Kansas City, Kansas, school board votes to return to in-person classes in April

Students in the Kansas City, Kansas, school district won’t head back to the classroom until April, the board decided Tuesday night. The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools board voted Tuesday to move the start of in-person classes to April. Instead of returning in January, as the board previously decided on doing in October, students will return to in-person classes on April 5.
Source: Wichita Breaking News, Sports & Crime |

Ranson Financial2020-12-03T06:58:36-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

Sedgwick County may buy old hospital, make it into a new government center

The Sedgwick County Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a purchase contract to buy the former Riverside Hospital for $4.1 million for a new government center. The sale is contingent on the county inspecting the facility over the next 90 days and determining that it can cost-effectively be converted to government office space. The county put a $25,000 earnest-money deposit on the building, which is refundable if the county decides not to proceed, County Counselor Mike Pepoon said.
Source: Wichita Breaking News, Sports & Crime |

Ranson Financial2020-12-03T06:58:46-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

911 emergency system at ‘breaking point’ as coronavirus surges, advocacy group warns

Ambulance services in the U.S. have been pushed to a “breaking point” as the country stares down another surge in coronavirus cases, advocates warn. Without additional funding, they fear the industry is on the brink of collapse. “The 911 emergency medical system throughout the United States is at a breaking point,” Aarron Reinert, president of the American Ambulance Association, said in letter to federal authorities. “Without additional relief, it seems likely to break, even as we enter the third surge of the virus in the Mid-West and West.”
Source: Wichita Breaking News, Sports & Crime |

Ranson Financial2020-12-03T06:58:52-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

Derby approves county enforcement measures on health orders

Following a resolution passed by the Sedgwick County Commission on Nov. 10, the option was made available for area municipalities to join the county’s enforcement efforts regarding emergency public health orders – an item addressed by the Derby City Council at its most recent meeting Nov. 24. Through the resolution, area cities would be able to enter into an agreement with Sedgwick County to mirror its enforcement efforts (tied to COVID-19 orders), which treats infractions as a code violation that carry a potential penalty of a $250 to $500 fine. Violations would be processed by the County Court. Derby actually took on its own enforcement efforts early in the pandemic, with the city council voting to make a violation of public health orders part of the Derby Municipal Code in March.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Ranson Financial2020-12-03T06:59:16-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

Pittsburg finance director retires after 38 years of service

City of Pittsburg Finance Director Jaime Clarkson is retiring this week after serving nearly 40 years with the city. “The impact Jamie has had on our organization is immeasurable,” said City Manager Daron Hall “I am happy for him as he begins the next chapter in his life and thank him for his professionalism and dedication to Pittsburg. His work ethic is tremendous and we will miss him.” Clarkson began his career with the city in 1982, working in several different positions within the finance department before being promoted to finance director in 2012.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Ranson Financial2020-12-03T06:56:49-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for December 1, 2020

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 Financial2020-12-02T07:59:35-06:00December 2, 2020|News|

Merriam to install license plate cameras at two busy intersections to aid criminal investigations

The Merriam City Council last week approved the purchase of five license plate camera readers to be placed at the intersections of 75th Street and Kings Cove Drive and 67th and Carter Avenue. Recently taken off the city council’s consent agenda for discussion by Councilmember David Neal, the approved purchase comes as an investment “in tools that help us be both proactive in preventing crime and also provide evidentiary information to solve crimes,” according to city documents. Neal raised privacy concerns and told the council about the National League of Cities’ push to shield the personal data of residents from third party vendors.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2020-12-02T07:44:13-06:00December 1, 2020|News|

Increases approved for water, sewer rates in Wichita

Wichita city council members have approved increases for water and sewer rates for 2021. Public Works Director Alan King said the increases are needed for improvements in equipment and facilities, along with operating costs. King said the water and sewer system has some big challenges ahead and 80 percent of the revenue from the rate increases will go toward capital needs, with 20 percent for operating costs. King said a federal loan for a new water treatment plant in northwest Wichita will combine with engineering and savings programs to keep rate increases stable over the next ten years.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Ranson Financial2020-12-02T07:52:53-06:00December 1, 2020|News|

Rose Hill airport receives funding for improvements

The Kansas Department of Transportation recently announced that 32 projects have been selected as part of the Kansas Airport Improvement Program this year for planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports. A total of 93 project applications were received in 2020 for a combined total project value of $27 million. Rose Hill’s Cook Airfield was among those selected to receive funding, getting $51,000 to add security gates and $13,500 to crack seal taxiways and runways.
Source: Derby Informer | Area

Ranson Financial2020-12-02T07:54:05-06:00December 1, 2020|News|

Widespread 911 outage causes alarm for Kansas officials

Some officials charged with upgrading Kansas’ 911 system say a nearly three-hour outage across the southern part of the state on Sunday revealed the potential for future major disruptions to emergency operations. During the outage, which began about 1:35 p.m., multiple counties weren’t able to log into the state’s 911 system. The impact varied, with some agencies posting alternative emergency phone numbers on social media or rerouting calls before service was restored around 4:40 p.m., The Kansas City Star reported. A 2018 audit warned that the system was at risk of outages, and Sunday’s incident was third major 911 failure in four years.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2020-12-02T07:54:18-06:00December 1, 2020|News|