Kansas Municipal News
Pandemic poses new troubles for election planners in Kansas and Missouri
While Chely Scarbrough signed up to work as an election judge in Kansas City this year, she isn’t crazy about the prospect of being in close contact with people in the midst of uncertainty over the COVID-19 virus. “I am worried,” Scarbrough said. “I haven’t been able to hug or kiss my grandson since all this started.” Still, she plans to report for duty for the June 2 municipal election in Missouri. Scarbrough also intends to work Aug. 4 when Missouri holds its primary election, and Nov. 3 when Missourians vote for offices as essential as governor and U.S. president. “I’ll be wearing my mask and I guess wiping down the pens and all the things they need me to do,” she said.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Hillsboro hires new city administrator
Goessel resident Matt Stiles will begin duties as Hillsboro city administrator June 15. The timing will give him two weeks to work with retiring city administrator of 12 years Larry Paine, whose last day on the job will be June 30. Stiles said city inancial planning is at the top of his punch list. “We’re going to have to address the inancial impact of the pandemic irst,” he said. “That will be the top priority right away.” The city’s strategic plan is also high on his list. He also wants to emphasize economic development, growth of new businesses, and expansion of existing businesses. Stiles has been program manager and instructor at Wichita State University’s Public Policy and Management Center for two years. He was city administrator of South Hutchinson for more than seven years, and assistant city manager at Bel Aire for nearly three years.
(Read more: Marion County RECORD)
Shawnee County ‘counting on public’ to follow coronavirus safety guidelines during reopening
The Shawnee County COVID-19 Response Team reminded the public the community is counting on everyone to follow all of the guidelines issued by the state for coronavirus prevention. Shawnee County will follow Governor Laura Kelly’s “Ad Astra: A guide to open Kansas,” enacted through Executive Order 20-29, in full. While in phase one of reopening, the county response team reminded the public to practice the follow coronavirus safety measures.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Christina Lucas appointed to Municipal Court Clerks Education Committee
The Kansas Supreme Court appointed Christina Lucas, municipal court administrator for the city of Pittsburg, to fill an unexpired term on the Municipal Court Clerks Education Committee. Lucas will serve until June 30, 2021. Lucas has been the municipal court administrator for the city of Pittsburg since 2015. She previously was office manager for the Crawford County Attorney’s office, where she was instrumental in establishing the victim/witness protection program. Lucas is secretary for the Kansas Association of Court Management and will become vice president in October. The Municipal Court Clerks Education Committee recommends and organizes education and training programs for municipal court clerks and reviews and updates the Municipal Court Clerks Manual.
(Read more: City of Pittsburg)
Riley County reports three days without a positive COVID-19 test
Riley County has gone three days without a new positive COVID-19 test as of Wednesday afternoon. Health and safety officials updated the public online Wednesday. 20 of a total of 55 positive COVID cases remain active and one Riley County resident remains hospitalized. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says the re-opening process has started smoothly, with most businesses adhering to occupancy, distance and other requirements. “Please keep in mind, those businesses who are following the best practices are far less likely to have a COVID positive case associated with their business,” Gibbs says. “And, therefore, are more likely to stay open.” She encourages the public to continue mitigation efforts, including wearing cloth masks, throughout the re-opening as well. Gibbs says the re-opening process will progress based on local data and following the governor’s guidance, adding that the process could last longer than the minimum 14 day period for some phases. Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Andrew Adams also says they’ve received 4,300 responses to their community survey, 4,100 of who were county residents. The goal of the survey is to get a full picture of the impact of the pandemic on the local community.
(Read more: 1350 KMAN)
Manhattan approves $2.1 million grant for Manhattan Regional Airport
Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a $2.1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Manhattan Regional Airport to provide economic relief during the coronavirus pandemic. This grant is a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by President Donald Trump in March. The grant provides about $10 billion in funds to airports across the United States. The commission also approved tenant agreements to provide three months of free rent in 2020 for Bandit Coffee and Café, Hertz, Enterprise Holdings and American Eagle.
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
Grant program introduced for Kansas arts organizations
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced today that nearly $500,000 in grant funding is being made available to provide operational support to Kansas arts organizations experiencing financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19. The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Creative Industries Arts Commission will distribute CARES Act arts funding through the Short-Term Operational Support (SOS) Program, a grant program developed to assist with immediate financial needs resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, May 4, through May 15, 2020. “COVID-19 has placed unexpected strain on all facets of our economy, including the arts,” Kelly said. “Together, we will ensure no organization is left behind in this emergency.”
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
Hiawatha announces wastewater testing reveals COVID-19
The City of Hiawatha issued a press release on Wednesday announcing that COVID-19 coronavirus was detected in the wastewater systems of Hiawatha. This does not affect the drinking water, city officials say. On April 24, the University of Kansas School of Engineering and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) collected samples from 12 wastewater plants, one of which was the City of Hiawatha’s, to determine if the COVID-19 virus can be detected in the wastewater systems of local communities.
(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)
“Operation America Strong” flies over Wichita, surrounding areas
The Wichita area was treated to numerous flyovers Wednesday. Four massive aircraft zoomed overhead as a part of “Operation America Strong.” The flyover salute from McConnell Air Force Base was a way to say thank-you to all of the healthcare workers and first responders battling COVID-19. “Operation America Strong” started at McConnell Air Force Base and aircraft spent the next hour flying over Wichita and the surrounding cities. The flightpath went above 11 hospitals to show appreciation to all of the healthcare workers and first responders fighting COVID-19.”It just shows that we have a lot of support out here for what we’re doing for not only us but for the community,” said Victoria Arnce, VA Hospital Pharmacy Administrative Officer. “It’s definitely re-energizing. Sometimes it gets kind of tedious and kind of down when you see everything that’s going on and when you see something like this, especially on a beautiful day it makes you feel good.”
(Read more: KAKE – News)
As a new stadium sits empty, the full effect of a lost baseball season reaches close to $1 million
Wichita was counting on the debut of the Wind Surge baseball team in many ways. For example, nearby businesses in the Delano district were gearing up for an uptick in foot traffic this spring that would translate to more spending by consumers. Hotels surrounding the ballpark were also excited. They had many rooms booked for visiting teams and spectators. And the city is approaching losses of as much as $932,000 if the Wind Surge doesn’t play this season — money that was expected to help pay for the new stadium’s construction, which cost nearly $75 million.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
McPherson County Old Mill Museum receives Humanities Kansas grant
Humanities Kansas recently awarded $9,985 to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum in support of ‘Not the Same Old Grind: Mills & Milling in McPherson County’ a new permanent exhibit exploring the milling industry in the county from past to present. Lorna Nelson serves as project director. “We are excited to add a new permanent exhibit that showcases both artifacts and archival material to tell the evolving story of milling and its impact in our county,” she said. “In addition to explaining more of our county’s story, it will help visitors better understand the historic mill on site. We hope the new exhibit will provoke thoughts/conversation about change over time in our rural way of life, our industries, our food production, and even our food consumption.”
(Read more: McPherson Weekly News » Feed)
Municipal Bond Trends for May 5, 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.
Look up this morning in the Wichita area! Team McConnell (McConnell Air Force Base) flyover to salute community and frontline COVID-19 responders
Look to the sky! Team McConnell is scheduled to perform a #AmericaStrong flyover on Wednesday between 10 and 11 a.m. Note: Times are subject to change. Social distancing should be practiced at all times.
Health director says COVID-19 trends in JoCo encouraging, but neighboring communities seeing cases rise
In an update to the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, Johnson County Health and Environment Director Sanmi Areola, PhD, said COVID-19 trends in Johnson County suggest spread of the virus is slowing here — but noted that cases are rising in neighboring communities. “Johnson County trends are encouraging,” Areola wrote. “However, while our numbers continue to trend in the right directions, those of our immediate neighbors are not.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Equal funding considered for counties and municipalities
House lawmakers are working on separate and equal federal aid packages for counties and municipalities at the same time that the National League of Cities has doubled its federal aid request to $500 billion over two years. NLC’s director of federal advocacy predicted Tuesday that some small rural communities may have to opt for dissolution because of their dire revenue shortfalls related to the pandemic. Some assistance could be on the way through a “municipality fund” that would designate 30% of the federal aid for municipalities with populations less than 50,000. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., disclosed those plans in a “dear colleague” letter Monday. She said lawmakers are considering creating separate funds for direct aid to states, counties and municipal governments.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
These Johnson County cities vote to keep pools closed this summer because of COVID-19
Johnson County cities can open pools for the summer as early as May 18, according to Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for reopening Kansas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But some cities say they aren’t ready to dive into the deep end. On Monday night, both the Prairie Village and Roeland Park city councils decided to keep their cities’ public pools closed this summer. And on Wednesday, an Overland Park committee will consider whether the city should open any of its outdoor pools. Officials across Johnson County and the region are deciding whether it’s safe to open community centers and pools, many of which draw hundreds of visitors from across the region.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Chicago Fed’s Evans sees rates ‘low for quite a long time’
While it won’t be the eight years like the last time the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to the zero lower bound, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said he “doesn’t think there will be reason to raise rates anytime soon.” “We just came through a long expansion, although we are in a much different environment right now, I think interest rates will remain low for a quite a long time,” Evans said on a virtual conference call on Tuesday morning. He spoke mostly about the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the economy and presented a baseline case of what he envisions for the remainder of the year.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Cities Are Essential: New Campaign Calls for Immediate, Direct Funding to Support Local COVID-19 Response and Recovery
Today, the National League of Cities, the voice of the over 19,000 cities, towns and villages in the United States, launched a campaign to secure economic relief for the communities on the frontline of America’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Cities Are Essential campaign calls for $500 billion in direct federal aid and economic relief from the COVID-19 pandemic over the next two years to support the communities who support America’s people. “Cities are essential – to the fabric of this nation, to the pandemic response effort, and to the 200 million residents we provide essential services for,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities. “The federal government must act now. It’s been almost two months since the first bill providing Coronavirus relief was passed by Congress, and most communities haven’t received a cent in aid.”
(Read more: NLC)
Larned considering seasonal help for nuisance lawns
Revisiting a discussion about nuisance mowing violations that began last December, the Larned City Council Monday night considered the pros and cons of utilizing in-house staff over bidding and contracting for mowing the yards those who allow their grass and weeds to grow too tall. Of primary concern was the risk of liability and damage to equipment…. the city’s code enforcement officer… in 2019… surveyed 14 Kansas cities similar to Larned to find out how they handled and charged for mowing. She found an almost even split between those that contract and those who perform the work in-house. Some, like Hoisington, charged an hourly fee, and others, like Eureka, a flat rate. Larned is in line with the administrative fees charged, she determined. Smith compiled the data and recommended the city allow in-house mowing.
(Read more: Great Bend Tribune)
Wichita YMCA locations to reopen in phases beginning May 18
The Greater Wichita YMCA announced that reopening its facilities in phases begins in less than two weeks. While details are still being ironed out, phase one will begin on Monday, May 18 to coincide with Kansas Laura Kelly’s plan to reopen the state. Local YMCA branches closed on March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the YMCA’s website, hours will be modified and each facility will comply with state and local guidelines. More details are expected on Monday, March 11.
(Read more: KAKE – News)