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The Bond Buyer (a national publication read widely in public finance circles) has two interesting articles today about the history and future of municipal bond interest rates. First the history… in Robert Slavin’s article entitled “A Brief History of Fluctuating U.S. Muni Bond Yields”, the newspaper highlights passages of a book called “A History of …

A couple years ago, the City of Mission enacted a transportation utility fee which some have dubbed a “driveway tax”: The city’s goal was to shift the burden for financing road improvements from single-family homes that may not generate a lot of traffic to big commercial properties that draw lots of traffic that wears out …

The City of Hays has received numerous complaints from travelers over the years about price gouging at a particular gas station (Quest Fuel on north Vine Street). Commissioners talked about the possibility of passing an ordinance requiring all gas stations to post their prices, or even purchasing a billboard that would warn visitors not to …

With Boeing’s departure, and several other big economic development victories going to other cities in the state, folks in Wichita are asking themselves why they are not winning more projects. In the next couple of months, city and business leaders will try to decide if the community is up to the challenge of doing the …

I did not know that under current state law (passed in 1923) a railroad can only be fined $5 a day, up to a $50 maximum for not repairing crossings. That small amount is surprising, considering how expensive those repairs are, and how hard it is to get state or federal money to help for …

When I was at KU studying public administration, I can’t even remember how many case studies we did on the now infamous South Lawrence Trafficway project. The project was supposed to connect Interstate 70, on the west side of town, with highway K-10 on the east side of town, and serve as a by-pass of …

The Kansas Department of Commerce just announced that twenty-one Kansas communities to share in more than $7.7 million in CDBG funds. According to the press release: Twenty-one Kansas communities will share a total of $7,773,083 in federal grants through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced this week. “We …

The Wichita Police Department now has an app for smartphones (well, at least for Android and iPhone – – no Windows Phone app yet): The agency said Wednesday the new smart phone app, My Police Department, is now available for download. Officer Jerod Metcalf said the technology is another tool for the department to interact …

Central National Bank donated the building, and residents teamed up with City Administrator Doug Kjellin to raise money and get grants to create a new youth center in the City of Marion. Equipped with pool, air hockey, Xbox Kinect and other games, the center aims to be open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Kjellin said …

The City of Pratt is going to be replacing a tap changer in the city electrical system. The tap changer is a large volt regulator that maintains a stable voltage during fluctuations (i.e. squirrels, wind, etc…poor squirrels!) Maintenance on the current tap changer is expensive ($50,000 to $90,000 every year and a half). The new …

The Kansas State Historical Society is currently doing an informal survey, looking for unusual water towers in the state that may have some sort of historical significance. The Dodge City Daily Globe reported four water towers in the state have been listed on the register. They are the 1927 Hillsboro water tower, the Florence water …

Oil and gas exploration is booming again in southwest Kansas. That boom has brought a lot of folks into the area who are researching oil and gas leases and land titles. In Ford County, the crowds grew pretty large over the summer at the Government Center in Dodge City, where the register of deeds office …

Kansas liquor stores would like to change state law to allow “taste tests” for folks shopping in their stores: Try it before you buy it, that’s the idea behind a new bill that would allow customers to sample alcohol inside Kansas liquor stores. Liquor stores say the move could boost sales. Right now, under Kansas …

The Kansas Star Casino means new revenues for Mulvane. Pursuant to state law, the city receives 1% of the casino’s profits. Now, the community is brainstorming on how to best utilize the new source of funds: Everyone seems to have a wish list of what they think the money should be used for, but ask …

The Kansas Department of Commerce just announced recipients of CDBG funds for housing rehabilitation: The Kansas Department of Commerce announced today that four Kansas communities – Clyde, Concordia, Glen Elder and Wilson – will share more than $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) federal funds for housing rehabilitation. These housing projects will rehabilitate …