Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

KDHE issues stream advisory for Marais des Cygnes River near Osawatomie

Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a stream advisory for the Marais des Cygnes River near Osawatomie, Kan. The stream advisory is a result of an ongoing inflow and infiltration issue near the city of Osawatomie’s wastewater treatment plant. The advisory has been issued because potential elevated bacteria and contaminants may be present in the Marais des Cygnes River near the city. Anyone who lives or has activities near this stream is advised to not enter the water or allow children or pets to enter.
Source: Osage County News

Fed’s Bowman expects more rate hikes to reach inflation goal

The Federal Reserve will likely have to keep raising interest rates to rein in price growth, which could slow economic expansion and affect the jobs market, Governor Michelle Bowman said. “We are still far from achieving price stability, and I expect that it will be necessary to further tighten monetary policy to bring inflation down toward our goal,” Bowman said Monday at a community banking conference in Orlando, Florida. “Doing so will likely lead to subdued growth in economic activity and some softening in labor-market conditions.” She said restoring price stability is essential to support a sustainably strong labor market. … Fed officials lifted their benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 4.5% to 4.75% on Feb. 1. The smaller move followed a half-point increase in December and four 75 basis-point hikes prior to that. Officials in December forecast rates peaking at 5.1% this year, according to their median projection. They will update those estimates next month.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Lawrence Police, FBI to address fentanyl crisis during community forum

It’s time to have the talk, according to the Lawrence Police Department. The department is joining forces with the FBI, the Lawrence School District and the Douglas County District Attorney to discuss what it calls the “fentanyl crisis” in the community.
Source: KSNT 27 News

$850,000 Funding Announced for Downtown Building Revitalization

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $850,000 has been made available to fund a new round of Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants. The HEAL program, which is funded by the Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation, provides grants to small communities across the state to revitalize downtown buildings.

The HEAL program is designed to bring downtown buildings back into productive use as spaces for:

New or expanding businesses
Housing
Arts and culture
Civic engagement
Childcare
Entrepreneurship

“Downtowns throughout Kansas are already making dramatic and visible improvements because of this popular program,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Our partnership with the Patterson Family Foundation is creating even more opportunities for communities to bring their historic buildings back to life and strengthen their local economies.”

HEAL is intended to close financial gaps in restoring underutilized properties and making downtown districts throughout the state more economically vibrant. Applicants must show that submitted projects have potential to become economic drivers in the community.

Eligible applicants must be organizations applying on behalf of building owners and may include designated Kansas Main Street programs, economic development organizations, cities, counties, 501c3 or 501c6 organizations, and local community foundations.

Private building owners should contact their local organization to work in partnership on the application and to identify buildings that are strong candidates for the HEAL program. The buildings should be underutilized, valuable to the historic fabric of the downtown district and have a feasible plan for adaptive re-use.

“Contributing to the HEAL program alongside the Department of Commerce is a natural fit for our foundation’s mission,” said Lindsey Patterson Smith, President of the Patterson Family Foundation. “Downtown areas are often the heart of communities of all sizes, and we believe rural downtown spaces especially will benefit from improvements to their beauty, safety, and greater accessibility.”

HEAL matching grants will be awarded for either façade or building construction projects. Communities that received a previous HEAL grant are not eligible to apply in this round.

Proof of matching funds from the building owner will be required at the time of application. The application window opens February 13 and closes March 31 with award notifications at the end of May.

Information about the HEAL grant program and the online application can be viewed at www.kansascommerce.gov/heal.

Municipal Bond Trends for February 10, 2023

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.

Board will vote Monday on whether to sell a former Wichita school to private developers

A former Wichita school that has sat vacant since 2011 could be sold to private developers if school board members approve the contract at Monday’s meeting. The former Price Elementary property at 6123 E. 11th Street, later renamed Blackbear Bosin Academy, would be sold to Garvey Ventures LLC for $500,000. The building was built in 1956 and sits on more than six and a half acres near 13th and Woodlawn. Garvey’s vice president of finance Aaron Wiechman said that if the sale is approved by the school board, developers will likely repurpose the property for housing.
Source: Wichita Eagle

$50 million project announced to downtown Pittsburg’s Block22

A new building, a two-story pavilion, redevelopment of the historic Besse Hotel… Pittsburg State University announces some big changes in the Block22 neighborhood. It’s the “Gorilla Rising.” PSU is working with the City of Pittsburg and local businesses on a new initiative they hope will strengthen the local business district and provide students with new and unique learning experiences. The University estimates the cost of the project to be about $50 million. … One part of the new initiative is adding a new building to the PSU Kelce College of Business. Officials say the building currently leased by BMO Harris Bank will be the footprint of a new building at Fifth and Broadway. As part of that new building, PSU will partner with the Colonial Fox Theatre to share space in a two-story pavilion. The Theatre already planned a space like that to accommodate a lobby expansion and theatrical support.
Source: KOAM News

Manhattan unveils, dedicates new $22.5 million joint maintenance facility

The City of Manhattan proudly unveiled their new joint maintenance facility during a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday. City Manager Ron Fehr delivered some opening remarks about the $22.5 million building that will now house over 100 employees from various departments and facilities across the city. Fehr said the facility provides significantly more space and resources than these departments had previously.
Source: 1350 KMAN

New bill addresses county nuisance enforcement

Hearings will begin in the state senate’s Local Government Committee at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Topeka about SB-162, a bill granting counties greater authority to enforce nuisance ordinances similar to those enjoyed by cities. The bill is sponsored by Riley County, but has gained the attention and support of other counties in the state, including Crawford. According to Crawford County Counselor Jim Emerson, county governments used to have, or at least believed they had, the power to enforce the clean-up of nuisance properties that posed a danger to the public. That assumption was severely curtailed in the 2012 court decision Barnes v. Board of County Commissioners of Cowley County.
Source: Morning Sun

Daniel Farley is hired as the next South Haven School Superintendent

Wellington High School graduate Daniel Farley has just been hired to be the South Haven School Superintendent. He will begin his tenure on July 1, 2023. The USD 509 South Haven School Board of Education made the hire this week. Farley is currently serving as the Director of Special Programs at USD 353 Wellington school district. Mr. Farley has broad educational experience as a teacher and administrator. He also served as Assistant Director of Sumner County Educational Services/Principal of Sumner County Academy for two years and was also the Assistant Principal at Clay Center Community High School for two years.
Source: Sumner NewsCow

Debry hires Bel Aire’s Jacqueline Kelly as city attorney

The city of Derby recently announced it has hired Jacqueline Kelly to serve as its new attorney starting March 20. Kelly will replace former city attorney Jacque Butler. Kelly most recently served as city attorney for the city of Bel Aire and has also served in a legal capacity with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office – as assistant district attorney in the areas of civil probate/juvenile offender/traffic – and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Energy companies want to block outside bids on projects

Kansas electric utility monopoly Evergy and other energy companies in the state want lawmakers to grant them more monopoly power over construction of new energy transmission infrastructure, a lucrative sector of the business that is expected to grow in need. Experts predict billions of dollars worth of transmission infrastructure will need to be built in the coming years. Existing energy companies want state lawmakers to help shield their share of the work from competition, while outside developers want a chance at a piece of the pie — feeding a legislative process flush with lobbyists.
Source: CJonline

Newton’s Sand Creek Station to host NJCAA Division I men’s golf tourney

The Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon men’s golf team won the 2022 national championship at the Odessa Country Club in Odessa, Texas, and the 2021 national title at the Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas. If the HCC men’s golf team, led by 2022 Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Chris Young in his 23rd season, gets the chance to “three-peat” as NJCAA Division I national champions, they can do it close
to home. The 2023 NJCAA tournament will be played May 16-19 at the Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton. … “The city of Newton is thrilled to host the 2023 men’s NJCAA national championship at Sand Creek Station golf course,” said Newton city manager Kelly McElroy. “Our community is honored to receive such great players and their families. Newton has much to offer in the way of shopping, dining, and entertainment and we look forward to welcoming you to our community.”
Source: Hutch News

A look at how declining home construction in Lawrence is creating concern on multiple fronts, including at the school district

The fact that Lawrence isn’t building very many single-family houses causes concern not only for [school board president Shannon] Kimball, but also with the school board-hired consultants who were tasked with making enrollment projections for the district over the next several years. Kimball said those consultants have given the district “information that leads me to believe that we may be a declining enrollment district for the next five years.” Given that the state bases a lot of its funding for K-12 education on a formula that pays the district based on the number of students it has, declining enrollments are likely to make for tighter financial times at the district. That would make the wage issue tough to address.
Source: LJWorld

Office of Broadband to Launch ‘Kansas Broadband Roadshow’

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the Kansas Office of Broadband Development will take its “Kansas Broadband Roadshow” across the state beginning this week. Starting in Emporia on Wednesday, February 15, Broadband staff will travel the state to learn directly from Kansans about internet access and its availability in their communities. The meetings will give the Broadband Office a grassroots understanding of the current connectivity landscape throughout Kansas to develop an effective five-year strategic action plan and support statewide digital equity. … The Office of Broadband officially kicked off its engagement process on January 19 at the inaugural Kansas Broadband Summit. Staff gathered input from invested communities and partners to ensure strategic engagement. The upcoming public meetings will allow Kansans from across the state the chance to discuss their experiences, needs and opportunities as it relates to high-speed access and development. The office will hold events at 25 to 30 locations around the state. Special attention will be paid to groups and communities that historically have been disproportionately impacted by digital inequities. These groups include low-income households, aging populations, people with disabilities or language barriers, racial and ethnic minorities, rural inhabitants, incarcerated individuals, and veterans.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

American Warrior, Inc. v. Board of Finney County Comm’rs (Procedure for issuing conditional-use permits)

This case involves an appeal from a decision of the district court of Finney County affirming the validity of a conditional-use permit issued by the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) of Finney County to Huber Sand, Inc. to operate a sand and gravel quarry. The Appellants argue the procedures for reviewing and issuing a conditional-use permit adopted by Finney County—in which the BZA, rather than the planning commission and board of county commissioners, can issue conditional-use permits—impermissibly varies from the procedures mandated by the Legislature. As a result, they claim the permit issued here is void and unenforceable. Because our Supreme Court has held governing bodies must follow the procedures laid out in K.S.A. 2021 Supp. 12-757 in issuing conditional-use permits, we find that Finney County has impermissibly delegated authority to issue conditional-use permits to its BZA. Accordingly, we reverse the district court and find that the conditional-use permit granted to Huber Sand is void and unenforceable.
Read the Court of Appeals opinion here.

Unified Government nets $12M following failure to build Hollywood Casino hotel

The owners of Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway have paid more than $12 million in penalties for failing to build a hotel in conjunction with the casino. Kansas Entertainment LLC, a joint venture between PENN Entertainment and International Speedway Corp., now part of NASCAR, since 2015 has made $12.1 million in annual payments to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. The yearly sums range between $988,215 and $2,333,850 over that timeframe, according to data obtained through a recent records request. The penalties stem from Kansas Entertainment’s failure to build a hotel as stipulated in its September 2009 casino development agreement with the Unified Government.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

12 Kansas towns, cities to receive $5M in federal funds in road safety grants

A dozen communities in Kansas are slated to receive federal funds to help improve road safety. Gov. Laura Kelly’s office announced that a total of $5 million in federal dollars will be distributed among 12 Kansas communities through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. This program aims to create local transportation safety plans to identify and address transportation safety concerns. State funding through the new Kansas SS4A match pilot program will contribute to the local match as required of grant recipients. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) sent 22 letters of support for the first round of applications to the program on behalf of Kansas communities applying for SS4A funds, according to the Office of the Governor. The projects awarded within the Sunflower State are for “action plan grants” to help communities that do not currently have a roadway safety plan in place. “Local commitment and regional collaboration were instrumental in bringing Safe Streets and Roads for All funds to Kansas,” Calvin Reed, Acting Secretary of Transportation, said. “KDOT’s help with local matching funds is indicative of the importance the agency places on safety and our long-term goal of reaching zero roadway fatalities.” KDOT agreed to contribute anywhere from 10% to 20% of the total match requirement to encourage participation in the program, according to the Office of the Governor. To receive 20%, an agency had to represent a rural area of the state and apply for a multijurisdictional planning effort to encourage regional collaboration. The cost share/match in SS4A is 80% federal and 20% local match.

The largest amount of funds, $1.36 million was awarded to Garden City as its safety plan application covers six cities and six counties in western Kansas. The other communities that secured funds through SS4A grants include:

Grant awardee	Award amount	% local match from KDOT
City of Lawrence	$160,000	15%
City of Leavenworth	$280,000	10%
City of Olathe	$280,000	10%
City of Salina	$160,000	15%
City of Valley Falls	$40,000	15%
Cowley County	$160,000	15%
Dodge City	$230,434	10%
Garden City	$1,360,000	20%
Leavenworth County	$280,000	10%
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation	$225,600	15%
SE Kansas Regional Planning Commission	$800,000	15%
Unified Gov. of Wyandotte Co./Kansas City	$1,000,000	None

SS4A is a five-year, $5 billion competitive grant program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure law and administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The program provides support to the U.S. DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, which is described as a comprehensive approach to make roadways safer for all, including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and emergency and construction workers. SS4A plans stress responsible driving, safer roadway designs, appropriate speed-limit setting and improved post-crash care.

Source: KSN-TV