Committee to review Topeka police policies

The Police and Community committee will begin reviewing police training procedures as it highlights four key areas of police policy to focus on. Committee members Karen Hiller, Sylvia Ortiz and Mike Padilla all agreed to review Topeka police’s use of force training, standard interactions and bias profiling, escalation and de-escalation tactics, and duty to intervene. Ortiz said these are the first four topics and is not the full scope of what the committee will review. “We have good officers, we have bad officers. We have good individuals, we have bad individuals,” said Ortiz, who also serves as the committee chair. “I am just tired of the back and forth and pointing of the finger… Let’s dig into this and see what the outcome is going to be.”
Source: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:16:33-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

More Kansas counties enter COVID school red zone — but case rates improved statewide

More Kansas counties have moved into the red zone of the school reopening criteria due to high numbers of coronavirus cases. The addition of more counties to the list comes as the Wichita area and statewide rates for new cases compared to population improved last week. Sedgwick County is one of 75 counties in the red zone of the incidence rate, Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows. That is 10 more counties in the worst school reopening zone than a week ago. Only three of the state’s 105 counties are in the least-restrictive green zone, which had seven counties last week.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:16:39-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s money will help run Sedgwick County’s 2020 elections

Sedgwick County is turning to private funds to help run its 2020 election. Sedgwick County, the second-largest county in Kansas by population, has been awarded $816,458 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit foundation, to boost the efforts of the county election office to hold an election in the midst of the pandemic. The money comes from a $250 million donation by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The billionaire married couple said in a news release that they hope the money helps “ensure that every voter who intends to cast a ballot is able to, and ultimately, to preserve the integrity of our elections.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:16:46-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

Harvey County speeds up voting equipment upgrade

Thanks to a grant, the Harvey County Clerk’s Office was able to take a bite — about 12 percent — out of a planned upgrade to voting equipment upgrades planned for 2021. The Center of Tech and Civic Life awarded a grant of more than $67,629 to the Harvey County Clerk’s Office to use for elections. The county commission will be asked to consider a purchase of $45,475 — new ballot tabulation and auditing equipment — Oct. 6. That purchase comes early, and removes the equipment purchase from capital improvement funds for the county clerk’s office.
Source: Newton Kansan

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:17:03-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

Sabetha sees increased sales tax distributions

Sabetha’s sales tax distributions are above last year’s distributions for September. This is according to the September County/City Local Sales Tax Distribution Report released by the Kansas Department of Revenue. The state issues these distributions two months after collection, so the September distribution is a reflection of July sales. Sabetha saw increased sales tax distributions in the month of September alone — with distributions of $40,202.07, a 7.3 percent increase from the $37,480.93 distributed in September 2019. Sabetha’s local sales tax rate is 1 percent.
Source: Sabetha Herald

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:17:49-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

It’s a ‘new normal’ at Iola High School

It’s 7:57 on a Monday morning, and Brett Willis and his friends are walking up the sidewalk to the high school. Brett forgot his mask. He throws his water bottle into the courtyard and stomps away, while his friends make their way through the line of fellow students waiting to get their temperatures checked before they can enter. “It made me really mad because I had to go back out to my car,” Brett says. This is just a “new normal” day at Iola High School during the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought several changes in terms of safety and hygiene to prevent its spread.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:18:45-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

Neosho County’s economic recovery stumbles

Neosho County’s economic recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic suffered a hiccup during August in unemployment numbers and sales tax totals. In August, Neosho County had 5,772 people working and 527 unemployed for a preliminary rate of 8.4 percent. Revised figures for the previous month showed 71 more jobs but 58 more people unemployed for a higher rate of 9.1 percent. Since April, the county has recovered 313 jobs, but the number of people out of work is still more than twice what it was before COVID-19.
Source: www.chanute.com

Ranson Financial2020-10-06T07:19:54-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for October 2, 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 Financial2020-10-05T06:16:42-05:00October 5, 2020|News|

City Economic Recovery and Relief Sales Tax Question on the Ballot in Manhattan

A 10-year special sales tax question of 0.5% will be on the November 3, 2020 ballot for Manhattan. If the sales tax is passed by Manhattan voters, it will go into effect January 1, 2023. … Sales tax proceeds would be used to stimulate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce the ad valorem (assessed by value) property tax burden on City taxpayers.
Source: Manhattan – News Flash

Ranson Financial2020-10-05T06:11:00-05:00October 4, 2020|News|

Paint the town: Spread the Love duo unmasked as project concludes in Hutchinson

Hutchinson’s vigilante artists have finally unmasked. Over the last few months, heart-shaped murals featuring the number 13 cropped up around town. The street art features the same image and message — spread the love. Last week, the duo responsible for sharing the message of love and positivity unmasked and answered questions the community had about their mural work. The “secret heart ninjas” — Kylee Baldetti and Shaelee Mendenhall — live on the same street. They noted how odd it is for two artists to live so close. The duo started painting when they teased out ideas about new mural projects in Hutchinson.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Ranson Financial2020-10-05T06:11:29-05:00October 4, 2020|News|