Municipal News & Jobs

Roxy Callison grew up on a farm in Mayfield, and though she’s lived in Winfield many years, she loves open spaces and the wide skies of the prairie. The west side of her home on East Eighth Avenue is probably big enough to be another house lot. But to keep the area open and to satisfy her love of prairie, she is turning the area into what she calls a “prairie garden.” “I’ve wanted to do it since I lived here,” Callison said. She said she’s often thought she is “without purpose,” and developing the prairie garden is providing that purpose.
via Cowley CourierTraveler

A small town in Texas is going up against streaming giants Netflix and Hulu with a class-action lawsuit over utility fees. New Boston, Texas says the streamers use broadband infrastructure to reach their residents, and should in turn pay the town 5% of the revenue generated from those residents as a fee. “When a Netflix subscriber wants to view Netflix programming, the subscriber’s Internet service provider will connect the subscriber to the closest Netflix Open Connect server offering the fastest speeds and best video quality,” writes attorney Austin Tighe in the complaint. “According to Netflix, that means that most of its subscribers receive Netflix’s video programming from servers either inside of, or directly connected to, the subscriber’s Internet service provider’s network within their local region.” New Boston’s argument is based on the state law that video service providers are required to get certified with an application to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and that neither Hulu nor Netflix has filed the application. Failing to file doesn’t mean they are exempt from paying the quarterly franchise fee to the cities in which they operate.
via Cord Cutters News

Governor Laura Kelly has announced businesses will soon be able to apply for a total of more than $130 million in grants to serve those most affected by the pandemic and for companies that can expand broadband access in the state. Information on SPARK economic development and connectivity grant programs can now be found online at kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief. Grant applications will be accepted beginning at 12:00 p.m. Wed., Aug. 19, 2020. “These funds will both provide necessary immediate relief to businesses and contribute to a more strategic, competitive Kansas economy in the future,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I want to thank the SPARK Taskforce for recommending these strategic investments and the State Finance Council for approving the use of these funds.”
In addition to providing financial relief, grants will be available to businesses whose products and services will be needed in greater volume to help combat the virus and its effects. Funding is also being made available to expand broadband access both through infrastructure improvements and by partnerships with internet service providers to serve low-income households. These grants are funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the federal CARES Act.
via Kansas Department of Commerce

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.

As students return to Manhattan this month in preparation for a new school year, they will be greeted with a new mode of transportation. K-State has partnered with LINK, bringing 150 e-scooters to Manhattan this fall. “Many students, faculty and staff  have been asking for an e-scooter share program as an easy and energy-efficient way to move about campus and the community. After extensive research of similar programs in other university communities and in collaboration with the City of Manhattan, we’re excited to partner with LINK because we believe that they will provide our students, faculty, and visitors with the safest and most reliable e-scooter share program in the industry” said Linda Cook, K-State Chief of Staff and Director of Community Relations.
via KSNT News

Topeka police are asking for the community’s feedback to find out what they can do better. The Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships (SPCP) council for Topeka met on Thursday for a forum and discussion between community members and police officers. “People don’t feel like there’s an open line of communication. They don’t always understand how to voice concerns or talk about what they feel like is going on,” said Chrissy Russel, SPCP council member. The council is made up of community members, leaders and police officers and they work to bridge the gap between local law enforcement and the community they serve.
via KSNT News

In the heart of Bourbon County, Kansas, there’s a town of only about 8,000 residents. But the land it sits on has great significance to American history, stretching back more than 170 years — which is 19 years before Kansas was even a state. Here’s is the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Tucked between Kansas City and Pittsburg is the town of Fort Scott, Kansas where Historic Fort Scott is rooted in deep American history. Carl Brenner, Chief of Interpretation & Resource Management, Fort Scott National Historic Site, said, “The growth and development of Fort Scott was the growth and development of the United States. Everything that was happening across America was happening right here, right on this parade ground behind me.”
via KSNF/KODE

Kansas is known for its prairies, but now we’re connecting you to an ancient wonder of the prairie, Little Jerusalem Badlands, Kansas’ most dramatic Niobrara chalk formation. Take a step back in time. Imagine a vast sea, waves crashing, water as far as the eye can see. Now, fast forward nearly 85 million years. The ocean is gone, and what’s left behind has been drawing the eyes of people from across the region. “My sister came to visit from Austin and we said, ‘You need to come and see Little Jerusalem,’” said tourist Adrian Price. Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park is Kansas’ newest state park. This is its first summer to be open to the public. Some say it got its name because it resembles the ancient walled city of Jerusalem.
via KSN-TV

On Wednesday, the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office announced a partnership with the DCF. The DCF, using federal funds, placed two people within the WPD and one at the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement supervisors also now have access to the DCF’s child abuse and neglect information system, which will let officers know interactions families have with the DCF. “I think one of the things we know that really led to this partnership is obviously, sometimes, officers or deputies may be the first ones to have contact with the family,” DCF secretary Laura Howard said during a news conference. “So the question for DCF was how to get important information and resources into the hands of law enforcement agencies who are interacting with families who might be in crisis.”
via Local News | Wichita Eagle

Wichita musician Jenny Wood has filed a lawsuit against the city government, claiming a police officer’s bad decisions in a high-speed chase caused a deadly crash that killed two of Wood’s family members and left her with severe disabilities. The lawsuit stems from a pursuit that ended when the fleeing driver of a stolen BMW sport-utility vehicle T-boned the Wood family’s car at the corner of Broadway and Douglas on May 5, 2019. Wood’s mother, Maria, and her 12-year-old niece Rosemary “Rosie” McElroy died from injuries sustained in the crash. Jenny Wood was critically injured and barely survived, but with permanent disabilities, the lawsuit says.
via Local News | Wichita Eagle

Sedgwick County is moving forward with plans to buy COVID-19 saliva tests, a move commissioners said could make it easier to test children when school starts. The Sedgwick County Commission directed staff to work out a contract with Clinical Reference Laboratory, a Lenexa, Kan.-based company that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to test samples taken at home. With saliva testing, children could spit in a vial rather than have a nasal swab shoved up their noses.
via Local News | Wichita Eagle

Bars in Shawnee County are now allowed to remain open until midnight seven days a week. Those modified hours became possible following a 2-1 vote Thursday morning by Shawnee County commissioners to adopt a resolution that amends hours set by a county health order issued in early July….The previous health order — created by Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino and the Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team, in consultation with some bar owners — had allowed bars to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The resolution approved Thursday is effective immediately and allows bars to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Saturday. While three additional hours of business each week might not seem like much, Abigail’s Grill & Bar owner Frankie Saiya said those hours could have a big impact.
via Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Wichita’s two big movie theater chains are reopening next week — for real this time. Both Regal, which owns the three Warren Theatres, and AMC, which owns the Northrock 14, have announced that their theaters will be reopening, one day apart. … The two chains had announced plans to open once before — in mid-July — but then COVID-19 cases started to spike and they changed their plans. Both chains plan to follow increased safety precautions, including mandatory masks for staff and customers. Both chains detail their new procedures on their websites.
via Wichita Eagle

Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday that the issue of whether the state could mandate all students to wear masks when they return to in-person classes isn’t resolved, despite an opinion from the attorney general contradicting her efforts at a statewide mandate. Kelly’s said during a virtual roundtable with teachers as districts finalize their preparations to resume classes that she thought a “more definitive” solution could come into place than the current standoff with Attorney General Derek Schmidt, although she did elaborate on what that could look like. What she didn’t want, however, was a lawsuit over the matter. “I don’t want another lawsuit, I want to appeal to the attorney general to put the health and safety of Kansans first,” she told reporters following the event. “An opinion is exactly that, it is an opinion.”
via News – Salina Journal

The Kansas Board of Regents approved two separate amounts of money Thursday morning in order to help schools during the coronavirus pandemic. The board approved $26 million to be sent to the six state universities and their specialized schools. That includes the University of Kansas, Kansas State, Wichita State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State, and Fort Hays State. This money is part of the CARES Act that Congress passed and the president signed. Governor Kelly approved sending the full amount to schools. The money can be used to provide emergency support through grants to the schools to continue to provide educational services and the ongoing functionality of the institution. An additional $64 million of CARES Act money was approved for the schools to make necessary preparations to deliver in-person instruction and prepare for campus operations in the Fall 2020 semester.
via KSN-TV

City of Lawrence leaders say they are interested in strengthening the city’s rental inspection program, which currently inspects very few of the city’s more than 21,000 rental properties. As part of their work session Tuesday evening, city commissioners all agreed Lawrence’s rental inspection program is inadequate, and that they are interested in increasing the number of units inspected and making other changes. Because of the way the current program is set up, the city inspected about 1% of the city’s rental properties last year.
Read more LJWorld.com.

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.

Local restaurants, bars, and retail shops are getting some relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Wichita is rolling out “Open Air ICT” which will allow businesses to use on-site parking, sidewalks, and streets near the venues for free. This will give businesses the opportunity to maximize the space around their location to help customers stay safe while practicing social distancing. “I think it’s going to show a big improvement in business in general,” said Delano’s Diner Manager, Amber Almos. “Most places that I’ve been to and even here at the diner itself we’ve only been seating at a 50% capacity and this way it opens up a lot more doors for us you know with being able to seat guests outside.”

via KSN-TV

About 900 Spirit AeroSystems workers who have been on unpaid furloughs for 60 days are scheduled to report back to work Friday. Originally announced as 21-day furloughs in early June, the furloughs were extended by Spirit (NYSE: SPR) on June 25 to 60 days. Furloughs, along with thousands of layoffs, are due to both the production halt of the Boeing 737 MAX at the first of the year and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. In an update on its website Tuesday, Spirit notified furloughed employees that they will report back on their previous schedule, shift and work location unless otherwise notified. Employees are required to wear a face covering while at work.
via Wichita Business Journal

Sedgwick County commissioners approved a plan Wednesday to make safe-operating grants of up to $5,000 available to small businesses beginning next week. The allocations will go up to a total of $5 million, which is part of an additional $9.3 million in federal CARES Act funding given to the county because it has the state’s highest employment rate after the effects of Covid-19. The county originally received $99.6 million in funding. The county surveyed businesses this summer for their most pressing needs in responding to the pandemic’s effects, which have taken a toll on restaurants, bars and many other hospitality and retail sectors. Of the 140 responses, the priorities were cash, personal protective equipment and supplies, training and workforce development, and Covid-19 testing.
via Wichita Business Journal