Kansas Municipal News
Airbnb data portal to aid city tourism economies amid COVID-19
Even before COVID-19, Airbnb had expressed a desire to work with local governments on addressing some concerning trends around use of the platform in cities. One of those trends included the growing popularity of “party houses,” or rental houses that sometimes host hundreds of people, in violation of local rules around the size of gatherings. Airbnb banned users under the age of 25 from renting homes as a result, and city leaders can now directly go to the City Portal platform to block a party house from appearing on the platform.
Source: Smart Cities Dive – Latest News
Lawrence to consider reducing speed limit on residential streets; more enforcement also planned
In response to concerns about speeding in neighborhoods, city leaders will soon consider reducing the speed limit on residential streets in Lawrence. As part of its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Lawrence City Commission will consider adopting an ordinance to reduce the speed limit on residential streets from 30 mph to 25 mph, according to a news release from the city. The city’s Multi-Modal Transportation Commission is recommending the speed reduction following the results of a resident survey and a city staff recommendation. The city conducted the survey earlier this year and asked residents whether they prefer the current 30 mph standard or would like to see the speed limit lowered to either 25 mph or 20 mph. About 57% of the 511 people who responded to the survey said they wanted to lower the speed limit, with those respondents roughly split on whether it should be 25 or 20 mph.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Municipal Bond Trends for September 29, 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.
Roeland Parkers will see special infrastructure sales tax question on Nov. 3 ballot
Roeland Parkers can expect to see an additional question on their ballots this general election. The city approved asking residents to vote on whether to remove a current one quarter of one percent sales tax and impose a new half percent sales tax to help expedite infrastructure projects. Mayor Mike Kelly said the two top items citizens ask the city to focus on, according to citizen survey data, are sidewalks and streets — both of which are budgeted for out of the city’s special infrastructure fund.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Douglas County Commission to consider comprehensive plan amendment to allow rural property owner to subdivide land
Douglas County may soon make changes to its comprehensive plan to allow for a rural property owner to subdivide his land for residential purposes. The County Commission on Wednesday will consider an amendment to Plan 2040, its joint comprehensive plan with the City of Lawrence, to change the allowed land uses under the plan’s subsection for the K-10 and Farmer’s Turnpike area. The amendment would allow for residential development on the northwest corner of the intersection of North 1800 and East 1200 roads, which is currently only allowed for office and research development under the K-10 and Farmer’s Turnpike Plan.
Source: LJWorld.com.
More than 1,700 Kansas families to receive support to access digital education
Governor Laura Kelly today announced that, as part of the Technology for Families Grant Program, the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund distributed $636,066 to support connectivity for families in need representing 86 Kansas counties. Governor Kelly’s SPARK taskforce recommended that CARES Act funding be available to increase digital access for families, which was part of the Round 2 proposals approved by the State Finance Council in July. “We know that digital infrastructure is a critical need for families not only during a pandemic to access online education and telehealth services, but also for the long-term economic opportunities that technology provides,” Governor Kelly said. “I appreciate members of my SPARK Taskforce and the SFC for making these needs a priority.”
Source: Atchison Globe Now
Governor Kelly supports new visitor guidelines for nursing homes
Kansas governor Laura Kelly says she supports new federal guidelines detailing how nursing homes can begin allowing visits to patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week said nursing homes should continue to follow COVID-19 related protocols, such as social distancing and temperature screening. But it said indoor visitations can be allowed at facilities that take Medicare and Medicaid if they have not had any new COVID-19 cases for 14 days and are not conducting active outbreak testing. State officials said Tuesday that it will take some time to implement the new guidance because each facility will have to respond according to their own circumstances.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Saline County awarded grant for COVID-19 testing
Saline County will receive more than $100,000 to expand COVID-19 testing in the county. On Tuesday, the Saline County Board of Commissioners voted to accept the award of $133,500 from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). County health officer Jason Tiller said the grant will be used to further testing as the pandemic wears on. “The nice thing about this grant is we have until November 2022 to expend the funds from (it),” Tiller said.
Source: News – Salina Journal
Salina to purchase cot loading equipment for ambulances
All ambulances for the Salina Fire Department will be equipped with cot loading systems after the city received a grant for nearly $131,000. The Salina City Commission authorized the department to purchase the Stryker Powerload Cot loading systems for SFD’s five remaining ambulances, meaning all seven ambulances in its fleet will be equipped with the system. The two other ambulances had the system installed during their remounts. Fire Chief Kevin Royse said the cot loading system is a tracked system built into the floor of the rear of the ambulance and lifts and lowers the cot into and out of the vehicle, reducing spinal loads and the risk of injuries to the department’s personnel.
Source: News – Salina Journal
St. John’s Economic Development’s “Workspace 311” connects citizens with remote work opportunities
A new employment opportunity has opened in St. John at the Stafford County Economic Development Workspace 311, dependent on if 6 to 10 workers are found to fill positions as customer service representatives by mid-October. Stafford County Eco-Devo Executive Director Carolyn Dunn said Zarif Haque, president of DRAIVER, headquartered in Overland Park, visited Eco-Devo’s Workspace 311 location at 311 North Broadway on the east side of St. John Square in late August. “I think he was pleased with the set-up and he really is looking to provide job opportunities for rural Kansas residents,” Dunn said of Haque.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette
‘We have to get to crime before it really happens’: Wichita mayor praises new Juvenile Intervention Unit initiative
Wichita police seeing an increase in crime committed by kids and now they are trying to get a handle on it by unveiling a new unit. “The goal is to get to some of these young people before god-forbid they make a life-changing decision that could ruin their lives or someone else’s,” says Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple. That’s a trend Mayor Brandon Whipple can get behind after 2020 has seen some not so good ones. Like Wichita police releasing four youth-related homicides among an increase of other violent crimes. “I am glad that we have a forward-thinking police chief who has his ear to the ground of the community to respond in a way where we can provide resources to folks who might be headed down the wrong path,” Whipple said.
Source: KSN-TV
Topeka PD picked to take part in national training program
The Topeka Police Department was recently chosen to take part free of charge in a new national training program aimed at preventing misconduct, reducing officer mistakes and promoting health and wellness. The department will take part in Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement, a national initiative of the Washington, D.C.-based Georgetown University Law Center, said Topeka police public relations specialist Gretchen Spiker. The program seeks to build a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm, she said.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Topeka Police one of 30 agencies across the nation to embrace a culture of ‘active bystandership’
The Topeka Police Department has been selected to participate in a national training program that will encourage officers to intervene, when necessary, to prevent other officers from making costly mistakes. With the goal of preventing police misconduct, studies show officers can prevent other officers from making costly mistakes. Selected officers will be trained to teach the skills that encourage intervention, and in time will train other Topeka officers. Topeka is one of 30 departments, chosen from hundreds, that were picked to participate. The program, ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement), trains officers to create an environment that encourages peer intervention.
Source: KSNT News
HFD shares updates from the field
Three wildland certified firefighters from the Hutchinson Fire Department — Brent Fisher, Jacob Ice and Caleb Dunn — are part of the group battling the Mullen Fire in the Medicine Bow-Rout National Forest in Wyoming. They arrived in Wyoming last week in the HFD’s Type 5 wildland engine truck and are on deployment for 14 days. According to HFD, Hutch crews were assigned the swing shift working from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. most days.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Muni bonds to thrive regardless of election outcome, according to Citigroup
The U.S. municipal bond market would benefit from higher taxes either under a Democratic sweep of the White House, Senate and House, or to a lesser extent, if the coming election results in a second term for President Donald Trump and a continued split Congress, a Citi research report said on Monday. Under either scenario “taxes will be going up one way or the other,” according to Citi. States, cities, schools and other issuers sell debt in the $3.9 trillion muni market that attracts mainly higher-income investors due to an exemption from federal income taxes and at times from state and local taxation as well.
Source: Reuters.
65 Kansas counties have so many new cases of COVID-19 that they are in the red zone
Kansas has 65 counties with so many new cases of COVID-19 that their incidence rates have moved into the red zone of the school reopening guide. Only seven of the 105 counties in the state had a green zone rate of new cases compared to population. The county numbers are based on a map published on Monday by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The map shows the county incidence rates, which are a measure of new coronavirus cases over the past two weeks compared to 100,000 population.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Sedgwick County manager, others overseeing coronavirus response are hit with COVID-19
Three officials guiding Sedgwick County’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the county manager, have come down with COVID-19 themselves, it was confirmed Monday. County Manager Tom Stolz said he hasn’t been to the office since testing positive a week ago and he began experiencing noticeable symptoms Friday. “It’s a really weird deal,” Stolz said. “Sometimes you feel really, really good and sometimes you feel really, really bad.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Overland Park considers overhauling regulations for business, residential signs
Overland Park officials are considering a slew of changes to the rules governing all kinds of signs – from digital displays to real estate and political signs. The city’s planning staff presented the results of over three years of work overhauling the city’s sign ordinance on Monday to a joint meeting of city council and planning commission members. The most noticeable change involves a new category of “incidental signs” that would include the ubiquitous leasing signs at apartment complexes. The proposed ordinance requires a permit for those types of signs and allows them to be 20 square feet, building or ground mounted and non-illuminated.
Source: Prairie Village Post
This pandemic-survival message brought to you by Pittsburg’s not-toast Toast
Heather Horton has a few pandemic messages for her fellow Kansans. “Don’t give up. Take each day as it comes,” she says, which is good advice in any situation. But also: “Think about the people, not the profit margin, because that’s what matters in the end.” Horton and her husband, Roger, co-own two small businesses in Pittsburg. They opened Sweet Designs Cakery, where they bake party-type desserts, in 2009. A block away is Toast, which they opened last October, with a concept that was unusual for Pittsburg. … All along, their plan was to buy as many ingredients as possible from farmers markets or farmers she knew. “You go to Kansas City and you have probably a restaurant on every block trying to source locally and promote those farmers, but we don’t really have that in Pittsburg,” she says.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Municipal Bond Trends for September 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.