Companies trying to convince workers to move to Wichita have some new ammunition. Forbes Advisor ranks Wichita as the 12th best place for young professionals to live. The researchers behind the Forbes Advisor report compared the 100 most-populous metropolitan areas, 99 of which had available data. They weighed things like pay, job opportunities, housing prices, cost of living, and lifestyle.
Source: KSN-TV
Earlier this week, Governor Laura Kelly announced she would be pushing for Medicaid expansion after a study released in July 2023 by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) found 58% of rural hospitals were at risk of closure. “Already, too many rural hospitals have shut their doors,” Governor Laura Kelly said in response to the report. “When that happens, the communities have been devastated. These Kansans have to drive hours now to receive their basic care. There is an obvious way to stop the bleeding: Expand Medicaid.”
Source: KSN-TV
Lawrence Municipal Court next week will roll out a pilot night court program, which will add an early evening docket once a month to create more flexibility for defendants. The move is part of a push to reduce failures to appear in court. If defendants miss court, judges can issue arrest warrants, and getting booked into jail can cause serious repercussions for those who have citations or offenses that would not otherwise have involved jail time. Night court will be staffed with Municipal Court Judge Chris Kopecky, a prosecutor, a courtroom clerk, a customer service clerk, a court security officer and a supervisor, according to a Wednesday news release from the city.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Property taxes vary significantly across the U.S. with northeastern states imposing effective property tax rates ten times higher than in southern states. That comes from a Washington D.C. group that noted some states are exploring property tax caps. The Committee to Unleash Prosperity, which advocates for free trade and limited government spending, found that the average single-family-home property tax in New Jersey hit $9,500 in 2022. That compares with the average of $928 in West Virginia and $1,022 in Alabama, according to a report from the group.
Source: The Miami County Republic
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners discussed the city government’s five-year strategic plan progress. Local officials said there is an “intolerance” toward property tax increases, and that won’t go away any time soon. “With these assessments going up like they did, I thought we did a good job cutting a million dollars of revenue out of property tax,” commissioner Wynn Butler said. “But the folks out there don’t appreciate that because their taxes are still going up even though we lowered the mill levy. They’re still sending us notes saying, ‘You guys gotta do something about fighting this,’ but I also agree that they don’t want to see any services cut.” One way to combat higher property tax rates is bringing in more property revenue from business property, Mayor Mark Hatesohl said. “The solution for lower tax rates is more property being taxed instead of less property being taxed more,” Hatesohl said. “That’s why we’ve got to get a big business, more people and more sales tax.”
Source: themercury.com
Because of its efforts in recognizing, remembering and honoring the service and sacrifices of former prisoners of war, missing in action, and their families, the City of Wakefield has been officially proclaimed a POW-MIA City by the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum project, located in the Historic District of Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis. The official unveiling of the Wakefield’s POW-MIA City proclamation and POW-MIA City sign will take place on Aug. 26 as part of the town’s annual birthday bash.
Source: www.ccenterdispatch.com
A national law enforcement organization has honored Franklin County Sheriff Jeffrey Richards for dedication not only to his profession, but to the community he has sworn to serve and protect. Richards was recognized as the recipient of the 2023 Sheriff of the Year Award by the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association. The organization honored Richards for his dedication to his community and significant contributions to the improvement of small, rural ad tribal law enforcement across the nation. He was presented with the award during the group’s annual conference Aug. 1. With more than 30 years of service in law enforcement, Richards has exemplified commitment to public safety and community welfare, officials said. Richards’ law-enforcement journey began as a reserve/ part-time deputy with the Neosho County Sheriff’s Office. He followed that up by serving as a law-enforcement supervisor in the United States Air Force. He later joined the Overland Park Police Department. Since April 2013, Richards has served as the Franklin County Sheriff, bringing his experience and passion to the role.
Source: Ottawa Herald
The November 2021 General Election results saw 1,067 Great Bend citizens vote in favor of a .15% quality of life sales tax increase. The sales tax question passed with nearly 55% of the vote, and now City of Great Bend officials are going through a master plan of ideas to enhance the community. Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns said there are big dreams of what can be created with the sales tax in the future if enough money is set aside including community centers, indoor walking track and an indoor pool.
Source: Great Bend Post
Homeschooling remains a popular choice for millions of American parents each year, however, for some, the choice to oversee a child’s education at home is not feasible. One Victoria woman believes she has a solution that gives students the flexibility needed to achieve their goals, provides support and instruction to students looking for the benefits of homeschooling, and takes the educational burden off of parents. Wildfire Education is essentially a homeschooling service, where kids can come and do their online schoolwork instead of going to school, said owner Jacy Klaus.
Source: Hays Post
The City of Wichita recommended changes to the city’s entertainment establishment, cereal malt beverage (CMB), drinking establishment, and private club and tobacco licensing ordinances on Tuesday. The discussion comes a month after 11 people were injured in a mass shooting at City Nightz nightclub in Old Town. The recommendations to the Wichita City Council focused on the inconsistent processes to suspend or revoke such licenses. The city said current policies are inconsistent on grounds for a suspension, who can issue the suspension and for how long. For example, not all ordinances allow for an immediate suspension of an establishment if there’s a credible threat of violence. The new ordinance would require all bars and clubs in the city to have a safety plan. Currently, the requirement only applies to bars in Old Town.
Source: KWCH
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