Kansas Municipal News
New Clerk Coming to City of Uniontown
Shawn Vincent will start as the new City of Uniontown Clerk on April 29. Vincent, 50, lives near Uniontown and operates a small cow/calf farm. He graduated from high school in Manhattan, KS, and is currently working on a bachelor’s degree…. Sally Johnson, who has been the clerk for 11 years will be training Vincent full-time until the week of May 20, then will continue training part-time “and do other things that have been put on the back burner until the end of the year,” she said.
Source: Fort Scott Biz
Supreme Court debates whether cities can make sleeping outside a crime
Several Supreme Court justices on Monday questioned the wisdom of an Oregon city’s ordinance that penalizes homeless people for sleeping in public, but the court’s conservative majority seemed wary of having federal courts intervene…. “The city’s hands will be tied [if the lower decision stands]. It will be forced to surrender its public places as it has been,” Theane Eangelis, an attorney for Grants Pass, told Chief Justice John Roberts during a two-and-a-half hour argument. “The Ninth Circuit has effectively imposed a municipal code … to regulate what the city can do in its public spaces.”
Source: Route Fifty – All Content
Hesston Dog Park moving closer to center of city
After receiving requests from residents, Hesston is moving its dog park . The dog park is currently located at 505 W Lincoln Blvd. It is moving to the city center by Hickory Park located at 400 E Hickory St. which has a playground. “Families will now be able to exercise their dogs while their children use the adjacent playground, creating a whole family experience,” said city administrator, Gary Emry, in an email.
Source: Harvey County Now
Bel Aire low-income housing complex aims to address senior housing shortage
An affordable senior living complex opened on Friday in Bel Aire, but before doors opened, it was already full with a large waitlist. Homestead Affordable Housing has launched 14 projects like this one across the state in an effort to meet the needs of low-income seniors looking for a place to live. The one in Bel Aire has 36 units, which are already full. The non-profit now has 170 people on the waitlist, searching for an alternative. “We’re doing everything we can to make the units more affordable rent,” said Homestead Affordable Housing President Tom Bishop. Bishop said their 14 properties in Kansas provide the opportunity for low-income seniors to live comfortably. “The lowest targeted rent is 30% of area median income. For one bedroom, I think that’s $305 a month,” said Bishop. George and Regina Wilson were the first ones to move into the property. They said their former homeowner raised the rent, and they could no longer afford the monthly payment. They said they are now thankful to have their new community in Bel Aire. “It really took the stress away. When they put that key in our hand, it was really a blessing,” said Regina Wilson.
Source: KSN-TV
Small Kansas breweries call new law a ‘big win’ for sales
Green Frog Brewing has been open for about a month in the small town of Douglass. On Friday, they already had customers at four in the afternoon. “We do some traditional styles and we do brown ales and red ales. Peanut butter porter. Honey beer,” said Jay Sanderson, head brewer at Green Frog. “Open for four weeks, it has gone really, really well. Business has gone way better than we thought it would have. We sold out of four beers already so I am brewing faster than, the sales are going up faster than I can stay up. Which is a great problem to have.” Sanderson said they have invested in more equipment to make more beer. And they may need it now that they can sell beer outside their own doors without having to use a distributor in the wake of Kansas House Bill 2421 being signed into law. The bill allows microbreweries to distribute their own beers and hard ciders to clubs and restaurants as well as at public venues. “And people are like, wow, where’s the beer from? It’s from this place in Douglass,” said Sanderson. “Now, with the new law going in on July 1st, we can take our beer to take it out to bars, restaurants, places where it will generate more foot traffic in here for us.” Sean Willcott brews beer and offers it for sale in northern Kansas with Willcott Brewing & Taproom of Holton. “It was very challenging to get our product to market. There’s a reason Kansas ranks 49th in the country for beer production,” said Willcott on Friday. “This is Kansas Craft Beer Week, so this is a perfect time for such a huge industry win.”
Source: KSN-TV
This Southeast Kansas museum showcases mining industry in new exhibit
A new exhibit at a Southeast Kansas museum is showcasing the history of the mining industry. The Miners Hall Museum is hosting the Southeast Kansas Coal Camp – West Mineral exhibit. A presentation of the history was hosted by David R. Wallace. The exhibit contains photos, maps, coins, and high school uniforms – giving people an in-depth look at the impact that miners had. “I’m genuinely interested in what has happened here and how this all developed, what happened with the mining, why people come here, where they came from, what they did, when they came here, and how they lived and how they related to each other. It’s an amazing story and it’s our story,” said David R. Wallace, Presenter. The “Coal Camp – West Mineral” exhibit will be on display until June 23.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Emporia takes proactive measures as EPA announces landmark ‘forever chemicals’ regulations
For the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a national regulation targeting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Often termed “forever chemicals,” PFAS have permeated air, water, and soil, posing enduring environmental and health risks. “Drinking water contaminated with PFAS has plagued communities across this country for too long,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, according to a CBS News report. The regulations will have sweeping effects across the country, including municipalities like Emporia. City of Emporia Communications Manager Christine Torrens told The Gazette this week that the city is working proactively to address concerns regarding PFAS chemicals in drinking water. “The City of Emporia has sent water samples to KDHE to determine the current levels of PFAS chemicals present,” she said. “While the results are pending, city staff is in communication with KDHE to promptly receive the findings. It’s worth noting that the water provided to residents not only meets but surpasses KDHE standards, earning awards for its quality over multiple years.” According to CBS News, the new EPA regulations mandates testing for six specific PFAS chemicals in public water systems, aiming to shield over 100 million Americans from potential health hazards associated with PFAS exposure.
Source: Emporia Gazette
Municipal Bond Trends for April 19, 2024
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, or Henry Schmidt.
Pittsburg proposes neighborhood names and boundary definitions
The city of Pittsburg is considering a significant overhaul to its neighborhood designations, aiming to name each area and establish clear boundary lines. The initiative, spearheaded by the Neighborhood Advisory Council, seeks to enhance community pride and foster a sense of shared ownership among residents. The council recently launched an online survey to gather feedback on the proposed changes. According to community development specialist Sarah Runyon, the primary objective is to create a stronger sense of identity within each neighborhood. “Maybe there is a way that you identify your neighborhood that we don’t know about,” she stated. “This gives us an opportunity to do that.”
Source: KOAM News
Commerce Updates ROZ Student Loan Repayment Program
Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced significant changes to the Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ) program that could increase participation in student loan repayments for people moving to rural Kansas counties. Individuals who earn an associate degree or higher and move to a designated ROZ county they haven’t lived in for the preceding two years are eligible to have up to $15,000 in student loan debt repaid. Previously, individuals had to live elsewhere for the preceding five years to be eligible. Commerce also clarified the language describing a student’s permanent residence. Rural residents who occupied a dorm room or apartment during college and kept their permanent address on their driver’s license as their parents’ residence, for example, no longer would be denied eligibility in the program when they returned to their home community following graduation.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Tiny home village in Kansas City, Kansas, will house those experiencing homelessness
Phil Jorgenson does not like to call it a homeless community. “Because as soon as they move here, they’re not homeless anymore,” said Jorgenson, one of the founders of Eden Village in Kansas City, Kansas. “They’re a community member, and they’re going to be good neighbors.” Built on the site of an old trailer park, near 10th Street and Metropolitan Avenue, Eden Village is slated to provide shelter as well as access to social services for Kansas City area residents in the most dire living situations. It is governed by a 13-member board of directors for a nonprofit organization called Three Dog Night, named after the classic rock band and an Australian saying about being outdoors in the bitter cold.
Source: KC Star Local News
Supreme Court to decide if ban on homeless encampments is ‘cruel and unusual’
Helen Cruz, an unhoused Grants Pass native, knows the indignity first hand. Over five years living in city parks before a nearby church took her in, she says she received more than $5,000 in camping related fines. “I was holding down two jobs when I was out here, and it’s still not enough to be able to rent a place,” she said. “The terms of low income housing here is $1,000 a month, and that’s not workable either.” Still, from Phoenix, to Los Angeles, to Seattle, city leaders and law enforcement groups — members of both political parties — have joined Grants Pass in urging the justices to make it easier to clear tent encampments from the streets. “Cities need to have these ordinances so that they can help incentivize people to accept offers of help,” Evangelis said. “That’s what these laws do.” In its brief to the high court, Grants Pass says lower courts created “a judicial roadblock preventing a comprehensive response to the growth of public encampments in the West” and that the situation threatens “crime, fires, the reemergence of medieval disease, environmental harm, and record levels of drug overdoses and deaths on public streets.”
Source: KAKE – News
Treasury yields fall as investors weigh economic data and Israel strike against Iran
U.S. Treasury yields declined on Friday as investors considered the latest economic data and remarks from Federal Reserve officials, and considered what this could mean for monetary policy. At 4:20 a.m. ET, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was down by over five basis points to 4.5878%. The 2-year Treasury yield was last at 4.9622% after falling by more than two basis points. Yields and prices move in opposite directions. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%. Investors digested the latest economic data and remarks from policymakers as they considered the outlook for interest rates. Fed officials have in recent days and weeks indicated that interest rates may remain elevated for longer than previously anticipated. “I definitely don’t feel urgency to cut interest rates,” New York Fed President John Williams said on Thursday, adding that this position was linked to strength in the economy. Interest rates would eventually need to be cut, but that would depend on how the economy develops, he said at Semafor’s World Economy Summit.
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Quaker Park to remain as is; Emporia City Commission planning to rescind previous resolution deeming park as surplus real property and cease plans for sale or transfer of property
The next step in the Quaker Park saga was supposed to be the validation of signatures on a petition in opposition to the park’s sale or transfer, however, that will no longer be necessary. The reason is that Emporia Commissioners chose Tuesday to have city staff draft a resolution rescinding the commission’s previous action designating the park as surplus real property and initiating the sale and transfer process. Part of the reason for this decision, recommended by Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking, was the number of signatures the petition gathered, more than 800. 462 signatures from registered Emporia voters were needed to make the petition valid and thus force city leadership to either end the sale process outright or place the item on a future election ballot. The protest deadline was 5 pm Monday and the validation process was expected to take two to three days to complete, however, Cocking says there was no need for further action noting the community has made its desire clear.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Thrive Allen County unveils Naloxone vending box at ribbon cutting ceremony
Thrive Allen County conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 17th, at 9 a.m. to unveil the new Naloxone (Narcan) vending box installed outside their Iola, Kansas office. The Naloxone vending box, also known as Narcan, houses a medication designed to swiftly reverse opioid overdoses. “By placing items in a FREE and easy to access newspaper-style machine (box), SEK Recovery Resources and Thrive Allen County hopes to break down barriers for immediate first response to an opioid overdose and save lives in Allen County.” – Thrive Allen County. SEK Recovery Resources and Thrive Allen County collaborated to provide this life-saving medication. Data from the CDC shows there were 655 opioid overdose deaths predicted in November of 2023.
Source: KOAM News
More than $90K in damage at Windom Cemetery vandalism
Starla Andreas is heartbroken knowing that vandals defaced her mother-in-law’s grave, along with 46 others. “I think the community is just crying. Why? Why would this senseless act take place? Why would you do this to people that you don’t even know the families,” Andreas asked. Andreas has lived in the rural town of Windom for several years and said that members of the community plan to help clean up the mess left at the cemetery. “I will be out there because not only was my mother’s headstone, but we have friends here in this community and their family members,” Andreas said. “And we don’t want them to suffer no more than we are. But we all are.” McPherson County Sheriff Jerry Montagne said that more than $90,000 in damage has been done here at the cemetery. “Think of your mother, your father, or grandparents, somebody that you love to, you know, that’s the last resting place, you know, the thought of it just puts chills down my spine,” Montagne said. The McPherson County Sheriff’s office continues to investigate and still isn’t sure who may have done it.
Source: KAKE – News
Bill Warren, Century II activists celebrate completion of new $5 million roof
Century II has long been the most recognizable landmark in the Wichita skyline. City leaders have spent years debating whether to tear it down, but Thursday was a big win for people who are fighting to keep it standing. “We’re celebrating the new roof on Century II. It’s gorgeous. It’s bright, it’s blue, and we’re thrilled,” said Celeste Racette with Save Century II. Watching this timelapse from our drone, it’s obvious the $5 million project was no easy task. You can see six months of work and more than 23,000 working hours from start to finish in just a matter of seconds as the crew of about 40 workers buttoned up the last panel. “The importance of getting the roof done, it shows that the city is going to take care of this wonderful, iconic building,” said Racette. One of the people who was at the celebration knows a thing or two about theaters, and he hopes the new roof is only the beginning. “I’ve done hundreds of millions of dollars in new theaters and so forth. But this, by far, is the most iconic building in the city of Wichita. And to tear it down for financial reasons, this incredible building that was built in the 60s, would be a sin,” said movie theater mogul Bill Warren. Warren has made it his personal mission to help save Century II for free.
Source: KAKE – News
Digging deep into the history of Olathe, this documentary filmmaker discovered gems
Gregory Sheffer thought he knew Olathe history. After all, he grew up in the Olathe school system and earned a history degree from MidAmerica Narazene University in Olathe. There was, Sheffer discovered, more to know about Olathe’s history. And through a documentary film project, he’s learned a lot more — and so have the people of Olathe. The project — known as “Olathe – The City Beautiful” — is marking two milestones. The entire series of 20 completed documentaries now has its own You Tube channel, and the last of the documentaries — about Gary Burrell, the Olathe citizen who co-founded Garmin — is expected to be completed this summer. The documentary project has an unusual background. A visit Sheffer, a filmmaker and director, made in the early 2000s to the Lone Elm campground provided the initial spark.
Source: Joco 913 News
Pittsburg Community Schools is looking to help ensure bus safety
Pittsburg Community Schools is contributing to bus safety efforts in Kansas by participating in the Kansas One Day Stop Arm Violation Count for the Kansas State Department of Education. The district emphasizes the importance of safety, especially for students in the “danger zone” outside the bus. Kansas law (KSA 8-1556) requires all motorists to stop when approaching or overtaking a stopped school bus displaying its flashing red lights and stop arm. Motorists are to remain stopped until the bus is no longer displaying its flashing red lights and stop arm. Officials say violation of this Kansas law not only endangers children but is punishable by a fine and court costs in excess of $420. In 2023, Kansas reported 676 Stop Arm Violations. This survey, conducted in coordination with the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), aims to assess the prevalence of illegal passing of school buses nationwide.
Source: KOAM News
Kansas town council member resigns, keeps bigger role
A man elected to three roles in Graham County has to give up one of them. Jarrod Knoll has been serving as a Graham County commissioner, a Morland City Council member, and a Graham County USD 281 School Board member. Last November, Graham County Attorney Jill Elliott began trying to oust Knoll as a county commissioner. She said state statute does not allow anyone who holds a city office to be a county commissioner. She also said Knoll has not been living in the county commission district he was elected to represent. She says that is a violation of another state statute. Knoll was temporarily suspended from serving as a county commissioner as the case worked through the court system. On Wednesday, Elliott said that her office and Knoll have “successfully resolved the ouster case.” She said Knoll has agreed to resign from the Morland City Council immediately and will begin living in the correct distinct. She also said he can resume his duties as a county commissioner. However, Knoll is also facing charges of unlawful distribution of cannabinoids and bribery. Elliott says that if Knoll is convicted or accepts a diversion to the criminal charges, he will resign his commission seat immediately.
Source: KSN-TV