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.
The City of Sedgwick is between administrators and has a looming budget deadline, so they’ve hired Kristine Polian, former Assistant City Administrator for Finance and Administration at Valley Center as a consultant to provide insight and direction for the budgeting process. Last week, Polian told the council during their monthly work session that what she sees in their financial statements is pretty impressive considering where the city was a few years ago. She presented four budget recommendations for the council to consider. First, establish minimum fund balances for the general fund (25% of fund expenditures), water/sewer (25% of fund expenditures), refuse (10% of fund expenditures), employee benefits (15% of fund expenditures), and bond & Interest (2.5% of fund expenditures).
Source: Harvey County Now
The Department of Defense has designated South Kansas as a defense manufacturing community, making the region eligible for $5 million through a community support program. The initiative is led by Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). As one of 11 U.S. defense manufacturing communities, South Kansas will strengthen the national security innovation base by expanding ultra-high and high-temperature material characterizations, capabilities, process tools, sustainment planning, technical workforce, and engineering competencies to enhance the defense industrial base capabilities and accelerated weapon system prototype development.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
In conjunction with the Amtrak Connects US Plan released earlier in 2021, the Sedgwick County Commission officially approved a resolution supporting an extension of Amtrak services from Oklahoma City to Newton – through Wichita – at its Aug. 18 meeting. Amtrak’s plan to expand transportation infrastructure over the next 15 years includes a goal of adding 160 communities to the national passenger rail network – with Wichita (and Arkansas City) among those as part of the proposed Heartland Flyer connection north from Oklahoma City. “Our effort is to make sure that we’re in the top projects on their list, meaning top five or 10, so they can get started right away on this,” said commission chair Pete Meitzner. “I think it’s just important that Amtrak keeps hearing from our region because there will be a lot of competing projects in these 160 projects. Ours is an easy one to do. We’re not going over mountains, tunnels or rivers and the tracks are already there; they just need to be improved.”
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Sedgwick County commissioners approved $2,500 sign-on bonuses for paramedics Wednesday, the latest move in a massive overhaul of the county’s Emergency Medical Services division following a Wichita Eagle investigation into the troubled department. Dr. John Gallagher, former EMS director, and Dr. Carolina Pereira, assistant medical director, resigned last month after a flood of complaints by street-level EMS workers, who said the two leaders were driving the once nationally renowned department into the ground, chasing away experienced paramedics and putting lives at risk.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Marion County property owners can get as many as five years behind before their property is seized and sold for back taxes. Some owners have learned to game the system by paying one year, which pushes back the process. State law requires delinquent property to be put on the tax sale list when owners become three years delinquent. Once that happens, however, it can take two more years to bring the tax sale to fruition, treasurer Jeannine Bateman said.
Source: Marion County RECORD
The KDOT Cost Share Program provides financial assistance to local entities for transportation projects that improve safety, support job retention and growth, improve access or mobility, relieve congestion and help areas across the state improve the transportation system. The Cost Share program is one of KDOT’s most flexible funding opportunities for communities, allowing communities to apply for assistance with a wide range of highway, local road, bridge, rail, airport, bicycle, pedestrian and public transit projects – as long as they can provide at least a 15 percent local cash match. KDOT funds are used exclusively to match construction costs for these projects. The Cost Share Program application will be available only on the KDOT website, beginning Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. All 2021 KDOT Cost Share Program applications must be completed through the online application available at http://www.ksdot.org/CostShare/CostShareProgram.asp by Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
County commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to pay an Abilene-based firm about $49,920.00 for a year to provide guards at the courthouse. S.D. Security guards will work a minimum of 90 hours a month, primarily at district court but also in other portions of the courthouse, at $40 an hour starting Oct. 1. The expense will be paid from the county general fund.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
An ambitious climate action plan intended to get the Kansas City area to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is making its way through local governments, including the Johnson County Commission. Commissioners are due to look at the Kansas City Regional Climate Action Plan at its meeting Thursday, Sept. 2. The plan — the product of two years of work spearheaded by the Mid-America Regional Council and Climate Action KC — has been making the rounds of different metro governments and civic groups with an increasing sense of urgency among its purveyors.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Roeland Park is now the second Johnson County city with a city wide mask mandate, following Prairie Village, which instituted a similar measure that took effect Tuesday. The Roeland Park City Council unanimously approved a mask resolution at its Monday night meeting, effective Tuesday, Aug. 24, and currently set to expire Oct. 19. The order requires masks for all people indoors in public places or in crowded outdoor public places, with some exceptions. The city started complying last summer with Gov. Laura Kelly’s mask mandate, which took effect July 3, 2020.
Source: Prairie Village Post
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