Kansas Municipal News
GCCC Awarded Over $130,000 in State Tax Credits
Garden City Community College has been selected by the Kansas Department of Commerce to receive Community Service Tax Credits in the amount of $130,708. The program will allow the GCCC Endowment Association to sell 70% tax credits towards the purchase of two mobile anatomage tables that the college will share with about a dozen local western Kansas high schools, according to GCCC President Dr. Ryan Ruda. “We are grateful to the state of Kansas for their support of this worthy project,” said Dr. Ruda said. “This program ensures that we can help provide cutting edge biological health science education with state-of-the-art tools to the students in our region.” Anatomage tables provide three-dimensional, high-resolution mapping of both human bodies and select animal cadavers. They are generally more precise than traditional cadaver labs.
(Read more: Western Kansas News)
Municipal Bond Trends for July 10, 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.
Harvey County’s Old Settlers scaled back to just fireworks
There won’t be a Grand Parade at Old Settlers this year. There won’t be a Great Race or Little Great Race, or a community picnic on Sunday afternoon. At this point, the 133rd annual Old Settlers Festival will only consist of a fireworks show on Saturday, Aug. 8. “We plan, unless something drastically changes due to an outbreak, to only have fireworks,” Old Settlers committee member Cory Harrington said. As recently as late June, the Old Settlers Committee had still been planning on holding a nearly normal schedule of events, but then the county began seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. They made the difficult decision to scale back the festival on Thursday. “We all have a passion for the festival,” Harrington said. “Many of us committee members grew up attending it. It’s gut-wrenching to cancel something like this.” Harrington said the Old Settlers committee would meet again in two weeks to reassess where Harvey County is at with COVID-19.
(Read more: Harvey County Now)
GRDA, City of Coffeyville recognizing hometown heroes
“Heroes work here.” That is the message the Grand River Dam Authority and City of Coffeyville are sharing to recognize the essential employees who have continued to meet critical needs in their hometowns throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Critical needs for any community include electricity, water and sewer as well as other municipal services. GRDA has been the wholesale electricity supplier for City of Coffeyville since 1999. “Each time we turn on a water tap or flip a light switch, we automatically expect it to work,” said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan.
(Read more: Coffeyville, KS – News Flash)
High energy ready to explode at Pretty Prairie Rodeo
Nothing is going to stop an 83-year-old-rodeo if the people in Pretty Prairie can help it. The Kansas Largest Night Rodeo in Pretty Prairie, Kansas will take place from July 15-18, with adult tickets starting at $11. “People are locked down and ready to get out,” said Jon Stucky, president of the Board of the rodeo. “Cowboys are looking for places to go.” Barrelman, John Harrison is ready to prime the crowd with a mixture of energy and humor. Harrison is a three-time recipient of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Comedy Act of the Year and has appeared in Pretty Prairie before.
(Read more: Kansas Agland – The Garden City Telegram)
Hutchinson community invited to help paint downtown mural
The Hutchinson community is invited to help paint a mural beginning July 18. Designed by local artist Deanne Martin, the mural will be painted on the south side of the building at 304 N. Main. Located in the Santa Fe District, it will incorporate elements of the Hutchinson flag and the Santa Fe Railway. Painting will continue every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and every Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. until the mural is complete. Participation is open to the public and all supplies and materials will be provided, thanks to a $2,500 Make it Greater Grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation awarded to the Hutchinson Sculpture Art Walk Committee, a part of HutchRec.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Choose Topeka program attracts newcomers, continues to see interest
A little more than six months into the capital city’s Choose Topeka incentive program, Greater Topeka Partnership staff overseeing the initiative consider it a success. According to Barbara Stapleton, the GTP’s vice president of business retention and talent initiatives, 20 applicants — some of whom brought family with them — have moved to Topeka so far this year with help from Choose Topeka. She said people have moved to the capital city from Indiana, Texas, Nevada, Missouri, Tennessee, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, Minnesota, Colorado and elsewhere in Kansas.”It’s really exciting,” Stapleton said. “I hear people talking about how they really like what they see about what Topeka has to offer.”
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
The need to expand hometown meatpacking facilities
As the United States’ meat supply chain wavered during COVID-19, cattle prices came down and feed lots swelled to capacity. Ranchers looked to small- and medium-sized processors to harvest their animals, but across the country, these businesses were in short supply. Many who had a two- to three-month wait before the pandemic, now have more than an eight-month wait. In some locations nationwide, including in western Kansas and Alabama, the wait to process an animal is more than one year. Some state agencies and legislators in Washington are trying to figure out how to help the supply chain. “No state has enough slaughter and processing plants for what the current market demands are,” said Christopher Young, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors. “It’s an ongoing situation we need to rectify.”
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
Study identifies Kansas as promising state for wind energy development with little impact on wildlife
An analysis released this month by a nonprofit environmental group with global reach identified Kansas as a promising place in the United States to develop wind energy without destroying natural habitats unique to the Great Plains. According to the new “Site Wind Right” interactive map published by The Nature Conservancy, Kansas is one of 17 states in the central U.S. — all part of an area known as the “wind belt” — where renewable wind energy sites could be developed to generate a combined total of more than 1,000 gigawatts of wind power. And all that power could come from wind farms developed on land that would have low impact on nearby wildlife. “That’s a lot of potential energy — comparable to total U.S. electric generation from all sources today,” said Mike Fuhr, director of The Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma, another wind belt state.
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
Topeka to consider banning use of ’no knock’ search warrants
Local elected officials plan this coming week to consider banning the use of “no knock” search warrants in Topeka and extending a Shawnee County state of disaster emergency. … The city’s mayor and council plan to consider Councilman Spencer Duncan’s proposal to ban the use of no knock warrants while also putting in place requirements regarding the use of body cameras during the execution of search warrants and the retention of data recorded by those cameras. The Topeka Police Department has not used no knock warrants “for a long, long time,” Police Chief Bill Cochran said in a recent Topeka Capital-Journal podcast.
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
Shawnee County: Some restaurants may still offer dine-in service between 2 and 3 p.m.
The Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team announced a revision late Friday afternoon to a restriction that took effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday requiring bars and restaurants that serve food to stop offering dine-in service between 2 and 3 p.m. to enable them to carry out deep cleaning. Such establishments may still offer dine-in service if “deep cleaning and sanitation can be performed safely without interrupting” that, COVID-19 Response Team incident commander Dusty Nichols said in a news release.
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
Wichita’s nearly $1 billion water and sewer overhaul could be finished by 2027
Wichita is moving dirt for a new water treatment facility and planning to upgrade its sewage treatment plant by 2027 in a nearly $1 billion infrastructure overhaul. The Northwest Water Treatment Facility — near the Sedgwick County Zoo at 21st and Hoover — is still being designed by Wichita Water Partners, a group of contractors awarded the project in a controversial selection process. The new plant is needed to replace the city’s existing plant, which is 80 years old and has a high risk of failure, city officials have said.
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)
Decision expected Monday on whether Kansas will have a state fair this year
The Kansas State Fair Board will meet on Monday to reconsider its decision to hold this year’s event after a large number of vendors indicated they will not participate in September. “What happened is after the board made the decision, some of the vendors who previously told us they were a go for this year indicated they are seriously reconsidering it,” Kansas State Fair general manager Robin Jennison said. “We had a number of vendors call and say they weren’t going to come,” Jennison said. “It was getting to the point we were not going to be a fair that people expected for the state fair.”
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)
Fire district board to remain in control for now
The question of who is the governing body of the Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1 has been answered for the moment in Lansing, at least while a lawsuit is pending in District Court. District Judge David King announced Tuesday that he was issuing an order to preserve what he called the status quo until he can have a hearing on a petition for a declaratory judgment. This order requires the governing of Fire District No. 1, which provides fire department services to the city of Lansing and Delaware and High Prairie townships, to remain under the control of its existing board of trustees. In a petition was filed last week on behalf of Leavenworth County commissioners, the commissioners argued an interlocal agreement concerning Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1 expired Tuesday and control of the fire district should now shift to the county commission.
(Read more: McPherson Sentinel)
Roeland Park adopts ad hoc committee, professional services for police policy review
The Roeland Park City Council on Monday evening took further steps to conduct a review of police policies. The council approved an Ad Hoc committee and an agreement with Lexipol, which provides public safety policy and training solutions for law enforcement and first responders. The public safety policy service will guide the committee through its review process and update the department’s current policies, according to city documents.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Merriam Town Center becomes destination for Wyandotte County RideKC microtransit line
The Merriam Town Center is now an eligible destination for the RideKC 199 microtransit service area, previously servicing only Wyandotte County. The expansion offers riders a connection between Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, in addition to “access to jobs, healthcare, education, grocery and retail,” according to RideKC’s website. It went into effect beginning July 6, and is a bi-county collaboration. “This is a cooperative effort between Wyandotte and Johnson Counties to provide access to affordable, convenient public transportation,” the website reads.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Plans moving forward with Whimmydiddle in Scott City
Worried that local officials might not allow the annual Whimmydiddle arts and crafts show to proceed this year, members of the Alpha Omega sorority were assured by Scott County commissioners they could proceed with the event as normal. But, the commission added a caveat. “It’s hard to predict what will happen between now and September, but for now you can go forward,” said Commission Chairman Jim Minnix. Sorority member Nora Burnett noted that the arts and crafts event makes it possible for them to award about $25,000 in scholarships annually. The organization was concerned about their ability to do that next year, along with providing financial assistance for other needs in the community. She said they have already received a number of vendor applications so needed to know what to tell those wanting booths.
(Read more: Scott County Record)
Handwashing, masks among fall guidelines for Kansas schools
Draft safety guidelines for school this fall from the Kansas State Department of Education say students, teachers and staff should wear masks, but that students up to fifth or sixth grade shouldn’t be required to wear them unless local officials mandate it, the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle are reporting. The draft guidelines about how to reopen schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic were shared with superintendents this week and are expected to be formally presented to the State Board of Education next week. The guildlines say everyone should wash their hands when arriving at school and every hour afterward. Space should be made in classrooms to allow social social distancing. Locker use is discouraged and staggered transition time between classes is recommended for those schools that choose to use them.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Save Century II petition delivered to Mayor Brandon Whipple
A petition with 17,000 signature to Save Century II was delivered Friday morning to Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple. It comes after a rally on Wednesday to get signatures for the petition. Now the Save Century II petitiion is in the hands of officials. One of a few things could happen. “They could accept it immediately and just say this is what our constituents wanted, so of course we should accept we’re elected by them or they could wait and put it on the November ballot, or they could hold a special election but because money is tight and we have a $50 million deficit, it makes sense to put it on the November ballot if they’re not going to accept it right away,” said Celeste Racette, Save Century II.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Topeka restaurants adjust to new county cleaning rules
The Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team on Thursday made an amendment to the emergency order authorized on Tuesday, now allowing restaurants, bars, and night clubs to stay open during the mandatory daily cleaning hour from 2 to 3 p.m.Now, local restaurants are having to adjust to yet another new rule. “I think that hour is to really let the public know that we are taking it seriously and we are going to do our best to make sure that this is one of the cleanest, safest places to go,” said Ryan Cavanaugh, co-owner of the Brew Bank in Topeka. However, even before the coronavirus pandemic, Brew Bank employees were no stranger to frequently cleaning, Cavanaugh said.
(Read more: KSNT News)