Kansas Municipal News
Coffey County is state’s hot spot for COVID-19
Although urban areas may have more cases, the number of confirmed cases per 10,000 residents is 2.7 times higher in Coffey County than in any other county and most of the counties with infection rates that high are near that county.
(Read more: Marion County RECORD)
Overland Park police group says city should enact pay raises for officers as planned
The Overland Park city administration’s move to suspend the planned increase in police salaries that was scheduled to go into effect this week has drawn a response from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 21, which is made up of Overland Park officers.
In a letter to city officials, Lodge 21 President Mike Mosher said the group believes the move to suspend the raise was premature, and that the city’s financial position should allow it to be enacted as planned.
“Although we understand the speed that this COVID-19 pandemic came upon all of us, we also understand that our great city has taken steps in the past to prepare for such an event,” Mosher wrote. “This includes putting money into reserves, sometimes more than what was required. The reserves are strong. Any increase in pay for our members would reflect a fraction of a percent of those reserves.”
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Welcome to the ‘touchless golf’ experience in Olathe, Shawnee
The Johnson County parks system has found a way to reopen its two golf courses during the physical-distancing restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandamic.
Officials call it a “touchless golf experience.”
The new measures, which apply to the Heritage Park Golf Course in Olathe and the Tomahawk Hills course in Shawnee, are aimed at maintaining the 6-foot physical distancing requirement and reducing the likelihood of picking up the virus from a surface.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Amid COVID-19, Shawnee Mission issuing trespass citations for crowds on school fields
Despite the risk of spreading coronavirus, large crowds continue to congregate and play team sports on Shawnee Mission school athletic fields, officials said. Now, the district is cracking down.
The district’s fields and stadiums remain open, even though schools are closed, officials said, to let the community exercise during the stay at home order. But officials said Wednesday that the district and local police departments have received numerous complaints about large groups playing organized sports and ignoring social distancing guidelines.
Beginning Thursday, district police were to begin issuing trespassing citations for anyone violating the rules — which include staying six feet away from others and gathering with no more than 10 people.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
How the Muni Market Became the Epicenter of the Liquidity Crisis
The coronavirus triggered a liquidity crisis in municipal bonds, but the volatility that resulted has been brewing for a decade.
Desperate sellers across most markets sold assets at deep discounts last month as the spreading new coronavirus left investors fearful and hungry for cash. Perhaps no investment flipped from coveted haven to spurned hot potato as quickly as municipal bonds.
Prices have started to recover as U.S. lawmakers authorized the Federal Reserve to prop up a wide swath of state and local government debt. But the marketwide breakdown exposed a new vulnerability in the nearly $4 trillion municipal market: a concentration of power and risk resulting from a fundamental shift in how muni bonds are bought and sold on Wall Street and on Main Street.
More money than ever is managed by a few financial behemoths that can swallow large chunks of debt at premium prices and don’t shy away from risk. Meanwhile, the banks and brokers that trade munis have become less inclined to warehouse debt.
That shift left the market susceptible to extreme volatility when worried investors fled bond funds, triggering waves of forced selling with few other buyers willing to pay top dollar. Yields on 10-year bonds doubled in three days, a price drop never seen before, according to Refinitiv, and the S&P Municipal Bond Index gave up more than a year’s worth of gains. State and local governments were locked out of the debt market for days and investors who cashed out likely suffered tens of millions of dollars in losses. Yields rise as bond prices fall.
(Read more: WSJ.com: Markets)
Selling pressure returns to munis as coronavirus-driven credit concerns grow
Another large wave of selling hit the market on Wednesday, with yields rising by more than a half percentage point on the long end, amid defensive bidding reminiscent of the mid-March sell-off.
March’s volatility has led to some of the widest price swings the market has seen since benchmark data was created and it continues as the second quarter begins.
Large block trades were showing massive swings in yield and AAA benchmark yields on various scales rose by 40 to 50 basis points from 10 years and out while the short end wasn’t spared either, seeing cuts of 16 to 35 inside 10 years.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Johnson County dedicates $400,000 to COVID-19 tests
The Johnson County Commissioners decided March 30 to take a pro-active response to COVID-19 by offering testing for a random sample of 3,000 to 5,000 people in the county.
“We are not trying to test everybody in the county,” explained Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the department of health and environment. “That is neither feasible nor necessary. Additional testing is necessary to understand what’s going on in the county to help us make informed decisions, so we can identify positives cases, see who their contacts are, and take action to prevent the spread of the virus.”
In a move that demonstrates commitment to public health and determination to set a high standard for county integrity, the Johnson County Commissioners voted unanimously to spend up to $400,000 on this testing.
(Read more: Gardner News)
Fort Scott businesses can apply for $10,000 in funding
Fort Scott commissioners are looking to take action their response to COVID-19.
Two proposals on Tuesday night’s agenda featured initiatives for disaster response — one adopting a local state of emergency and the other working to aid small businesses within the community. …
The Revolving Loan Program is an emergency tool for businesses in the form of grant funding. The City of Fort Scott has more than $260,000 through the Kansas Department of Commerce and will be able to help more than 25 local businesses.
Companies can apply online for the $10,000 grant, or can email their completed applications to Rachel Pruitt, the city’s Director of Economic Development. Although applications are submitted to the city, the State of Kansas will review the final paperwork and decide where the money will go.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)
Ark City parks to remain open during stay-at-home order
Citizens advised to avoid equipment; obey social distancing guidelines, signs
Parks in Ark City will remain open to the public during Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s “stay at home” order, but this could change if safety guidelines are ignored.
Under the stay-at-home order, open spaces and walking trails are recommended to remain open, and the use of these areas is considered an “essential activity” — as long as the appropriate 6-foot distance is maintained between individuals and gatherings do not exceed the state limit of 10 people.
However, the City of Arkansas City’s Public Services Department strongly discourages the use of any playground or exercise equipment, or park shelters, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Law enforcement still taking steps to make citizens law-abiding
Police and sheriff’s officers will not let the coronavirus stop them from enforcing the law, despite changes in procedures over the past two weeks.
Neosho County Undersheriff Greg Taylor said the jail is maintaining numbers so it can quarantine an inmate if necessary. He said some prisoners on misdemeanor charges without bond were released after a judge reviewed charges, and officers continue to make arrests.
“We’ll use some common sense as to who we bring in,” Taylor said.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
Municipal Bond Trends for April 1, 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.
Wichita mayor Whipple, council clash on proposal to aid workers idled by coronavirus
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple is calling on the City Council to dip into its lunch and travel funds to help soften the blow on city workers as the budget faces a multi-million-dollar shortfall caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But some of Whipple’s fellow council members are upset that he’s gone public with his ideas before the council has a meeting Tuesday to discuss the city’s entire budget. The city is projected to lose around $8 million of its $624.5 million budget, based on early staff estimates.
Whipple’s proposal came in response to City Manager Robert Layton’s decision last week to furlough 290 city employees for 30 days as Wichita grapples with the fallout from coronavirus disease COVID-19.
(Read more: Local News |)
Fleet of vans to begin collecting data on Lawrence road conditions
The City of Lawrence begins a project this week to assess and inventory the condition of all roadways within the city.
The city hired the firm Data Transfer Solutions to perform the assessment, which includes the use of vans with cameras to gather data on road conditions, according to a city news release. The project will last approximately six weeks and begins Wednesday.
To evaluate roadway conditions, DTS deploys a fleet of data collection vans equipped with digital cameras that will collect imagery on all pavement and transportation-related infrastructure located within the city right-of-way. The vehicles will be traveling all roads within the city to collect the required data, and some roads will need to be traveled several times. The imagery will be used to create a digital video inventory.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Muni heavy infrastructure bill touted by House Democrats
A $760 billion infrastructure plan packed with help for the public finance sector is being offered by House Democrats as the legislative vehicle for fourth coronavirus emergency spending bill that would focus on economic stimulus.
The five-year spending plan Democrats originally proposed at the end of January calls for reinstating advance refunding, Build America Bonds and tax credit bonds. It also would expand qualified private activity bonds, allow a to-be-decided increase in airport passenger facility charges and $40 billion more for State Revolving Funds that finance water projects.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters in a conference call Wednesday that new additions that would increase the original price tag of the package include $10 billion for construction of new community health centers.
The coronavirus health emergency has exposed gaps in the nation’s healthcare system and the need for universal high speed broadband, Democrats said. The original package already set a goal of achieving universal high speed broadband.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
State groups urge Federal Reserve to buy wide range of munis
Groups representing states and localities are urging the Federal Reserve and Treasury to create new programs to buy a wider range of securities and help municipalities grappling with revenue delays due to the coronavirus.
In a letter sent to the Fed and Treasury this week, the National Association of State Treasurers, Government Finance Officers Association and the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers pushed for the Fed to buy munis on secondary market and create a financing program to help municipalities struggling with late revenues.
“As you know, an historic cash panic, prolonged paralysis in the primary municipal bond market, and impending budget shocks stemming from the pandemic have all culminated at once, forcing many businesses and nearly every state and local government into an unprecedented state of damage control,” the groups wrote in the letter. “Absent support for the municipal debt market, state and local government budgets will be further stressed at the most inopportune time, particularly as revenues decline as a result of business closures and rising unemployment.”
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Department of Commerce launches COVID jobs website
The Kansas Department of Commerce today launched a new jobs website, connecting job seekers with Kansas businesses hiring to fill urgent needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 jobs site, kansasworks.com/coronavirus, allows employers from essential industries to quickly and easily post critical positions that need to be filled to support activities related to helping individuals and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. The site, which is available at no cost to employers or job seekers, will be updated continuously as businesses add new jobs to the system.
Job seekers can visit the site to find companies hiring for COVID-19-related positions and quickly access company hiring portals.
“While the COVID-19 crisis has led to many Kansans losing their jobs, it’s also driven demand and opportunity for some functions in critical industries such as food and grocery, shipping and logistics and healthcare,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The COVID-19 jobs website allows us to quickly connect individuals looking for work with companies that have urgent hiring needs, particularly those related to support needed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.”
To access the COVID jobs website, visit kansasworks.com/coronavirus.
(Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce)
Local Governments Lead the Charge on Providing Emergency Leave to Employees
A historically heated conversation around paid sick leave might come to a boil today, Wednesday, April 1, when the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) goes into effect. Two things will change:
- Certain employees will be entitled to two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave over and above any time already taken off.
- Certain employees who have been on the job for at least 30 days are entitled to 12 weeks of job-protected leave if they cannot work or telework due to a quarantine or isolation order, either they or their family members are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or they are caring for a child whose school or place of care has temporarily closed.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Compensation Survey, over 90 percent of local government workers have access to paid sick leave. In addition to this regular paid sick leave, some employers also offer ad hoc, temporary sick leave or, when feasible, allow or require people to work remotely.
(Read more: CitiesSpeak)
New $5M relief loan fund offers ‘lifeline’ to area small businesses hit by COVID-19 crisis
A group of Kansas City-area businesses and civic organizations announced a $5 million fund to get sorely needed funds to small businesses hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.
The KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund will offer loans of as much as $100,000 to area companies with fewer than 20 full-time-equivalent employees and less than $2.5 million in revenue. The three-year loans will carry no interest and payments will be deferred for the first six to 12 months, according to a Tuesday announcement.
(Read more: Kansas City Business Journal)
Salina school board approves items to help community
The Salina Unified School District Board of Education approved several items it hopes will help the Salina community during the coronavirus pandemic.
The board met via Zoom video conference at 5 p.m. Tuesday and voted on the items.
In its consent agenda, the board approved over $200,000 to purchase 750 hot spots to deliver internet to families for distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 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.