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Reason for sales tax vote explained in Ark City

2018-06-08T07:28:00-05:00June 8th, 2018|

Voters in Arkansas City will receive mailed ballots in early August asking whether they want to jettison two sales tax initiatives for South Central Medical Center in favor of one. Instead of paying 1.5 percent on purchases in town to keep the hospital afloat, as they are now, residents and others would be paying just 1 percent, if the tax is approved. The deadline to return the ballots will by Sept. 6. As city officials explained it, the key difference is that the new, 1-percent tax would not have an ending date, as the others do. That would help reassure those [...]

Bids approved for sidewalk, bike trail construction in El Dorado

2018-06-08T07:26:48-05:00June 8th, 2018|

The 5-foot wide Sixth Avenue sidewalk will stretch from Orchard to Star Streets along the south side Sixth Street. The bid awarded to SPS was $97,912.50. Pearson Construction also submitted a bid of $226,955. The engineer’s estimate of the project was $149,655. The sidewalk is being paid for with excess sales tax dollars. The 8-foot wide bike trail from North Main Street to Country Club Drive on McCollum Road will cost a total of $66,365 to complete through SPS. The engineer’s estimate was $106,225. Pearson Construction bid the job for $115,225. USD 490 and the City of El Dorado are co [...]

People of color may be the majority in Kansas by 2066. Here’s what that means

2018-06-08T07:25:37-05:00June 8th, 2018|

If current trends continue, the majority of Kansans will be black or Latino by 2066. Experts call this a source of opportunity for the state, but also say Kansas will face increasing challenges unless racial and ethnic disparities are addressed in education, health and other areas. “Change is gonna happen no matter what,” said Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “This change is coming, so either we view it as an opportunity or we don’t, and I think we need to view it as an opportunity.” From 2000-2016, all the population growth in Kansas was among racial [...]

Regulators moving forward with application for injection wells in Douglas County

2018-06-08T07:22:19-05:00June 8th, 2018|

Kansas regulators on Thursday reiterated their plan to hold a hearing later this month on a request by Midstates Energy to inject saltwater waste into two injection wells in eastern Douglas County. In addition, though, the Kansas Corporation Commission denied a request to offer public comment at that hearing from a Mission Hills woman who has argued that the permitting process being used does not comply with federal rules under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The KCC regulates oil and gas production in Kansas in addition to regulating public utilities. Midstates Energy filed the application in October, and a number of [...]

Downtown El Dorado designated as Opportunity Zone

2018-06-08T07:21:00-05:00June 8th, 2018|

Downtown El Dorado has been designated as one of 74 Opportunity Zones in Kansas. This is the only designated area in Butler County. As an Opportunity Zone, eligible business in Downtown El Dorado will receive capital gains incentives from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. “The Opportunity Zone is a federal designation,” El Dorado City Manager David Dillner said. “The governors submitted eligible census tracts and then the Department of Treasury had to certify them. It’s incentive for capital gains taxes.” “The goal of the legislation is to give folks that have seen significant advances in their portfolio to [...]

Garden City’s power portfolio now includes expanded wind energy

2018-06-08T07:19:03-05:00June 8th, 2018|

The municipal electric utility now uses more than 30 percent renewable energy resources to serve its customers after the City began taking a portion of its power needs from Buckeye Wind Energy Center on June 1. Garden City is a member of the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency, which assists municipal electric utilities in securing low-cost power to serve residential and commercial customers. As a member city, Garden City takes advantage of KMEA’s ability to pool electric needs with other cities to secure such projects as Buckeye Wind Energy Center. KMEA entered into a contract with Invenergy, the owner of Buckeye Wind [...]

Overland Park seeks advice on downtown park

2018-06-08T07:17:51-05:00June 8th, 2018|

Santa Fe Commons Park, on the edge of Overland Park’s rapidly changing downtown business district, has been home to the city’s annual Fall Festival, as well as Sunday night concerts and third Friday entertainment in the warmer months. But the park, with its signature gazebo/bandstand, is in for a makeover. “There is a common agreement it’s underused,” city spokesman Sean Reilly said by email. On June 14, the city is inviting the public to give their opinion about what the park’s future should be. A consultant has recommended that Overland Park move its Farmers’ Market there, but listed other options as [...]

Douglas County administrator now says cuts to social services, mental health programs not likely as part of 2019 budget

2018-06-07T10:45:04-05:00June 7th, 2018|

Cuts to social service programs aren't likely to be a part of Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug's proposed 2019 budget, despite previous statements that warned such cuts were a probability if voters rejected a sales tax to expand the county jail. County voters last month did reject that sales tax, but Weinaug recently told the Journal-World that he doesn't plan to recommend any significant cuts to social service programs or cuts to the approximately $1.5 million of new behavioral health services programs that the county has begun. Instead, other cuts will be proposed to help fund some improvements at the jail. [...]

Manhattan accepts 99-acre donation

2018-06-07T10:44:05-05:00June 7th, 2018|

The Manhattan City Commission met at City Hall Tuesday night and accepted a large land donation from the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT first offered Manhattan a 99-acre property known as the VMI tract — located north of K-18 and east of the Scenic Meadows subdivision — with the condition the city does not develop the property back in February, but the commission rejected the donation by a 3 to 2 vote. City Manager Ron Fehr told KMAN earlier in the week that commissioners wanted another consideration of the offer after getting new information on the tract following that meeting. Director [...]

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