Kansas Municipal News
Cities adopt representation flags across the state
The city of Newton is just the latest in a host of Kansas towns working to adopt a new flag this year and in years just past. “We received 65 entries from Newtonians of all stripes — from kids to seniors, amateurs to professional artists,” a Facebook post at Newton Flag Project reads. “Thank you for having fun with this and celebrating our community with us!”… In southeast Kansas, Pittsburg citizens just completed a city flag design contest last month. Their winning design incorporates a pickax to pay homage to the city’s mining history, wheat to represent farming traditions, a Balkans banner representing the community’s heritage, and the red and gold colors to reflect the spirit of Pitt State University. Last year, Topeka adopted this new city flag that features a sunflower and pays tribute to the Sunflower State. The nine petals of the flower represent the nine founders of the city.
(Read more: News – Butler County Times Gazette)
Merriam tree sale closes Aug. 10, available for residents only
The city of Merriam is hosting a tree sale that will take orders until Monday Aug. 10. The tree sale is available only to Merriam residents, who can choose from a number of trees including maples, oaks, elms and flowering crabapples. Residents will get a $15 subsidy on the first two trees, with a maximum of $30 off their tree order.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Municipal Bond Trends for August 4, 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 Park begins second phase of Roe 2020 with curb, sidewalk, and driveway replacement
The city of Roeland Park on Monday entered a new phase for the largest infrastructure project in its history, Roe 2020. Crews will remove curbs, sidewalks and driveways along Roe Boulevard at Johnson Drive and then move north to 51st Street during the project’s second phase. Temporary driveway access for residents along Roe will be created using gravel until curb construction and driveway installation is complete. Vehicles cannot drive on the new curbs or driveways for at least seven days after concrete pours. The construction crew will try to pour the curbs one day and the driveways the following day in an effort to limit the number of days a resident cannot drive on the concrete.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Wichitans speak out about proposed city budget that includes police increases, cuts to the animal shelter
Several Wichitans spoke out Tuesday about the proposed city budget before the Wichita City Council. The total budget comes out to $630 million. The documents are available online at wichita.gov. The city says they are facing a revenue deficit of more than $11 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic. City of Wichita working on balancing budget amidst coronavirus pandemic Under the proposal, there is an increase for police to adjust for new hires, wages, pensions and IT costs. Century II operations would be based on contract management to put less burden on the city. The proposal also includes cutting the city’s animal shelter. Residents spoke out against several on the table.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
State board approves historic designation for Century II, former downtown library
The Century II center in Wichita got another layer of protection over the weekend when a state board voted it onto the Register of Historic Kansas Places. The state will now forward the building’s nomination to the National Park Service for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review in a Saturday teleconference meeting also voted to grant historical status to the former Central Library building that shares the parking lot with Century II, the city’s convention and performing arts center since 1969.
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)
Aguilera takes over as city administrator in Altamont
The city of Altamont has welcomed a new city administrator, Audree Aguilera. Aguilera holds associate degrees in business and technical accounting from Barton Community College. She earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Ottawa University in 2018 and a master’s in public administration from Wichita State University this year. She has received added education from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute, the certified public manager program at the University of Kansas and the Municipal Training Institute through the League of Kansas Municipalities. Prior to joining the city of Altamont, she was the community development coordinator for Lyons for more than four years.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
Arkansas City could save more than $2 million with water loan refinancing
A proposal to refinance three loans related to water services in Arkansas City could save the city more than $2 million through next 15 years. Arkansas City commissioners will consider two resolutions today that would allow the city to refinance the loans at a lower rate. The outstanding balance for the three loans is $23,114,128, the bulk of which ($19,844,813) is for the water treatment plant that opened in 2018. If approved, the refinance could save the city $2,194,041 in interest and shorten the term of all three loans, City Manger Randy Frazer said. “Right now interest rates are extremely low,” he said. “Any time you can save the citizens that kind of money, it’s worth looking at.”
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Broadband upgrades go in south of Pratt
Improving broadband service in Pratt County has taken a step forward with an SC Telcom project south of Pratt, but it didn’t have anything to do with millions of dollars the USDA is purportedly funneling towards such projects. SC Telcom recently completed installing fiber for internet service upgrades that will connect 30 locations as part of the South Highway 281 Pratt project. Of those, 22 are existing customers who are converting from an inferior technology …
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)
U.S. long bond demand raises prospect of whole curve yielding below 1%
A decline in U.S. Treasury yields over recent weeks has investors eyeing the approach of an unusual phenomenon – the entire U.S. yield curve sinking below 1%. Policymakers are looking to position the country to recover once the COVID-19 pandemic eases and allows the Fed to raise interest rates again. But those steps look a long way off as the virus continues to spread and talks on a new aid bill in Washington drag out. “Everybody thinks the Fed is going to be running rates near zero indefinitely. That’s bringing down the 30-year bond yield to incredibly low rates,” said Brian Bethune, chief economist for Alpha Economic Foresights LLC.
Read more: Reuters.
Shawnee County budget public hearing draws only one speaker
A public hearing on next year’s requested Shawnee County budget drew only one speaker Thursday, after seven people spoke at last year’s budget hearing. Commission Chairman Bill Riphahn said afterward he felt a bit disappointed that more people hadn’t come to speak. Commissioner Kevin Cook said Monday’s low number of speakers wasn’t indicative of the amount of input commissioners receive from the public.
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
Municipal Bond Trends for August 3, 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.
Kansas Has Lost A Greater Share Of Revenue Than Many States Due To COVID-19
The massive layoffs and business closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak took Kansas from having nearly $1 billion in savings to being $650 million in the red. As the virus began to spread in March, state lawmakers ended their legislative session early and dispersed from the capital before they were able to fix the state budget to fit the new reality. That left Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to propose budget cuts to make up the difference. She has suggested trimming increases in agency spending, gathering up money that agencies have left unspent, taking a loan from a state investment pool and delaying some scheduled payments. Republicans have criticized the strategy as a series of one-time fixes, but Kelly has said the plan avoids cuts to critical state services, such as transportation and K-12 schools. So far, state revenues have outpaced gloomy projections.
(Read more: KMUW)
Wichita’s mayor planning to hold meeting to give local business owners access to resources
Wichita’s Mayor Brandon Whipple says he is trying to stay ahead in case business owners are being asked to close again. Since business owners that sell alcohol were asked to close at midnight last week, Mayor Whipple says he wants to make sure he hears from them and has resources available for the owners and employees if they are asked to shut down again. This includes federal assistance, available housing and job opportunities. “If the order comes down from the county level or the state level that bars need to shut down then I want to be prepared as Mayor by bringing folks to the table and having the best resources available,” said Mayor Brandon Whipple. Chris Arnold, the Owner of River City Brewery, appreciates the opportunity to speak but says more than anything he wants consistency from the local government, not constant changes.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Derby school district to purchase hotspots for students with limited internet access
The Derby Board of Education last week approved the purchase of 301 Verizon Jetpack mobile internet hotspots. The unlimited data devices are intended for students in need of assistance obtaining internet services for schoolwork and other school-related needs. The purchase will be funded by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds and donations, and is estimated to cost more than $20,000. The exact total cost is not yet finalized. The number of devices was determined by the district based upon the number of students who had spotty internet access or no internet access at all last spring.
(Read more: Derby Informer | News)
Sedgwick County breaks ground on new fire station in Andale to replace current one
Leaders of Sedgwick County Fire District 1 broke ground Monday afternoon on a new fire station which will replace the current Station 31 in Andale. The new, approximately 10,000 square foot station will have four bays to hold public safety vehicles. It replaces the current station’s 2,400 square foot facility that only has one bay and requires some public safety vehicles to be stored outside unprotected from the elements. The new station will be more publicly accessible…
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Big Brutus attraction reopens to the public
After being closed since March 17, 2020 because of coronavirus shutdowns, the Big Brutus, Inc. museum at West Mineral, Kansas is open again for visitors. Face masks are required in the museum and social distancing recommended on the complex, but the monstrous mine tool attraction in Southeast Kansas is viewable, as of August 1, 2020, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Big Brutus is a mining excavator, Bucyrus Erie model 1850B, with the largest electric shovel in the world. It stands 16 stories tall (160 feet), weighs 11 million pounds and has boom 150 feet long.
(Read more: News – Cherokee County News Advocate)
Municipal Bond Trends for July 31, 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.
Planning board lauds wind regulation proposal
Limits on noise and shadow flicker would determine how close a turbine could be to a home — rather than set distances — in a draft of proposed commercial wind energy regulations reviewed by the Reno County Planning Commission last week. The sound and flicker limits proposed are a compromise between more stringent requirements sought by homeowners who have weighed in on the debate and those developers have proposed. Planning commissioners praised the work of a subcommittee that drafted the regulations, suggesting only several minor changes during a nearly three-hour meeting when the document was reviewed a paragraph at a time.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
‘Culture of innovation’: Topeka looks to capitalize on Plug and Play partnership
In coming weeks and months, Topeka’s Plug and Play accelerator program, which was announced last year, is expected to gain serious momentum. Additional founding partners are set to be announced throughout August. Then, those founding partners will help select the first group of startup companies to participate in the accelerator. And this fall, they’ll begin a three-month program aimed at helping the startups make connections, perfect their products and form partnerships with area corporations. Then, at some point this year, results of a viability study to determine the future home of an innovation campus will be revealed, leading to the creation of a space that will serve as Topeka’s hub for creative endeavors and collaborations stemming from the accelerator program.
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)