Governor Kelly Announces More than $320,000 for Seven Kansas Water Plan Partnership Initiative Projects

26 Tuesday, November 26

Governor Kelly Announces More than $320,000 for Seven Kansas Water Plan Partnership Initiative Projects

info2024-11-26T10:10:35-06:00November 26th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly announced on Friday that more than $320,000 will go toward seven new partnership initiatives for the second year of funding through the Kansas Water Office’s Kansas Water Plan Partnership Initiative (KWPPI). KWPPI invests State Water Plan Fund resources into projects centered around conserving and protecting the High Plains Aquifer, improving state water quality, reducing vulnerability to extreme events, and increasing awareness of Kansas water resources. “These projects continue the work we are doing to secure our state’s water future,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The investments we make today will affect generations to come. The Kansas Water Plan Partnership [...]

26 Tuesday, November 26

Governor Kelly Announces Nearly $6M in KDOT Cost Share Program Projects

info2024-11-26T10:09:26-06:00November 26th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly announced Thursday that $5.9 million will be awarded to seven transportation construction projects through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Program for fall 2024. This cost-share investment will leverage $9.8 million in community matching dollars for a total investment of more than $15 million. “Infrastructure projects funded through the Cost Share Program aren’t just about roads and bridges; they are about increasing job growth and retention and strengthening the economic climate across Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By leveraging this partnership with KDOT, communities are able to address necessary, long-term solutions to their local transportation issues.” Source: [...]

26 Tuesday, November 26

City to consider funding park upgrades with naming sponsorships

info2024-11-26T10:08:21-06:00November 26th, 2024|

Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday will consider funding part of the CiCo Park improvement project with a proposed resolution allowing parks and recreation staff to authorize naming rights for new and existing facilities and their amenities. The goal is to reduce the overall tax subsidy of the park upgrades by increasing private funding through donations and sponsorships. If passed, the resolution would allow for sponsorship opportunities ranging from $3,000 to $100,000. Commissioners only will discuss the proposed resolution on Tuesday. The resolution will come to a vote at the commission’s Dec. 17 legislative meeting. Source: 1350 KMAN

26 Tuesday, November 26

Suit filed against commissioners, solar panel companies

info2024-11-26T10:06:56-06:00November 26th, 2024|

The Board of Bourbon County Commissioners and companies with agreements for solar developments in the county are the defendants in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Bourbon County District Court. Source: Fort Scott Tribune

26 Tuesday, November 26

Amtrak moving forward on Newton improvements

info2024-11-26T10:06:09-06:00November 26th, 2024|

Amtrak is moving forward on upgrading the train loading and drop-off deck at the Newton depot. As for other projects, such as the Heartland Flyer Extension and the state of the Depot itself, more information should be available in December. Zach McHatton, Blank, said he recently met with Amtrak officials and primarily spoke to them about the project to update the deck at the Depot. The project would add lighting, make the deck ADA-compliant, and generally upgrade the area. Source: Harvey County Now

26 Tuesday, November 26

Municipal Bond Trends for November 25, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-11-26T10:06:08-06:00November 26th, 2024|

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.

26 Tuesday, November 26

Hillsboro plans for the future

info2024-11-26T10:04:15-06:00November 26th, 2024|

The Hillsboro City Council, along with several other city leaders, spent close to three hours in a strategic planning meeting on Tuesday, Nov 12. The meeting began with City Administrator Matt Stiles explaining that the strategic plan started in January 2020 and has been updated quarterly. Stiles led the group through a review of the vision, values, goals and status of the past five years of the current strategic plan with a promise to work on a three-year plan in the rest of the meeting and another two or three meetings. He said the hope is to have marching orders to [...]

26 Tuesday, November 26

Overland Park’s property tax rebate pilot takes shape — Who will qualify?

info2024-11-26T10:02:57-06:00November 26th, 2024|

The details for Overland Park’s new city property tax rebate pilot program are starting to firm up. On Wednesday, the Overland City Council Park Finance, Administration, and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to recommend an agreement with the Community Capital Fund to administer the pilot. The action also effectively endorsed the pilot program’s eligibility rules and extra priority criteria. Previously, the city set aside $200,000 for the rebate pilot program as part of its 2025 budget, but at the time, the parameters for it were unclear. The decision to start a pilot of this sort followed several months of sometimes heated [...]

26 Tuesday, November 26

JoCo OKs $6M for 5 projects addressing housing and homelessness

info2024-11-26T10:01:14-06:00November 26th, 2024|

After months of talking about how best to tackle homelessness in Kansas’ most affluent county, the Johnson County commission on Thursday allocated $6.35 million in federal funds for various proposals intended to increase affordable housing and support services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Commissioners took separate votes on five items that ranged from building new houses and apartments to expanding space and providing supplies for county homeless shelters. The vote secured the final destination for federal coronavirus relief funds that earlier this year had been pegged to be spent on a homeless shelter and services center at the La Quinta Inn and [...]

26 Tuesday, November 26

Panasonic aims to hire 200 more workers ahead of March production start

info2024-11-26T09:59:52-06:00November 26th, 2024|

Panasonic is ramping up hiring efforts as it prepares to begin electric-vehicle battery production in De Soto this spring. Workers will begin producing lithium ion batteries at Panasonic’s 4.7 million-square-foot plant in March, though an official opening date has not been announced. The Japanese manufacturer announced its executive leadership team for the De Soto facility in September 2023 and began hiring for plant jobs last fall. Source: Kansas City Business Journal