Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for April 25, 2024
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.
Feds approve $452 million Kansas broadband plan
Kansas is getting $452 million in federal funds to be used to expand broadband across, and state officials are getting closer having shovels in the ground on infrastructure projects. … With the approval, Kansas can now designate project funding areas where applicants can competitively bid to provide service. Bidding will begin in July, but in the mean time, the state will open a pre-registration portal for applicants to start submitting documentation of their qualifications and capabilities.
Source: Hutch News
Municipal Bond Trends for April 24, 2024
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.
Local artists bring vibrancy to Pittsburg ArtWalk
Pittsburg is gearing up for a burst of creativity as local artists and organizations prepare to showcase their talents at the upcoming Pittsburg Artwalk. Set against the backdrop of a festival-like atmosphere, the event promises live music, art demonstrations, and a host of community activities, drawing in residents and visitors alike.
Source: KOAM News
New Pott County ECODEVO director discusses first few months on the job, Scorpius meeting
The new director of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation (ECODEVO) has hit the ground running in her first three months on the job. Shanna Goodman, of Wamego, was hired in January to succeed long-time former director Jack Allston, who retired in late 2023 after nine years on the job. She says the first three months on the job have been spent learning and understanding who’s who among organizations and their priorities. She says she’s been set up for success already getting to understand the Pott County 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Source: 1350 KMAN
8 towns battle series of grass fires
Firefighters from a wide area spent most of Monday afternoon battling three fires in the western portion of the county. Hillsboro, Goessel, Lincolnville, Durham, Florence, Herington, and Ramona fire departments, which comprise the Marion County task force, as well as Canton all were sent to grass fires near the McPherson County line. Others that helped Monday were Ag Service, the sheriff’s office, and county emergency medical services.
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal
New safeguards on Kansas police seizures of property coming after Kelly signs reforms
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday signed into law the most substantial overhaul of the state’s civil asset forfeiture rules in years, the latest effort by lawmakers to reform law enforcement seizures of property. The controversial but widespread practice allows police to take property they believe is connected to a crime before anyone is charged or convicted. Kansas law enforcement seized $3.91 million of property in 2023, with approximately $2.38 million forfeited.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Affordable housing plans in Prairie Village
After months of protests, a court fight and a contentious election, Prairie Village is once again considering plans to amend zoning laws to allow for more housing — but now only limited types in commercial areas. … Chris Brewster, a city planner, said the latest plans call for allowing mixed-use residential projects in commercial areas, something that is currently restricted. Such projects could include adding apartments above office or retail space.
Source: Joco 913 News
Need help finding way around Olathe? City’s new sign project aims to give directions
Olathe is developing new signs designed to help people find their way and locate unique places and notable features across the city. Earlier this month, the Olathe City Council gave the greenlight to a project to place new wayfinding signs for parks and trails as well as for the downtown area and places that are unique to Olathe.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Wichita gets U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Wichita will host the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January, according to a Visit Wichita news release. It will be the first time the U.S. Championships will be held in both Wichita and the state of Kansas, the release said. … The event is set for Jan. 20-26 at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Source: Hutch News
Pottawatomie County signs disaster declaration for storm damage in St. Marys area
Pottawatomie County Commissioners signed a disaster declaration Monday, following severe storm damage in the eastern part of the county late last week. Emergency Management Director Jennifer Merrow says the National Weather Service was on site Friday week assessing damage in St. Marys. Weather officials estimate a downburst, that included wind speeds of up to 95 mph, impacted the area around the high school, where roof damage was reported. Storms led to power outages Thursday and Friday, with Bluestem reporting damage to at least eight of its power poles. If the State of Kansas should decide to provide public assistance through FEMA, the disaster declaration will cover any damages as long as the county reaches the required threshold.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Wichita school district could consider bond issue, consolidation plan
Consultants hired by Wichita public schools say the district needs to reduce its number of buildings by more than 25% over the next two decades. That could involve a massive bond issue or series of bonds to build and renovate schools — though none of the options include price tags just yet. And it likely will mean closing many older, smaller schools. David Sturtz with Ohio-based Woolpert, formerly Cooperative Strategies, presented four options during community meetings Monday. They range from a “no bond” option to an extensive building and renovation plan that would take 15 to 20 years. All options include closing and consolidating up to 19 buildings. Sturtz said many Wichita schools are too old to fix, or they weren’t designed for the way students learn today. “It is an opportunity to reimagine what your schools look like,” he said. “An era of rebuilding is here.” Wichita school board members are collecting feedback from residents this week and will explore options in detail during a workshop next month. In June, they’ll vote on a long-term facilities master plan. The board voted last month to shutter two middle schools and four elementary schools at the end of this academic year because of declining enrollment and a $42 million budget deficit.
Source: KCUR News
Baxter Springs Fire Department celebrates groundbreaking for new facility
An empty lot on the corner of 17th and Military Avenue in Baxter Springs will soon be home to a new fire station. Ground was broken today on the new facility for the Baxter Springs Fire Department. U.S. Representative Jake LaTurner helped make sure one million dollars in federal funding was approved in the Fiscal Year 24 appropriations package to go toward building it. A representative from his office and Senator Tim Shallenburger were on hand for today’s event, as both helped in the process of securing both federal and state funding for the three-million-dollar project. The new fire station will eventually replace the aging station just six blocks away. That facility is almost 100 years old, and a new fire station will allow the department to grow. “Our current station today, we’ve outgrown it. We have equipment sitting outside. This allows us to put our equipment indoors where we can keep it protected. Ready to go for our community,” said Gunnar Wixon, Baxter Springs Asst. Fire Chief. The specs of the building have not yet been finalized, but planners say it will be bigger than the current facility.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Reining in the rogue pear trees
Many Midwest ranchers, park workers and homeowners work nonstop to control disruptive plants from faraway places. In an excerpt from the podcast Up From Dust, Celia Llopis-Jepsen of the Kansas News Service reports on policy changes meant to help. Biochar is a hot topic in sustainable agriculture — it looks like charcoal, but actually sequesters carbon through an ancient farming technique. Kate Grumke from Harvest Public Media has the story on how the old process is finding new life.
Source: KCUR News
Valley Center works with pair of Wichita developers on 130-acre development
For the past five years, some parts of Valley Center have seen some wet circumstances. City administrator Brent Clark tells the WBJ that he has been working on resolving a drainage issue from 93rd Street North to 7th Avenue since the winter of 2019. He explained that the lack of drainage causes stormwater drops from the west side of Meridian Avenue, causing concern for residents. “We’ve had quite a few residents that have been very upset over the years in our community,” he said. Now that ownership of the property in the targeted area has changed, Clark and a pair of established Wichita developers have two solutions for the drainage concerns — a mixed-use development and 15 acres worth of ponds. The development is called Harvest Place and it has 130 acres of land which sprawls from the southeast corner of Meridian Avenue to 93rd Street. About 100 acres of the land is owned by Wichita developer Lou Robelli, who is recently known for his work in Park City. Robelli is partnering with Eric Gilbert, who owns home building companies Artistic Builders and Liberty Communities. The remaining 30 acres of the land is owned by Valley Center, according to Clark.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Hillsboro makes progress in strategic goals
Progress in the city’s strategic plan was the topic of conversation in the April 16 Hillsboro City Council meeting. The council discussed updates in the various sectors they have set goals in. For the childcare center, City Administrator Matt Stiles told the Council that they now have three bids. “They’re still over the budget but a little bit closer. So there’s still a gap in what’s been raised and what’s available through grant funds and what the project anticipated cost is. So the H4C group is now working to try to figure out how we’re going to close that gap,” said Stiles. “I would anticipate that we’ll probably still approve the bid move forward, but they’ll probably want to look at some USDA funding, some kind of gap to fill that gap and then try to raise money to repay that. So that’s kind of how it’s looking right now. It’s really interesting that we talked about this as a board from the time we started this one year, it ended up going up almost $600,000 in cost.” The plan is to award the bid in May with a timeline of about a year for the construction to be completed. “So we’d be looking at the middle part of next year,” said Stiles. Housing has also had a good amount of progress. There will be another public meeting for the Mennonite Housing Project on April 30 at City Hall. If that project is supported there will be 24 units, duplexes, two and three-bedroom models.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
County clarifies EMS transfer policy
The Marion County Board of Commissioners heard from EMS Director Chuck Kenney about the Interfacility Transfer Policy. “There’s been several different policies over the last couple years. Some conflicting with other agreements,” said Kenney. “We had a transfer policy that was adopted in August of ’22. And then we had the policy that the board adopted in December of ’22 that had some charges associated with it, like fees and everything that Brad [Jantz, county attorney] drafted. And then after that we had the service agreements with the hospitals. And so some of the things that are in those service agreements are in conflict with the standard policy and the most recently adopted transfer policy,” said Marion County Administrator Tina Spencer. Some of the conflicts have revolved around mileage and costs for ambulances. “What I’ve been doing is basically the 60 mile thing, working with both hospitals. I’ve been taking bits and pieces out of the previous policies and agreements and kind of just working as a patient advocate really. So this is tidbits from all the policies and agreements summarized into one form so we have something in reference to go and actually look at and kind of clear the pond a little bit,” said Kenney.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
A New Mural Welcomes Visitors to Fort Scott.
Local artists who spent several days in the production of this mural on Wall Street, across from the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce office at 231 E. Wall Street. From left, Kadra Nevitt, Hayden Travis, Bre Eden, Katie Hueston, and Kate Freeman. For their part, five local artists worked on a mural to beautify downtown Fort Scott, during the Fort Scott Clean-up Day on April 22. The five artists began working on Friday, April 19, work continued until Monday evening. “This specific mural was designed to not only showcase the Bourbon County landscape, but be a beautiful backdrop and photo op next to the new arch welcoming visitors into Downtown Fort Scott.,” Kate Freeman, a member of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Downtown Division, said. “It took about a month, to locate a space, talk to all parties involved, create a design, and execute a plan,” she said. “I would like to thank the Bourbon County Arts Council for donating funds to purchase paint and supplies for the mural.” The three sections of the mural are from actual photos from Bourbon County. “I used these photos as references for the sketch,” Freeman said.
Source: Fort Scott Biz
Wichita looking at changes to animal regulations
Wichita City Council members will be looking at changes to regulations governing pets and animal services. The recommendations were made by a subcommittee of the city’s Animal Services Advisory Board that looked at a variety of issues, and staff members presented the recommendations to the City Council during a workshop discussion on Tuesday. There was a recommendation to license dogs and cats, but assistant city attorney Jan Jarman said the staffing is not available to support the licensing of cats, and there is more work to do to license dogs in the community. She said the better option will be to work on dog licensing rates and look at cat licensing at a later time. There’s a recommendation to keep the licensing fee at $15 for dogs that have been spayed or neutered, and raising it to $40 or $50 for dogs that haven’t been spayed or neutered. The discount for fencing or microchipping would be eliminated. Citizens could also get a license for up to three years, depending on the animal’s vaccination. Another recommendation would be to mandate microchipping for dogs and cats, to make it easier to return lost animals to their homes. There’s also a recommendation to allow three dogs and three cats per household, and any more pets would require an animal maintenance permit.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Topeka contemplates city manager in special meeting
The city council had another special session to again discuss the two finalists for the vacant city manager position. The choice is down to Alan Howze of Kansas City, Kansas and Robert Perez of Dallas, Texas. Both candidates have over 20 years of experience working in leadership positions for local governments. At a press conference Tuesday morning ahead of the special session, Mayor Padilla and Nienstedt said they were confident no announcement would be made, which held true. No information was provided following the two-hour meeting. KSNT 27 News spoke to district 8 Topeka councilman Spencer Duncan, who says there is no need to rush the decision. “We are moving forward, you know you can do things fast, or you can do things right,” Duncan said. “And we are trying to be very deliberate in these discussions because we want to get this right. It’s important for the city, it’s important for people who work in the city, and so that’s really all this is. It’s nothing but us just making sure that we’re checking every box.” Interim city manager Richard Nienstedt has held the job since last July, when previous city manager Stephen Wade was terminated. According to the city, Wade had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
Source: KSNT 27 News