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.
Homelessness is a topic of concern for many people in Salina, and the city is providing a time for people in the community to learn more about what it and other agencies in the area are doing to address the situation. An open forum on homelessness has been announced by the City of Salina, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at the Salina Grace Community Resource Center, 142 S. Seventh St. The Salina City Commission has been invited to attend the forum to learn along with the public, and the city said there will be time for public comment as part of the meeting’s agenda.
Source: Salina Journal
Lawrence officials don’t have plans to close or clean an unsanctioned East Lawrence homeless camp despite concerns that it is growing and is producing large amounts of trash near the Kansas River. A spokesman said City Hall leaders don’t yet believe they can feasibly shut down the camp because they don’t believe there are enough alternative shelter locations available in the city.
Source: LJWorld
The Lawrence school board will soon receive a report that compares the district’s teacher salaries to other nearby school districts and proposes various ways to change the district’s pay schedule to increase salaries. As part of its meeting Monday, the Lawrence school board will receive the report of salary comparisons for teachers and other certified staff. The report is a follow-up on a previous discussion about salaries in the district, in which board members were told the Lawrence salaries were lagging behind some nearby districts.
Source: LJWorld
Sedgwick County commissioners will receive a 6.9% raise in 2023 after they voted to increase their base salary. Starting next year, the five commissioners’ annual pay will climb from $95,000 to $101,527. That’s less than the $113,626 a year that Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple makes but significantly more than the other six Wichita City Council members’ $49,064 annual salaries. County commissioners David Dennis, Jim Howell and Sarah Lopez voted for the raises while Pete Meitzner and outgoing commissioner Lacey Cruse voted against them. “The Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners collectively acts as the chief executive office for the county organization that has nearly 3,000 employees and an overall annual budget of $530 million,” Howell said in a text message. “Unlike Wichita council members or other commissioners across the state, Sedgwick County commissioners are full-time.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Stray and outdoor cats have been a part of the Topeka community for a long time, and pet organizations are working to keep the number of cats under control. Shelters say they’ve received an increase in calls about stray cats. They are appreciative for the help, but say they want people to be absolutely sure it is a stray cat before bringing them in. The National Library of Medicine says 10% of indoor cats who ran away were found within two blocks of their home. “Indoor cats who get out tend to get really spooked and they’re going to just hide nearby, really close by,” Director of Business Development at Helping Hands, Grace Clinton said. “And so if you think that it’s an outdoor cat, if you find a cat and you’re worried that somebody’s owner is looking for them, talk to your neighbors because it probably lives on your street somewhere.” There is a large number of outdoor cats, and most of them prefer to stay outside. Cat colonies form in a community naturally. This is what vets consider to be large groups of homeless cats. And if cats are removed to limit their number, it could only make it worse.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Flu-like illnesses like COVID-19, RSV, the flu and other viruses are on the rise in Kansas City and beyond. This week’s data shows COVID-19 cases continuing to increase in all five counties and two cities that make up the metro area. Data reported on Tuesday shows that there have been 1,643 new cases reported in the metro in the past week. That’s higher than the 1,309 cases reported the previous week and 997 the week prior. Local experts have warned of an increase in viral illness around the metro as flu season coincides with an RSV outbreak and colder weather causes more residents to gather indoors. Children’s Mercy Hospital is already at capacity with sick patients, and other hospitals are starting to feel the strain as well.
Source: KC Star Local News
Only about 10% of Lawrence landlords participate in housing voucher programs, and right now, 51 households with vouchers in hand are actively searching and struggling to find housing. Gabby Boyle, prevention specialist at the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center, and Mariel Ferreiro, landlord liaison for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, shared those statistics and context alongside other local housing experts Thursday evening during a panel at the Lawrence Public Library. Ferreiro explained that the housing authority administers transitional vouchers, which allow people to build rental history and acclimate from experiencing homelessness, and housing choice vouchers. Those subsidies provide landlords guaranteed monthly rent payments — but fewer and fewer landlords are accepting them. Lawrence’s Human Resources Commission recently advanced proposed changes to city ordinances that include creating a protected class based on source of income. If passed, the ordinance would prevent landlords from denying housing because someone’s rent money comes from housing assistance such as vouchers, settlements, benefits, subsidies, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers and more.
Source: The Lawrence Times
The Johnson County Commission voted Thursday to approve nearly $4 million in federal funding to go toward services to help people experiencing homelessness and prevention efforts. Commissioners voted 5-1 to accept a grant of about $3.97 million from the American Rescue Plan to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, which the county will have 10 years to spend. Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara voted against the measure, and Commissioner Janée Hanzlick was absent. For the last decade, Rita Carr, the director of community planning with United Community Services, or UCS, of Johnson County, said the number of people experiencing homelessness, staying outdoors or living in their cars has risen.
Source: KC Star Local News
Developers are asking for nearly $20 million in public tax incentives for a project that promises to remake a prominent site on Roe Boulevard in Roeland Park. The Roeland Park City Council this week unanimously approved rezoning and a preliminary development plan for the roughly $75 million proposed mixed-use project at The Rocks site at 4800 W. Roe Blvd., where the city pool was once located decades ago.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
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