In court filing, attorney says 1994 referendum shouldn’t give county ‘carte blanche’ on financing projects

An attorney for a local activist group is arguing that Douglas County’s use of a 1994 sales tax referendum to expand the county jail without a public vote would give the county the ability to debt-finance projects whenever it wants.
William Skepnek, an attorney for Justice Matters, said in a court filing Tuesday that the county’s belief in that authority is “frankly fantastical.”
Skepnek made the argument in his response to the county’s request to have the group’s lawsuit against the jail expansion dismissed. The county’s argument for dismissal is that the 1994 vote provides the county legal grounds to issue bonds to fund part of the $31.1 million jail project.
Read more: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2020-04-24T09:33:35-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for April 22, 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 Financial2020-04-23T09:19:28-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

GCCC approves use of housing for quarantine

Garden City Community College Board of Trustees approved a contract with the state for the use of its resident life facilities.
Beth Tedrow, GCCC Board of Trustees member, said through an agreement with the state, the Kansas Department of Emergency Management and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment the college’s apartment housing, Broncbuster Suites and Broncbuster Housing, will serve as quarantine locations for Finney County residents only.
Blake Wasinger, Board of Trustees chair, affirmed that the resident life facilities are not a holding area, they are not bringing in people from outside of the county, and it’s only for Finney County residents.
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:16:41-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

1976 Hays revisited

This Saturday and Sunday, the Hays Arts Council will reprise on cable television its 2017 authorized showing of the 1976 Swiss-made documentary “A Quiet America.”
The made-for-TV film is about small-town USA as seen through life in Hays. The documentary, shown for the first time here in 2017, was a hit, especially its raucous weekend night scenes of Hays kids dragging Main Street.
“Those were some of the most enjoyed scenes in ‘A Quiet America,’ ” said Meder, recalling the Oct. 14 showing nearly three years ago at the Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays campus.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:15:07-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

County discusses plan for businesses reopening after stay-home order expires

With Gov. Laura Kelly’s stay-at-home order set to expire at midnight on May 3, Crawford County officials are trying to come up with a plan to allow businesses to reopen, while still ensuring public safety as the coronavirus crisis continues.
County commissioners decided Tuesday that they will meet with County Health Officer Rebecca Adamson next week for a work session to come up with a draft plan for new county guidelines to put in place following the expiration of Gov. Kelly’s stay-at-home order. County officials will then seek input from community stakeholders, potentially including city and Pittsburg State University officials as well as business owners and others, before approving a new policy.
(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:12:22-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

Area government future finances look bleak amid pandemic

Local governments are preparing for a financial hit due to the COVID-19 virus, although the extent of the financial impact will not be known for months.
Andrew Lawson, spokesperson for the City of Arkansas City, said officials there anticipate lost revenue due to COVID-19 but will likely not see the hit until May because it takes a couple of months for the city to receive funds generated through its sales tax. Lawson said city officials are already seeing delinquent payments and have frozen all non-essential spending. The city has no upcoming projects that require funding because they are in the process of hiring a new city manager, Lawson said.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:11:56-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

Frazer ready for challenge of bigger city

Randy Frazer, city administrator of Moundridge, will step into his new role as city manager of Arkansas City next month.
Frazer signed a contract last week to become the new city manager in late May. He said this week he is excited about the opportunity and looking forward to the challenge.
Ark City is more than six times larger than Moundridge, but Frazer said he doesn’t see that as a problem.
All cities deal with the same basic problems, he added. The big change will be dealing with a larger budget.
“But there is also a larger staff, and some staff that is more specialized in some of the areas where I have had to wear those hats,” he said. “There will be a learning curve, I’m sure.”
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:11:31-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

CARES Act update may extend loans to public hospital districts

Pending federal legislation to pump more money into the depleted loan program created to help small businesses weather the economic shock of the coronavirus will give public hospital districts a bite at the apple. Language in the bill to provide new funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, passed by the U.S. Senate Tuesday and slated to be approved by the House Thursday, should solve the eligibility problem for smaller hospitals that were created as political subdivisions.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T09:04:10-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

Officials develop draft plan for reopening Sedgwick County after stay-at-home order ends

Sedgwick County health officials and county commissioners are working on a draft Health Recovery Plan for guidelines for reopening the county after the stay-at-home order ends.
The question on many people’s minds is when will things return to a new normal and businesses open back up in Sedgwick County?
Officials have broken it down into four phases. Adrienne Byrne, director of the Sedgwick County Health Department said we are still in phase one of slowing the spread of coronavirus.
(Read more: KSN-TV)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T08:51:16-05:00April 23, 2020|News|

Hutchinson, Reno County brace for financial impact of COVID-19

A $1.3 million deficit is what the city of Hutchinson is now facing with sales tax revenue down. Starting Sunday, the city will cut overtime for police officers and implement voluntary furloughs. If the budget doesn’t get better by June, the city could cut salaries and do long-term furloughs and layoffs.
Reno County will slash more than $1 million from the budget. …Each department will lose between $1,000 and $120,000. They’ll save money by not filling open positions and not buying cars.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Ranson Financial2020-04-23T08:50:37-05:00April 23, 2020|News|