Kansas Municipal News
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
Hutchinson Community College ready to train high-hazard workers during COVID-19
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration awarded Hutchinson Community College more than $85,000 to train Kansas workers in COVID-19 worker protection measures. HCC is able to travel the state and conduct a half-day course to teach workers how to be safe while working during this outbreak. The school can train more than 575 employees, representing approximately 40 high-hazard industries and small businesses in the state. “We can train manufacturing, health care and small businesses,” said Dave Mullins, director of business and industry at HCC. “The grant will cover the cost of training anywhere in Kansas.” One of four OSHA trainers will conduct the four-hour training at each facility. As this is a new protocol, procedures are continually changing. Representatives in Washington see this as a step forward in keeping workers safe.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Topeka given until Oct. 16 to propose settlement in use of force lawsuit
A federal judge on Friday gave Topeka’s city government and police officer Christopher Janes until Oct. 16 to make a settlement proposal to Timothy Harris, who is pursuing a lawsuit involving an incident in which his jaw was broken. Harris then has until Oct. 30 to submit a counter-proposal, U.S. Magistrate Teresa J. James said in a scheduling order she issued that day imposing deadlines for various, specific court actions to be taken by July 2021. The order doesn’t set a date for the trial, which it said is expected to be held in Topeka and last seven days. Civil rights attorney Andrew M. Stroth in September 2018 filed the suit contending Janes violated the Constitutional rights of Harris, who is Black, by using excessive force on him in January 2018 near 2600 S.E. 10th.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Wichita paid $1.5M in overtime to police ordered to work extra during early June protests
The Wichita Police Department spent more than $1.5 million paying overtime to officers and other employees under a temporary staffing directive aimed at monitoring early June protest activity that authorities feared might lead to unrest in the city. At the same time violence prompted Wichita police to break up gatherings at 21st and Arkansas on two successive nights, the department implemented an “Emergency Mobilization Plan” its says was meant to ensure officer and community safety if demonstrations spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota escalated locally. Luckily, the city saw no large-scale protest-related violence outside of June 2 and 3, when cops in riot gear cleared angry and aggressive crowds that had resorted to vandalism, looting and gunfire.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Shawnee wants to regulate virtual learning centers as more pop up during pandemic
Shawnee is developing city code to regulate remote learning centers within the city. The move has been prompted by the recent increase in virtual learning centers set up for children at the start of a school year that has seen tens of thousands of students across Johnson County thrust into remote learning settings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. City staff is drafting text amendments to Chapter 17 of the city code, which addresses how daycares, businesses and pop-up learning centers can facilitate remote education for students. In addition, following an inquiry about a potential homeless shelter, Shawnee city staff is also developing code to address where and how homeless shelters can operate within city limits.
Source: Prairie Village Post
JoCo Election Office expects 90% voter turnout for Nov. 3, with most ballots cast by mail
County election officials are adding secure drop boxes, polling places and an extra Saturday for advance voting, in anticipation of a record 90 percent turnout in the Nov. 3 presidential election, Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt told the Board of County Commissioners Thursday. Schmidt told commissioners she expects more votes to be cast by mail than in person this year, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The last day to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. “I urge voters if they’re going to send that application in to send it now. Do not wait until the week before the election,” she said.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Roe 2020 project on schedule, residential section to be completed by Thanksgiving
The largest infrastructure project in the history of the city of Roeland Park is well underway, and the residential part of the corridor is on track for completion by Thanksgiving 2020. Roe 2020, a $10 million renovation project on the city’s main thoroughfare, is in its fourth month of construction. Mayor Mike Kelly said the city appreciates residents’ patience with inconveniences brought on by the project. Although no project is perfect, Kelly said he’s proud of the outreach campaign the city has conducted since the beginning. “It’s been very encouraging,” Kelly said. “Obviously with any kind of construction there’s growing pains and there’s an information hurdle that you try your best to jump over. You try multifaceted approaches to getting this information out to people.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Haviland businesswoman featured in WSJ about starting a small business during Coronavirus
The pandemic forced hundreds of thousands of small businesses to close. For Madison Schneider, it was a good time to start a new one. The 22-year-old in Haviland, Kan., opened Lela’s Bakery and Coffeehouse on Sept. 12, naming it after her grandmother. It has been busy every day since, she said. “It just felt like the right thing to do,” Ms. Schneider said. Americans are starting new businesses at the fastest rate in more than a decade, according to government data, seizing on pent-up demand and new opportunities after the pandemic shut down and reshaped the economy.
Read more: Wall Street Journal.
City of Wichita v. Trotter: City’s ordinance is a permissible restriction on the time, place, and manner in which people may offer entertainment to the public
The City of Wichita has adopted an ordinance requiring anyone who wishes to operate an “entertainment establishment” to first obtain a license from the City. These licensing requirements are triggered by someone’s decision to provide entertainment to the public, though they do not govern the content of the entertainment a person may provide. Anyone with a license must comply with restrictions based on noise level, hours of operation, building capacity, safety, and security.
A Wichita jury found Arlando Trotter had violated these provisions by operating an unlicensed club. On appeal, he challenges the constitutionality of Wichita’s licensing framework, claiming it impermissibly restricts his expressive conduct and requires governmental approval before he may engage in that expression. We find the ordinance to be a permissible restriction on the time, place, and manner in which people may offer entertainment to the public. After carefully reviewing the parties’ constitutional arguments and Trotter’s additional claims, we affirm.
Source: Kansas Court of Appeals.
Bond Sales: Competitive vs. Not
Our recent item about Arkansas City saving over $2.7 million as a result of a competitive bond sale sparked some conversation among our readers. The question may arise: how much better is a “competitive bond sale” as compared to the old-fashioned “just have one underwriter tell us the interest rate” model?
By way of background, a best practice in today’s world of local government finance is to utilize an independent Municipal Advisor (sometimes still called a “Financial Advisor”) — such as Ranson Financial Group — for municipal financing activities, including conducting a competitive bond sale to take bids from all possible banks and underwriters. Nevertheless, some municipalities still engage an underwriter upfront. As result, with no competition, the underwriter dictates to the governing body what the interest rate and underwriter profit will be.
In the case of Arkansas City’s competitive bond sale, it’s informative to compare the difference in interest cost between the winning bid and the last place bid. The difference was over $780,000! And, because a pre-selected underwriter has no competition, the cost could have been far greater than that. So, if Ark City had pre-selected the wrong underwriter, savings would have been significantly less than $2.7 million.
Email Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren to explore funding options for new projects in your community or for a refunding analysis of your municipal debt. For a better understanding of the parties and process involved in the bond issue process, click here or contact Larry or Beth.
Sandhill crane decoy company eyes move to Great Bend to meet growing demand
A Hoisington-based hunting decoy company has plans to expand its offerings, and hopefully create new jobs in central Kansas, in the coming years thanks to partnerships with an area manufacturer and a state university. Deception Decoy Co. is co-owned and operated by brothers Garrett and Grant Doyle, with Garrett operating as the sales and production manager and Grant as the R&D manager and sculptor.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Municipal Bond Trends for September 24, 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.
Virtual presentation to highlight Topeka Fire Department’s history
A virtual presentation about the 150-year history of the Topeka Fire Department will be given at 3 p.m. Sunday by Alan Stahl, the department’s public education officer. To receive the link to access to see the presentation, email the Shawnee County Historical Society at shawneecountyhistory@gmail.com.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal
Prairie Village City Council approves contract to track city’s greenhouse gas emissions
The Prairie Village City Council passed two measures Monday night aimed at reducing the effects of climate change. The council voted 11 to 1 to approve a one-year, $12,000 contract with Kansas City-based Dynamhex to create software to track and evaluate the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and create an action plan for city officials and residents. The council also approved a resolution on a 10 to 2 vote to support the Climate Mayors Network and adopt commitments to the Paris Agreement. Both are nonbinding measures.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Nonprofit requests in Reno County exceed local CARES Act dollars
The county has received more than $1 million in requests from nonprofit agencies for the remaining $800,000-plus in CARES Act funds, and the application period is still open, the county administrator reported Tuesday. “We’ll have our first meeting Wednesday to look at the applications,” Randy Partington said of a task force created to allocate dollars the county received to distribute. “The deadline hasn’t passed, but we’ll meet to look at how the applications look, what might be missing or if we have more questions.” “It will take some paring back,” he told the county commission. “A lot of it’s revenue lost by the nonprofits (due to the novel coronavirus).”
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Olathe’s Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm partner with the Smithsonian to dig into rural roots
Olathe may be a bustling suburb now, but like all of Johnson County, it has deep rural roots. A partnership between the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm and the Smithsonian has produced a new exhibit delving into the city’s past. “From Rodeos to Roundabouts: Exploring Olathe’s Roots” is part of a larger project from the Smithsonian called “Crossroads: Change in Rural America.” In the past, it has worked with Humanities Kansas to share other exhibits as part of its Museum on Main Street program. “We hope these local stories will really spark conversations about how their communities have experienced these changes over time and how they’ve adapted and how that will impact their future,” said Abigail Kaup, program officer for Humanities Kansas and statewide coordinator for Museum on Main Street.
Source: Joco 913 News
Hutchinson provides info graphics to answer the question: where do my taxes go?
We get a lot of questions about taxes. It is understandable, we all work hard for our money and want to know where it is going and how it is being used. Of the taxes you pay, only a small portion actually goes to the City of Hutchinson. The money the City does get is used for public safety like Hutchinson Police and Hutchinson Fire; Public Works which give us things like clean water to drink, clear streets to drive on and the levee system that protects us from flooding; infrastructure investments; economic development funding; the parks and trails system; and so much more is provided through that funding. We hope these graphics help break it down a little more clearly.
Source: Hutchinson, KS – News Flash