Kansas Municipal News
Andover City Facilities Closed to the Public – All City services remain operational
The City of Andover takes the health of our community and public servants who serve our community extremely seriously.
As such, in response to the 03/12/2020, KDHE notification of a presumed positive case of COVID-19 in Butler County, as of today, Friday, March 13, 2020, all City of Andover facilities and spaces are temporarily closed to the public until further notice.
All City services remain operational and all City employees remain available …
(Read more: Andover – News Flash – Andover City News)
Moratorium on water service shut-offs considered in Topeka
Topeka City Councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz is calling for the city to put a moratorium on water shut-offs in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The city’s mayor and council on Tuesday will consider a proposal Ortiz is sponsoring in an effort to enable customers who are at risk of losing their city water service to continue washing their hands with soap and water.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Johnson County declares state of emergency, places restrictions on gatherings of 250+ people
Johnson County Chair Ed Eilert on Friday declared a state of emergency as a result of to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that allows the country government to access resources to aid personnel responding to the illness.
Additionally, the declaration gives Eilert the authority to establish rules designed to limit the potential spread of the disease. Among those are a declaration prohibiting public gatherings of more than 250 people.
Exceptions to the prohibition include:
- Governmental and judicial functions
- Healthcare facilities
- Private business operations
- Religious and faith-based activities
- Weddings and funerals.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Wellington City Manager addresses closing of the local hospital
The closing of Sumner Community Hospital is unfortunate for our community and a sad day that the City had hoped would never come. A local hospital is an important and vital facility in any community. The financial difficulties of our local hospital have been ongoing for a number of years. It was the hope that Rural Hospital Group (RHG) would be able to overcome the difficulties and be successful in the longer-term plans to construct a new and financially sustainable hospital….
The City has dedicated and well-trained Paramedics and EMTs on staff to serve the community and patient care will continue at the highest level.
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
Winfield, Ark City working to keep more limited recycling program
Arkansas City commissioners met with Winfield City Manager Taggart Wall during a study session Friday to discuss possible options for the recycling program. Both communities share the cost of the program, but expenses have been increasing each year due to the lack of a market for recycled material.
Currently the unsorted and often contaminated items are being hauled to Waste Connection in Wichita, where 60 percent of those materials end up in the landfill. Wall said the employees at that center do not separate the clean recyclables from the contaminated materials, and will just send them to the landfill.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Leawood closes City Hall after learning of possible coronavirus exposure
Leawood closed its City Hall on Friday after officials learned of a possible coronavirus exposure.
Capt. Brad Robbins, a spokesman for the Leawood Police Department, said someone who was potentially exposed to the virus had been at City Hall, at 4800 Town Center Drive. The building in Johnson County is now closed to all nonessential personnel, he said, out of an “overabundance of caution.”
“Police and fire stations are still active and responding,” he said. “But City Hall is the building the most people would go to for services. They decided to close City Hall until we can get a better handle on what has happened.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Sedgwick County Zoo is closed until further notice due to COVID-19
The Sedgwick County Zoo has announced that it will be closed to the public until further notice.
The zoo said the temporary closure is a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus. The zoo is closed as of 5 p.m. Friday.
“Our primary obligation is to provide for the care of our animals,” the zoo said in a news release. “Our core staff will continue to provide care for our animals and operate the critical systems of the Zoo.”
(Read more: KAKE – News)
City of Merriam Prepares to Help Limit the Spread of COVID-19
In a continued effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, the City of Merriam will close the Irene B. French Community Center at 5 p.m. today, March 13 with the plan to reopen Monday, April 6, 2020. All City events, meetings, and activities are also postponed or canceled during this timeframe. We’re canceling events because of social distancing recommendations from health experts surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.
(Read more: Merriam, KS news)
Independence City Hall to Close to Public Due to Coronavirus-19 Effective March 16, 2020
Due to concerns over the spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), City Hall will be closed to non-City employees until further notice. Staff will be working and available by phone and email. Events that pose a risk at City facilities will be canceled.
(Read more: Independence, KS – News Flash)
Construction begins this week on one of the worst bottlenecks in Kansas City region
For commuters who are used to sitting in traffic on Interstate 35 in Johnson County: Relief is on the way.
But as construction starts this week on one of the worst bottlenecks in the Kansas City region, congestion will likely get worse before it gets better.
On Friday, crews will begin a long-awaited, $16.5 million project to expand I-35 at 75th Street in Overland Park and Shawnee. For now, that stretch of highway narrows from five to three lanes, causing regular traffic jams for the roughly 160,000 vehicles passing through each day.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Stocks set to surge Friday morning following worst day since the ’87 crash
U.S. stocks plunged Thursday in their worst day since the 1987 crash. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 10%, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq tumbled nearly as much to join the Dow in a bear market.
The furious falls in share prices on rising fears of a global slowdown due to the rapid spread of coronavirus occurred despite a $1.5 trillion intervention in short-term funding markets by the Federal Reserve.
…
U.S. stock futures surged in volatile trading on Friday as Wall Street tried to recoup some of the sharp losses suffered in the previous session — the worst since the “Black Monday” market crash in 1987.
S&P 500 futures jumped more than 5% to reach their “limit up” level. These limit levels act as a ceiling for buying until regular trading begins and are meant to insure orderly trading.
Read more: WSJ and CNBC.
‘Unprecedented’ conditions stagger municipal market
Municipal bond market participants are calling the COVID-19-led sell-off worse for the market than the aftermath of September 11th and the 2008 financial crisis in 2008 combined.
The sell-off continued in the municipal market Thursday, with AAA benchmarks down by more than a half percentage point. The primary market was held at a standstill. Lipper reported more than $1.76 billion of outflows Thursday.
What is transpiring has career-long veterans of the space saying the muni market has been put in a position they’ve never seen before.
Participants don’t have room to breathe in this rapidly changing landscape and investment grade munis are suffering, being dragged down by the overall panicking in the market, with several noting that this is a liquidity-driven crisis.
“There is forced selling, impossible hedging and a pandemic,” said one Southern trader. “Uncertainty is breeding uncertainty and as usual, the bond market solution to these problems is much higher yields. This is the craziest market that I have seen — way different and way worse than 2008.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 12, 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 increases precautions to prevent potential spread of COVID-19
The City of Wichita is working on a plan to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus. Mayor Brandon Whipple says he is meeting with staff and other health officials. “It’s important that we take the right steps to protect our neighbors and make sure we are doing all we can to be responsible,” said Whipple.
They are working to determine what practices will best keep Wichita and neighboring communities ahead of any possible spread of the virus.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
NLC provides Coronavirus Response Resources for Local Leaders
Cities, towns and villages are on the front lines of responding to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community. Local elected leaders have the primary responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of their residents. Local governments have longstanding emergency protocols for public health emergencies and community members rely on them to provide them with timely, accurate information about their local preparedness and response.
NLC is committed to providing our members the necessary tools and resources to ensure local leaders are well equipped to navigate the current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community.
(Read more: NLC)
Sumner Community Hospital closes its doors with no forewarning
Sumner Community Hospital closed its doors [Thursday night].
At the end of the workday, the hospital employees were told that they no longer had jobs and they needed to seek employment elsewhere.
The news came without warning. Earlier this week the hospital was advertising celebrating its one-year anniversary and just erected a sign in front.
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
Emporia Main Street in the running for $25 thousand national prize
Emporia Main Street, a group dedicated to seeing a robust downtown area in Emporia, is in the running for a $25 thousand prize against main streets across the country.
This is the fifth year for the “America’s Main Street Contest”, which is put on by Independent We Stand. Emporia Main Street has been nominated and is in the middle of the first round of voting.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Chanute City Manager Jeff Cantrell has been named new Hutchinson City Manager (replacing John Deardoff)
Chanute City Manager Jeff Cantrell has been selected to fill that role in Hutchinson, replacing retiring City Manager John Deardoff.
Deardoff, meanwhile, has agreed to stay on until May, which is when Cantrell will arrive.
“Jeff brings a great deal of experience, energy and ideas to this role,” Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho stated in a news release. “I’m excited to welcome him to Hutchinson and look forward to working with him to make our community even stronger.”
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Kansas Department of Education issues virus guidelines
The Kansas Department of Education held a virtual meeting Thursday to help guide school officials through a situation in which they appear to have very little control.
Officials with the department of education, including Commissioner Randy Watson, spoke to educators across the state about how to handle issues concerning the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
According to Watson, no grade schools in Kansas have been asked to close at this point. He said the closing of schools would be up to local health departments and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Muni participants want in on future stimulus bills
Muni market participants asked Congressional leaders to use a stimulus bill as an opportunity to push muni bond initiatives and increase infrastructure efforts amid economic stress caused by COVID-19.
In a letter sent by the Public Finance Network to Congressional leadership Thursday afternoon, the group asked for the restoration of tax-exempt advance refunding, an increase in the cap for bank-qualified debt, and the creation of new direct-pay bonds shielded from sequestration.
“If Congress manages to get a quick bill out this week, these in the weeds provisions may make it in,” said Emily Brock, director of the Government Finance Officers Association’s federal liaison center. “If not, we do legitimately believe that these are the sorts of things that can free up state and local resources. In addition, those resources could be used to address the pandemic that is upon us.”
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)