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It’s the largest economic development project in Kansas history. All the numbers associated with the new Panasonic battery plant at DeSoto — scheduled to open early next year — are gigantic: Up to $4 billion in investment. As many as 4,000 new jobs. More than $800 million in tax credits from the state. Panasonic is expected to have a transformative effect on the region and the state. Anything less, in fact, would be a major disappointment. There’s just one problem: President-elect Donald Trump appears on track to undermine Panasonic’s work before it has even begun. Trump — as has been widely [...]

if somebody’s proposing to build something in your neighborhood, you’d probably like to know about it. And if it’s something that will alter the character of your neighborhood or affect your property value, you’d probably want to have a voice in the city’s zoning approval process, right? Those questions are being grappled with at Wichita City Hall and the City Council was briefed on various options this week, but it really comes down to two key questions: ▪ Who should receive a letter from the city notifying them when projects are proposed near their home? ▪ Whose input should trigger discussion [...]

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday called for no new tax cuts in 2025, setting the Democrat on a collision path with Republicans who have vowed to take action on property taxes after voters bolstered the party’s supermajority in the Legislature. The conflict’s outcome will influence how much Kansas homeowners pay in future property taxes, one of the most hated forms of taxation that helps pay for city and county government and public education. Some Republican lawmakers want to cut the statewide mill levy, which helps fund schools, while others favor a constitutional amendment that would limit annual property valuation increases. [...]