Emporia’s transient guest tax receipts 15 percent above 2019 record

31 Sunday, July 31

Emporia’s transient guest tax receipts 15 percent above 2019 record

info2022-07-31T23:43:48-05:00July 31st, 2022|

Emporia’s transient guest tax receipts are doing quite well. Visit Emporia Director LeLan Dains says the 7-percent tax on each room night stay at local hotels has led to some impressive totals as the local economy emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dains says it’s important for Emporia to have large-scale events that bring people to the city from a regional, national or international basis. He also says travel numbers are higher than expected with gas prices elevated for at least three months, and that is a good trend for Emporia. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

29 Friday, July 29

Common Ground adding 11th community garden in Lawrence

info2022-07-29T07:37:48-05:00July 29th, 2022|

A new garden site is set to join the list of urban gardens located throughout Lawrence as part of the Common Ground community gardening and urban agriculture program. The new garden site at Broken Arrow Park, located at 31st and Louisiana streets, will be the 11th garden established as part of the program. Common Ground is facilitated through the Lawrence-Douglas County Sustainability Office, and the program’s new manager, Umut Bayramoglu, told the Journal-World earlier this year that the program hoped to add another garden site sometime during 2022. Source: LJWorld

29 Friday, July 29

What’s black and white and cool all over? Tesla vehicles join Leawood police fleet

info2022-07-29T07:37:10-05:00July 29th, 2022|

The Leawood Police Department has added a Tesla Model Y electric vehicle to its fleet of black-and-white patrol cars. The department began researching electric vehicles last year after finding unfavorable reviews of the hybrid patrol cars that were available then. An early cost comparison — done more than a year ago when the city could buy gasoline for $1.75 a gallon — put energy costs for the city’s current Ford Explorer Patrol SUV at roughly $4,500 a year. Source: KC Star

29 Friday, July 29

Resident revitalizes downtown Pittsburg building

info2022-07-29T07:36:49-05:00July 29th, 2022|

Over the past several years, downtown Pittsburg has been receiving a facelift from many business and community members in the area. What started out as a simple investment for Pittsburg resident Ian Youvan developed into a project of renovation, creativity, and hard work on a building on Broadway. When Youvan received his first COVID-19 stimulus check in 2020, he decided to invest the money into a rising cryptocurrency, Dogecoin, he said. After having success with it, he purchased the building 117 N. Broadway from the city’s landbank, and began cleaning it out and restoring the building last year. Youvan said the [...]

29 Friday, July 29

Municipal Bond Trends for July 28, 2022

info2022-07-29T07:23:10-05:00July 29th, 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.

29 Friday, July 29

Radio towers handed over to Claflin, Ellinwood

info2022-07-29T00:41:29-05:00July 29th, 2022|

As County Communications continues its move to the system, the county’s Claflin and Ellinwood repeaters are no longer needed, 911 Director Dena Popp said. It was suggested the UHF TAC 11 (Ellinwood) and 18 (Claflin) be transferred to the cities for their utility and public works departments. Under the proposed agreements, the cities would be responsible for the transfer of the repeaters and utilities, if any, and assume all licensing, maintenance and other costs. Both were established over a decade ago and are atop the water towers. Popp said for the county to remove and get rid of them wasn’t [...]

29 Friday, July 29

KPERS moves ahead with refinancing to avoid volatility of employer contributions

info2022-07-29T07:19:13-05:00July 29th, 2022|

Trustees of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System relied on their authority to refinance the system’s unfunded liability in a bid to stabilize public employer contribution rates during a period in which investment earnings were expected to shrink. The KPERS board simultaneously cut the porfolio’s investment return assumption to 7% from 7.75%, which had been the highest among the nation’s large public pensions. The decision to lower the portfolio’s annual earning estimate added $1.8 billion to the system’s unfunded liability, but had no influence on retiree benefits. The board in May also committed to reamortization, a process of refinancing billions [...]

29 Friday, July 29

JoCo, De Soto and Kansas add millions more in incentives toward Panasonic battery plant

info2022-07-29T00:38:15-05:00July 29th, 2022|

Johnson County will add another $15 million to a growing pot of incentives dedicated to Panasonic’s new $4 billion factory planned for De Soto. The Board of County Commissioners on Thursday voted to spend $7.5 million on local road improvements and commit another $7.5 million toward building a new fire station with hazmat capabilities for the factory. Kansas officials have already committed $829 million in incentives to lure the Japanese electronics maker to De Soto. That includes $500 million in refundable tax credits, which allows the firm to not only reduce its tax burden, but receive cash directly from the [...]

29 Friday, July 29

Wichita firefighters helping in South Dakota

info2022-07-29T00:36:30-05:00July 29th, 2022|

Some members of the Wichita Fire Department have moved north during their two-week assignment with the Kansas Forest Service Fire Suppression Module. They spent two-and-a-half days working on the Trout Fire in northwest Nebraska. From there, they headed north to the Casino Fire in southwest South Dakota. The fire is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It has burned 12,636 acres and is at least 80% contained. According to the Wichita Fire Department, four hand crews, 10 wildland engines, one dozer, and three water tenders are assigned to the fire. The Wichita firefighters have put in handline, caught spot fires, [...]

29 Friday, July 29

Shawnee Mission boosts substitute pay after schools struggled to cover teacher absences last year

info2022-07-29T07:20:07-05:00July 29th, 2022|

The Shawnee Mission school board this week unanimously approved an increase in substitute teacher pay for the upcoming school year, a move aimed at counteracting the district’s increasing struggles at finding enough classroom subs. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded teacher shortage issues in SMSD and districts nationwide and led to a shrinking substitute pool, especially last year. Source: Prairie Village Post