Decoding your grocery bill after Kansas’ food sales tax cut

Groceries are slightly cheaper in Kansas following a food sales tax cut that went into effect Jan. 1, but you may still have questions about how much you’re paying. The cut lowers the sales tax rate on many food items from 6.5% to 4%. But some Kansas consumers have complained they’re still getting charged too much or have otherwise expressed confusion about the numbers on their receipts. … While the state sales tax on food was cut from 6.5% to 4%, that’s not the only tax you get charged at checkout. Shoppers still pay separate sales taxes on food to both the county and city they’re shopping in. You may also pay additional sales taxes if you are shopping in areas designated Community Improvement Districts, which are aimed at incentivizing developers.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2023-01-17T07:38:56-06:00January 16, 2023|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for January 13, 2023

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, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.

Henry Schmidt2023-01-16T11:20:59-06:00January 16, 2023|News|

Residents drive, shape Leawood’s brand of suburban luxury

Suburban luxury is Leawood’s brand, and it will continue to be so as long as its residents aim to keep it that way. The 75-year-old city began as a bedroom community of 1,000 residents who fled the bustle of Kansas City seeking the quiet of suburbia. As it evolved, the city has grown into the jewel of Johnson County with its multimillion-dollar neighborhoods and high-end storefronts to serve its population of roughly 34,700. Leawood’s terrain changed significantly when Tomahawk Creek Parkway was put in. Making room for commercial and office uses is an important addition to the city’s mix, Mayor Peggy Dunn said, but Leawood will never be a corporate town. Neighborhoods are the city’s niche. … Dunn said the city rarely grants incentives and never has used tax increment financing because other tools better fit residents’ needs. “We don’t want the public to pay to develop something,” Dunn said. “We’ve been persistent, and we’ve been consistent, and I think we’ve tried to treat everyone equally because other developers have foot the bill and paid for projects themselves. Our group of City Council and myself as mayor have wanted to just maintain that consistency.” One exception is if a project involves state incentives and structured parking.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T09:54:49-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

JoCo Commission votes to keep new public comment rules

Rules regarding public comments instituted by new county chair Mike Kelly remain in place after Kelly’s first meeting Thursday, despite some opposition from residents and other commissioners. Several residents attended Thursday’s meeting — Kelly’s first as chair — in person to protest the new rules, which end livestreaming of public comments at commission meetings and require residents to give their comments either in person or in writing. After discussion, the commission ultimately upheld Kelly’s rules in a vote by a narrow 4-3 margin.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T09:42:06-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

Guns and fentanyl at high schools is a community problem, KCK officials say

As drug overdoses and gun deaths have been increasing on both sides of the state line, they’ve spilled into area schools – prompting administrators to look for solutions. In December, a student was arrested at Wyandotte High School for possession of a loaded gun with an extended magazine and fentanyl. In November, a student was arrested at the same school for possessing 15 fentanyl pills, according to incident reports from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. Dr. Anna Stubblefield, the district’s superintendent, says these incidents are reflective of the world that students live in. … Stubblefield says students are young and don’t always make the best decisions. That’s why she says it’s educators’ job to hold them accountable, but they also need to help them grow and learn how to make different ones in the future.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T09:41:14-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

Hannes Zacharias (KU professor and former Kansas municipal official) featured on GovLove Podcast

Culture eats strategy. Hannes Zacharias, Professor of Practice at the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration, joined the podcast to talk about high performance organizations. He shared the traits of high performance of organizations, the importance of culture, and how to constantly improve an organization.

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Source: ELGL

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T09:39:42-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for January 12, 2023

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, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.

Henry Schmidt2023-01-13T09:16:25-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

KU researchers assert FCC map of high-speed broadband access in Kansas ‘highly inaccurate’

The Federal Communications Commission’s state-by-state map of broadband availability didn’t capture the potential of 1 million Kansans living in regions without adequate high-speed service, University of Kansas researchers said. The findings were significant because the federal government plans to distribute $42.5 billion in broadband expansion funding to states based on the FCC’s map. In November, the FCC released maps showing broadband was available across Kansas and more than three-fourths of the state’s residents had access to reliable service. The deadline for states to challenge the map is Friday.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T08:28:29-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

At public meeting about wind farm rules, residents speak out against commercial wind energy projects in Douglas County

A public meeting about proposed regulations for wind farms in Douglas County became contentious Thursday evening as some members of the public spoke out against the possibility of any commercial wind energy projects coming to the county. That included some comments directed at representatives of Florida-based energy firm NextEra Energy Resources, who were present at the meeting and said the company is interested in the possibility of a future large-scale wind energy project in the county. The company has previously confirmed to the Journal-World that it’s exploring whether a wind energy project would be viable in southwest Douglas County.
Source: LJWorld

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T08:27:18-06:00January 13, 2023|News|

Douglas County district attorney, sheriff continue to battle over whether sheriff must produce personnel records of officers

A dispute between the Douglas County district attorney and the sheriff is continuing, with the DA issuing more subpoenas seeking testimony about the credibility of officers in the sheriff’s department. Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister continues to object to those subpoenas as an overreach on the part of the district attorney. All this comes after a Douglas County District Court judge late last month declined to require Armbrister to comply with previously issued subpoenas, but also declined to cancel — or quash, in legal terms — the subpoenas. Instead, Judge Sally Pokorny urged the two elected officials to cooperate.
Source: LJWorld

Ranson Financial2023-01-13T08:26:05-06:00January 13, 2023|News|