Kansas Municipal News
Kechi Playhouse needs your help to save it
The Kechi Arts Council is mounting a campaign to raise $83,333 to save the city’s almost 100-year-old Kechi Playhouse building, and it wants your help.
The nearly 100-year-old building is structurally sound, but it needs work on its exterior, particularly a brick veneer wall on the west side that’s peeling away. The building’s eaves and roof also need to be replaced, and its yellow-tinted windows need to be reworked, said Misty Maynard, owner of the building and director of its plays.
“I think that the earthquakes we’ve had have not been good on the poor old thing,” Maynard said. The city of Kechi first approached Maynard in March about fixing the building, and through the Kechi Arts Council, it helped kickstart the fundraising campaign to help Maynard qualify for up to $250,000 in a community development block grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The grant matches each dollar raised by the campaign in triplicate, meaning that if the campaign can raise the $83,333, the grant will pay out $250,000.
(Read more: Local News |)
Wichita residents debate for neighborhood pool
Wichita City Council has voted to delay a decision on where to put a new swimming pool in the northeast part of the city.
The Wichita Eagle reports the delay came after a recent three-hour debate. Dozens of residents spoke in support of putting the pool in McAdams Park over Edgemoor Park.
Resident Armando Minjarez said at the meeting that he believes the McAdams neighborhood has been neglected due to decades of racism. Tye McEwen agreed with Minjarez, saying she also thinks race is a factor in the council’s hesitation to put the pool in the McAdams neighborhood.
“Let’s keep it honest, it’s because it’s for black people,” McEwen said.
But Mayor Jeff Longwell said he recommends postponing the decision indefinitely because he’s not “ready to support yet.”
(Read more: Government & Politics News |)
Twenty years of STAR bond investment in Kansas reaps big rewards, a few flops
More than half a billion dollars has been wagered by local and state government officials in Kansas on taxpayer-financed economic development projects under a program that relies upon adherence to the state’s motto — to the stars through difficulties.
The sale of State Tax Revenue bonds — also known as STAR bonds — grant municipal governments an opportunity to finance major commercial, entertainment and tourism areas and repay the debt with state and local sales tax revenue generated by the developments. There have been failures and successes since implemented two decades ago.
For scope of achievement on the STAR bond landscape, look no further than the Kansas Speedway and the Village West shopping complex outside Kansas City, Kan. It’s a flashy show-me example of the inducement as a platform for business growth and job development. Bonds used to finance Village West were paid off in 2016 — five years early. The retail and entertainment hub created 5,700 jobs at more than 100 businesses.
(Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal)
Butler Electric Cooperative to offer High Speed Internet
Butler Electric Cooperative (Butler EC) has taken its first steps in providing high-speed internet to their membership and communities they serve. Tower construction is currently in progress located at 16502 SW 140th, Rose Hill. Butler EC announced the launch of their internet company, Velocity, at their 80th Annual Membership Meeting in March. Butler EC anticipates the first services will be available in the Fall of 2018 with a ribbon cutting slated for this summer.
Velocity will offer reliable, high speed Internet with prices starting at $64.95 for 25 Mbs. “We are proud to provide a service that will have a positive impact on the communities we serve,” said CEO Dale Short. “Our infrastructure provides the framework to close the digital divide that rural America is experiencing.“
(Read more: El Dorado Times)
Winfield Commission considers partnership with electric transmission company
The Winfield City Commission will consider a partnership with an electric transmission company Monday that would help the city invest in new transmission projects.
Commissioners will consider approving a non-binding letter of agreement with GridLiance, of Irving, Texas, regarding possible development and purchase of a portion of the city’s electric transmission assets. If approved, the transaction would close in summer 2019.
GridLiance would pay the city $1.2 million at closing, plus make annual community support payments to the city totaling $880,000 over 15 years, with no stipulations on their use. The city would also earn annual revenue from GridLiance.
The City of Winfield will agree to provide operations and maintenance of the transmission system and a transmission upgrade project.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Main Street Main-ia comes to downtown Newton
Main Street Mainia, the traditional sidewalk sales downtown, did not get off to the start some were hoping for.
“We don’t have as much foot traffic,” said Phil Anderson, owner of Anderson Book and Supply. “We do not have as much retail. Of course, we remember the old days.”
Anderson said there is not as much retail in downtown, meaning fewer sales to attract possible customers. That could be one reason the annual sales were down for him.
But there could have also been wilting for another reason — heat. When the sale kick off party started on Thursday night, the temperature was 102 degrees. The mercury stayed in the triple digits the following day.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
Salina City Commission to discuss county perimeter roads
Salina City Commission to discuss county perimeter roads
Salina city commissioners will meet with Saline County commissioners to discuss county perimeter roads when they meet in a study session at 2:30 p.m. Monday in the Saline County Health Department conference room.
The Kansas Court of Appeals recently issued a ruling in a lawsuit the county filed against the city concerning annexation of county roads primarily used by city residents, and city and county commissioners have said they are anxious to come to an agreement.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Garden City cautions against use of unlicensed contractors
The City of Garden City is cautioning residents against the use of unlicensed contractors for home or business remodels and repairs.
According to Garden City staff, unlicensed contractors are often uninsured, meaning homeowners may end up paying for any injuries or damage to property. In addition, unlicensed contractors often lack professional training and certification, are unfamiliar with applicable building codes, and are not regulated by local authorities.
Neighborhood & Development Services Director Kaleb Kentner said it is illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on any project.
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)
Hutch City Council to hold first evening meeting
There’s always been discussion about the Hutchinson City Council moving meetings to the evening hours so more residents can attend. After discussion, the council decided to move the last meeting of the month to evenings for a trial period. That experiment begins Monday as the council will hold its regular agenda session Tuesday. Tuesday’s meeting of the Hutchinson City Council begins at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Hospital tax vote meeting coming in Ark City
Arkansas City commissioners, acting in their new role as trustee board for South Central Kansas Medical Center, met Tuesday with hospital staff to discuss a number of issues, including how to educate the public on an upcoming sales tax vote for the medical center.
The vote will take place by mail in September. Discussion centered on the need to quickly institute an effective program to educate and inform the public about the benefit of the proposed one-cent sales tax, and the consequences to be faced if the vote should fail.
Commissioners said they were planning to conduct a number of town hall meetings, and SCKMC staff will hold meetings as well.
Hospital CEO Virgil Watson said hospital staff was very active in the previous one-cent sales tax campaign, conducting more than 30 meetings. It passed overwhelmingly.
(Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results)
Hays OKs hotel tax increase
The Hays City Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a 2-percent hike in the city’s transient guest tax to pay for street improvements along the Vine Street corridor. The current plan is to construct three roundabouts there in efforts to improve traffic flow.
The transient guest tax is currently at 5 percent. Commonly known as a hotel bed tax, the rate only is paid by those who stay overnight in any of the city’s hotels. The Vine Street project is eligible for those funds because the improvements would benefit travelers, City Manager Toby Dougherty said.
“City staff made the suggestion that part of project — a significant part of the project — could be funded with transient guest tax dollars due to the fact the improvements would make it better for visitors, pedestrians and people staying in the area and utilizing the area, not just people who live here,” Dougherty said.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)
Boy ‘hugged’ $132,000 sculpture at Overland Park community center; Mom says city’s insurance is seeking damages
After a 5-year-old accidentally toppled a sculpture displayed at Overland Park’s Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, his mom was stunned to receive an insurance company letter seeking to recover damages to the $132,000 artwork.
“It’s clear accidents happen and this was an accident,” Sarah Goodman said Thursday about the incident May 19 at the community center that involved her 5-year-old son. “I don’t want to diminish the value of their art. But I can’t pay for that.”
The city responded that its insurance company is contractually obligated to reach out to the responsible party when public property is damaged. The artwork was on a stand inside the community center at 11902 Lowell Ave.
Goodman said her family, including her husband and four children, were attending a wedding reception at the center that afternoon and were getting ready to leave. She said they were saying goodbye to the bride’s father when there was a commotion right around the corner.
Read more: KC Star.
Briefly noted: Prairie Village leaders discuss challenges of teardown-rebuild trend
Prairie Village Mayor Laura Wassmer and councilmembers Serena Schermoly and Tucker Poling were guests on KCUR’s Up To Date on Wednesday to discuss the challenges of preserving the city’s original neighborhood aesthetics with the demand for newer, larger homes. [Prairie Village Home Teardowns Rankle Residents — KCUR]
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Hays city commission OKs ‘creative funding’ of roundabouts; Can be challenged by voters
Hays city commissioners voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a charter ordinance which will increase the Transient Guest Tax (TGT) rate 2% to fund improvements to the north Vine Street traffic corridor, estimated at more than $7.6 million. “City staff suggested a significant part of the project could be funded with Transient Guest Tax dollars, due to the fact the improvements would make it better for visitors, pedestrians, people that are staying in the area, and not just for people that live here,” explained Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty.
The Hays 5% TGT is lower than most of its peer cities in Kansas. Johnson County’s rate is 9%.
The charter ordinance can be challenged within a 61-day period by a petition of more than 10% of voters who voted in the last city election. If a valid petition is presented, the ordinance will be put to a vote of Hays residents.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Salina Community Economic Development Organization gets inside look at Great Plains
Linda Salem, president of Great Plains Manufacturing, wants to figure out a way to sell Salina.
The city has many good things to offer, she said, but no mountain and no seashore, which makes it more difficult to attract the employees Great Plains needs.
Great Plains has about 1,500 employees, but like many manufacturers, it could use more skilled workers, she said, particularly machinists, draftsmen and engineers.
Not enough students are graduating from Salina Area Technical College to fill the needs, she said Thursday, after an hour-and-a-half tour for the Salina Community Economic Development Organization board of directors and guests.
Mitch Robinson, executive director of the economic development organization, said during the group’s board meeting that he saw a need for more of a connection between industry and education.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Vote expected on all-way stops in Atchison
Final action on stepped-up regulation of several downtown intersections is expected on Monday at the second Atchison governing body meeting. The stop signs have been a somewhat contentious issue, with a March 19 vote producing an uncommon split decision, 3-2, to reject an agenda item. Commissioner Shawn Rizza and Vice Mayor David Hausmann dissented from the majority’s reluctance to establish permanent stop signs at that time.
The city has thoroughly studied the feasibility and popularity of the stop sign issue, including an online public survey that demonstrated public approval for signs at every intersection considered, save N. 4th and Kansas.
Assistant City Manager Justin Pregont said city staff now recommend for that stop sign to remain for good, and that he anticipates commissioners’ decision on Monday.
(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)
New Aquatic Park open in Horton
he wait is over for Horton residence who have been waiting the past few summers for a new swimming pool, as the Horton Aquatic Park opened to rave reviews on Memorial Day weekend. The pool project was completed with the help of a 20-year, 1 percent sales tax increase which was voted in on the ballot just under two years ago, and was a major topic in the same year’s mayoral election.
(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)
Budgets cuts lead to closing of K-State research center in Haysville
Kansas State University will close its 120-acre horticultural research center in Haysville, the university announced Thursday.
Lower state funding for higher education and declining enrollment at K-State led university officials to cut $3.5 million from College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension’s budget this year, which in turn led to the decision to close the John C. Pair Horticulture Center, according to a press release from the university.
The university will also close its 80-acre stand of pecan trees in Chetopa.
“Naturally, with budget reductions there are difficult decisions,” College of Agriculture dean and K-State Research and Extension director John Floros said in the release. “We value the history and contributions of our faculty at the center.”
(Read more: Local News |)
City arts commission recommends mural for Lawrence library wall
A mural proposed for the exterior wall of the Lawrence Public Library has received a preliminary approval.
At its meeting Wednesday evening, the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission voted unanimously to recommend the mural, which depicts stories of local women of color. The team leading the project, Womxn of Color, began gathering historical and present-day stories last year to incorporate into the mural design. Last month, the City Commission voted unanimously to receive the mural proposal, though some fundraising groups associated with the library indicated they opposed the project’s proposed location on the library itself. The artist team initially proposed that the mural be painted on the parking garage next to the library but later said that there are technical issues with that surface and that they would like to put the mural on the library itself. Some community members expressed concerns that opposition to having the mural on the library itself was due to its content and that the stories or women of color are often excluded.
(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)
Osage County EMS recognized for care of cardiac and stroke patients
Osage County EMS has been recognized with the 2018 Bronze Plus Mission: Lifeline award by the American Heart Association. This is the third consecutive year that OCEMS has received the award, which recognizes the company for its care of patients suffering heart attack or coronary conditions.
OCEMS service director Donna Connell noted, “A dedicated staff of EMTs and paramedics, progressive protocols, EKG transmission capabilities, and aggressive education have benefited their patients. This award recognizes that system of care for cardiac and stroke patients.”
City: High levels of chloride in Topeka water not dangerous
Topeka city officials say high levels of chloride in the city’s water supply pose no danger to residents.
The city announced Thursday that its treatment plant recorded higher than normal levels of chloride in the Kansas River. The chloride is coming from the Smokey Hill River, which feeds into the Kansas River. The source of the chloride hasn’t been determined.
The chloride readings mean the salt levels in the water are high.
City officials say the Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed the water is within its safe drinking water regulations.
(Read more: LJWorld.com stories)
Saline County Commission won’t open Halstead bridge early to empty grain trucks
Saline County commissioners have decided not to open the Halstead Road bridge to limited traffic prior to the completion of construction work.
Commissioners had been considering opening the bridge, located west of Salina and north of State Street, to empty grain trucks in order to alleviate the effects of the closure on wheat farmers traveling to and from the grain elevator.
During a Wednesday afternoon meeting, Commissioner Rodger Sparks voiced his opposition.
“It’s just like going to a doctor,” he said. “You broke your bone. The doctor said your cast is coming off today, but don’t go play football for three weeks. And you go and play that afternoon.”
There currently is heavy traffic in the area. Commissioner Jim Weese said he parked near the bridge for an hour on Wednesday and saw a grain truck drive by every 15 seconds.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Be sure signs are on private property, not highway right of way, says KDOT
If you want to put a yard sign up to support your favorite political candidate, be sure you know where you’re putting them.
“Signs are never allowed on KDOT right of way,” said KDOT spokeswoman Kim Stich. “That’s something that’s standard, whether it’s business signs, garage sale signs or political signs. Especially during the summer of a campaign and an election, we see a lot more signs along highway right of way that have to be removed.”
If you put your sign too close to the road, it may disappear.
“If they are on KDOT right of way, they will be taken to the closest KDOT office,” said Stich. “The owner can pick them up, with the agreement that they will not be placed back on the right of way.”
(Read more: WIBW News Now!)
Officials express concern after Kansas bridge collapse on Reno/McPherson county border
A bridge in northeast Reno County will be out of use for an extended period of time after a large wheat cart fell through the deck and into the North Fork Blaze Creek Wednesday.
Don Britton of Reno County Public Works says the single-axle cart was way too much for the 91-foot wooden structure to handle. He expressed frustration that people aren’t paying attention to, or simply disregarding, weight limits on the spans they are crossing.
Britton said it’s too early to tell if the bridge will be replaced or not.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Community Memorial Healthcare sales tax petition posted around Marshall county
Three hundred county residents had signed a petition by early this week asking Marshall County commissioners to allow a public vote on a proposed half-cent sales tax for Community Memorial Healthcare.
Community Memorial Healthcare’s board hopes to get 350 before taking the petition to commissioners at their 8:30 a.m. meeting on Monday. Kracht said the hospital board and administration chose 350 as a goal for the petition because that is about 10 percent of Marshall County voters who cast a ballot in the 2014 general election.
“We feel 350 is a significant number of voters in our county. That number has said they’d like to have a choice,” Kracht said.CMH faces financial challenges as uninsured and under-insured residents increase and as the population ages, requiring the hospital to serve more Medicare patients.
(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)
Salina not issuing barricade permits for Fourth of July
The city of Salina has announced it will not issue street barricade permits for July 3 or 4 in order to reduce the likelihood of the unauthorized discharge of fireworks within neighborhoods.
Fireworks are allowed to be ignited or discharged in the city only from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3 and 4. They are not to be ignited or launched on public property or on roadways.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Ellinwood and Cimarron have a “community exchange” to gather impressions and suggestions
The city council meeting held Monday night included several meaningful discussion that showed progress towards transformation into a 21st century visitor-friendly community. Ellinwood community member Rob Dove was part of a task force assigned to a 2016 community exchange with Cimarron. Both communities sent a delegation from their community to the other in order to gather impressions and suggestions for improvements that would make their cities more visitor friendly. The Cimarron delegation determined it would be difficult for visitors to discern what attractions or features the city contained, or how to get to key locations. Dove agreed to research appropriate signage and his presentation was the culmination of those efforts.
Dove visited communities from Barton County to Columbia, Mo. It was his conclusion that the style of Great Bend’s wayfinding signs were the best, and recommended Ellinwood go with a similar option for a series of signs designating where the parks, the Splash Pad and pool, cemetery, and other city buildings were located.
(Read more: Great Bend Tribune – Local News)
Olathe Fire Hero Day inspires girls to consider firefighting career
On a day when the temperature passed 90 degrees, donning a firefighter’s uniform — complete with a helmet — and climbing a 75-foot ladder sounds too sweltering to be fun.
But on June 9, 19 girls seized the chance to see what it feels like to be a firefighter.
It’s called Olathe Fire Hero Day, a program the Olathe Fire Department has put on for three years in an effort to get more girls interested in a career as a firefighter. The department has three female firefighters who, along with their male colleagues, helped give the teens and pre-teens a taste of their training. “I think this is awesome,” said Jen King, who has been a firefighter in Olathe for three years. “I think girls their age don’t see themselves in this position, because it’s a male-dominated career. I hope they get a glimpse and maybe a better understanding of what we do.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Luminaries banned, display fees changed in Saline County
Aerial luminaries will no longer be allowed in Saline County, and new fees have been adopted for county residents who apply to set off fireworks for public displays and private events.
Saline County commissioners made the changes to the county’s fireworks resolution at their meeting Tuesday.
Residents seeking to use consumer-grade fireworks in their display will pay $75 if the display takes place outside the county fireworks season, which is June 27 through July 5. Residents seeking to set off commercial-grade fireworks in their display will pay $200, regardless of the time of year.
Commissioners voted to ban aerial luminaries, which previously had been banned by the city of Salina.
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Man who fled Kan. traffic stop surrenders, brings doughnuts
Authorities say a rapper who fled from a southeast Kansas traffic stop and feuded with police on Facebook brought along doughnuts when he surrendered. The feud started after two people bailed from a vehicle that a Galena officer attempted to stop Sunday for speeding. Police posted screenshots of Tyrone Amos’ Facebook page in which he described himself hiding in a bush afterward. The department also changed its profile picture to a bush.
After Amos surrendered Wednesday with doughnuts, the department again changed its profile picture to a selfie of an officer with a man in handcuffs.
(Read more: Great Bend Post)
Safety of park-goers from flying discs discussed in Marysville
Mayor Carla Grund referred a proposed disc golf course in City Park to a subcommittee on Monday after 90 minutes of discussion with a group of local residents visibly dismayed by meeting’s end.
The subcommittee, made up of council members Jason Barnes, Darlene Boss and Gina Graham, plans to study the issue further and provide the mayor and council with a recommendation. A date was not set for their first meeting.
“I will keep at it,” Kyle Goracke, a local educator who proposed a nine-hole pocket disc course in City Park, said after the meeting.
Grund said afterward that those attending should know her concerns are about safety of park users who might be struck by a disc.
“I would think our community would be grateful that we are making safety a concern,” she said.
“I believe the council is taking the proper steps to make sure it’s done correctly.
(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)
ELGL Podcast: Local Government Law, Police Body Cameras
From public records requests to emergency communications we talk with two local government attorneys about all the legal questions that come with Police body cameras. They share common concerns from working with Police Departments, the hidden costs of body worn cameras and how the videos can help with getting information to the public.
(Read more: Engaging Local Government Leaders)
Basketball goals returning to park in Salina
Nearly a month after removing two black metal multipurpose units from the basketball courts at Sunset Park, a Salina Parks and Recreation crew began the process of reinstalling basketball goals. On May 17, city crews took down the basketball goals at the park and installed multipurpose units — a goal post with a basketball goal attached to it — with the intention of providing people who play futsol with better equipment while allowing basketball players a court as well.
Chris Cotten, director of Salina Parks and Recreation, said at that time, “There was never an intent to take away basketball at Sunset Park.”
Salinan Charles Bates Jr. began circulating a petition the next day, calling the units “unsafe and unwarranted.”
(Read more: News – Salina Journal)
Kansas utility regulators may ask U.S. Supreme Court to review rate case
Kansas utility regulators said Thursday that they may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case challenging the federal government’s authority to set certain kinds of rates that ultimately affect every electric customer’s monthly bills.
But first, they want advice from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
The Kansas Corporation Commission voted 3-0 to ask Schmidt whether it would be possible to appeal a decision of a federal appellate court, which ruled in February that the KCC had no standing to challenge a decision from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, involving rates charged by interstate electric transmission companies.
The case involves an aspect of the public utility business that most customers rarely think about, but which can have a substantial impact on the ultimate rates they pay for electricity — the wholesale purchase of power from one utility to another through transmission lines that run across state lines.
(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)
Briefly noted: Overland Park ranks high among cities where Millennials are moving
Overland Park among top 20 destination cities in the country for Millennials. A new analysis of census data by the website SmartAsset suggests Overland Park is faring well in attracting new Millennial-aged residents. The city was 14th among the 217 cities considered in the rankings of places where Millennials are moving.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
As the Latino population grows in southwest Kansas, youths are developing a new accent
Residents in southwest Kansas are starting to speak with a distinct, new accent as the Latino population continues to grow — and the accent is most prominent among young people.
A research team at Kansas State University has found that as demographics change in the region, the way people speak English also changes.
The team is calling this new way of speaking a “Liberal accent” or “Liberal sound.” Liberal is a Seward County, Kansas, town of about 25,000 people. About 59 percent of the town’s population was Hispanic or Latino in 2010, according to the U.S. Census. Just a couple of decades ago, Liberal’s population was about 20 percent Latino, the K-State news release says.
The sound change, which lead researcher Mary Kohn calls a “Latino-English” sound, is more prominent in youths — including those who do not speak Spanish.
Read more: Wichita Eagle.
FAA announces grants for Kansas airports
The United States Department of Transportation Secretary says the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding $677 million in airport infrastructure grants, “the first allotment of the total $3.2 billion in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Transportation says the 241 grants will fund 346 infrastructure projects that include runways, taxiways, aprons and terminals.
“These projects are important to the safety and efficiency of the nation’s system of airports,” the US. DOT says.
The U.S. DOT says the FAA’s most recent economic analysis shows U.S. civil aviation accounts for $1.6 trillion in total economic activity and supports nearly 11 million jobs.
“If you want a strong transportation system, you have to invest in airport infrastructure,” said U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine L. Chao. “Airports are the backbone of aviation. These communities are going to reap greater safety, efficiency, and economic dividends for years to come.”
(Read more: KWCH News)
City of Florence, Deforest family in water fight
For 98 years, clear and sparkling water has flowed from Crystal Springs to Florence taps.
Whether that will remain the case in June 2019 is anyone’s guess after city council members on June 4 rejected a contract proposed by the family that owns the springs.
The DeForest family and Florence are coming to the end of a 99-year lease that allotted water to Florence for $500 per year.
Alta Vista resident Linda Long, one of four siblings in the DeForest family, said the family offered a new 10-year contract at a rate of $6,000 per year.
Inflation rates since 1920 indicate that $500 in 1920 would equal $6,264 in 2018.
Long said the contract, approved by lawyers for both the city and the family, was given to Mayor Bob Gayle in April but not put on a council agenda until this month.
Instead of voting to approve the contract, council member Matt Williams moved to set aside all previous offers and offer to purchase Crystal Springs for $60,000.
(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)
Paramedic training event coming to the fairgrounds
Residents may notice a lot of activity on the Kansas State Fairgrounds soon.
HutchCC EMS education will hold the 13th annual Paramedic Field Ops on June 20. Jason Holland, an instructor with the Hutchinson Community College Fire Science Program, discussed the upcoming event. One hundred volunteers will serve as patients for the training. Holland joked that some volunteers want to be extremely critical so they can get a ride in a helicopter.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Newton’s city-owned golf course, Sand Creek Station, wins award — again
Winning the National Golf Foundation loyalty award is a big accomplishment — and Sand Creek Station has now done it 10 times.
Sand Creek Station took home top honors in the “less than $70” green fee category
“We are very proud of our loyalty index,” said manager Chris Tuohey. “For 10 consecutive years, we have never had a loyalty index percentage below 80 percent of 100. In 2017, our results were 88 percent. Looking at benchmarking against national average, we are about double.”
The national average is about 44 percent.
Tuohey praised his staff as he looks for a place to hang not only an award from the NGF, but from Kemper Sports which is the parent management company of Sand Creek Station.
“There are a lot of great golf courses out there,” Tuohey said. “Truly, it takes people to make a golf course truly special.”
The course is owned by the City of Newton and managed by KemperSports.
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
Marion County sales tax to decrease
Sales tax rates in the county will drop by half a percent July 1, when a five-year-old special tax imposed to build a $3.5 million jail expires.
County Clerk Tina Spencer said the county would continue to collect revenue from the tax in July and August from sales occurring before July 1.
Enough money to pay the bond on the jail, which was completed in September 2012, was collected in March, and the county notified the state to cancel the tax.
“The State of Kansas requires an entire quarter’s notice to cancel the tax at the beginning of the next quarter,” Spencer said.
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)
Marion County Commissioners discuss mental health needs
Less than half of Marion County residents who would benefit from mental health care are receiving treatment.
That’s what Jessie Kaye, president and CEO of Prairie View Mental Health Center, told Marion County commissioners Monday.
Kaye, who has worked with Prairie View for 13 years, said 20 percent of people in Kansas suffer from some form of mental illness. The problem is especially prevalent in Marion County, Kaye said.
Marion County is in the bottom third of the state in per capita funding for community mental health clinics. Marion ranks 71st among the state’s 105 counties, according to data provided by Prairie View.
(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)
New Wichita library prepares for Saturday grand opening
Cynthia Berner, the director of libraries for the City of Wichita, talks about what one might expect to see when the new Advanced Learning Library opens its doors to the public for the first time this weekend.
(Read more: Local News |)
Pittsburg Police Department honored with AAA Safety Award
During a special presentation at the Pittsburg City Commission meeting, Tuesday, June 12, the City of Pittsburg Police Department was honored with the AAA Kansas Community Traffic Safety Award. This is the seventh consecutive year the department has received the award, which recognizes police and sheriff departments around the state for their commitment to traffic safety practices and programs.
AAA Public and Government Affairs Manager Jennifer Haugh presented the award to the officers and commended them on the achievement.
“What is remarkable is that the last six have been platinum awards, the highest award AAA can bestow upon a law enforcement agency,” said Haugh. “No other agency, sheriff or police department has a more consistent track record of excellence than the Pittsburg Police Department.”
The police department received the award for its work to address seat belt usage, its data-driven approach to crime and traffic safety, and its efforts to enforce DUI violations.
Haugh shared statistics to demonstrate the impact these traffic safety improvements have made.
(Read more: City of Pittsburg)
KCC staff, consumer advocates recommend millions in Westar rate cuts
Kansas utility regulators are being urged to reject Westar Energy’s request for a $17.2 million rate increase and instead order the company to cut rates for Kansas customers by $69 million to $125 million.
Those recommendations were made this week in testimony filed by the Kansas Corporation Commission’s own staff and the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board, or CURB, a state agency that represents consumers in utility rate cases.
“CURB’s evidence strongly supports the need to decrease rates for all Westar customers and we hope the KCC will adopt our recommendations in this rate case,” CURB consumer counsel David Nickel said in a statement.
Westar is the largest electric utility in Kansas. It provides service to about 700,000 customers in the state, including customers in Lawrence.
(Read more: LJWorld.com stories)