Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund

 

The Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund may be one of your options when it comes to financing water utility improvements.  Also, take a look below at the Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority which can provide assistance with loan applications for both KDHE and USDA Rural Development, issuance of other debt for interim and long-term financing and more.

About the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund:

  • Loans are made at below-market interest rates; the rate is 60% of the 20-Bond Buyer Index as of July 2011. Prior to that date, the rate was set at 80% of the 20-Bond Buyer Index.

  • Small cities and rural water districts receive an ongoing financial review, advice, and technical support.

  • The projects need to comply with Davis-Bacon and American-made Iron & Steel.

To learn more about the Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority, check the links below for the historical interest rate chart.

As of December 31, 2024, small systems have received 341 of the 470 loans (73%) for a total of $519,179,253 of the total $1,475,170,171.70 (35%) in committed in loan funds. Systems serving a population of 5,000 or fewer are classified as small systems under the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund.  The rate for January is 2.43% for 20 year (CW & DW), 2.84% for 30 year (CW & DW) and 3.24% for 40 year (DW Only).

The Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority (KRWFA) is a Kansas corporation created through an inter-governmental agreement in 1987, pursuant to Kansas Statutes Annotated 12-2901. The Kansas Rural Water Association endorsed the creation of the Authority. This action was promoted by the Discount Purchase Program, an activity that the Reagan Administration initiated to reduce federal debt. The Discount Purchase Program resulted in the sale of a major portion of the old Farmers Home Administration loans for rural water districts. KRWA led an effort that gained systems the right to purchase their loans at the same discount that was being promoted to Wall Street investors. KRWFA assisted hundreds of rural water districts in analyzing the potential purchase of their loans from FmHA at that time; KRWFA negotiated funding for 16 systems in 1988 and 1989 under the Discount Purchase Program.

In 1997, the State of Kansas, through the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, entered into a contract with KRWFA to provide financial advisory services to the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund. KRWFA conducts a financial review of all applicants to the State Loan Fund and makes recommendations as to the adequacy of the water rates, etc. The rural water districts and those small towns that required reporting assistance to participate in the Loan Fund, the KRWFA, entered into an agreement with those borrowers to provide financial oversight to those borrowers during the life of their loan. The result is that small and rural water systems are well served as this oversight provides assurance on debt repayment. Systems, in turn, receive the same interest rate as the large, rated municipalities that participate in the State Revolving Loan Fund.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment canceled its contract with the Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority effective July 1, 2017. KDHE has decided to have its own staff provide assistance to potential borrowers by phone.  Non-rated borrowers (RWDs) and small towns that need "reporting assistance" will be required to submit their quarterly financial reports to the KDHE.  RWDs and small towns that have existing FIAC reporting requirements as of June 30, 2017 will continue to submit those reports to the Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority.  No onsite technical assistance will be available to applicants by the Kansas Rural Water Finance Authority as has been provided by the Public Water Supply Loan Fund since its inception in 1997.  

The purpose of the KRWFA is:

To assist in financing local governmental activities, including adequate water supply, service, and treatment or sewage treatment and disposal;
To allow cooperation between the Members of the Authority for the efficient use of all power of Public Agencies, and;
To engage in any lawful act or activity for which the Authority, Rural Water Districts or other Public Agencies may be organized under the Act or other laws of the State of Kansas.

The Authority strives to achieve the following:

1. Provide alternative and recommendations to Members for the “most competitive” sources of financing;
2. Provide a means to “pool” financing needs;
3. To structure quality financing that serve the best interest of the borrower and that result in the best available market interest rates;
4. To obtain economy of scale advantages in financing costs;
5. To gain efficiency and consistency in executing financings, and;
6. To serve the financing needs of Kansas rural water districts and municipalities.

A. Rural Water Districts
B. Public Wholesale Water Supply Districts
C. Cities
D. Counties
E. Other Municipal Governmental Entities

A. Construction and/or equipment
B. Interim financing
C. Loan and bond refinancing
D. Lease/Purchase financing or refinancing

A five-member Board of Representatives, elected by the membership, governs the Authority. Email them at the addresses below:

Jerry Bennett President (Rural Water District No. 2, Miami County) jbennett @ruralwater2mico.com
Darrell Schlabach Vice-President (Rural Water District No. 1, Washington County) deschlab@yahoo.com
Elmer Ronnebaum Secretary/Treasurer (Kansas Rural Water Association) krwa@krwa.net
Allan Soetaert Director (Rural Water District No. 7, Johnson County) asoetaert@rwd7.com
 


Ranson Financial Consultants, Wichita, serves as Financial Advisor to the Authority.
jhaas@ransonfinancial.com