Kansas Municipal News
CARES Act Landlord Incentive Program launched in Pittsburg
The City of Pittsburg Public Housing Authority has launched a new landlord incentive program aimed at increasing affordable housing options for families in Pittsburg. The program reimburses landlords participating in the Section 8 Rental Assistance program for eligible repairs up to $1,000 per unit. This new program is made possible thanks to grant funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Source: City of Pittsburg
Treasury Yields Touch Multi-Month Highs
U.S. government-bond yields hit their highest levels in more than four months, following signs of progress in Washington toward a deal on a roughly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note settled at 0.815%, according to Tradeweb, compared with 0.796% Tuesday. That marked its highest close since early June, just before a summer surge of coronavirus cases. …Yet powerful forces continue to suppress Treasurys yields, keeping them near historic lows. Though the economy has rebounded from its sharp contraction earlier in the year, the path of its recovery remains uncertain in the midst of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets
Wichita Firefighters take off to assist with Colorado fire
Wichita Fire Department Chief Tammy Snow confirmed Thursday that four firefighters and one structure truck will be heading to Colorado to assist with the East Troublesome fire. This is southwest of Estes Park, Colorado. Chief Snow said WFD firefighters will be assigned to help with structure fires, not fighting the forest fire. Chief Snow said they are scheduled to be there for 72 hours.
Source: KSN-TV
Hutchinson Fire Department crew headed to Colorado to assist with wildfire
The Hutchinson Fire Department shared on its Facebook page that based on a request it received Thursday morning for mutual aid through the Kansas Forestry Service for assistance with a growing fire in Colorado — HFD firefighters took off Thursday afternoon and are expected to reach Granby, Colorado Thursday night. The Hutchinson Fire Department shared they deployed a team of four wildland certified firefighters and one Type 1 Engine. The growing fire is named the East Troublesome Fire. The East Troublesome Fire is only 5% contained and growing rapidly with high winds and Red Flag conditions.
Source: KSN-TV
Leavenworth Municipal Court offers diversion program to address mental health
Leavenworth city commissioners were briefed this week on a new Municipal Court diversion program for people with mental health problems. "We continue to deal with issues regarding mental health as a public safety issue," Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said. He addressed commissioners when they met Tuesday for a study session. He said Leavenworth police officers responded to 166 mental health calls last year.
Source: Leavenworth Times
New water meters to gauge usage more accurately in Marysville
The new water meter system gradually being installed by the city of Marysville will allow residents to more accurately gauge their water use. “The thing I like about this system is that if somebody’s got a problem in a business or house or something, flags are going up at city hall. You don’t have to wait your 30 days for them to go out and read the meter,” said council member Kevin Throm.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Overland Park won’t limit recording of public comments, but may require speaker sign-ups
The cameras can stay on for now during the open mic time at Overland Park City Council meetings, but early next year the council may require speakers to sign up in advance. The council’s Finance, Administration and Economic Development committee revisited the rules for the public comment sessions and decided to actively pursue the advance sign-up in a resolution that would be considered by the council near the end of this year.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Olathe firefighters deliver hundreds of winter coats to children in need
Temperatures are dropping, and that means it may soon be time to pull on a winter coat. However, some families simply don’t have any, and they may not have the funds to get them. That’s why local firefighters dropped of boxes and boxes of warmth at the Olathe School District today. “A lot of people think, you know, Johnson County is so affluent that we don’t have the same social issues here as somewhere else, but it’s definitely there,” Kristopher Camp, with Olathe Professional Firefighters Outreach, said.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Salina-area economics looking good despite COVID-19
When it comes to the Salina economy, there’s a little bad news.Overall, the city’s prospects are booming. The bad news is the coronavirus pandemic. "The 800-pound gorilla is the COVID," said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Salina Community Economic Development Council. "We’re going to have to live with it, for how long we don’t know." Motels, hotels and restaurants have taken a real hit, said Robinson…
Source: News – Salina Journal
Meet Samantha Garrett, the new ‘face of Crawford County’
Samantha Garrett grew up in Crawford County, attending Southeast High School and Pittsburg State, where she graduated in December of 2018 before taking a job as marketing manager for Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods. In the past couple of months, though, Garrett has taken on a set of responsibilities that are new not only to her, but also to her new employer — which is technically every citizen in the county. Since mid-August, Garrett has been Crawford County’s public information officer — a position that did not exist before she took the job, and which was created primarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as county officials saw a need to improve communication with the public.
Source: Pittsburg Morning Sun
Pittsburg consultant suggests building a conference center at Kansas Crossing
Pittsburg could benefit from building a $24 million, nearly 50,000 square foot conference center, a consulting firm hired by the city and Crawford County told the city commission this week ."You’ll recall back in April we talked a little bit about a big gap in our hospitality industry that has really become a big driving force of our local economy, and that gap is the lack of an adjoined hotel-conference space here in our community," …
Source: Pittsburg Morning Sun
Lawrence Community Police Review Board continues process to strengthen oversight of complaints, stresses need for outside investigation
The Lawrence Community Police Review Board is moving forward on changes to strengthen oversight of complaints against police and to ensure that more information about complaints is available to the public. As part of its meeting Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to advance the draft of a new ordinance laying out the board’s powers for a final legal review with city attorneys. A division of the police department, the Office of Professional Accountability, decides what constitutes a complaint and conducts the investigation, and board members agreed that it was critical for the board to be able to request an independent investigation if the board disagrees with the conclusion of the police department’s investigation.
Source: LJWorld.com.
City of Lawrence to soon begin providing utility assistance to those who have lost income due to the pandemic
City of Lawrence residents whose income has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic can soon apply for assistance in paying their city utility bill. The city has been awarded $500,000 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES, for an assistance program to help utility customers with economic hardship due to COVID-19. The program will help residents cover utility bills incurred between March 1 and Dec. 10, and will begin accepting applications on Nov. 1, according to a city staff memo.
Source: LJWorld.com.
‘I am now cancer free.’ Grateful Merriam Police Cpl. Phil Lewis returns to work
After 22 months away, Merriam Police Cpl. Phil Lewis has returned to work following treatment for colon cancer. It was a long road back, because Lewis suffered a series of medical setbacks after being diagnosed in January 2019. “Unfortunately, nothing went as planned, and I experienced a lot of complications from the numerous surgeries and treatments I had,” the 17-year police veteran said in a news release. “Although my recovery was anything but routine, it was successful, and I am now cancer-free.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Lawrence City Commission approves incentives for pretzel facility that will add nearly 300 jobs
City leaders have approved tax breaks and other economic incentives for a project that will bring a pretzel production facility and close to 300 jobs to Lawrence. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to approve an approximately $4.4 million economic incentives package for VanTrust Real Estate for an approximately 150,000-square-foot production facility for Indiana-based Pretzels Inc., which is expanding its operations to Lawrence.
Source: LJWorld.com.
USDA Invests $31,900 in Community Infrastructure in Glasco, Kansas
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Kansas Lynne Hinrichsen today announced that USDA is investing $31,900 toward a new backhoe for the city of Glasco…. The city of Glasco will use the $31,900 grant to assist with purchasing a John Deere backhoe for the Glasco Public Works Department. This project will allow the city to have reliable equipment to continue providing maintenance services for its nearly 500 residents, including fixing the streets, water line leaks, moving rocks and snow, among other projects. This community partnership is made possible by the additional contribution by the applicant of $26,100.
Bond Insurance Returns to the Muni Market in a Big Way
The decimated municipal-bond insurance industry is having a renaissance. Weakened by Covid-19, state and local borrowers are using insurance at their highest rates in more than a decade. This type of upfront protection offers a promise from insurance companies to pay investors if the municipality defaults. Overall, the share of newly issued muni debt carrying insurance reached 7.13% in the second quarter and was 6.8% in the third quarter, up from an average of 4.72% in the decade before the pandemic, according to Municipal Market Analytics data. Fueling the trend is a drop in local government creditworthiness that has left public officials looking for ways to keep down borrowing costs.
Source: WSJ.
Housing incentive sweetened in Ark City
Arkansas City commissioners approved a special tax incentive Tuesday in hopes of luring builders to the new Compass Point housing development. A proposal presented to the commission called for a 90-percent tax rebate on the first $150,000 property value for 10 years. That is an increase over the city’s current tax rebate program, which allows 75 percent for seven years. After a brief discussion, elected officials approved the resolution, but also raised the property value cap to $250,000.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Squirrel population sparks power outages in Winfield
An increased squirrel population, combined with older infrastructure, has led to a spate of power outages and interruptions in Winfield. City employees have been dealing with problems caused by the critters on a main electrical circuit, which covers an area roughly from Ninth to 19th avenues and from Andrews to Mound streets, according to a post Friday on the city’s Facebook page. The city is trying to alleviate the problem by identifying areas of the circuit that are having the most issues with squirrels so they can make changes to the infrastructure.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
Municipal Bond Trends for October 21, 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.