Kansas Municipal News
Lawrence and Douglas County leaders call for more in-depth discussion of homeless shelter, affordable housing
Douglas County leaders want to do more to help people in the local homeless shelter transition into stable housing, and they say they’ll need to work closely with City of Lawrence leaders to achieve that. Leaders from the city and the county held a joint work session on affordable housing on Tuesday, giving county commissioners a chance to learn more about housing issues in Lawrence from city leaders. But the work session only lasted about 45 minutes, and County Commissioner Shannon Reid said the governments needed to have a more extensive conversation in the future, particularly about the Lawrence Community Shelter.
Source: LJWorld
Municipal Bond Trends for July 12, 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.
Fed’s Barkin is open to raising rates by 50 or 75 basis points in July
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin kept his options open on how big the central bank should go when it raises interest rates later this month, following an increase of 75 basis points in June. “I am one of the guys who like the option value of deciding the week of the meeting as opposed to two weeks before the meeting,” he told reporters Tuesday after a speech in Charlotte, North Carolina. “But I thought Jay’s guidance the last time was very sound. We’ll get a little bit more information before the meeting and importantly we’ll get CPI. I’ll reserve judgment.” The consumer price index for June will be released on Wednesday. It is expected to show an 8.8% increase from a year earlier, marking the largest jump since 1981, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Effort launched to coordinate federal infrastructure funds for Kansas
At the end of June, Governor Laura Kelly announced the creation of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, which will coordinate Kansas state agencies and local entities as they administer and apply for funding available through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The Hub will identify statewide and regional infrastructure priorities, strategize as to how to maximize investment opportunities, and promote best practices in securing and distributing funding. Kansas is set to receive close to $3.8 billion in direct funds for transportation, water, energy, and broadband projects. Kansas could potentially receive more by applying for competitive grants. “Infrastructure creates opportunities, powers businesses, keeps us safe, and connects people to places and each other. It’s the backbone of a healthy economy,” Gov. Kelly said. “By working to ensure we bring the most money possible to Kansas – and that, once we have it, we distribute it effectively and efficiently – the Kansas Infrastructure Hub will have lasting impacts on our state.”
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Merriam approves redevelopment of former Kmart site
The City of Merriam has approved the redevelopment of a former Kmart building. The former Kmart site, located at 8703 Shawnee Mission Parkway, just east of Interstate 35, has sat vacant since the store closed in 2013. Plans for the $136 million mixed-use project include four restaurants, two apartment complexes, retail space and a parking garage. The developer was asking for $30 million in incentives to help subsidize the project. The existing Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Krispy Kreme in the northwest corner of the property will remain, as will the La Petite Academy in the southeast corner of the property.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Lenexa considers redesigned Indian Trails Aquatic Center
A new design for the Indian Trails Aquatic Center in Lenexa that prominently features a lazy river, slides and diving boards has begun to take shape as the city considers how to increase attendance and cost recovery at its four swimming pools. What’s going on? City councilmembers recently took a look at a conceptual plan offered by architectural firm Confluence. The plan is the product of more than four years of study and public input that also included a survey of 430 school children. According to the answers from students at five elementary schools, the top most requested feature was a lazy river, followed by slides and diving boards. And also – good food at the concession stand.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Dodge City eliminates enrollment fees for all students K-12
Some Kansas families will not have to pay enrollment fees this school year. On Monday, the Dodge City Board of Education voted in favor of eliminating them for all students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, effective immediately. This includes fees for textbooks and learning materials. The superintendent says the decision came after a discussion about the large number of families who qualify for free or reduced meals, adding that this could help ease the financial burden for many. “I’m certain that it will be appreciated far and wide by a large majority of our community, and it has to benefit families, especially in the times we’re dealing with now. And we care very much about all of our families, and we want to do the best we can,” said Fred Dierksen, USD 443 Superintendent.
Source: KSN-TV
Lawrence parks host honeybee rescue program that finds safe homes for swarming bees
High in a tree in Lawrence’s South Park, a wooden box is secured to a branch, offering a home for honeybees that would otherwise have trouble finding one. The swarm rescue boxes have recently been placed in 16 City of Lawrence parks, so far helping to catch and relocate 17 swarms of honeybees. Leading the effort is Robert Brooks, who has a Ph.D. in entomology, or the study of insects, and proposed the bee rescue program to the city and volunteers his time to the project. A single swarm can contain thousands of bees, and Brooks said the program is helping to save and relocate valuable and endangered pollinators.
Source: LJWorld
Finney County Museum’s Flea Market Festival draws vendors, community
The 13th annual Finney County Historical Museum’s Flea Market Festival was well attended. The Historical Society’s largest event of the year was held Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. just south of the museum inside Lee Richardson Zoo. Steve Quakenbush, executive director of the Finney County Historical Museum, said he estimates approximately 3,000 people came through the gates on Saturday. A little past the four-hour mark, Quakenbush said it seemed like the crowd was turning over periodically and they were seeing more and more people.
Source: GC Telegram
Municipal Bond Trends for July 11, 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.
Fed’s Bostic confident economy can handle another jumbo rate hike
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said the U.S. economy can cope with higher interest rates and repeated his support for another jumbo move when the central bank meets later this month. “Right now I’m pretty comfortable,” he told reporters in a conference call Monday. “I’m confident that the economy will be able to withstand this next move. I would support a 75 basis-point” increase. Policy makers pivoted to aggressively lifting interest rates this year as they work to tame the hottest inflation in four decades, a shift they acknowledge could slow U.S. economic growth and weaken the labor market.
Source: The Bond Buyer
Fed’s George warns raising rates too fast risks ‘oversteering’
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George, who dissented last month against the central bank’s jumbo 75 basis-point increase in interest rates, cautioned that rushing to tighten policy could backfire. “Communicating the path for interest rates is likely far more consequential than the speed with which we get there,” she said Monday in a speech to the Mid-America Labor/Management Conference in Lake Ozark, Missouri. “Moving interest rates too fast raises the prospect of oversteering.” George, whose vote at the June meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee was the first dovish dissent of her career, said she understood the desire to raise rates rapidly to dampen surging inflation but was concerned it could do more harm than good.
Source: The Bond Buyer
City, board to discuss potential change in building codes
On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, the City of McPherson Building Inspection department will meet with the McPherson Construction Advisory Board of Trades and Board of Appeals. The meeting, aimed at discussion of moving from the 2009 International Building Codes to the 2018 codes…
Source: McPherson, KS – News Flash
Wichita police use Narcan to save woman’s life after fentanyl overdose
For the fourth time since Wichita police started carrying Narcan, officers have saved the life of a person overdosing on fentanyl. The department said on Facebook that an officer responded just after 12 a.m. Friday to an overdose call in the 400 block of S. Webb Rd. The officer got to the scene before EMS and found a 29-year-old man who said that he and a 26-year-old woman had taken fentanyl. The officer found the woman unresponsive and not breathing in a hotel room. The officer administered Narcan, saving the woman’s life. “The Wichita Police Department wants to remind everyone the dangers of illicit drug use,” WPD Facebook post says. “Especially regarding an increase of counterfeit fentanyl pills being brought into our community.”
Source: KAKE – News
Kansas announces new module for Law Enforcement
Kansas announced recently its plan to implement a new module in police training focused on investigating missing and murdered indigenous persons. Kansas AG Derek Schmidt says the training was developed in accordance with the bipartisan passage of House Bill 2008 during the 2021 legislative session, which took effect July 1, 2021. The office says they sought assistance and input from federally recognized Native American tribes in Kansas, as well as the Native American members of the Legislature who sponsored the bill.
Source: KOAMKOAM
Miniature artwork featured at Miami County museum
Artists from all over the United States and six countries submitted paintings and sculptures for the 17th annual Heartland Art Guild International Miniature Painting and Sculpture Art Show at the Miami County Historical Museum. Jean Cook, member of the Heartland Art Guild and chairperson for the show, introduced Mayor Leigh House and thanked everyone for coming to the show Saturday, July 9. Mayor Grandon announced the winners. There is one more award to be announced, the People’s Choice Award, which will be announced near the end of the show to allow more people to vote. The exhibit will continue to be on display through the end of July. The exhibition features 73 artists who entered 228 paintings which are on display at the Miami County Historical Museum in Paola. The show has artwork from across the United States as well as pieces from England, Wales, South Africa, Australia, Belgium and Scotland.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Leawood may seek resident feedback on Johnson County’s last pitbull ban
Leawood residents may soon have a chance to weigh in on the city’s pit bull ban, the final such ban still on the books in a Johnson County city and one of the last ones in the wider Kansas City metro. Following some resident’s concerns voiced during the public comment period of last week’s Leawood City Council meeting, city leaders discussed the city’s dangerous breeds ban and raised the possibility of surveying the community about it.
Source: Prairie Village Post
New banners brighten up Sabetha Main Street
When you drive down Main Street, you may notice the new banners on the light posts encouraging Sabetha patrons to shop local. “We wanted to brighten up Main Street while advertising and promoting our local businesses using the #BeSabetha, #ShopSabetha, #EatShopSipPlayBeLocal campaign,” said Sabetha Chamber of Commerce Director Gina Murchison. Murchison said the Sabetha Chamber of Commerce has been saving funds for the Main Street banners for awhile. “We have been saving for the banners for several years from the profits of the golf tournaments,” Murchison said. “We designate the profits from the tournaments for City Beautification and community benefits like the Christmas wreaths on Main and the Downtown PA system. We just finished up the Owl Sign last year.”
Source: Sabetha Herald
Zillow analysis: Wichita is place to move for singles looking for love
Wichita’s affordability makes it tops among the 100 largest U.S. metros for singles relocating and looking to meet others who are single. That’s according to a new analysis from Zillow, the Seattle-based national real estate and rental marketplace. “Remote work has opened up housing possibilities all over the country,” said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow home trends expert, in a news release. “If untethered from an office, singles can move to places that offer more affordability and a vibrant singles scene. Metro areas like Wichita, where your housing dollar stretches further, are particularly appealing at a time when, nationally, rents are nearly 16% higher than last year.” Although Wichita did not have a singles population level toward the top of U.S. metros, its rent affordability compared to other cities powered it to the top.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
Tiny food pantry in Overland Park hopes to expand to help more people
A tiny food pantry in Overland Park is hoping to expand and serve more people. “Extension cords running across the yard,” said Jennifer Parker, of the Tiny Pantry Times. Parker admits the early months of her tiny neighborhood food pantry were interesting. “It looked really tacky,” she said. But it did the trick, and she said her little space in Overland Park quickly became a popular stop to drop off food donations and a lifeline to those in the community who needed the help. “They’re holding down multiple jobs, but they’ve got families to feed,” she said. Parker said that nearly three tons of donations go in and out of this 35-foot-square box monthly and storage has become an issue.
Source: KMBC.com