Municipal News & Jobs

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.

Small as it is, the Madison Public Library is nominally a quiet place, but for a moment, Christine Inman made an exception. Inman, the library director and sole full-time employee, had just learned the library had been the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the Kansas Book Festival. At any other library, this would have been good news — $1,000 can and would buy countless books to refresh the library. But at Madison Public Library, about 30 minutes south of Emporia, the grant represented double the $500 budget the community resource usually receives for books each year.
Source: CJonline

Why is a business that can bring in millions not living up to its expectations? One thought is, it’s the name. Outside of Kansas, people don’t know where Hutchinson is, let alone Hutchinson Regional Airport. Hutchinson, Minnesota, with a population of right around 15,000 might just have a larger name recognition. But even if it doesn’t, a consultant said, people need to know Hutchinson, Kansas is near Wichita − and where the airport is located makes a difference. … In addition to changing the name of the airport, making it more a regional name − like Central Kansas Regional Airport − … making a new logo for the airport would also generate some buzz.
Source: Hutch News

While the process has been years in the making, the final steps to have Salina designated as a POW-MIA City only took a few short weeks. On March 14, Salina officially became the second city in Kansas and 50th in the nation to be designated as a Prisoner of War (POW)-Missing in Action (MIA) City by the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum, Inc. Salina’s designation comes after the City Commission adopted a resolution to become a POW-MIA City on March 13 with the assistance and at the encouragement of Steve Murrison, commander of local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1432.
Source: Salina Journal

More people than ever have visited Kansas state parks in recent years. Those parks saw more than 8 million visitors for the first time in 2020, the COVID year. That total fell in 2021 to 7.6 million, then rose last year to 7,892,316, said Linda Lanterman, parks director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. That department maintains 28 state parks. It will soon add one more, as Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Wednesday establishing Lehigh Portland State Park near Iola.
Source: Salina Journal

Kansas economists predict modest growth and healthy tax revenues, with new estimates released Thursday adding $238 million over the next two years to state coffers. The revenue forecasts come ahead of legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly finalizing budgets and tax cuts during the coming week. Politicians have a projected $1.9 billion budget surplus to work with for the current fiscal year, and a $2.5 billion surplus for next year.
Source: Hutch News

A powerful supercell thunderstorm produced eight tornadoes that touched down between 8:13 and 8:55 p.m. Wednesday in Chase County, injuring two people, one when a car was picked up, the National Weather Service said. No one was killed. Cottonwood Falls, the county seat of Chase County in east-central Kansas, is located about 65 miles southwest of Topeka. One of Wednesday evening’s injuries resulted from a “semi that was rolled” and the other from a “car that was picked up with glass breaking,” said information shared by the Wichita office of the National Weather Service.
Source: CJonline

The Small-Town Water and Sewer Infrastructure Assistance and Grant Program is now accepting pre-applications for funding. This program is funded from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Funds as recommended by the SPARK Executive Committee and approved by the State Finance Council in December 2022.

This funding opportunity will provide up to $10,000,000 in short term sewer and drinking water grant funding to local governments. Eligible funding recipients would include cities, counties and other identified political subdivisions who have populations less than 1,000 people and are experiencing a health or regulatory compliance issue that an infrastructure project would resolve.

Eligible local governments are encouraged to submit a pre-application form, which can be found on the KDHE Applications Webpage, no later than June 30, 2023. Selected applicants will be notified of their funding awards by August 31, 2023, and projects will be prioritized according to the severity of the health or regulatory compliance issue being resolved (please note projects that resolve issues through regionalization will rank higher than individual utility projects).

Additional information on the application process, program guidelines and eligibility requirements for grant funding can be found in the KDHE STSWIA FAQ.

Should additional questions regarding the Small-Town Water and Sewer Infrastructure Grant Assistance Program be identified, please contact Amelia Ness (Amelia.Neis@ks.gov) for water related questions, or Cara Hendricks (Cara.C.Hendricks@ks.gov) for sewer related questions.

Park City residents could vote on a citywide 1 percent retail sales tax as early as Aug. 1. The tax could help fund a range of community projects without a property tax increase. The city council on April 11 voted 5-2 in favor of a 1 percent sales tax referendum. The city has a June 1 deadline to submit the paperwork to get on the Aug. 1 ballot. If an election were held on that date, the sales tax would take effect in January 2024. “The sales tax could go for anything that we already pay with mill levy support dollars,” said City Administrator Sean Fox. “… There’s roads, the connectivity plan, the parks master plan, the downtown plan, sidewalks — whatever council would normally utilize with the mill levy.”
Source: Ark Valley News

In a job that can be stressful and challenging, Valley Center bus driver Gail Johnson made it look easy for 45 years. That’s because she’s enjoyed nearly every minute of it. “I have enjoyed driving,” Johnson said. “I’ve always enjoyed driving… I’ve been doing it a long time, just getting out and going and keeping busy. For the most part, I’ve had a good bunch of kids and I’ve really enjoyed it.” This school year marks her 45th with the Valley Center school district. She started in 1978.
Source: Ark Valley News

With 2023 marking 125 years since the construction of the Smoky Valley Roller Mills in 1898, this year’s annual Millfest on May 6 is looking to be the best it’s ever been. Held the first Saturday every May, Millfest is the one time every year that the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum turns on the antique machinery across the four floors of the mill and opens it up for guided tours. Lenora Lynam, the museum Executive Director, said it’s a rare sight, especially since the Old Mill is the only working mill using 19th century roller mill technology in the Midwest.
Source: Great Bend Post

hose who work in the fire service face hazards every day while on the job, but one hazard they might not think about is cancer. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), announced the launch of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer online enrollment system for firefighters across the nation. … While participation is voluntary, all U.S. firefighters, with or without cancer, are encouraged to join the NFR for Cancer; these include: active and retired firefighters; career, paid-on-call, and volunteer firefighters; structural firefighters; wildland firefighters; instructors; fire investigators; and other members of the fire service.
Source: Liberal First