Keystone Pipeline expansion project at Kansas’ border shut down

The owners of a pipeline that runs through Kansas have shut down its expansion project for a new branch at the Nebraska border. TC Energy announced Thursday that it canceled its $9 billion Keystone XL Pipeline project, which would start at Steele City and run through South Dakota and Montana into Canada. The termination came after months before, President Joe Biden revoked a permit allowing the new pipeline addition to cross the Canadian border. TC Energy’s existing Keystone Pipeline has operated since 2010 and runs in two branches through Kansas: one goes east through Seneca and into Missouri before ending at Patoka, Ill. The Cushing Extension branch goes south through Washington, Clay, Dickinson, Marion, Butler and Cowley Counties into Oklahoma.
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-06-10T08:00:52-05:00June 10, 2021|News|

McPherson USD 418 voters reject school bond issue, sales tax question defeated

The timing wasn’t right. The price tag was too large. The location was too congested. No swimming pool. Whatever the reason, the $112 million bond question put forth by USD-418 was met with a solid no by voters Tuesday night. The lack of clarity was also felt by district administrators. USD-418 Superintendent Shiloh Vincent said it wasn’t just one clear-cut reason he had heard for people voting against the bond during the community meetings the district hosted. “Responses have been varied, so that makes it tougher to know what needs addressed,” Vincent said while awaiting the final vote count at the McPherson County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. One thing, though, is clear: the district still needs to address its aging facilities.
Source: McPherson Weekly News

Ranson Financial2021-06-10T07:47:40-05:00June 10, 2021|News|

Lawrence residents will soon be able to contribute to help neighbors in need pay their bills

The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday gave a nod of approval to a program that will allow residents to donate to a utility assistance program to help others who can’t pay their bills. The program will be administered by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, which was the only group to respond to a city request for proposals, for $250 per application that gets approved by the city. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal poverty level or less, but this program will expand assistance to other customers with low incomes. The per-application cost to the city — which would come from the general fund rather than from the pool of donations, according to Kristy Webb, utility billing manager — is roughly equivalent to two or three months’ worth of the average household’s city utility bills, which include water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste and recycling.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T08:10:18-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

Rescued! Maize police and Eagle Valley Raptor Center come together to save gray horned owl

Ruffled, some feather injuries, but alive, that’s the fate of a gray horned owl captured in Maize Monday morning. The Maize Police Department was busy after a gray horned owl got stuck in the netting at a local batting cage. They shared the following clip on their Facebook page Monday. The Maize Police Department eventually turned for help by calling a local raptor center. “So I kind of gave them instructions on the bird and how to get it out safely without getting hurt, put it in a cardboard box, and then one of the police detectives brought it here to us,” said Ken Lockwood with Eagle Valley Raptor Center.
Source: KSN News

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T08:09:51-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

The Symphony in the Flint Hills returns

The Symphony in the Flint Hills is back after two years of cancellations — and so far there’s no threat of another cancellation on the horizon. Through art, music and educational presentations, the Symphony in the Flint Hills tells the story of one of the last standing tallgrass prairies in North America. The 2019 event was cancelled after storms damaged the concert site, and the pandemic was the culprit in 2020. As vaccinations rise and the weather forecast looks more promising, Operations and Donor Relations Manager Kelly Tastove said she is excited to welcome people from across the country to the Flint Hills, where she grew up. The event is Saturday, with a rain date of Sunday.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T08:08:16-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

First week on the job for Abilene’s new city manager

During a meeting in April, The Abilene City Commission and Mayor Brandon Rein approved the appointment of Ron Marsh as the new Abilene City Manager. Marsh started his new position June 1 with hopes to help the local community. “I came to the city management profession a little bit later in life,” Marsh said. Long before joining city services, Marsh spent five years in the Army and had several jobs inside the private sector. He started his career in city and county management in Sedgwick County as a public works administrative assistant. “I came to really like public service and really like working with the public,” Marsh said. “Granted, it can be frustrating at times, but it’s a lot more fulfilling than it ever is frustrating.”
Source: abilene-rc.com.

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T08:07:09-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

Salina airport to add daily flight to Houston

The Saline County board of commissioners accepted a grant request from the Salina Airport Authority Tuesday that could prove huge in helping the Salina economy surge out of the pandemic. The airport will sign a one-year agreement with SkyWest Airlines to schedule nonstop jet service to Houston, Texas, starting Sept. 1. With the commission’s approval, the county will award the airport authority $1.64 million to reimburse SkyWest for any revenue shortfalls from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2022.
Source: Salina Journal.

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T07:55:05-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

Douglas County Commission to consider development of new rezoning standards to protect agricultural land

County leaders will soon consider moving forward with the creation of a new tool to evaluate rural rezoning requests and protect prime agricultural land. At its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will decide whether to initiate the process to develop an amendment to the zoning and land use regulations for unincorporated or rural areas. The amendment, once developed and approved, would establish a system and standards to evaluate requests to rezone agricultural land to another use, according to a county planning memo.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T07:52:19-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for June 8, 2021

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.

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T07:51:03-05:00June 9, 2021|News|

City of Lawrence would pay Catholic Charities $250 per approved application to utility assistance fund under proposed contract

The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday will consider a contract that would pay Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas $250 for each application approved for a utility assistance program. That amount is roughly equivalent to two or three months’ worth of the average residence’s city utility bills, which include water, sewer, stormwater, and solid waste and recycling. According to the commission agenda item, the city can now allow residents to opt in to donate to a utility assistance program through their own bills. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal poverty level or less, but this program would expand assistance to other customers with low incomes. A previous agenda item states that “In following other Utilities, it is recommended that an outside charitable agency would administer the funds raised through a donation program.” The cities of Topeka, Salina and Kansas City, Kansas, use nonprofit agencies to administer similar programs, according to the July 7, 2020 meeting agenda. Other than those examples, though, it’s unclear from the agenda why city staff would not administer the program.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-06-09T07:48:00-05:00June 9, 2021|News|