Kansas Municipal News
Municipal Bond Trends for April 14, 2023
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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.
Are residents coming or going? U.S. Census, Kansas figures show different trends
Local residents were heartened to hear last February that a Kansas Division of the Budget report said Shawnee County’s population had risen significantly over a one-year period. But the information in that report conflicts with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which suggests the county’s population is instead dropping. A spokeswoman for the state suggests the Census Bureau figures are more accurate.
Source: CJonline
Shawnee county looks to become the model of mental health help in jails
Mental health is a growing concern both in our community and in our jails. Now, Shawnee County is working to become a model for treatment and rehabilitation. With a growing number of people living with mental illness in our community and our jails, it is becoming increasingly difficult to properly house many people. On average 35 percent of inmates in Shawnee County are considered severely mentally ill. Jail officials say it’s partially due to an increase in mental health conditions in the community, new and more severe illicit drugs on the market and a higher population in general. Now, the county is looking into building a new mental health unit within the Shawnee County Detention Center. In 2022, the county put aside $10,000,000 for this project with a goal of making inmates not feel like they’re incarcerated.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Topeka introduces land bank program to repurpose properties for affordable housing
Topeka City leaders are weighing a new proposal to transform many of the city’s vacant and blighted properties into livable housing. District 8 Councilman Spencer Duncan introduced a plan to implement a land bank program to rehabilitate residential properties. A land bank’s sole purpose would be to acquire and repurpose foreclosed, vacant and abandoned properties – and turn them into affordable housing. A recent city housing study found Topeka needs to add more than 400 units in the next five years to meet the current housing demand.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Mission weighs adding license plate readers at 10 intersections
Mission is poised to become the latest northeast Johnson County city to install license plate readers at some of its busiest intersections. The push to install readers in the city started last year. The devices have been pitched in other neighboring cities as a way to help police investigate crimes and identify suspect vehicles that may pass through multiple jurisdictions. Mission is one of the few cities in the area that has yet to put any up. Police Chief Dan Madden said it’s about time the city install license plate readers of its own.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Emporia hires Alaska administrator as assistant city manager
The City of Emporia announced Thursday the selection of Mark Detter as its next assistant city manager. He fills the position left vacant by Lane Massey, who accepted a position in Spring Hill last year. Detter begins his position on May 30, 2023, where he will support and direct aspects of city operations and lead pivotal strategic plan initiatives for the community. Detter told The Gazette that he grew up in Seattle, Wa., but both of his parents were from Kansas and he spent many summers traveling to the Midwest to visit family. He came back to Kansas for college, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, both from Southwestern College as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Wichita State University.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Hillsboro votes to allow chickens
In the March 21 Hillsboro City Council meeting, the council heard from S. Lincoln resident Ronald Wilkins who recently moved to Hillsboro. “My wife and I would like to have chickens, but in asking around we found out they were not allowed in town limits. We would like to ask the council to change that.” Wilkins presented a well-planned out and lengthy slideshow including research he had done in the county regarding other towns’ rules for chickens. Based on the information he presented, the council agreed to have an ordinance drawn up for them to vote on in the April 4 meeting. “I just don’t think we should allow roosters,” said Council Member Byron McCarty. Other members agreed.
Source: Hillsboro Free Press
Kansas governor signs bills dealing with wind turbine lighting, Evergy charges
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has signed a bill meant to reduce the appearance of blinking red lights on wind turbines. The law requires the installation of wind turbine light systems that are still visible to pilots but don’t ruin the night sky for Kansans living next to wind farms. There are about 4,000 wind turbines in the state. The House passed Senate Bill 49 118-6 in late March, after the Senate passed the bill 39-1 in February. The lights are meant to prevent low-flying aircraft from flying into wind turbines, but several lawmakers have said the lighting is an unnecessary nuisance. Starting in July of this year, new wind turbine developers need to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for lighting system mitigation installations. … Kelly also announced Thursday she had signed three other bills into law.
Source: Kansas Reflector
City of Atchison vs. Atchison County Sheriff
The sheriff or the keeper of the jail in any county of the state shall receive all prisoners committed to the sheriff’s or jailer’s custody by the authority of the United States or by the authority of any city located in such county and shall keep them safely in the same manner as prisoners of the county until discharged in accordance with law. … K.S.A. 19-1930(a) requires a county sheriff to accept detainees without exceptions. This court cannot rewrite the provision to include an exception where the sheriff of a county believes a detainee requires medical attention prior to being booked into the jail. It is solely within the bailiwick of the Legislature to amend the statute should it see fit to include such an exception.
Source: Kansas Court of Appeals
Groundwater supply looks different across Kansas, a critical source during the drought
A lack of rain across the state means more reliance on groundwater. That resource is now critical for farms and homes across Kansas. Experts say the amount of groundwater is completely different depending on where you are in Kansas. Some advancements have made irrigation more efficient. Mark Rude, the Executive Director of Groundwater Management District 3 in southwest Kansas, says less water from the sky means taking more from the ground, especially in western Kansas, where they rely heavily on groundwater.
Source: KSN-TV
Belle Plaine officially recognizes Quiet Zones with ribbon cutting… 50-plus train horns have now been silenced
It was nearly a decade-long effort to create the federally regulated Quiet Zone, but as of April 5, the trains are a muted sound from the distant crossings outside the city. The 98-decibel horns are silenced as they travel through the three crossings impacting the community’s west side and Belle Plaine Township. The effort to create the quiet zone began with a joint effort of the Bartlett Arboretum and the City of Belle Plaine. The committee was fortunate to have the assistance of Mike McKay, a retired civil engineer whose entire career centered on noise and zoning on both the local and federal levels. McKay is a rural community resident and a frequent visitor at the Bartlett Arboretum. The group worked on options and began educating the community on the process.
Source: Sumner NewsCow
Overland Park gets $1.35M to make College and Metcalf area more walkable
Overland Park’s plan to eventually make the area around College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue more pedestrian-friendly has received its first major shot of funding. The city announced earlier this month that the Mid-America Regional Council approved $1.35 million in federal funds to go towards making the highly trafficked area around the Overland Park Convention Center more walkable for residents, workers and visitors who come there for events and conferences.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Large wildfire breaks out in Washington County, Kansas near Haddam
Multiple agencies in Kansas are working to put out multiple wildfires that broke out across the state on Tuesday, including one not far from Nebraska’s southern border. Thursday evening, the Kansas Forest Service said they were responding to a fire that broke out in the afternoon hours in western Washington County, south of Haddam. KFS says taskforce members, two tankers, and multiple KFS personnel were at the scene, along with other volunteer firefighters. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management was also assisting with the response, according to KFS. Dry conditions and high winds are mainly to blame.
Source: KAKE – News
Friday marks anniversary of 2012 Wichita tornado
It’s been 11 years since a tornado ripped through parts of southeast Wichita, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and businesses. The tornado formed over southern parts of Haysville the evening of April 14, 2012. The National Weather Service reports it produced up to EF-3 damage as it continued northeast. The tornado was a half-mile wide as it moved across Oaklawn, where some of the heaviest damage was inflicted to the Pinair Mobile Home Park, according to KAKE archives. Assessment teams rated the tornado an EF-3 as it passed through Oaklawn.
Source: KAKE – News
Fed Official Backs Higher Interest Rates as Banking Stresses Fade
A Federal Reserve official said he was prepared to approve another interest-rate increase because recent banking-system stresses haven’t produced a significant pullback in lending while high inflation remains supported by strong growth. “Monetary policy needs to be tightened further,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said in a speech Friday in San Antonio. “I would welcome signs of moderating demand, but until they appear and I see inflation moving meaningfully and persistently down toward our 2% target, I believe there is still more work to do.”
Source: WSJ.com: US Business
Homes for Wichita’s future: Is the area ready to house more workers?
William Ott and Kelsey Debes flew into Wichita from Florida in March to spend two days house shopping after Ott accepted a job at Textron Aviation. They fell in love with one home and made an offer, then jetted back to their rental in Tampa. By the time they landed, the seller had moved onto another buyer. “We knew this is a seller’s market,” Debes said. “We were not under any ideas that that’s not the case. But that really humbled us pretty quickly.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Wichita-area colleges tout scholarship that can help retain talent
A pair of area two-year colleges say a Kansas scholarship in its second year is paying off for students who are needing a financial hand and are interested in working in specific high-need industries. Particularly relevant for local businesses looking for talent, it’s a program that also ensures participants stay in the state for two years after they complete their degree or certificate.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Company behind plans for solar array north of Lawrence anticipates contributing $110M in tax revenues
The company hoping to build a huge solar energy electrical-generation plant north of Lawrence said Thursday evening it expects the facility will add $110 million in property tax and business tax revenue for Douglas County over its expected 25 years of operations. In addition, an official of the company, Savion Energy LLC, said via email that the project, called the Kansas Sky Energy Center, would employ 175 construction workers to build the solar array, but just a handful of workers — two to five — to operate it.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Tulip Festival returns to Wamego this weekend
Wamego’s annual Tulip Festival returns this weekend, one of the community’s biggest tourism draws each year. More than 160 craft vendors will set up inside Wamego City Park, including about 20 food vendors, a petting zoo and bouncy houses. There will also be a new family fun area with interactive activities. Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce Event and Tourism Coordinator Tiegan Kreider says there will also be plenty of live entertainment throughout the weekend.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Municipal Bond Trends for April 13, 2023
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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.