How did Wichita, Sedgwick County use federal ARPA funds? Here are some of the projects.

6 Monday, January 6

How did Wichita, Sedgwick County use federal ARPA funds? Here are some of the projects.

info2025-01-06T10:01:16-06:00January 6th, 2025|

In 2021, the city of Wichita received $72.4 million and Sedgwick County received $100.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. At the time, it was a lifeline for the local governments, allowing them to continue services and to pay staff who would have otherwise been laid off for an extended period. As part of accepting the funds, local governments agreed to two deadlines: Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate all of the funds and decide where they will go, and Dec. 31, 2026, to spend the money that was allocated. The funds have to be returned if not obligated or [...]

6 Monday, January 6

They traded California for small-town Kansas then opened a restaurant people travel to try

info2025-01-06T09:58:44-06:00January 6th, 2025|

Nearly six years ago, the Biggs family decided it was time to leave California – a move they’d been planning for awhile. All they knew when they left is that they wanted to end up in a small town. They found it in Garden Plain, a small community of just under 1,000 people that sits about 20 miles due west of Wichita. And now, just two short years after opening a restaurant on the town’s main drag, the Biggs are some of the best known people in town. Halagains opened a year ago at 501 N. Main in Garden Plain and [...]

6 Monday, January 6

Tenant rights educator included in $1.2M the City of Lawrence will spend on housing initiatives in 2025

info2025-01-06T09:53:35-06:00January 6th, 2025|

The City of Lawrence is doling out $1.2 million from its sales tax coffers for affordable housing and housing-adjacent projects. New this year will be a community educator to help renters learn their rights. The city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board heard presentations from organizations and developers in October. They deliberated and decided on their recommendations for projects and initiatives that they believed the city should fund in 2025, and the Lawrence City Commission approved the recommendations earlier this month. Source: The Lawrence Times

6 Monday, January 6

Kansas attorney general blocks school bond funds in state’s smallest county

info2025-01-06T09:51:57-06:00January 6th, 2025|

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office blocked millions in school bond funds to a district in the state’s smallest county based on a rigid interpretation of a 2023 elections law. Voters in the Greeley County school district, headquartered in Tribune near the state’s westernmost edge, approved in May a $4.6 million school bond for renovations and new construction, but the Attorney General’s Office refused to approve the funds. Source: Kansas Reflector

6 Monday, January 6

Kansas governor declares day of mourning, sets flags at half-staff to honor President Jimmy Carter

info2025-01-06T09:49:12-06:00January 6th, 2025|

Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order declaring a day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter and she directed flags throughout the state be flown at half-staff. The governor said state of Kansas offices would be closed Jan. 9 in observance of funeral services for Carter in Washington, D.C., and in conjunction with the National Day of Mourning authorized by a proclamation signed by President Joe Biden. Kelly said state government offices in Kansas would resume normal operations Jan. 10. The governor said flags in Kansas would be at half-staff until sunset Jan. 28. Source: Kansas Reflector

6 Monday, January 6

New mural for new beginnings

info2025-01-06T09:47:46-06:00January 6th, 2025|

At the beginning of December, Kelci Rae Cooper faced her fears and climbed scaffolding 30 feet in the air to create a one-of-a-kind mural at 818 N. Broadway, the future home 818 A Healing Space, which is a collaboration between Possibility Junction and other wellness practitioners. The colorful graffiti-style piece features encouraging words with a peace sign and the message “Your magic is inside of you.” “It’s a message I live by,” Cooper said. “No one else holds the magic that you do. All of the answers, power, whatever you call it, is within.” Source: Morning Sun

6 Monday, January 6

Mulvane to launch comprehensive plan website

info2025-01-06T09:46:07-06:00January 6th, 2025|

Mulvane will soon launch a website for its next 20-year comprehensive plan to seek out community input. The city and RDG Planning and Design are working together to develop a vision for the future of Mulvane and want the community to have an interactive experience in helping shape the vision. Source: Derby Informer | Area

6 Monday, January 6

City of Goddard sets up land bank

info2025-01-06T09:45:17-06:00January 6th, 2025|

During its final meeting in the month of December, according to The Times Sentinel, the Goddard City Council voted to establish a city land bank – a public entity that can purchase, manage and reuse properties (which are often abandoned, foreclosed or distressed). Using a land bank, property taxes and special assessments can be placed on hold. Source: Derby Informer | Area

6 Monday, January 6

New reports show economic development transparency gaps

info2025-01-06T09:44:30-06:00January 6th, 2025|

State auditors reported the Kansas Department of Commerce wasn’t fully complying with a five-year-old law mandating maintenance of a public database tracking more than 100 economic development incentive programs. The transparency database was conceived by the Kansas Legislature to offer a means of reviewing how hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives were handed out by state officials to city, county and businesses recipients. The statute authorizing the accessible, searchable and printable database limited the required disclosures to incentive awards valued at more than $50,000 per year. The Legislature’s auditing agency concluded the commerce department’s database didn’t include all economic development [...]

6 Monday, January 6

Municipal Bond Trends for January 3, 2025

Henry Schmidt2025-01-06T08:58:24-06:00January 6th, 2025|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.