Kansas Municipal News
Lawrence continues to suspend late fees and shut-offs for overdue utility accounts; changes to be considered soon
Lawrence city commissioners will soon consider whether to continue suspending utility late fees and shut-offs for the thousands of Lawrence residents who have gotten behind on their bills during the coronavirus pandemic. The City of Lawrence provides water, sewer, and trash and recycling collection service citywide, and as of Sept. 9, there were about 3,300 active utility accounts with a balance more than 21 days past due, totaling about $944,000 in delinquent payments, according to Finance Director Jeremy Willmoth. Willmoth said the commission would soon decide how long those protections should remain in place and that the city was in the process of setting up a utility assistance program.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Douglas County joins new initiative to reduce jail stays, improve connections to care for those with mental illness
Douglas County has joined a new multiyear initiative that aims to measurably reduce jail stays for people with serious mental illness, or SMI, and to track their connections to care. The “nationwide call to action,” called Set, Measure, Achieve, pushes for a 10% annual reduction in jail bookings of people with SMI and a 5% annual reduction in average length of stay, according to a news release from the county. It also calls for a 5% annual reduction in recidivism. The county’s goals for 2021 are to reduce its SMI population in the jail by 1% from 9%, average lengths of jail stays from 27 days to 25 days and recidivism from 66% to 62%.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Artisans are without their annual craft and art fairs. Here’s how they’re coping
Autumn doesn’t seem quite the same without the normal rush of festivals and craft fairs, and no one feels that more than the craftspeople who sell their wares at these places. Pandemic cancellations have forced these to creative people to get, well, a little more creative. For many, craft fairs are sideline, a supplemental income. Melanie Harvey spends her days teaching chemistry at Johnson County Community College, but for the past six years, fall weekends have been a time for selling her many ceramic creations at festivals.
Source: Joco 913 News
There was no ‘imaginary fence’ keeping coronavirus out of this rural Kansas county
Wallace County is at the western edge of Kansas, on the border with Colorado. It’s the second-least populated county in the state, and for the first half of 2020, life here maintained a sense of normalcy while the rest of world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, businesses closed in March and stay-at-home orders went into effect, just like the rest of the state. But by summer, many in Wallace County, population about 1,500, felt it unnecessary to take more severe precautions. Officials voted against enforcing the statewide mask order. Riders competed in an amateur rodeo and the annual county fair went off without a hitch. The local pool even opened. Social distancing is a way of life, with about one square mile for every two residents. So, it may have come as a shock when the first case of coronavirus was finally reported on Aug. 20. About a month later, that number has grown to 17.
Source: KSN-TV
Health officer in Sedgwick County evaluating health order weekly, business owners hope for fewer restrictions
The chief health officer in Sedgwick County says as the number of positive cases drops the more he is willing to consider relaxing his emergency health order. “It would help a lot,” says Amber Eddy, Manager at Emerson Biggins. “It would increase everything.” As loud as it may be at Emerson Biggins on gameday one can only assume it would be double that under regular circumstances. “This Friday we had to cut back 50 percent and we had a lot of people waiting out the door and a lot of people waiting to get in,” said Eddy. Bars and nightclubs are working at half capacity right now leaving empty tables and booths and also leaving empty space in the register and employee’s pockets.
Source: KSN-TV
From service to social media: Behind the Emporia Police Department viral TikToks
If you’ve been on TikTok, you may have come across a video from the Emporia Police Department and never realized that it was filmed in your neighborhood. JT Klaurens, the Emporia Police Department officer behind the TikToks hoped the videos break down barriers between law enforcement and the public. “I really don’t post much on social media honestly,” Klaurens said. The Emporia State University graduate will celebrate his three-year anniversary with the department in January. Klaurens is sharing a part of his day with the world, as long as other fellow officers join him.
Source: KSNT News
Shawnee County school enrollment shaping to be down this year, but officials aren’t worried — yet
Student enrollment in Shawnee County school districts fell this year, according to early enrollment numbers from some districts, likely the result of scores of parents opting for homeschooling, virtual school and private school options. Four of the county’s five school districts — Seaman Unified School Disrict 345, Silver Lake USD 372, Auburn-Washburn USD 437 and Topeka USD 501 — reported a combined drop of 829, or 3.38%, students this school year, according to early enrollment data. The data reflects the districts’ headcounts as of Sept. 21, the date the state uses to determine public school funding on a per pupil basis. In any case, districts have a grace period of two weeks to account for any students who are enrolled in the district but may have been temporarily absent from school, and districts will likely add a few students between now and the Oct. 4 hard cutoff.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Local organizations outline plans for CARES funding
Local organizations detailed how CARES funding will help small businesses stay afloat, and help parents navigate childcare during the pandemic. Commissioners Bill Riphahn, Kevin Cook and Aaron Mays heard from The Greater Topeka Partnership and Child Care Aware on how both organizations plan to disperse the CARES funding that was approved Sept. 17. Glenda Washington, senior vice president of entrepreneurial and minority business development, said the Greater Topeka Partnership has created the Small Business Continuity program. Sixty businesses impacted by COVID-19 will go through “specialized modules,” and write continuity plans to maintain “sanity as well as (their) clients” during emergencies like fires, floods or tornadoes, Washington told commissioners at Monday’s meeting, 701 N. Kansas Ave.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Sales tax receipts fall in September in Hutchinson and Reno County
The novel coronavirus may have finally struck local tax collections. Both of City of Hutchinson and Reno County experienced significant drops in their respective tax distributions for September compared to both last month and the same month last year. Both online and in-store sales took hits, the data show. Retailers collected the taxes on July sales. Thanks to strong returns over the summer, the city remains ahead of collections compared to the first nine months 2019, while the county fell about a half-percent behind. For September, the city received just over $210,000 in compensating use tax receipts, which are sales taxes collected on catalog and internet sales. That compared to more than $225,500 received for the same period last year, for a 7% drop.
Source: News – The Hutchinson News
Prairie Village approves residential compost and glass recycling agreements
Prairie Village residents wanting curbside service for glass recycling or composting will have several city-approved companies to choose from. The Prairie Village City Council voted unanimously last week to allow a compost-collection nonprofit and a residential glass-recycling company to provide their services to interested residents and businesses. Westwood-based GlassBandit LLC and KC Can Compost, based in Kansas City, Missouri, will provide discounted services in Prairie Village starting this month in exchange for the city helping to promote their services.
Source: Prairie Village Post
As cases rise, Kansas begins new virus testing strategy
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday that Kansas is beginning the first phase of a new testing plan designed to significantly increase its capacity to diagnose COVID-19. This comes as Kansas saw its highest number of COVID-19 cases in a single reporting period, the governor said, with 2,037 new cases and 5 new deaths since Friday. Overall, there have been 58,629 cases and 637 deaths. The hope is with the new testing strategy, more cases and instances of COVID-19 spread will be identified and contained. Currently, capacity is only at around 60,000 tests a week, which is not enough, Kelly said.
Source: State Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal
Manhattan Regional Airport to host full-scale emergency exercise
A full-scale exercise taking place at Manhattan Regional Airport will include some traffic adjustments Tuesday. Airport Director Jesse Romo says the exercise is to test emergency responders’ abilities to respond to an aircraft incident. It’s scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday on the airport property near Wildcat Creek Road. A portion of Wildcat Creek Road will be closed between the business park and Skyway Drive, as a result, with limited access for residents. During the exercise, officials will use a mock aircraft, fuselage and manikins. Due to COVID-19, only emergency responders will be participating — including Manhattan Fire, RCPD, Riley County Emergency Management, Riley County EMS and several others. It will not impact daily operations. The post Manhattan Regional Airport to host full-scale emergency exercise appeared first on News Radio KMAN.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Municipal Bond Trends for September 25, 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.
Counties feeling pressed by end-of-year CARES Act money deadline
In June, Kansas approved and allocated $400 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to counties across the state. But as of Wednesday, Crawford County has yet to see any of that CARES money spent, according to Crawford County Commissioner Jeremy Johnson. “We have businesses asking us every day, ’When is the money coming?’ ” he said. “We’ve had a lot of businesses locally that are kind of chomping at the bit to get that money, because they honestly need it.
Source: Leavenworth Times
Wichita Fire Department Receives $63K Grant From DHS
The Department of Homeland Security awarded the Wichita Fire Department with over $63,000 in grant money. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program – COVID 19 Supplemental provides reimbursement for money spent to supply local firefighters with PPE during the pandemic, and will also provide funding for the future purchase PPE such as gloves, respirators, safety glasses, and more.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Electric on the go in Winfield
An electric vehicle charging station for public use has been installed in Winfield in front of Shindig’s restaurant, 500 Main St. Winfield city manager Taggart Wall said the location was chosen because the restaurant is a downtown destination. The single charging station is part of a pilot program, and more might be installed in other parts of the city if this one is successful, Wall said. A ribbon cutting for the charging station will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 6. The KPP will also have one of its own electric vehicles on hand at the ribbon cutting for demonstrations.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
Even ‘frontier’ counties hit in Kansas’ new COVID-19 spike
Kansas set another record Wednesday for its biggest seven-day spike in new confirmed coronavirus cases, and the state’s top public health official said it’s a sign that the state is seeing community spread of the virus even in “frontier” counties. The state health department reported 1,267 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since Monday, an increase of 2.3%, to bring the total to 55,226. The average number of new cases per day was 622 for the seven days ending Wednesday, surpassing the previous record average of 615 for the first seven days of September. The state also reported another 21 deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total for the pandemic to 621. Nine of those deaths occurred before this week and were added to the total after a regular review of death certificates.
Source: KAKE – News
“We are heading in the right direction”: Unemployment rates in Sedgwick County drop to 10.9%
Unemployment rates in Sedgwick County are going back down. Right now it’s just below 11% that’s a large difference from 18.5% back in April. The Workforce Alliance Center and Mayor Brandon Whipple say that’s due to people finding jobs. Part of that being the reopening of schools and additional jobs like child care, and bus companies opening. “We are seeing growth in certain sectors and we want to make sure that folks know about that and some are taking advantage of it which is maybe why our numbers are heading in the right direction,” said Mayor of Wichita, Brandon Whipple. The Workforce Alliance Center has more than 40,000 jobs across Kansas that residents can apply for. And if you’re not able to find a job that matches your skills, they have classes to help you find new strengths.
Source: KSN-TV
New find at lost city in Kansas
The Lost City of Etzanoa may have had up to 20,000 Native Americans living on the banks of the Walnut river inside current Arkansas City. Now drone footage has uncovered a new find. There are likely council circles belonging to the Etzanoa peoples of the area. The lost city is now considered the second biggest Native American city to be found. “This is the next big thing here,” said Dr. Donald Blakeslee, Professor of Anthropology at Wichita State University. Blakeslee has been working on digs to uncover artifacts on the far east edge of modern-day Arkansas City. On private land they have found pottery and shards that could be arrowheads and other artifacts. But the council circles are new. And they could reveal a lot about the Etzanoa natives, believed to be ancestors of the Wichita natives.
Source: KSN-TV
Lawrence settles with Black driver shot by rookie officer
The city of Lawrence has reached a settlement with a Black driver who was shot by a police officer in 2018. The driver, Akira Lewis, filed an excessive force lawsuit after he was shot during a traffic stop. In court documents filed Friday, the city agreed to pay Lewis $80,000. Under the settlement, neither the city nor Lewis accepted liability in the shooting. Lewis was shot by a rookie officer who said she meant to use her Taser but drew her gun instead. He said the traffic stop was racially motivated. The city contended Lewis caused the shooting by refusing to get out his car and fighting with officers.
Source: KSN-TV