Haysville to vote May 7 on sales tax renewal

1 Friday, March 1

Haysville to vote May 7 on sales tax renewal

2024-03-01T13:12:30-06:00March 1st, 2024|

A special election will be happening in Haysville. A renewal of the 1% city sales tax will be voted on. The money would be used to improve streets as well as parks and recreational amenities in the city. Residents voted down a similar measure in November. The mayor says the key difference is that this one would return 10% of the sales tax to residents as a "property tax reduction." Voting will take place on May 7. "Without a sales tax continuation, street repairs and upgrades will take longer, and we won't be able to make all the enhancements to parks and recreational facilities that [...]

1 Friday, March 1

Financing options reviewed for potential courthouse repairs

2024-03-01T13:11:20-06:00March 1st, 2024|

Miami County commissioners are reviewing funding options, including financing, to pay for needed repairs to the Miami County Courthouse. Last fall, voters chose not to support a proposed quarter-cent sales tax to renovate and expand the Miami County Courthouse. Proposed plans involved renovating the existing courthouse and constructing an extension where the old sheriff’s office is located next door. The extension would have provided sufficient space for two additional courtrooms and secured parking, and the estimated cost of the project was between $21 million and $25 million, according to county documents. Commissioners are now focused on just making needed repairs to [...]

1 Friday, March 1

Commerce renews effort to win incentives for electric, hydrogen vehicle assembly plant

2024-03-01T12:49:30-06:00March 1st, 2024|

The Commerce Department is making another run at a major piece of economic development legislation that would help the state attract an electric vehicle or hydrogen-powered vehicle manufacturing plant. Bob North, legal counsel for the department, appeared before the House Commerce Committee on Thursday to pitch the legislation that's intended to build on the tax incentives provided to Panasonic two years ago. The bill also could be used to bring a national headquarters for an electric battery plant as well as a manufacturer of electric or hydrogen-powered motor vehicles. Source: Sunflower State Journal

1 Friday, March 1

Council lifts pit bull ban, adds ‘reckless owner’ penalty

2024-03-01T12:47:57-06:00March 1st, 2024|

Last week, the Clay Center City Council approved removing the breed-specific ban that includes pit bulls from its vicious dog ordinance and added that language that leads to a stiffer penalty for repeat offenders. The measures passed with one council member, Daton Hess, voting against. The new language, which City Attorney Dusty Mullin described as pertaining to “reckless animal owners” calls for a measure that can lead to the owner being banned from owning animals for five years if they have three separate offenses within a certain period. He explained this process isn’t a criminal one, but rather an administrative one [...]

1 Friday, March 1

Municipal Bond Trends for February 29, 2024

2024-03-01T09:40:55-06:00March 1st, 2024|

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.

1 Friday, March 1

Local association educating public on importance of controlled burns

2024-03-01T07:34:26-06:00March 1st, 2024|

In prairielands like Kansas, if there's a lot of smoke in the air, there's a good chance that a fire has started, but one organization wants the public to know that not all of these fires are wild. The Smoky Hills Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) has grown to around 45 members in its three years of existence in north central Kansas. Its main purpose is the promotion, assistance and education on the safe and responsible use of fire as a management tool and to be a resource to assist landowners and land managers with the necessary means to organize and conduct [...]

1 Friday, March 1

National League of Cities, founded in Lawrence, celebrates 100th anniversary with city leaders

2024-03-01T07:24:41-06:00March 1st, 2024|

Leaders with the National League of Cities on Thursday were in the city where their organization was founded to celebrate a century of connecting and providing services to municipal officials across the U.S. .... a delegation from the NLC is in Lawrence this week as part of a cross-country roadshow celebrating the organization’s centennial. Lawrence, the first stop on the tour, is where the NLC was founded in 1924 on the University of Kansas campus. Clarence Anthony, the CEO and executive director of the NLC, is one of the leaders with the visiting delegation, and he presented a commemorative plaque to [...]

29 Thursday, February 29

Municipal Bond Trends for February 28, 2024

2024-02-29T09:30:44-06:00February 29th, 2024|

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.

28 Wednesday, February 28

Lessons in population health from small-city Kansas

2024-02-28T16:19:13-06:00February 28th, 2024|

Mahbub Rashid sees cities differently than most people. And you might say the dean of the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design ought to do that. But Rashid has taken spatial analysis of urban development to the cutting edge of technology — and this view of small-town Kansas suggests to him that much more can be done to promote the health of people who live there. Rashid’s new book, “Built Environment and Population Health in Small-Town America: Learning from Small Cities of Kansas” (Johns Hopkins University Press), looks at how lifestyle behaviors and health indicators are associated with spatial [...]

28 Wednesday, February 28

Goat remains on the lam in Harvey County

2024-02-28T14:12:31-06:00February 28th, 2024|

... Sheriff’s Deputy RJ Wagner responded to a call asking for assistance in wrangling a goat that was on a person’s property ... Wagoner reported spending about five minutes with the property owner, getting a rope around the goat and leading it to a lean-to pen. He said the property owner planned on trying to find the goat’s owner. He left and said between 10 to 15 minutes later, he received a call that the goat had escaped. As of Tuesday, it had yet to be located. Source: Harvey County Now

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