Kansas Municipal News
Progress, pitfalls ahead with Fed coronavirus muni aid
Some stability in the municipal market is being marked by less outflows, Federal Reserve and government intervention, and slightly improving primary market volume. The market is not yet on solid ground amid the COVID-19 crisis, though, according to market participants, and caution is warranted.
The coronavirus has shaken the foundation of the municipal market and they said they are attempting to adjust to the sustained volatility.
Some said recent data is not a chief indicator of market tone and noted it is still too early to point to the recent decrease in outflows—relative to the double-digit billions the market experienced in March, for instance—as proof of overall calm. Wednesday’s ICI reports of $2.9 billion of outflows out of municipal bond mutual funds pales in comparison to the $20-plus-billion experienced in March.
In addition, the moves by the Federal Reserve to shore up the short-end of the municipal market through its Municipal Liquidity Facility have received mixed reviews. <
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
‘Results are promising’: Johnson County to test more residents for COVID-19 next week
Johnson County is planning to test another group of randomly selected residents for the novel coronavirus at a drive-thru location next week, as part of its expanded community testing program.
Last Friday, the county launched the $400,000 program aimed at collecting more data on the outbreak of COVID-19. Out of 369 residents who were tested, 14, or about 3.8%, tested positive, Sanmi Areola, public health director, said at a Johnson County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday.
“We are learning about this virus as we go,” Areola said. “Our results are promising, they are. And I think that’s a product of us working together. For us to be successful in curtailing this … we have to do this together. Residents have to be a part of it. Businesses have to be a part of it.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Rural hospitals in Kansas prepared for COVID-19
Rural hospitals in the University of Kansas Medical System have a unexpected boost in the fight against coronavirus: they are behind the curve.
Heather Harris, Medical Director for Hays Medical Center explains that, “we have the advantage of being on the back end of this wave of the virus, so we can see that there has been shortages of needing for preparation.”
Great Bend resident Dawn Johnson has seen this advantage first-hand. Three weeks ago, she went into the hospital for an x-ray after taking a cruise. Johnson says, “they were really, really prepared. They had me wear a mask and be so far back.”
Administrators from three rural Kansas hospitals took part in an online briefing Thursday morning. They say they have been able to learn what they need to do from what is happening in bigger cities, like Wichita. This knowledge has allowed them to prepare rooms for isolation and stock up on personal protective equipment (PPE).
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Sedgwick County health officials urge people with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested
Sedgwick County health officials said since the guidelines for testing relaxed, the number of people being tested has doubled.
As many people are possible are being tested at the county’s central drive-thru coronavirus location.
With the help of a local university, the county has also caught up some on the number of swabs needed for testing kits.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Here’s how the city of Wichita is helping the homeless during the COVID-19 crisis
Last week, at least two homeless individuals in Wichita were showing signs of COVID-19. Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said as of Thursday, they’ve not received any indication that those two people tested positive.
As a city response, the two individuals were put into motel rooms so they could isolate and get the care they needed.
Sedgwick County has now had more than 200 reported cases of COVID-19.
“Even though it seems the hardest, we need people to really buckle down and focus on the stay-in orders, if we’re going to protect not just ourselves but also our neighbors,” said Whipple.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
City of Wichita works to provide shelter for homeless community during the COVID-19 pandemic
Shelters like the union rescue mission and human kind ministries are working to assure the safety of Wichita’s homeless community. Today we spoke with city leaders to see what they are doing to to protect homeless families during the pandemic.
During his press conference today Mayor Whipple mentioned the city is working to fund a 300,000 dollar motel voucher through the United Way of the Plains to keep those homeless men and women who present COVID-19 symptoms off the streets and in a safe place to self-isolate. The plan is to temporarily house symptomatic patients while they await test results or have tested positive. the city first planned to use the old down town library for an emergency shelter.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Crawford County approves wind farm project
Crawford County Commissioners approve plans for a wind farm project that will help protect the pockets of tax payers.
The Jayhawk Wind Farm Project is 50 wind turbines between Crawford and Bourbon Counties, with about 20 turbines in Crawford County.
Commissioners approved a few agreements between the county and Apex Clean Energy.
The county will now get about $100,000 a year from the project for the general fund.
Also, they made sure the company pays for any road work while transporting materials.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)
“Emporia Strong” helping community and small businesses
“Emporia Strong” is a brand new organization focused on helping out local businesses and the community throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“When this pandemic started one of my initial concerns was food and insecure kids since they rely on the schools to get their food intake for the day, so I thought what can I do to help,” said Jamie Darcy, a graphic designer at IM Design in Emporia.
“We know that these situations have only worsened and these rates have gone much, much higher with people losing hours and losing jobs,” said Jasmine Linabary, who is the Director of the EAT Initiative.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Gov. Kelly preparing how state will reopen when coronavirus subsides
Governor Kelly extended the state’s stay at home order until May 3. Now she’s preparing how the state will eventually reopen.
Kelly said the state could hit its peak number of coronavirus cases between April 19 and 29. It would need to see a reduction in cases for 14 days before social gathering restrictions could be relaxed.
The governor’s administration will begin talking with business leaders, economists, and health experts on just how to reopen the economy safely and effectively.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Spirit AeroSystems to power Wichita aircraft factory with Kingman wind farm electricity
Spirit AeroSystems will be switching to electricity generated by a Kansas wind farm to power its aircraft factory in Wichita.
Spirit officials announced in a news release on Thursday that public utility regulators had “cleared a path” for the company to convert to renewable energy at its massive 12.8 million square-foot manufacturing facility this year. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved a 10-year agreement between Spirit and Evergy under which Spirit will buy wind-generated electricity.
(Read more: Local News |)
Diverging from KCMO, Johnson County decides against extending stay-at-home order to May 15 — at least for now
Johnson County officials essentially decided not to decide Thursday whether to continue the stay-at-home order until May 15, as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has done. Instead, Johnson County will stick with the business closure and distancing rules until May 3 before deciding if a longer extension is necessary. The May 3 date coincides with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s order.
Commission Chairman Ed Eilert told commissioners meeting Thursday that he and Kansas City, Kan. Mayor David Alvey decided to diverge from the Kansas City, Mo. branch of the CORE 4, noting that the extension from the county’s previous April 23 end date would give officials time to collect data before deciding whether to continue the order another two weeks.
Some commissioners say they have been feeling pressured by residents who are in financial distress and want to see businesses reopen. Local hospitals have so far not been overwhelmed by cases as have other hard-hit areas of the country.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
JoCo cities face difficult decisions as they work to close budget gaps caused by COVID-19
As businesses close in response to the coronavirus pandemic economic impacts are beginning to ripple beyond their shuttered front doors and windows.
Sales tax typically generates between 20 to 50 percent of revenue for cities in Johnson County, financing general funds, stormwater projects and public safety efforts. But with the stay-at-home orders in place, this typically reliable revenue source is thrown into question, and municipal budgets, most of which were planned half a year in advance, are being restructured.
To offset funding gaps Johnson County cities have largely been working towards cutting operational expenditures and capital improvement budgets, and some have said they will consider dipping into reserves if necessary.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Topeka, Shawnee County officials announce new task force to aid in COVID-19 recovery
Topeka and Shawnee County leaders announced Thursday the creation of a task force that aims to strengthen local recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.
In a news conference held Thursday evening via Zoom, community leaders from the Greater Topeka Partnership, the City of Topeka and several Shawnee County agencies formally introduced the task force, dubbed “Topeka, Shawnee County Community Recovery.”
“It’s clear that this situation isn’t going to go away overnight, but as we respond to this crisis, we must start focusing on what our recovery plan should look like,” said Mayor Michelle De La Isla. “Right now, leadership must identify the issues our community will be facing so that, over time, we can address these and create actionable, long-lasting solutions.”
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Conway Springs turns out for downtown cruising
The past two weekends have a seen a bygone activity return to downtown Conway Springs.
Dozens of cars – maybe as many as 100 last Saturday – turned out over the past two weekends to cruise Springs Avenue. For many, it recalled a time from their childhoods when life was simpler and rural towns across America were more active than they are today.
Chad Walker has organized the “Cruise Main” event on Facebook.
“A couple Thursdays ago, I was cruising around town and wanted to get some pictures of the sunset,” he said.
(Read more: Times-Sentinel Newspapers » Feed)
Lyon County in ‘good shape’ to take hit in sales tax collections
Lyon County Controller Dan Williams told Lyon County Commissioners during Thursday morning’s meeting that the county is in good standing to withstand a financial hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The county will not be able to see the scope of impact the pandemic is having on local sales taxes until May or June, but Williams told the commission he had recently worked out some “Doomsday numbers” in an attempt to predict how the county would handle a significant loss in revenue.
He said the good news was that last year the county had collected more than what it had budgeted in sales taxes. Though the second half of property tax payments aren’t due until May 10, he said many also chose to pay off the full amount when the first half was due. He said the county had also collected “quite a bit” in back taxes during the first quarter of the year.
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)
City of Lawrence to receive $446,000 as part of the coronavirus relief package; more aid expected
The City of Lawrence will receive a $446,000 grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
The CARES Act allocated $2 billion of additional funding to cities through the Community Development Block Grant program to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus, according to a city staff memo to the City Commission. As part of the commission’s meeting Tuesday, City Manager Craig Owens said the city expected additional funds to be provided but that the grant was a start to meet the city’s challenges.
“The needs here locally are substantial,” Owens said. “They will continue to be substantial as we move through this and move into recovery.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Some Lawrence leaders want sustainability to be significant factor when prioritizing city projects
City leaders expressed support Tuesday for a new way of prioritizing infrastructure projects and other capital expenses, but some commissioners said they would like to see more emphasis on sustainability.
As part of its regular meeting, the Lawrence City Commission provided feedback to city staff about a new prioritization method for the city’s Capital Improvement Plan that weighs one-time projects based on nine factors. City Manager Craig Owens told the commission that what staff had proposed was a starting point, and it was up to the commissioners to modify the method as they found appropriate.
“You need to build the machine that’s going to produce the priorities of how we spend huge amounts of resources on behalf of this community,” Owens said.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Manhattan challenges Lawrence to census response competition; mayor of losing city must wear other university’s jersey
Even though sporting events have been canceled because of the coronavirus, Lawrence residents still can get in the competitive spirit.
Mayor Jennifer Ananda recently accepted a challenge from the mayor of Manhattan for the two cities to compete for the highest self-response rate to the 2020 census for each city. The mayor of the losing city has to wear the other city’s university jersey to a City Commission meeting. Mayor Usha Reddi made a video challenging Ananda, who responded with a video of her own in which she accepted the challenge.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Manhattan airport to receive over $2 million in grant funding
The Manhattan Regional Airport is receiving $2.1 million from phase III of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Eighty Kansas airports, including Manhattan, will receive funds to help compensate lost revenue since less people are flying because of the coronavirus outbreak. The total amount going to Kansas airports is $53 million with Manhattan receiving the fourth largest amount. Garden City Regional ($17.95 million), Topeka Regional ($16.86 million) and Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport ($11.32 million) are the top three recipients.
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
State of the Cities in the Wake of COVID-19
Each year, mayors across the country prepare to give a very meaningful speech: The State of the City. This is a time for local leaders to communicate about the health, stability and future of their communities. This year, however, mayors are making dramatic changes due to the impact of COVID-19…
Some local communities are embracing technology to ensure they share their roadmap for the future with their residents, no matter the obstacle. For example, Mayor Emily Larson of Duluth, Minnesota announced she plans to deliver her speech electronically.
(Read more: CitiesSpeak)