After hours of heated deliberations, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to create special tax incentives for major sports teams to build stadiums in Kansas. The bill will go to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk. While the governor previously said she wasn’t trying to recruit the Chiefs, she praised the plan in a statement, calling it a bipartisan initiative to drive economic growth.
Source: Johnson County Post
The fire chief in Salina says the department will install a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 1, and donations are needed to make this a reality. “The Salina Community Safe Haven Baby Box Initiative is crucial project in the community that will offer a secure, anonymous option for parents in crisis to surrender their newborns,” Chief Troy Sneidar Jr. said. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are installed in the exterior wall of a fire station or hospital. An exterior door automatically locks when a newborn is placed inside, and an interior door lets a medical staff member secure the baby from inside the building.
Source: KAKE – News
The Wichita City Council has voted to name its own website, Wichita.gov, the city’s official newspaper for the publication of legal notices. But it will also continue to publish the notices in print. City Council member Becky Tuttle introduced an amendment Tuesday to preserve the practice of publishing copies of ordinances and notices of official actions in a third-party publication.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
The Halstead Planning and Zoning Commission returned to its discussion of battery energy storage systems (BESS) after missing the special and regular meetings scheduled in May due to severe weather conditions. The city is considering a request by Concurrent, a company out of Texas that is leasing land in Halstead’s industrial park, to consider amending the city’s zoning regulations to allow for BESS so they can streamline their process of installing one on the leased land.
Source: Harvey County Now
It’s still growing. That’s what Walton Township Trustee Mike Spangler said about the sinkholes on Osage Road north of Northeast 72nd Road on Monday. Unfortunately, it’s sinkholes, plural, with one on each side of the road. And yes, both holes overlap with the road. The road has been temporarily closed for nearly two weeks, but people continue to drive between the holes.
Source: Harvey County Now
A house explosion that injured a person in Garden City Saturday evening was caused by a natural gas leak, according to investigators. The State Fire Marshal and the Garden City Fire Department say the leak was ignited when the victim turned on the stove. They say the issue was isolated to the gas line inside the home. The investigation is continuing.
Source: KSN-TV
Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced more than $390,000 in Emergency Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (E-HEAL) grants has been awarded to five recipients. More than $770,000 private local matching funds will be added to that total, to help bring rural downtown buildings back from likely demolition or collapse – and rehabilitate them back into productive use. The Emergency HEAL program provides resources to address sudden and urgent needs of communities with buildings that are at risk of imminent loss, that are causing damage to surrounding downtown buildings, and/or have significant damage due to fire, storms, wind, water, etc. are eligible projects. Projects are to be completed within two years.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced eight inaugural grant recipients of the Residential Opportunities on Main Street (ROOMS) program. A total of eight projects in Designated Kansas Main Street communities are receiving $50,000 each to create a total of 35 new residential units in the upper floors of downtown buildings.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
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.
Merriam residents are likely to see a sharp increase in their municipal tax rate next year. The city is considering an increase of 3.736 mills for its 2025 mill levy — or local tax — rate. That would bring the city’s municipal mill levy to 26.665 mills overall, according to early budget presentations from city staff. That relatively sharp increase comes after a “clerical error” on budget forms last year submitted to the county and state unintentionally slashed Merriam’s 2024 property tax rate by more than four mills, from 27.665 mills down to 22.929 mills the year before. Before that mistake, the Merriam City Council had approved lowering the 2024 property tax rate by 0.25 mills to 27.415 mills, the first proposed change to the mill levy the city had approved in more than a decade. But the error made it a bigger change than expected, actually cutting the 2024 mill levy rate by 4.48 mills, a much more dramatic decrease than the city intended. Still, the proposed tax increase for next year will leave the city’s mill levy rate below the level it was at before last year’s unexpectedly large cut.
Source: Johnson County Post
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