The tiny city of Denison, Kan., came to the brink of insolvency so fast last month that its leaders hadn’t figured out how to begin the bankruptcy process. “We don’t even know how to go under,” said Vickie Wold, the city council president. “How the city fails, what happens here—we’re just hoping and praying.” Denison has fewer than 200 residents, and in a typical February, the city pays about $4,000 to provide them with natural gas to heat their homes. Last month, the bill came to $242,498. “We can’t write that check,” Wold said. “There’s no way we can pay that, and we can’t pass it on to these people, some of whom are struggling to keep their utilities paid as it is.” Many cities in the Midwest are facing a similar crisis. A variety of towns large and small operate their own municipal utilities, providing services such as gas, electricity and water to residents. Some small towns exist as political entities primarily to provide those services.
Source: Wichita Eagle.

What will Garden City look like 10, 20, 40 years from now? That question was on everyone’s minds at a public meeting for the Garden City Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Plan Tuesday at the City Administration Center. … the purpose of the meeting Tuesday was to get input from the community on what they want Garden City and the downtown to look like 10-20 years in the future. The project, an update to the plans from 2013, was kicked off in December and they’ve been gathering information on the conditions of Garden City, kind of a community assessment of where the city is now and how it compares to other communities, both the pros and the cons…
Source: GC Telegram.

Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday said she would sign into law the Back To School Act, which would require all Kansas schools to offer an in-person learning option for every student by the end of the month. This provision, however, would only be for the rest of the school year, after lawmakers in the Kansas House shot down a previous version of the act that would have mandated that option for perpetuity.
Source: CJonline.com.

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.

Every American town, large or small, used to have at least one locally-run department store within its downtown district. These retailers were often reflective in size and merchandise selection of the communities that they served. The golden age of the department store is long past, yet one rare example remains open and healthy in Lawrence, Kansas. Weavers has anchored downtown Lawrence since 1857. The store is a commercial destination and carries a wide assortment of merchandise, from cosmetics to housewares. It caters to residents, visitors, and students at the University of Kansas main campus. As an independently-run department store in 2021, Weavers is a very rare breed. Fifty years ago, 22 such stores operated throughout the state of Kansas. Today, barely a half dozen are still open for business across the entire country.
Source: Forbes