Kansas Municipal News
Old Ellinwood photos topic of historic program
The Barton County Historical Society will host Ellinwood native Robert Yarmer who will present “Early Ellinwood in Pictures” at 7 p.m., Monday, March 27, at the Barton County Historical Society, 85 S. U.S. 281, Great Bend. Admission is free for members of the society and $5 for others wishing to attend the program. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m., light refreshments are provided. Yarmer has selected 140 photographs of Ellinwood history to discuss …
Source: Great Bend Tribune
How will Silicon Valley Bank collapse impact bank ownership of munis?
Municipal bonds remain a viable, high-quality source of liquidity for banks, experts say, although they are divided about whether the collapse of two regional banks will curtail or eliminate the sector’s ownership of municipal bonds. Following the collapse of California-based Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 and New York-based Signature Bank on March 12, experts differ on how this will impact their holding of municipal bonds. Some say it will continue unabated, others say it could peter off, yet others believe banks may alter their duration to avoid the pitfalls of SVB and Signature. “I do not believe banks will broadly reduce their ownership of municipal debt in light of the recent collapses of SVB and Signature Bank,” Chris Brigati, managing director of municipal investments at Valley Bank, said. Bank ownership of municipal bonds amounts to approximately 15% of the $4 trillion market, falling slightly during the COVID 19 pandemic, according to experts. … So far, there is little evidence that ownership of munis by banks — which hold about $540 billion of municipals, $140 billion of that is held by regional banks —will dwindle, according to Eve Lando, portfolio manager and managing director at Thornburg Investment Management. About half of that exposure is in direct loans, so it shouldn’t be part of a sell-off, Lando noted. “The total muni market is $4 trillion, so in isolation, the large bank numbers are a small fraction of the entire market and unlikely to flood the market,” she said in a March 21 report.
Source: The Bond Buyer
New Funding Available to Help Communities with Shovel-Ready Sites
Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced new grant funding that will help communities gain valuable Certified Sites designation for shovel-ready industrial sites in Kansas. Kansas Certified Sites designation is issued when communities successfully demonstrate their property is primed for development and ready for investment, which is a huge advantage in recruiting and expanding businesses. The program is designed to reduce the risks associated with development. A Kansas Certified Site is attractive to investors and site selectors … as part of the new Certified Sites Grant program, the Kansas Department of Commerce will provide matching dollars up to $10,000 for eligible entities to use toward completion of a Kansas Certified Sites program application. Funding is available for non-metro counties with a population less than 50,000.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
What Wichita can learn from a Michigan’s city path to seamless mental health care
Grand Rapids [has] a model that Wichita and Sedgwick County might seek to learn from as they work to create a more coordinated approach to addressing mental health, substance abuse and homelessness. Such an approach requires collaboration across a swath of government agencies and nonprofits. Grand Rapids appears to be creating a more seamless system even though it lacks a more centralized single location for social services that cities such as San Antonio have become widely regarded for. Officials in Wichita and Sedgwick County have been considering building a similar hub here. For the past five years, leaders in metro Grand Rapids have been brainstorming about how to improve services for individuals experiencing a mental-health crisis. Those talks – involving local hospitals, nonprofits that provide behavioral health services, law enforcement, city and county officials and even insurers – have led to new initiatives and expansions of existing programs.
Source: KLC Journal
Leawood tweaks pit bull ban, but keeps it on the books
Leawood’s pit bull ban is still on the books, but the way it’s enforced changed this week. The Leawood City Council on Monday unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s dangerous animal ordinance banning pit bulls. This is the latest step in the city’s efforts over the past year to determine what should be done with the ban. The altered ordinance now spells out the characteristics of a pit bull — such as the dog’s ears, eye shape and the length and shape of the dog’s head.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Prairie Village inks $50K deal with environmental consultants
Prairie Village is exploring ways to make its city operations more environmentally sustainable. The city council earlier this month unanimously approved an agreement with Keramida, an Indiana-based consulting firm, to create a sustainability program for Prairie Village. The move aims to help the city reach its commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or sooner, according to city documents.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Family ‘hit the lotto’ with move to Iola
Max and Candice Grundy have lived in Iola for two years. And already, they take great pride in what they call “our town.” California transplants, the Grundys are known for their recent purchase of Iola’s abandoned water tower, which they envision turning into an Airbnb. Last week, Max, a commercial artist, attended an Iola council meeting where he suggested Iola adopt a flag, giving a dozen examples. Even though he regarded his presentation a “flop,” he thinks the idea of a flag promoting Iola is worthwhile.
Source: The Iola Register
KDHE Announces Recipients of Waste Tire Product Grants
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has announced the recipients of waste tire product grants. “These grants will help handle the costs of proper disposal of many materials scrap tires and assist many important local efforts to promote litter and waste reduction. KDHE applauds the creativity and innovation that our communities have in reusing materials that help support the mission of protecting the health and environment of all Kansans.” said Janet Stanek, Secretary, Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The grants are funded by revenue collected through the tire excise tax, a $0.25/vehicle tire fee. The grants totaled $522,312.25, an almost 20 percent (19.8%) increase from 2022 were awarded to 45 organizations to fund projects that include the use of recycled tire products, including playground surfacing and picnic tables. Visit, kdhe.ks.gov/700/ for information about their projects and dollar amounts awarded.
Source: KDHE
Lenexa latest JoCo city to change building codes after firefighters injured
Lenexa is taking steps to protect firefighters responding to house fires after several first responders were injured last year trying to bring a Shawnee house fire under control. Earlier this month, the Lenexa City Council updated a series of home building codes that will require so-called under stair protection in new home construction.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Here’s everything the Federal Reserve is expected to do today
The Federal Reserve will close its two-day meeting Wednesday with a heavy air of uncertainty as the central bank moves forward in its efforts to bring down inflation and stabilize the troubled banking sector. At the moment, those two goals seem to be in conflict: Getting inflation down requires the same higher interest rates that have inflicted crisis-level effects on banks. Still, after much volatility markets seem to have coalesced around expectations that the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will approve a 0.25 percentage point, or 25 basis point, increase. But that won’t be all that policymakers will have to address. They’re also on tap to update rate and economic projections, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell then will have to explain it all at his post-meeting news conference. Here’s a quick look at everything likely to happen.
Source: CNBC
Municipal Bond Trends for March 21, 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.
The Fed is likely to hike rates by a quarter point but it must also reassure it can contain a banking crisis
The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates Wednesday by a quarter point, but it also faces the tough task of reassuring markets it can stem a worse banking crisis. Economists mostly expect the Fed will raise its fed funds target rate range to 4.75% to 5% Wednesday afternoon, though some expect the central bank could pause its hiking due to concerns about the banking system. Futures markets were pricing in a roughly 80% chance for a rate hike, as of Tuesday morning.The central bank is contemplating using its interest rate tools at the same time it is trying to soothe markets and stop further bank runs. The fear is that rising rates could put further pressure on banking institutions and crimp lending further, hurting small businesses and other borrowers.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Maize City Administrator Richard LaMunyon to Retire at End of 2023
Mayor Pat Stivers today announced that Maize City Administrator, Richard LaMunyon, has informed the City Council of his intention to retire from his duties at the end of December 2023, after 23 years of service. Richard, a long-time resident of Maize, became City Administrator in 2000 when the city employed eight people (half were part-time), had a geographic size of one square mile, and a population of about 1,800 citizens. Today, Maize is the fastest growing community in the State of Kansas. It now incorporates over ten square miles, employs fifty dedicated workers, and an estimated population of 7,100 residents. During his tenure, city operations grew to include modern facilities at City Hall and Public Works for enhanced citizen services. Growth and economic developments successes include an industrial park district, commercial outlets, sixteen active housing developments and enhancements for quality-of-life amenities.
Source: City of Maize
Riley County: Dangerous dog policy part of broader animal control update
The Riley County Commission on Monday heard a proposal for adding a dangerous dog policy to the county’s animal control regulations. Deputy county counselor Craig Cox presented commissioners with a proposed revision to the countywide animal control resolution, which has remained largely unchanged since it was adopted in 1988. Cox said the proposed addition to the policy would include regulations for keeping dogs that are classified by a court as “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous.” He told commissioners that owners of dogs labeled as such would have to meet certain requirements to keep their dog, such as maintaining a specific type of outdoor enclosure and keeping the animal restrained with a specific type of chain. Owners also would be required to place “beware of dog” signs on their homes before they could get a certificate from the county indicating their dog is registered.
Source: themercury.com
Wichita parking plan would clear the way for price hikes, more parking tickets downtown
The city’s parking plan, up for approval Tuesday, calls for replacing coin-operated parking meters with newer, more expensive technology such as the ParkMobile app, which went into use at Century II last week. The Wichita City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a plan to hike downtown parking prices and install new technology that would make it easier for the city to issue parking tickets. The Wichita Parking and Multimodal Plan would more closely align the rest of downtown with a recent change at Century II and the former downtown library, where the city removed its coin-operated parking meters, replaced them with a mobile-app payment system and increased prices by 300%. The plan does not say exactly how much rates would change downtown and where pay-to-park would be located. But it does say what the city charges now is too low and that the city should focus its efforts on the most high-traffic areas, such as Old Town. It also calls for the use of license plate readers and other technology to help issue tickets more easily. Any changes should be made with community input, the plan says. The plan aims to maximize profits for city government and downtown businesses through downtown parking pricing and enforcement.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Riley County Commission to hold quarterly meetings in smaller communities
The Riley County Board of County Commissioners are planning to host quarterly meetings this year outside of Manhattan. Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. in the smaller cities within the county. Commission Chair Kathryn Focke says it’s important to make local government accessible to everyone and says she’s hoping to send the message that “commissioners are here to serve rural residents too.” The first of four meetings will take place March 30 at Riley City Hall.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Salina residents lighting up porches for Narcan awareness
Houses in Salina are going green, and not for recycling. Porches are “lighting up” awareness about Narcan in hopes of saving lives. If you see a porch shining a green light in Salina, you have found a house joining the fight against fentanyl. A green porch light means there is Narcan inside and someone who can administer it. Recently, residents out at the Oxford House in Salina began this awareness campaign, and now the campaign is spreading to personal homes as the need increases. Preston Cressler, a volunteer at an Oxford House, says recent overdoses could’ve been prevented, and the green lights are a way to be proactive. He says when people come to the Oxford House and do drug tests, most people don’t even know they have fentanyl in their system. “There’s a lot of people that don’t know that they are using fentanyl, and then they use fentanyl and the next thing you know, they’re on life support in the hospital and their families sitting around them wondering what happened and like it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Cressler.
Source: KSN-TV
‘Only takes one pill.’ Kansas high school freshman died from fentanyl-laced painkiller
Inside the Burris home, a guitar sits in its corner of the living room. A music stand holds sheets of music, where Nicholas Burris, called “Cruz” by his loved ones, would strum along to The Beatles, Queen and Chuck Berry. Rhonda Burris will miss hearing her son’s fingers plucking, moving across the strings. The 15-year-old could pick up songs quickly and had even begun to write his own. Cruz’s parents believe he could have gone far in his musical pursuits. Some days he dreamed of being an engineer for NASA, and other times he would say he wanted to become a contractor. Either way, they said, Cruz was bound to do something great. “There’s nothing Cruz couldn’t do,” Andrew Burris said. Though he was a freshman at Lansing High School, students of all ages would greet him in the hallways — including the seniors. Cruz told his mother, Rhonda Burris, that was his favorite thing about school. “‘People know me,’” she recalled him saying.
Source: KC Star Local News
Can states keep trains from blocking crossings? High court wants feds to weigh in
The U.S. Supreme Court has invited the federal government to weigh in on whether state and local governments can regulate how long trains can block railroad crossings. The invitation means the high court might eventually give a full hearing to the appeal of a lower court ruling that invalidated Ohio’s blocked crossing law. There’s no guarantee the court will grant the appeal, but Monday’s court order keeps the door open for now. Countless people have died when emergency vehicles were delayed at rail crossings, The Kansas City Star reported in an investigation of railroad safety lapses. The high court refused to hear a similar case last year in which Oklahoma argued that lower courts were split over which federal agency has authority over blocked crossings and asked the justices for clarification. Over the past 20 years, lower courts have repeatedly ruled that state and local restrictions on train movements are preempted by the federal laws that govern the railroad industry. Some of those restrictions were passed recently in response to growing concerns that trains were blocking crossings more often and for longer periods. Other states, like Kansas, adopted their laws more than a century ago. While the courts have ruled that only the federal government can regulate train movements, the states note that Congress has failed to pass any laws limiting how long trains can block a crossing.
Source: KC Star Local News
Munis steady ahead of FOMC meeting
Municipals were steady Monday ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, while U.S. Treasury yields rose as investors considered the stability of the banking sector. Equities ended up. Triple-A benchmarks were little changed, no more than a basis point or two, while U.S. Treasury yields rose five to 12 basis points. … The banking sector crisis, which erupted with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and resurfaced with the struggles of Credit Suisse, sent USTs on a flight-to-quality bid last week. “The two-year plummeted by well over 100 basis points [since March 8], after the short benchmark attained a multiyear high of 5.08% during [Federal Reserve Board] Chair [Jerome] Powell’s semi-annual testimony,” said Jeff Lipton, managing director of credit research at Oppenheimer Inc. Munis joined “the flight-to-quality bandwagon with 10- and 30-year AAA benchmark yields dropping by 23 and 16 basis points respectively,” he said. “Price advances have been more pronounced on the short-end of the muni curve as yields on the one- and two-year tenors declined by 40 and 39 basis points respectively,” he noted.
Source: The Bond Buyer