info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas Legislature packages new flat tax rate with quicker end to food tax

info2023-04-10T12:16:54-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Kansas lawmakers passed a tax cut package in the early Friday morning hours that fuses a flat tax rate for individual income with an accelerated reduction in the state sales tax on food, corporate tax breaks and residential property tax relief. The policies assembled into Senate Bill 169 add up to $1.3 billion in decreased state tax collections over the next three years, with more than half of the cost associated with the flat tax. The bill eliminates the sales tax on food at the start of next year. “To me, it’s always a priority to get it back to taxpayers [...]

Progress continues on Justice Center in Great Bend

info2023-04-10T12:17:42-05:00April 10th, 2023|

The City of Great Bend’s new Justice Center slated for completion in August and the long-standing Expo I and II buildings that were just transferred to city ownership by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce are on the forefront for city officials. As for the Justice Center at 12th and Baker, it is starting to take shape, both inside and out, Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. The brickwork around the entrance area is underway and window installation will start Monday. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Property taxes climb 3.6% across U.S. to $339.8 billion

info2023-04-10T09:55:38-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Property taxes levied on single-family homes in the United States increased 3.6% to $339.8 billion in 2022, according to a new report from a real estate data firm. That's up from $328 billion in 2021. The 2022 increase was more than double the 1.6% growth in 2021, but smaller than the 5.4% increase in 2020, according to the report from ATTOM, a property data provider. The report also shows that the average tax on single-family homes in the U.S. increased 3% in 2022, to $3,901, after rising 1.8% in 2021. The latest average tax resulted in an effective tax rate nationwide [...]

With the Ogallala Aquifer drying up, Kansas considers limits to crop irrigation

info2023-04-10T09:53:47-05:00April 10th, 2023|

The Ogallala Aquifer has a visibility problem. It’s easy to see when drought, farm irrigation and city taps drain the great reservoirs of the Southwest. Bathtub rings paint the red rock walls surrounding Lake Powell as it shrinks, sounding alarm bells loud and clear. What about a body of water that’s locked away in a subterranean labyrinth of gravel and rock reaching more than 300 feet underground? The Ogallala may hold as much water as Lake Huron, but we can’t see it. And, problematically, that means we can’t see it disappear. Source: Wichita Eagle

Leawood proposes using federal funds to build pickleball courts

info2023-04-10T09:52:33-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Leawood is considering whether to use federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for more pickleball courts for public use. The Leawood City Council in a Monday work session reviewed multiple city projects — including installation of new pickleball courts — for which the city wants to pay with funds earmarked for its use from the American Rescue Plan Act. Source: Prairie Village Post

Prairie Village is 2nd JoCo city to adopt antisemitism measure

info2023-04-10T09:51:31-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Prairie Village is now the second Johnson County city to adopt a resolution formally defining antisemitism in response to an ongoing uptick in reported instances of antisemitic hate both nationally and around the Kansas City region. Leawood is the only other Johnson County city currently with such a resolution on the books, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a means for guiding public response to any potential acts of hate. Source: Prairie Village Post

Meet Doug Gerber, Shawnee’s new city manager

info2023-04-10T09:50:17-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Doug Gerber, a long-time municipal government administrator with Kansas roots, is Shawnee’s new city manager. Gerber, whose hiring was approved in February by an unanimous city council vote, was formally sworn in last week. His path to becoming a city manager wasn’t always a clear one. As a junior at Kansas State University, he was a chemistry major. Each day, he went to labs, and Gerber found he actually hated it. On a whim, he decided to take an introduction to public administration course, discovering a new path. Source: Prairie Village Post

Prairie Village adds money to property tax rebate program

info2023-04-10T09:48:30-05:00April 10th, 2023|

A few more Prairie Village residents could get some relief on their city property taxes. The Prairie Village City Council last week approved adding $5,000 more to its property tax rebate program fund, bringing the 2023 funding total to just over $30,000. The program, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to ease the burden on the most cash-strapped property owners, reimburses eligible residents for 100% of the Prairie Village portion of their annual property tax bill. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Gant retires after 39 years of service to Seward County Sheriff’s office

info2023-04-06T10:53:24-05:00April 6th, 2023|

The Seward County Sheriff’s office said goodbye to one of its own Friday afternoon. Capt. Rob Gant began working with the sheriff’s office in 1984, and Friday, county staff, local law enforcement, family and friends gathered in the commission chambers in the Administration Building for a reception for the long-time officer. Before Gant was given a few presents for his retirement, Sheriff Gene Ward recalled he and Gant’s early days in law enforcement. Source: Liberal First

City of Gas residents register few complaints

info2023-04-06T10:52:15-05:00April 6th, 2023|

A community conversational at Gas offered a look at the benefits of living in the small community, with few complaints. It's a neighborly community, residents said. There’s much to appreciate about living in Gas, a handful of residents agreed Tuesday evening. And in a refreshing look at its citizenry, few had much to complain about, either. Perhaps some residents can be a bit more diligent in keeping junk and trash out of their yard, but for the most part, residents here are polite, friendly, and clean, locals Larry and Shirley Robertson agreed. Source: Iola Register

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