Longtime leader in JoCo’s economic development scene announces plan to retire

14 Monday, November 14

Longtime leader in JoCo’s economic development scene announces plan to retire

info2022-11-14T07:05:41-06:00November 14th, 2022|

Blake Schreck, a longtime fixture in Johnson County’s economic development scene, says he will retire in February 2023. Schreck has been CEO and director of economic development at the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce since 1999, but previously led the Olathe chamber for three years and worked a decade at the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. “I was fortunate to bring Blake into the chamber and economic development world in the mid-’80s,” Mary Birch, former Overland Park chamber president, said in a news release. “He became one of the best economic development leaders in the country and leaves a legacy of major [...]

14 Monday, November 14

Wichita launching community feedback survey

info2022-11-14T07:06:19-06:00November 14th, 2022|

The city of Wichita say they are looking to source community feedback through a survey. The survey is asking residents their opinions about local government services as well as resident priorities. The city says they plan to begin distributing community surveys on a more frequent basis, changing from biannual to annual. Another change to this survey is asking residents to rank their top priorities in addition to rating service delivery. Source: KAKE - News

14 Monday, November 14

Parsons voters deny sales tax hike

info2022-11-14T00:16:31-06:00November 14th, 2022|

In Tuesday’s election, Parsons voters weighed against a half-cent sales tax increase that would have helped fund the Parsons police and fire departments. The vote was 881 in favor and 1,333 against. The increase would have raised the sales tax from 9.25% to 9.75% and generated an estimated $900,000 a year. Department heads said the funds would be used for a new public safety center as well as routine public services and capital improvements. In 2013, voters approved a similar tax which sunsets in 10 years. The new tax would have taken effect in 2024. Source: The Iola Register

11 Friday, November 11

Lawrence says homeless camp with 80 tents isn’t a campground; if it said otherwise, it could be violating its own zoning code

info2022-11-13T08:33:47-06:00November 11th, 2022|

As a city-operated campground for the homeless has grown on the edge of downtown, business owners in recent weeks have begun protesting that the central business district is no place for such a campground.... they may have a powerful document on their side: the city’s own zoning code... the city’s director of planning acknowledged that a campground is not a permitted use in what’s known as the “CD downtown commercial district.” The zoning code — which has the force of law — allows for campgrounds in several types of commercial business districts, but the busy central business district is not one [...]

11 Friday, November 11

Municipal Bond Trends for November 10, 2022

Henry Schmidt2022-11-14T10:01:35-06:00November 11th, 2022|

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.

10 Thursday, November 10

Kansas board urges schools to eliminate Native American mascots

info2022-11-11T07:47:38-06:00November 10th, 2022|

Saying it hurts students, the Kansas State Board of Education is calling on the state’s public schools to eliminate Native American-themed mascots within five years. The board endorsed a recommendation from an advisory group on Thursday that included representatives from all four federally recognized tribes in Kansas. ... “We’re just asking them to start the conversation, do the research,” said board member Ann Mah. “When we say we don’t want bullying, we want equity, we want the best education for every child, then this absolutely fits with our mandates.” More than 20 Kansas schools still use mascots with names like Indians, [...]

10 Thursday, November 10

With 108 Airbnbs and other short-term rentals now licensed, Lawrence code enforcement thinks process to ID unlicensed rentals is working

info2022-11-11T07:46:16-06:00November 10th, 2022|

With more than 100 short-term rentals now licensed in Lawrence, city code enforcement believes its tactics are working for identifying people renting properties by the night without the required license. After falling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of short-term rental listings in Lawrence is on the rise again, with a little more than 150 properties listed on the popular site Airbnb. Code Enforcement Manager Brian Jimenez said there are currently 108 licensed properties in Lawrence, and because his office has found several properties listed more than once, he believes the city does not have many unlicensed rentals. He said he [...]

10 Thursday, November 10

Treasury yields tumble after October CPI comes in weaker than expected

info2022-11-10T09:43:06-06:00November 10th, 2022|

The latest CPI report gave investors hope that inflation is now past its peak, lending confidence that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes are slowly working to tame high price increases. Stock futures rallied on the news. “This confirms the Fed’s own view they need more measured rate hikes now but this doesn’t stop them,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. ” It just affirms their plan.” Swonk added that, from the Fed’s perspective, the dip in inflation is welcome news but still not enough to stop further tightening. In November, the Fed raised rates by a another 75 basis [...]

10 Thursday, November 10

Pitt’s fowl ordinance

info2022-11-10T09:40:22-06:00November 10th, 2022|

Chickens seem to be on people's minds in southeast Kansas lately. Just this past Monday, the Arma City Council discussed regulations for keeping chickens inside city limits. Then on Tuesday, our flightless fowl friends found their way into the Pittsburg City Commission meeting. While Arma decided to table the discussion, Pittsburg dove right in. Pamela Hudson recently petitioned the city’s Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals to keep a small flock of chickens on her property. What is unusual is that Hudson actually contacted the city to see if she was allowed to keep the birds — a gesture that Mayor [...]

10 Thursday, November 10

Voters reject Winfield school bond projects

info2022-11-10T09:24:31-06:00November 10th, 2022|

Winfield voters on Tuesday soundly defeated two school bond propositions, putting USD 465 officials back to the drawing board to figure out how to update aging and outdated infrastructure. Question 1 would have closed some schools, removed some buildings, built others and reconfigured others Question 2 asked voters to build a new football/soccer stadium at the high school and erect several new tennis courts at the Vaughan Tennis Center. Estimated cost of the two projects was about $54.7 million to be funded by about a 14 mill property tax increase from current levels, an estimated $159 on a $100,000 home. In [...]