Kansas Municipal News
StoryWalk sure to be fun for all ages in Greensburg
Kiowa County Library has partnered with another county organization to bring the first StoryWalk(R) to Kiowa County. The event will run from May 5 through May 31. The StoryWalk(R) is a literacy and exercise activity for children and families. Pages of a children’s book will be displayed in the windows of local businesses on Main Street. The book for May will be “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. The route begins at Kiowa County Schools (710 S. Main, Greensburg) and continues north. Families are encouraged to read the book as they walk the route.
(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)
Stay-cation takes local bicycler to Stafford County and to Quivira wildlife
Kansas residents may need to re-imagine this year’s vacation, especially if the COVID-19 pandemic lingers into the summer. Since, outside of a few hot spots, Kansas has numerous locations where the pandemic hasn’t been raging (at least based upon current figures), perhaps this is a good year to consider a stay-cation. Some may even want to base their destination on the KDHE map of COVID-19 cases. Here’s my experience from a recent, one-day staycation.
(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)
Kansas receives grant to transform the Kansas early childhood system
Governor Laura Kelly and other early childhood leaders from across Kansas announced today that an $8.9 million grant from the Administration for Children and Families has been awarded to continue efforts to strengthen the early childhood system in Kansas. The funding is the first installment of a 3-year renewal of Kansas’s Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) initiative. “These funds will be imperative in helping to keep up our current momentum as we work to improve our state’s early childhood system,” Governor Kelly said. “This grant is particularly welcome now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an additional degree of stress on early childhood in Kansas. With it, we will continue to fight for the health and safety of children and families in our state.”
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
Brown County hears update on virus topics
The Brown County Commission heard updates Monday morning on county-related COVID-19 coronavirus issues. County Emergency Planning Coordinator Don Pounds advised the commission that he had additional supplies ordered to ready the courthouse for reopening, but there were issues with some supplies. While masks were ordered and have arrived, there were issues with gloves that led him to canceling the order and asking for a refund. In addition, the disinfectants and hand sanitizers needed are in high demand and he is still trying to get all of those ordered and on it’s way.
(Read more: hiawathaworldonline.com)
Hiawatha joins with HFED to offer CDBG grants
The Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development (HFED) and the City of Hiawatha will be accepting applications for a special round of KS Department of Commerce CDBG grants. The two groups have been informed the State of Kansas will receive $9,029,815 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CDBG-CV funds will be available for non-entitlement Cities and Counties, with awards being made for issues triggered by the COVID-19 virus where no other funds are available. Proposed activities will be grants to micro-businesses (up to 5 employees) and small businesses (6 to 50 employees). There will also be grants available for non-profit clinics and hospitals for Personal Protective Equipment, as well as grants for Meal Programs.
(Read more: hiawathaworldonline.com)
Wichita begins new water conservation rebate program
The city of Wichita is again offering rebates to residents who purchase water-saving appliances. The program has been offered since 2013, and the city council has authorized $100,000 to fund the program for 2020. It offers rebates to people who have purchased water-saving toilets, dishwashers, washing machines and other devices. The rebates are offered in the form of water bill credits. Penny Feist with the city’s public works department said the program has helped the city meet its water conservation goals. She said customers are limited to five rebates a year, and a list of the eligible appliances is on a city web site, savewichitawater.com
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)
Municipal market gains clarity from Fed lending facility news
After more than two months of extreme volatility, the municipal market gained clarity as to the Fed’s intentions with its news that it would charge a large premium on issuers who choose to access its Municipal Liquidity Facility. Instead, investors turned their heads to the stock market in hopes that strength in equities will continue and governments will start to reopen. Triple-A benchmark yields fell two or three basis points in thin secondary trading. The Fed on Monday essentially said it was standing 10 feet back from the market, allowing it to manage the pandemic-driven crisis itself. Triple-A issuers can use the traditional means of accessing the exempt and taxable markets; however the Fed gave the nod that it is there if needed. The dealer community also said it was on hand to manage the market. “The pricing for the facility is above market under current conditions,” the Bond Dealers of America said. “However, the Fed has said that the facility is intended as last-resort financing, and it is priced as such. We hope the Fed is able to bring the facility online soon.” SIFMA said it was evaluating the proposal and the “dealer community stands at the ready to facilitate where we can be helpful.”
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for May 8, 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.
Reno County surprised by latest COVID-19 case count
A jump of 11 cases in Reno County’s COVID-19 late Friday afternoon took local health officials by surprise. “Apparently KDHE (the Kansas Department of Health and Environment) went back into the database and reallocated another eight as probable cases,” said Reno County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti. That brings to 11 the county’s “probable count,” added to 41 confirmed by testing, for a total case count reported by the state for Reno County of 52.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Rising case count could delay Shawnee County’s move to phase two of reopening
Because of the number of new COVID-19 cases in Shawnee County, local officials can’t guarantee the county will move to phase two of its reopening plan on May 18. That is the date presented in Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide reopening plan, which was adopted by the county, with a few caveats, on May 1. In phase two, businesses such as casinos, theaters, museums, fitness centers, nail and hair salons, and bars and nightclubs would be allowed to reopen — but that may not happen as early as expected. According to Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino, there was a “sharp increase” in new cases reported last week — double the number of new cases reported the week before, he said. “We are likely to end the week just about at the same level as where we were last week,” Pezzino said. “It was pretty bad last week, and it’s still pretty bad now.”
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Fed’s Mester says cities and states need more government support
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said Washington will have to step up aid to states and cities struggling with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “The states and the local governments are definitely going to need more help, and I think the federal government should be thinking about the best way to do that,” Mester said Friday in an interview on SiriusXM Business Radio. The Fed is preparing to help by lending directly to municipal bond issuers, but direct transfers can only be done by fiscal authorities, she said.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Old jail displayed at Edgerton Lake
The structure on a bluff at the southern end of the city lake is the old Edgerton city jail cell, manufactured in 1902. It was actually used to house prisoners in the early 1900’s. The City of Edgerton purchased it from the Pauly Jail Company in June of 1902 for $92.15. The dimensions of the cell is 5 feet x 6.5 feet x 6.5 feet. It has two metal bunk beds on one side, and those can be lowered or raised. At the front of the cage, at the bottom of the cell door, is about an eight inch opening that was used to slide the prisoner’s food to them inside the cell. It is officially known as a “lattice steel cage.” When the jail cell was actually being used in Edgerton, it was not located at the lake, but instead was located in the downtown area.
(Read more: Gardner News)
A growing concern
As temperatures warm, spring comes into bloom and grass begins to grow, it is up to Great Bend Property Maintenance Enforcement Manager Austin Laviolette to lay down the lawn law. “We all want a clean city,” he said. So, now, he just wants to get the word out to owners to keep their properties maintained before things get out of hand. Property Maintenance Enforcement recorded 1,315 total complaints in 2019, Laviolette said. Of those, 381 were reported by citizens with the rest initiated by his staff. “That was up from the previous year, but part of that was that we were being more aggressive.”
(Read more: Great Bend Tribune)
Fox sightings becoming more common in Halstead
It’s been seen all over town—around the levee; at Chestnut and Fourteenth Streets; by the pond near Cedar Brook; in front of Halstead Place; near the fire station, the hospital, and Scout Park; and numerous yards. And now it’s killing. “Last night I walked out the back door and was greeted with the goose freaking out, flapping his wings and kind of gong crazy in circles,” Halstead resident Kayla Straub said, recalling a frightening incident that happened last week. “I could see there was a duck, a duck, a chicken, and a chicken. One duck was still moving. My instinct was, ‘You’re not getting my bird.’ When I came out he didn’t budge.” She’s talking about a red fox that’s become a familiar face in Halstead.
(Read more: Harvey County Now)
Derby employee’s new book a colorful idea
Working for the city of Derby as a multimedia specialist/graphic designer, Justin Miller has gotten to know the community well and become immersed in the city. That exposure led Miller to an idea – an idea he pursued in his spare time during the current COVID-19 pandemic – that manifested itself in the form of a Derby Coloring Book, officially released May 3 on amazon.com. “Attending different events and everything, I thought with everyone stuck at home it would be fun to create something that maybe people could access easily – familiar places that they had been to – to color,” Miller said.
(Read more: DerbyInformer.com – news,news/)
Residents along Fort Scott street project to get rebate
Residents in the 500 block of Andrick Street will receive a water and sewer rebate because a street project is taking longer than commissioners believe it should. According to Kevin Allen, the project has been ongoing for eight or nine months. The project involves replacing curbing and guttering to improve drainage and storm water runoff. The work was one of four projects included in a 2019 Road Improvement Program Public Works Director Chad Brown presented the commission in July 2019.
(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)
Olathe Fire using new device to track coronavirus patients’ vitals remotely
The Olathe Fire Station is the first EMS departments in the country to begin remotely monitoring coronavirus patients. The department has teamed up with a global tech company, Masimo SafetyNet. “There have been some hospital systems using it, but we are the first EMS agency,” Olathe Fire Department Medical Director Dr. Jake Ruthstrom said. “It’s very humbling. We appreciate the partnership, and we are excited to use it.”
(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)
Ellinwood drive-by parade raises spirits
Residents at Azria Health Woodhaven and Ellinwood Country Living spent time outside Friday afternoon, enjoying a pleasant Spring afternoon as they watched and waved to family members participating in a drive-by parade led by Ellinwood Police Chief Chance Bailey and Ellinwood EMS staff. According to Amber Anderson at Azria Health Woodhaven, the staffs at Woodhaven and Country Place nursing homes organized the drive-by parade. “It is something that our sister facilities have been doing, and we thought it would be beneficial for our residents,” she said.
(Read more: Great Bend Tribune)
City asks for your help deciding future of southeast Wichita park
The City of Wichita says parks and green spaces have never been more important, and they want your help shaping the future of a southeast Wichita park. The L.W. Clapp golf course stopped operating as a golf course last summer, and it reopened as a public park space. The city plans to renovate the park, but the specific additions or changes to the park are not set in stone. That’s where you come in. The city is asking residents to fill out an online survey to decide the park’s direction. It asks participants to rate the importance of things like a community center, dog park, food truck area, and more.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff leaves on high note despite difficult times
It was not the way he planned to go out. But Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff’s response to the novel coronavirus sweeping in during the last weeks of a 40-year career was typical for the respected community city leader. He was set to retire March 27, but in February the Hutchinson City Council asked him to stay a little longer until his replacement was set to arrive. The county’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported on March 21. As the virus spread around the region and state it led to local and state stay-at-home orders, resulting in city hall being closed to the public and the sudden need to cut at least $1 million from the city budget in anticipation of shortfalls in sales tax collections.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)