Lawrence school district will sell land to Tenants to Homeowners, start process to sell East Heights

23 Tuesday, May 23

Lawrence school district will sell land to Tenants to Homeowners, start process to sell East Heights

info2023-05-23T10:05:36-05:00May 23rd, 2023|

The Lawrence school board on Monday voted to sell surplus property to Tenants to Homeowners as well as begin the process to sell East Heights and transfer the student programs held there to one of the elementary schools that will soon close. As part of the board’s consent agenda for Monday — a list of items that are considered routine and approved with one vote unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for further discussion — the board unanimously approved the sale of the property the district owns at 2600 W. 25th St., just north of the athletic [...]

23 Tuesday, May 23

City committee recommends consolidating or changing most of 18 advisory boards

info2023-05-23T10:04:42-05:00May 23rd, 2023|

A city committee has reviewed the city’s advisory boards and recommends consolidating 13 boards down to five, nixing another and making the police review board the “Safe and Secure Board.” Over the last five months, the Board and Commissions Structure Committee was tasked with limiting the number of boards to 10, not counting those required by state statutes. The committee has discussed the city’s strategic plan, and the scopes and charges of all its boards and commissions, according to a Friday news release from the city. “As a result of this work, each relevant board and commission has been sorted into [...]

23 Tuesday, May 23

Municipal Bond Trends for May 22, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-05-23T09:15:43-05:00May 23rd, 2023|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

23 Tuesday, May 23

Fed Chair Powell says rates may not have to rise as much as expected to curb inflation

info2023-05-23T13:48:33-05:00May 23rd, 2023|

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that stresses in the banking sector could mean that interest rates won't have to be as high to control inflation. Speaking at a monetary conference in Washington, D.C., the central bank leader noted that Fed initiatives used to deal with problems at mid-sized banks have mostly halted worst-case scenarios from transpiring. But he noted that the problems at Silicon Valley Bank and others could still reverberate through the economy. "The financial stability tools helped to calm conditions in the banking sector. Developments there, on the other hand, are contributing to tighter credit conditions and [...]

22 Monday, May 22

What’s going on with food sales tax, explained

info2023-05-23T13:43:01-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

Where are the food sales tax savings? ... In the last five months, the state passed legislation decreasing food sales tax down to four percent. However, that decrease isn’t always reflected on the bill. And depending on the grocery store, some bills show two different sales taxes applied to different parts of the purchase. ... A law went into effect in January to stair step down the state’s food sales tax rate from 6.5 percent to zero percent by 2025. Currently, the sales tax rate is at 4 percent. While the law applies to food, the devil’s in the details on [...]

22 Monday, May 22

Kansas governor approves shift of tax dollars to private schools, but rejects cuts for small districts

info2023-05-22T10:47:14-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a controversial school funding bill Thursday that lets more families use state tax dollars to pay for private or home schools. But Kelly vetoed portions of the bill that could hurt some rural school districts. That line-item veto could set up a court fight between Kelly and the Kansas Legislature over the governor’s powers to tweak a funding bill crammed with policy changes. The state constitution grants Kelly the power to veto individual items of appropriations bills, but lawmakers in recent years have separated the education budget into a bill that includes both spending and policy. [...]

22 Monday, May 22

After fire and smoke incidents, electric bus is an anomaly, Wichita city officials say

info2023-05-22T10:46:30-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

City officials are calling an electric bus that caught fire early Wednesday morning an anomaly. The incident was reported around 1:30 a.m. at the Wichita transit maintenance building at 777 E. Waterman. Maintenance staff and security noticed a lithium-ion battery powered bus had caught fire. The bus is powered by 10 lithium-ion batteries. Eight are mounted on the roof and two sit in the rear of the bus. The fire apparently originated from a single battery placed on the top, said Michael Tann, director of transit for the city. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

22 Monday, May 22

Incentives, infrastructure: Here’s what drew an $80M plastics plant to Maize

info2023-05-23T13:37:00-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

An 80-acre site within Maize Industrial Park "checked all the boxes" for a North Carolina-based manufacturer looking to build its eighth plastics plant in the Midwest, said Brad Muller, a spokesperson representing the company. Announced last week, the $80-million project from Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. will be built near 119th Street West and 53rd North in Maize. The company says it plans to create 50 new jobs over the next three years. Muller said Maize had a number of draws for the manufacturer, which produces cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, predominately for wholesale plumbing distributors. "Maize is fast growing, [...]

22 Monday, May 22

Zoning changes help Barton County rural businesses

info2023-05-23T13:36:07-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

In an effort to both make it easier to start a business in rural areas of Barton County and to protect the county’s interests, the County Commission Wednesday morning approved amendments to the zoning regulations and map. “We’re trying to catch situations where we’re protecting the county, we’re protecting landowners that live near these businesses, and also just making it as easy as we can to set up these businesses in the county,” said Environmental Manager Judy Goreham, who oversees zoning matters. Source: Great Bend Tribune

22 Monday, May 22

Incentives offered to Great Bend water customers

info2023-05-23T13:35:38-05:00May 22nd, 2023|

As a way to encourage Great Bend city water customers to return the lead and copper pipe questionnaires, the city will offer a $25 credit on the utility bills for those who respond by the Aug. 31 deadline. The surveys are part of a local pipe inventory mandated by federal and state agencies. Those who miss the deadline are not eligible. The survey is on the city’s website and will also be mailed to all 6,700 active account holders, said Public Works Director Jason Cauley. It is also being promoted on the city’s social media sites. Source: Great Bend Tribune