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 Advisors.
After being named a Tree City USA city for 44 consecutive years, one might think being honored by the Arbor Day Foundation would be old hat for the city of Newton.
“We take great pride in this,” said Hondo Collins, superintendent of the Newton Parks Department. “We want to show a commitment to the urban forest. Kansas is not known for its trees, but everyone benefits from trees.
“The past couple of years we have been planting more trees because we have come out of a drought. I would encourage others to plant more as well. We lost a lot of trees in the drought.”
(Read more: Community – The Leavenworth Times – Leavenworth, KS)
A group that helps homeless veterans is organizing support for a big project.
“I don’t think a lot of people are aware of what we have to offer,” Jennifer Garrison, Founder and CEO of Passageways tells us.
For almost six years, Passageways has provided shelter and resources for homeless veterans in Wichita.
But it’s outgrowing its space.
Now, Garrison and others are spearheading a new project.
Homefront Veteran Neighborhood is being developed in South Wichita, at 235 and Meridian.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Wichita city council members have voted unanimously to change the boundaries for the improvement district that includes the new baseball stadium under construction.
A Community Improvement District was created for the west bank of the Arkansas River, and the district will have a two percent sales tax for businesses within the district. The revenue would be used to help with the stadium project, as well as parking, utilities and other improvements to the area. The boundaries of the CID were expanded to include a couple of areas north of the stadium where a group called Riverfront Partners LLC will be working to develop retail and commercial businesses. The city council voted in early January to approve a development agreement with the group.
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)
A conservative think tank sought support for a Kansas House bill Monday requiring public school districts to prove state aid earmarked for at-risk students was spent on authorized academic programs and to compel each district to report on student academic progress in relation to each initiative.
Former House Speaker Mike O’Neal, speaking on behalf of Kansas Policy Institute, said new state spending for K-12 students thought to be in jeopardy of failure was being diverted by school districts to general operating budgets rather than targeted at designated students. He told the House Education Committee that House Bill 2540 would better hold local school districts accountable.
“Legislation intended to target at-risk funding toward the goal of lifting up at-risk students has failed largely due to those funds being diluted at the district level,” O’Neal said. “The status quo is not acceptable.”
(Read more: News – McPhersonSentinel – McPherson, KS)
The city of Hays will turn over more than $284,000 in excess sales tax to Ellis County for the county’s $10.8 million Northwest Business Corridor project.
Ellis County is facing a shortage of $2.12 million to pay for the project, which will improve three heavily traveled county roads in a busy industrial area northwest of town.
The county has a $6.5 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration to pay for most of the project. The corridor project is a 55 mph bypass around Hays for north-south US-183 highway, considered key to a planned $40 million private travel plaza development for trucks and super loads.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)
After county commissioner, Lacey Cruse took a trip to Ghana partially paid for with taxpayer funds, some commissioners including Cruse, are looking at the idea to create a travel policy.
Right now, there is no policy in Sedgwick County for trips taken by county commissioners. A commissioner does not have to disclose details about his or her trip to other commissioners or even get their approval.
According to Cruse, all the commissioners, as well as some city council members and Wichita’s mayor were invited to Africa on the trip.
The invitation came from Queen Mother Nana Aplam II who visited Wichita last summer and was honored by the county commission and other local leaders.
“The whole point of this is to share with our community what partners could partner in Ghana,” said Cruse. “The opportunities are there. People just have to take the time to listen.”
Cruse spent a week visiting with aviation and education leaders, touring parts of the area, and much more.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
The lack of movement in both stocks and bonds comes as investors look to gain visibility on how the coronavirus could upend manufacturing in China, and spill over into the broader global economy. Though workers across the nation are supposed to start returning back to factories from Monday after the Lunar New Year holiday were extended, efforts to stanch the spread of the pathogen has led some businesses to stay shut.
(Read more: MarketWatch.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 Advisors.
City leaders have a couple of new ideas when it comes to the contentious topic of sidewalk repair, including the creation of a sidewalk insurance program and a gradual city takeover of maintenance responsibilities.
The city adopted a policy in 2018 to administer its sidewalk repair ordinance, which had been on the books for decades but had not been strongly enforced. The ordinance requires all property owners — businesses, landlords and homeowners — to pay to repair the sidewalks running along their properties. Under the policy, certain homeowners qualify for financial assistance from the city. Many homeowners spoke out against the approach when the city began fully enforcing the ordinance last year.
Commissioner Courtney Shipley, who took her seat on the commission in December, recently suggested the city consider an optional sidewalk insurance program, and Mayor Jennifer Ananda wants to discuss the city taking over financial responsibility for sidewalk repairs as inspections and repairs are completed. The commission will discuss both suggestions at an upcoming meeting.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
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