The Topeka City Council unanimously passed a resolution to urge all local tax entities to keep property tax rates as low as possible for homeowners and renters. The resolution was brought by District 8 City Councilman Spencer Duncan last month after the council chose to ignore a tax petition brought by Earl McIntosh. McIntosh is now suing the city over that decision. The Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority (TMTA) is one of several entities that influence property taxes in Shawnee County. Rod Miller, a TMTA board member, presented at the council meeting to explain why their operating costs are forcing them to raise their tax rates above the minimum. “Fuel costs are higher also this year along with health insurance,” Miller said. “I can give you almost any number of reasons why we’re going to be over that, just because inflation is inflation.” It remains to be seen which of the other entities, if any, will also raise rates above the state-defined revenue-neutral rate. Other entities include: State of Kansas, City of Topeka, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, Washburn University, Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, Public Schools. As for the tax petition, the city has until Sep. 3 to respond to McIntosh’s lawsuit.
Source: KSNT 27 News

A proposed electric transmission corridor that could run through Kansas is prompting questions from Kansans. The Pawnee County community met at the Larned Community Center Thursday evening to ask those questions, share their stories, and share their concerns. “I’m really concerned because this is our house. This is our home,” said one resident who spoke during the meeting. “How long have you known about this going to happen? When did we find out? A lot of us did this week. We didn’t even understand or know anything about this. It hit us in the face. This has been in process. Why didn’t we get to be part of that process? Even if it was thought of in the future, our land is our future. So why weren’t we considered in the future?” Part of the project centers on the Grain Belt Express, a high-capacity transmission line set to go through parts of Kansas. Parts of that project are already approved. Pawnee County Attorney Douglass McNett says it is a private venture, and the company worked with landowners to purchase easements for the project. He says the new concern is a federal energy corridor on either side of the transmission line that could use eminent domain. “I think where the confusion has arisen between the Grain Belt and the Department of Energy’s proposed energy corridor is it looks like the Department of Energy simply used the schematics or the drawing that Grain Belt has established privately as their basis and just said ok we’ll go 2.5 miles either side of that grain belt transmission line,” said McNett. He says Pawnee County does not have concerns with the transmission line itself. The U.S. Department of Energy has released a preliminary list on its website of 10 potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) it says to “accelerate the development of transmission projects in areas that present an urgent need for expanded transmission.” The Midwest-Plains corridor would run through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. It would be approximately five miles wide and 780 miles long. “The Federal Power Act authorizes the Secretary of Energy to designate any geographic area as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) if the Secretary finds that consumers are harmed by a lack of transmission in the area and that the development of new transmission would advance important national interests in that area, such as increased reliability and reduced consumer costs,” reads the U.S. Department of Energy’s website. The government website lists other potential NIETC geographic areas it is considering: The U.S. Department of Energy lists the below reasons for moving forward with the project: Maintain and improve reliability and resilience. Potential electricity shortfalls leave the region vulnerable during extreme weather. Electricity demand growth, generator retirements, and increased intermittent generation contribute to reliability risks in the region. Alleviate congestion and reduce consumer costs. Congestion between the Midwest and Plains regions prevents cost-effective generation from being delivered to where it is needed, when it is needed. Meet future generation and demand growth. There is a significant need for additional transfer capacity between the Midwest and Plains regions to meet various power sector scenarios. Analysis finds a 175% increase is needed by 2035 under moderate load and high clean energy growth scenarios (median need relative to the 2020 system), in line with current market and policy conditions. Increase clean energy integration. Increased access to more diverse, clean energy generation resources is necessary to lower power sector greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: KSNT 27 News

The City of Topeka has released the findings from public sessions as part of the hiring process for a new police chief. From July 22 to Aug. 3, the City of Topeka collected 260 responses to the community survey. Three public sessions were also hosted where citizens could share their thoughts. “The community emphasized the need for a police chief who values communication, transparency, and community engagement, with a focus on reducing crime, improving public safety, and addressing mental health and homelessness,” City Manager Dr. Robert Perez said. “We will use this feedback from community members to make sure we find the best candidate for this community.”
Source: KSNT 27 News