Kansas Municipal News
City of Merriam Prepares to Help Limit the Spread of COVID-19
In a continued effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, the City of Merriam will close the Irene B. French Community Center at 5 p.m. today, March 13 with the plan to reopen Monday, April 6, 2020. All City events, meetings, and activities are also postponed or canceled during this timeframe. We’re canceling events because of social distancing recommendations from health experts surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.
(Read more: Merriam, KS news)
Independence City Hall to Close to Public Due to Coronavirus-19 Effective March 16, 2020
Due to concerns over the spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), City Hall will be closed to non-City employees until further notice. Staff will be working and available by phone and email. Events that pose a risk at City facilities will be canceled.
(Read more: Independence, KS – News Flash)
Construction begins this week on one of the worst bottlenecks in Kansas City region
For commuters who are used to sitting in traffic on Interstate 35 in Johnson County: Relief is on the way.
But as construction starts this week on one of the worst bottlenecks in the Kansas City region, congestion will likely get worse before it gets better.
On Friday, crews will begin a long-awaited, $16.5 million project to expand I-35 at 75th Street in Overland Park and Shawnee. For now, that stretch of highway narrows from five to three lanes, causing regular traffic jams for the roughly 160,000 vehicles passing through each day.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Stocks set to surge Friday morning following worst day since the ’87 crash
U.S. stocks plunged Thursday in their worst day since the 1987 crash. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 10%, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq tumbled nearly as much to join the Dow in a bear market.
The furious falls in share prices on rising fears of a global slowdown due to the rapid spread of coronavirus occurred despite a $1.5 trillion intervention in short-term funding markets by the Federal Reserve.
…
U.S. stock futures surged in volatile trading on Friday as Wall Street tried to recoup some of the sharp losses suffered in the previous session — the worst since the “Black Monday” market crash in 1987.
S&P 500 futures jumped more than 5% to reach their “limit up” level. These limit levels act as a ceiling for buying until regular trading begins and are meant to insure orderly trading.
Read more: WSJ and CNBC.
‘Unprecedented’ conditions stagger municipal market
Municipal bond market participants are calling the COVID-19-led sell-off worse for the market than the aftermath of September 11th and the 2008 financial crisis in 2008 combined.
The sell-off continued in the municipal market Thursday, with AAA benchmarks down by more than a half percentage point. The primary market was held at a standstill. Lipper reported more than $1.76 billion of outflows Thursday.
What is transpiring has career-long veterans of the space saying the muni market has been put in a position they’ve never seen before.
Participants don’t have room to breathe in this rapidly changing landscape and investment grade munis are suffering, being dragged down by the overall panicking in the market, with several noting that this is a liquidity-driven crisis.
“There is forced selling, impossible hedging and a pandemic,” said one Southern trader. “Uncertainty is breeding uncertainty and as usual, the bond market solution to these problems is much higher yields. This is the craziest market that I have seen — way different and way worse than 2008.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 12, 2020
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Wichita increases precautions to prevent potential spread of COVID-19
The City of Wichita is working on a plan to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus. Mayor Brandon Whipple says he is meeting with staff and other health officials. “It’s important that we take the right steps to protect our neighbors and make sure we are doing all we can to be responsible,” said Whipple.
They are working to determine what practices will best keep Wichita and neighboring communities ahead of any possible spread of the virus.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
NLC provides Coronavirus Response Resources for Local Leaders
Cities, towns and villages are on the front lines of responding to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community. Local elected leaders have the primary responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of their residents. Local governments have longstanding emergency protocols for public health emergencies and community members rely on them to provide them with timely, accurate information about their local preparedness and response.
NLC is committed to providing our members the necessary tools and resources to ensure local leaders are well equipped to navigate the current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community.
(Read more: NLC)
Sumner Community Hospital closes its doors with no forewarning
Sumner Community Hospital closed its doors [Thursday night].
At the end of the workday, the hospital employees were told that they no longer had jobs and they needed to seek employment elsewhere.
The news came without warning. Earlier this week the hospital was advertising celebrating its one-year anniversary and just erected a sign in front.
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
Emporia Main Street in the running for $25 thousand national prize
Emporia Main Street, a group dedicated to seeing a robust downtown area in Emporia, is in the running for a $25 thousand prize against main streets across the country.
This is the fifth year for the “America’s Main Street Contest”, which is put on by Independent We Stand. Emporia Main Street has been nominated and is in the middle of the first round of voting.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Chanute City Manager Jeff Cantrell has been named new Hutchinson City Manager (replacing John Deardoff)
Chanute City Manager Jeff Cantrell has been selected to fill that role in Hutchinson, replacing retiring City Manager John Deardoff.
Deardoff, meanwhile, has agreed to stay on until May, which is when Cantrell will arrive.
“Jeff brings a great deal of experience, energy and ideas to this role,” Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho stated in a news release. “I’m excited to welcome him to Hutchinson and look forward to working with him to make our community even stronger.”
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Kansas Department of Education issues virus guidelines
The Kansas Department of Education held a virtual meeting Thursday to help guide school officials through a situation in which they appear to have very little control.
Officials with the department of education, including Commissioner Randy Watson, spoke to educators across the state about how to handle issues concerning the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
According to Watson, no grade schools in Kansas have been asked to close at this point. He said the closing of schools would be up to local health departments and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Muni participants want in on future stimulus bills
Muni market participants asked Congressional leaders to use a stimulus bill as an opportunity to push muni bond initiatives and increase infrastructure efforts amid economic stress caused by COVID-19.
In a letter sent by the Public Finance Network to Congressional leadership Thursday afternoon, the group asked for the restoration of tax-exempt advance refunding, an increase in the cap for bank-qualified debt, and the creation of new direct-pay bonds shielded from sequestration.
“If Congress manages to get a quick bill out this week, these in the weeds provisions may make it in,” said Emily Brock, director of the Government Finance Officers Association’s federal liaison center. “If not, we do legitimately believe that these are the sorts of things that can free up state and local resources. In addition, those resources could be used to address the pandemic that is upon us.”
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Across the county, local governments have seen more internal disagreements bubbling to surface
Little eruptions have been breaking the surface lately, at council and board meetings across the county: an eye roll here, muttered oath there, a veiled suggestion that leaves someone demanding a point of order.
Then the Johnson County Community College trustee board went a step further by deciding to rebuke one of their own with a censure. With that vote came a rare public airing of differences and a glimpse into what can happen when personalities clash hard and no one meets half way.
The JCCC vote followed several tense meetings about the intent of the member in questioning school policies to state legislators. It was an extreme step, and opinions are divided about whether it could have been avoided. But the question remains as to whether other censure votes could become more common, now that JCCC has broken the ice.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Attorney General’s office says school district had right to keep review of $50 million iPad/Macbook program closed to press
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday issued an opinion saying that the Shawnee Mission School District did not violate the Kansas Open Meetings Act when it barred the Shawnee Mission Post from observing a meeting of its Digital Learning Task Force last year.
The publication filed a formal complaint against the district after its communications office denied a request to attend and report on a meeting of the group charged with reviewing implementation of the district’s $50 million-plus 1:1 technology initiative, which provides an iPad or Macbook to every student K-12.
In a letter outlining the decision, Assistant Attorney General Lisa Mendoza said the office’s open government enforcement unit had determined that the Digital Learning Task Force created by Superintendent Mike Fulton was merely an advisory group and did not fit the definition of the type of “subordinate group” subject to the state’s open meetings law.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Chanute City Manager Steps Down
A southeast Kansas city manager is stepping down from his position.
City Commissioners confirmed that on Wednesday, Chanute City Manager Jeff Cantrell announced that he will be leaving.
He has accepted a position as the new city manager in Hutchinson, Kansas. Cantrell started his current position back in 2015. His last day on the job will be May 14th.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)
First coronavirus fatality in Kansas City region: a 70-year-old Wyandotte County man
Coronavirus claimed its first fatality in the Kansas City region Thursday, a 70-year-old man who lived in a long-term care facility in Wyandotte County, Kansas officials announced.
The death was announced by Gov. Laura Kelly, who also declared a state of emergency, allowing officials to activate certain emergency services to assist local communities.
State officials said the man was transported to Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas with acute cardiac symptoms and a fever. He died Wednesday morning. A post-mortem examination revealed that he was infected with virus.
Healthcare officials are investigating who might have been in contact with the man over the course of the past 14 days, Kelly said. Those who have been in contact will be quarantined by the state, officials said.
(Read more: Kansas City Star)
First death from coronavirus in Kansas City area reported in Wyandotte County
The Kansas City area’s first death from the coronavirus was announced Thursday night by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. A male in his 70s died in a long-term care facility in Wyandotte County, she said.
The announcement came hours after Mayor David Alvey of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, had told residents they did not have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county.
No cases of the respiratory illness have been confirmed in Kansas City, but three new cases were identified earlier Thursday in Johnson County. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson announced the state’s second “presumptive positive” case, found in Greene County.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Overland Park looking to buy more body cameras to equip all police officers
The 200 new body cameras Overland Park police have used since November have worked so well the city council may buy another 58 so all of its officers can use them.
The council’s Public Safety Committee gave its blessing to the purchase of the new cameras Wednesday night, along with a new bomb truck.
Only uniformed officers have used the cameras to date. Buying a second batch would allow every commissioned officer access to a camera, said Captain Kyle Livengood. That way an officer working overtime at an event or directing traffic could also be using a body cam.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Unprecedented times bring muni yields to new lows
Michael Zezas, managing director of research at Morgan Stanley, notes that muni yields have not fallen as quickly as the Treasury equivalents and recession risk climbs the longer the coronavirus persists. Layer on top of those items the incipient oil competition and quite a storm is brewing. Even liquidity is becoming “disorderly.” John Hallacy hosts.
(Read more: The Latest)
‘It was not a good evening’: People in Hesston recount experiences with the tornado
Count to five. One…two…three…four…five. It’s not much time if you’re doing something fun, but it can be a great deal of time if you’re going through a traumatic event.
That’s how long it took for what was then classified as an F5 tornado to go over the Hesston Pizza Hut in 1990, taking the dining room, but leaving two drinks and straws on the counter, as well as leaving everyone hiding in a restaurant bathroom and cooler with their lives.
“It sounded like 10 freight trains all at once,” said then-assistant manager at Pizza Hunt Jon Anderson of Newton. “It’s very loud. I looked up at the ceiling, and you could see what appeared to be the ceiling move. You could tell we were being hit. It was very quick.”
(Read more: Harvey County Now)
This morning Treasury yields fall as stocks reel in wake of Europe travel restrictions
U.S. Treasury yields fell sharply on Thursday as the White House decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from Europe to the U.S. sparked selling across global equities, spurring inflows into haven assets like government paper.
The 10-year Treasury note yield fell 12.2 basis points to 0.700%, while the 2-year note rate was down 7.1 basis points to 0.425%. The 30-year bond yield tumbled 9.7 basis points to 1.218%. …
Stocks sold off overnight after President Donald Trump announced a ban on travel from Europe to the U.S. by foreign nationals to stem the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, adding to worries that the move could hurt cross-border economic activity. Analysts say the U.S. government will need to enact more aggressive and targeted fiscal stimulus measures to arrest the economic damage from the coronavirus epidemic.
(Read more: MarketWatch.com – Top Stories)
Municipal bond yields rose on Wednesday amid COVID-19 fears
The municipal market was hammered Wednesday by the rapidly spreading COVID-19 global pandemic with a more than quarter point correction in AAA benchmarks, issuers pulling deals off the shelves and more reports of pricing and evaluation confusion in an already complicated market.
High-yield was being hit hard in the secondary market while several issuers put their new-issues on the day-to-day calendar amid what some are calling an “irrational” market. Three large negotiated deals that were scheduled to price Wednesday were pulled as muni yields skyrocketed up 28 basis points on the MMD AAA and other benchmarks were not far from those figures.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 11, 2020
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Lawmakers consider extending privacy law to more public workers
Former Topeka police chief Ed Klumpp is convinced hundreds of Kansas corrections employees and court service officers must be covered by the same privacy-protection blanket offered judges and attorneys.
Klumpp, who represents three law enforcement organizations in Kansas, said state statue ought to be amended to extend prohibitions on release of information about home ownership and home addresses to a larger category of public employees, including state and local corrections officers, who work with offenders.
(Read more: News – Cherokee County News Advocate)
Senators consider expanding psychiatric services in western Kansas
A Kansas Senate bill would allocate $11.8 million to open and operate hospital beds for youths requiring short-term psychiatric care in Hays, Garden City and surrounding areas, officials said Wednesday.
Sen. Richard Billinger, R-Goodland, spoke Wednesday in favor of the bill, which would create two dozen new acute psychiatric beds in western Kansas. He said currently, families in those areas drive two to three hours to Wichita or as far as Kansas City to get lifesaving psychiatric services for their children.
“We’re waiting for one of these children to hurt themselves or someone else, and then it’s going to be too late for a bill like this,” Billinger said.
(Read more: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS)
Dodge City part of 33 transit projects
Three projects for the City of Dodge City were announced as part of the more than $7.4 million awarded to transit projects across the state.
As part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s new Access, Innovation and Collaboration program, 33 projects were selected at the statewide Transit Day news conference Tuesday at the Capitol.
“Transportation is the supporting fiber of our lives – and too often – we assume that always means driving a car,” said KDOT deputy secretary Maggie Doll in a news release. “But thousands of Kansans do not have access to a car, are unable to drive or would prefer not to.
(Read more: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS)
Wichita airport and Century II use static cling to fight coronavirus COVID-19
Opposites attract and likes repel. And that’s the physical principle Wichita is deploying in its efforts to try to control the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.
The city has begun a program of “electrostatic spraying” at Eisenhower National Airport and the Century II Convention and Performing Arts Center, which handle some of the city’s biggest crowds.
Essentially, workers use special equipment to spray an electrically charged disinfecting solution into the air.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Sedgwick County labs now can test for Coronavirus, health director says
Sedgwick County now has the capability to test for coronavirus locally, which is expected to dramatically reduce the time it takes to get patients’ results, county Health Director Adreinne Byrne reported Wednesday.
This week, two local labs, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, got approval to process tests for the virus, also known as COVID-19, she said.
Although no one has yet had a COVID-19 test by the local labs, it will reduce the wait for results from days to potentially hours, she said.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Is Kansas prepared for a recession? Coronavirus, market swings spark fear of downturn
Just two days after taking office, Gov. Laura Kelly delivered a damning assessment of Kansas’s fiscal condition.
“Another recession will soon be upon us. It’s not a question of ‘if’. It’s a question of ‘when’ and ‘how bad,’” she told the Legislature in January 2019, adding that “Kansas finds itself now completely unprepared. We have no margin for error.”
Fears of a recession are growing in the United States amid the spread of the new coronavirus. As the number of cases mount, events have been cancelled, classes moved online and businesses are exploring ways for employees to work from home.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
KSU, KU extending spring break, moving to online teaching as virus spreads
Kansas State University said Thursday it would mirror key elements of the University of Kansas’ response to spread of coronavirus into the United States by delaying resumption of classes after spring break and granting faculty time to migrate course content and instruction to online platforms.
KSU President Richard Myers said in-person classes on all its campuses would be suspended from March 16-20 and as of March 23 courses at the land-grant university would be taught remotely.
“Right now, the K-State community is dispersed throughout the nation and globe during spring break,” Myers said. “When everyone returns, it could increase the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus.”
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Kansas colleges, universities bracing for influx of COVID-19
University of Saint Mary stepped up health safety procedures for benefit of students and employees on the private Catholic school’s campus in Leavenworth.
The 1,400-student university in northeast Kansas is among dozens nationally contemplating or implementing changes in wake of the likely spread of COVID-19. Some colleges and universities have delayed restart of classes after spring break, transitioned to online rather than in-person instruction, limited travel and restricted attendance and larger events.
John Shultz, vice president for marketing and admissions at University of Saint Mary, the university’s command team was monitoring the coronavirus and relying upon guidance from the Leavenworth and Johnson county health departments.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Overland Park looking to buy more body cameras to equip all police officers
The 200 new body cameras Overland Park police have used since November have worked so well the city council may buy another 58 so all of its officers can use them.
The council’s Public Safety Committee gave its blessing to the purchase of the new cameras Wednesday night, along with a new bomb truck.
Only uniformed officers have used the cameras to date. Buying a second batch would allow every commissioned officer access to a camera, said Captain Kyle Livengood. That way an officer working overtime at an event or directing traffic could also be using a body cam.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
As virus shuts schools, experts debate if that curbs spread
As families across the United States scramble to care for children sent home from schools closed due to the coronavirus, experts disagree on whether such closures protect kids — or even the community.
The question of whether to close schools in not a no-brainer, said Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s public health school. On one hand, children clearly can be infected and can transmit the new virus, he said; schools are poorly ventilated and “not very sanitary.”
But he said the case is much clearer for other social distancing measures like canceling large public events, and the downsides of school closures include the hypothetical risk of children infecting their grandparents or other older caretakers who step in when school is closed.
“I don’t envy the public officials making these decisions,” Lipsitch said.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
County government sets budget game plan
The budget season is about to widen as another round of discussions between commissioners and department heads focus on the wish lists and needs of county government.
During a workshop Tuesday, elected and appointed officials gathered to initially plan their schedule for the 2021 budget season.
A review of the 2021 budget calendar has been top of their minds since the county’s organizational meeting Jan. 13.
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
Sedgwick County taking steps to inform citizens on the coronavirus
Sedgwick County and its health department are working on communication efforts to get more information to the community about the coronavirus.
County manager Tom Stolz told county commissioners Wednesday there have been weekly meetings with local agencies at the emergency operations center, and meetings have been held with department heads. He said county health officials will also take part in a panel discussion scheduled for March 16th on KWCH. County commissioners will also get a briefing each week at their regular meeting, and there are discussions about a telephone town hall meeting to get information to citizens.
Stolz said county officials are also looking for unique ways to connect with the most vulnerable population, people over 60 with chronic health conditions. County health director Adrienne Byrne said the county will be working with long-term care facilities and reviewing their infection control procedures. She said there will also be discussions with local pharmacies on ways to get information to people on the coronavirus.
(Read more: KFDI 101.3)
Municipal bonds see large correction in volatile times
Volatility continues to hang over financial markets due to COVID-19, and after a Monday that had all stocks down at least 6%, stocks rebounded Tuesday and muni yields were down as much as 16 basis points — [on Tuesday] munis saw a correction.
Munis were weaker on Tuesday on the MBIS benchmark scale, with yields rising six basis points in the 10-year and by six basis points in the 30-year maturity. High-grades were also stronger, with yields on MBIS’ AAA scale decreasing by six basis points in the 10-year maturity and by six basis points in the 30-year maturity.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 10, 2020
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Topeka airbnb ruling could have far-reaching effects
Hundreds of Topeka homes rented out on a short-term basis as “Airbnbs” could come to be affected by Monday’s Topeka Board of Zoning Appeals’ vote requiring the owners of one such facility to get a permit to continue to operate it, that couple’s property manager said.
Travis Maurath, property manager for Rental Management Solutions, said he found 291 listings Monday of properties in Topeka that were available for short-term rental at the website Airbnb.com.
Maurath told zoning appeals board members that if they were to require Don Phillippi and Candi Bryant to get a conditional use permit to continue to rent out the house they own at 229 S.W. Edgewood Ave. on a short-term basis — which they subsequently did — the owners of those 291 other properties should also have to do that.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Merriam Community Center set to open for all on June 8, staff present move-in plan
The Merriam city council on Monday evening heard the latest update on the new Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater Street, including an official opening date: June 8.
Assistant City Administrator Meredith Hauck presented a transition plan from the Irene B. French Community Center to the new community center that included details for moving out and moving in, as well as an opening plan.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)
Dust control program to resume after one-year hiatus
After a one-year suspension, Miami County has dusted off last year’s magnesium chloride purchase agreement as it prepares for the upcoming season.
County commissioners have voted 5-0 to purchase a combined 265,000 gallons of MgCI-2 and magnesium chloride at a cost of $257,335 for its 2020 dust control program.
Project Manager Matt Oehlert said Scotwood Industries plans to honor its 2019 quantities and prices. Scotwood was the only bidder for the 2020 contract.
“This agreement was offered last year at this same time,” Chairman Rob Roberts told the audience at the commission’s meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26. “However, the county did not purchase any magnesium chloride, so the firm was willing to honor last year’s prices.”
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)
New technology helps Topeka law enforcement investigations
The Shawnee County Attorney and Topeka Police Department are purchasing a Cellabrite Universal Forensic Extraction Device, new technology that will help law enforcement in their investigations.
Once law enforcement obtains a search warrant to look for evidence, the device helps gather evidence by unlocking passwords, converting encrypted information and translating different languages on devices like cell phones.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said that between the two departments, law enforcement sees thousands of phones that have incriminating evidence, but new technological advancements make it difficult to access that information.
(Read more: KSNT News)
Almost 1 year since being shot 4 times, Rice County undersheriff back on job
pproaching one year after being shot four times in the line of duty, Rice County Undersheriff Chad Murphy says he’s lucky to be alive as he returns to service for the first time since it happened.
Murphy returned to work Monday, following about 10 months of recovery.
“I knew I was going to live, but there for an hour or two, it was touch and go,” Murphy says of injuries he suffered in response to an April 30, 2019 standoff in Rice County. “Nobody really knew for sure how much damage was done.”
(Read more: KWCH News)
Lake Sherwood district makes pitch to Senate for special sales tax
Trustees of the Lake Sherwood residential development southwest of Topeka sought permission Tuesday from the Kansas Senate for a public vote on a sales tax increase of no more than 1% to finance maintenance work on the housing district’s roads and drainage systems. Nearly all revenue from the special sales tax for the Sherwood improvement district would be generated at a Dillons grocery store, said Doug Mays, treasurer of the development’s board of trustees.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Proposal in Kansas Senate would end raid on highway funds
Sen. Kevin Braun on Tuesday took a jackhammer to a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect highway funding from being swiped by the Legislature for other uses. The Kansas City Republican said he agreed it was irresponsible of the Legislature not to spend tax dollars as they were intended, but he took issue with having his hands tied in the event of unforeseen economic hardships. About 63% of the state’s revenue is directed toward public education, as …
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)