assist with contact tracing, and people sick with the virus appear to be staying sick longer. “As of 7 a.m. (Tuesday) we had 19 positive COVID patients, with three of the 19 intubated and on mechanical ventilation,” said Chuck Welch, HRMC vice president. “Over the last month and a half, we’ve seen an increase into the high teens to 20 consistently. Before that, we were holding at anywhere from five to 10 positives. The positives in the community have definitely trended up.”
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Pike named Barton County health consultant
Meeting as the Barton County Board of Health, county commissioners Monday morning accepted the resignation of Dr. Stanley Hatesohl as the county’s health consultant. Next, they appointed Dr. Jonathan Pike to fill the vacancy. Hatesohl was named to the post on March 16 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he has retired and moved from Kansas, said county Health Director Karen Winkelman. “During his tenure, he has successfully provided a vital community service.” Hatesohl advised the county of his resignation via email. “It has been a pleasure working with Karen Winkelman and the county during these challenging times,” he said.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Governor, top lawmakers agree: No Kansas mask rule for now
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and top Republican legislators agreed Tuesday to try for now to encourage Kansas counties to adopt local mask mandates rather than consider a statewide rule as the state experiences its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases of the pandemic. Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature, six of them Republicans, and participants said afterward that they discussed encouraging greater mask use. The state health department reported Monday that the state’s rolling seven-day average for new cases set a record of 815 a day for the seven days ending Monday. Kelly issued a statewide mask mandate July 2, but a state law enacted only the month before allowed the state’s 105 counties to opt out, and most did. The Democratic governor said last week that she wanted to work with top Republican lawmakers on a bipartisan mandate to require people to wear masks in public.
Source: KAKE – News
KDHE recommends social distancing for Halloween, no door-to-door trick-or-treating
Halloween is just days away and state leaders are recommending new ways to still have fun, while staying safe. Streets and sidewalks in local neighborhoods are usually filled with little witches and super heroes on Halloween. But what will it look like this year during a pandemic? “Our plans for this year, we’re really not going to do very much different than we normally would. We usually pass out candy in our neighborhood,” says Kristi Burchfiel, who plans to still hand out candy. Everyone we talked to expects a crowd waiting at their door, just like every other year.
Source: KAKE – News
Hutchinson schools approves plan for modified hybrid learning
The Hutchinson Public Schools Board of Education on Monday approved a modified learning plan that will allow groups of students to return to the classroom the week of Nov. 2, while maintaining small groups. Under the plan, students will continue to eat in small groups, with elementary students eating in their classrooms. On Mondays and Wednesdays, roughly half of students will attend school in-person while the other half attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will attend in-person on alternating Fridays, with the first group going one Friday and the second group on the next.
Source: KAKE – News
KCK schools launch campaign to address violence in community
The Kansas City, Kansas School Board said Tuesday it is launching a community campaign to address violence in the KCK area. The campaign, called “Enough is Enough. Save our Kids. Save our Community” will begin Wednesday morning when blue ribbons and banners are placed throughout the area. City hall will also be lit in blue every night this week. The school district said that over the last year, it has lost 18 students. “While not every tragedy was caused the same way, the majority of our students have died due to gun violence, in fact 11 students in less than a year,” the board said in a letter to families. The school district said it is partnering with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department and Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office.
Source: KMBC.com
Wichita plastic bag ban study searches for more female and minority voices
A survey, which will influence city decision-making with the future of single-use plastic bags, needs to hear from more women and minorities over whether plastic bags should be banned. Currently the survey is not representative of Wichita’s population, heavily skewing towards perspectives that are male and white. Developed by Wichita’s Single-Use Plastic Bag Taskforce and researchers from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, the survey is being conducted to gauge citizens’ interest in either reducing plastic bag use or banning single-use plastic bags altogether. The survey asked demographic questions to see if they were representative of Wichita’s demographic. Currently, the survey is not, said Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, professor at the KU School of Medicine in Wichita.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Municipal Bond Trends for October 26, 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.
Cost to add new train crossing signal horns in Old Town Lenexa now tops $500,000
A plan to install signal horns at two railroad crossings in Old Town Lenexa will cost substantially more than anticipated. The Lenexa City Council earlier this month unanimously approved an increase of $190,000 to the original price tag of $350,000 to install the signals, known as wayside horns, at the crossings at Noland and Pflumm Roads, in order to warn motorists of oncoming trains. That makes the total cost of the project now roughly $540,000. Last month, BNSF Railway reported to city staff that it needs to replace aging equipment at the two crossings. The company had intended to replace much of its equipment but told the city it could not obtain materials necessary for those upgrades because of the age of the existing system.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Leawood residents concerned green space could be lost with development at 86th and State Line
A proposed mixed-use project at 86th Street and State Line Road in Leawood has some nearby homeowners expressing concerns about the possible loss of green space the project could entail. The project, at 8680 State Line, would include 189 apartments, 66,900 square feet of office space and 32,250 square feet of retail space, on what is now a parking lot, the developer said in a notice sent to nearby homeowners. The site is zoned for planned office; single family, low-density residential; and mixed use, and it would require rezoning. The developer, Doug Weltner with State Line 87 LLC and executive vice president of Colliers International’s Kansas City office, did not return phone calls seeking comment on the project.
Source: Prairie Village Post