Property tax rates vary widely among area counties

When it comes to property taxes, Pottawatomie County is playing in a very different league from either Riley or Geary counties. According to a Manhattan Mercury analysis of government data, Pottawatomie County has three times more taxable property value per person than does Riley County — and nearly four times more than Geary County. That has a major impact on the way local governments go about setting their budgets, an annual exercise that’s happening right now. In essence, it forces tax rates higher in the Manhattan and Junction City areas and helps keep them lower in Pott County to raise the same amount of money to fund government operations.
Source: themercury.com

Ranson Financial2021-07-19T07:27:30-05:00July 18, 2021|News|

Lead exposure risk higher in KS water

People in Missouri and Kansas risk lead exposure from drinking water at greater rates than almost any other state, a new report found. The Natural Resources Defense Council released findings Thursday that as many as 12 million Americans may be receiving drinking water through lead pipes without realizing their water is contaminated. “There is no safe level of lead, which causes irreversible harm to people’s health, particularly for children,” a release announcing the report says. Missouri has the 6th most lead service lines, the pipes that carry water from water mains into residents’ homes, of any state in the U.S., putting it above the far more populous Texas. Only Illinois, Ohio, MIchigan, New York and New Jersey have more lead pipes than Missouri.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2021-07-18T20:01:22-05:00July 18, 2021|News|

Gardner city council increases fines for trucks

The Gardner City Council passed four housekeeping items during their July 6 meeting, including increasing truck route violation fines to $200 per violation. Randy Gregorcyk, council member, said he appreciated the work of Amy Nasta, deputy city administrator, for work on the ordinance. “The best way to get someone’s attention is by getting in their back pocket,” he said. Mark Baldwin, council member, said he wanted to know if they had considered raising fines with first a warning and then escalating exponentially the fines. “For habitual offenders $200 might not be a big deal,” he said.
Source: Gardner News

Ranson Financial2021-07-19T07:28:06-05:00July 18, 2021|News|

City of Wichita vs. Trotter

Municipalities have broad police powers to enact ordinances regulating or restricting certain activities to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The City of Wichita’s after-hours establishment licensing ordinance, Wichita Municipal Ordinance 3.06.030.A., is not unconstitutionally overbroad as its application does not create a realistic danger of significantly compromising Wichitans’ expressive rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Read the full opinion: Kansas Court of Appeals.

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T10:20:43-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

KCC Approves Eskridge Natural Gas Payment Plan

The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved a plan proposed by the City of Eskridge to recover deferred natural gas costs related to last February’s cold snap. Beginning next month, Eskridge utility customers will see a separate, additional charge on their bill assessing $2.54 per one thousand cubic feet for their gas usage. The funds collected will be used to make payments on the 10-year low interest loan the City received from the State Treasurer to pay its $1.1 million February natural gas bill.
Source: WIBW News Now

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T07:27:27-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

Arts commission approves concept for $325,000 art piece for Lawrence police headquarters

A $325,000 public art project for Lawrence’s new police headquarters received an approval from the local arts panel and will now be considered by city leaders. As part of its meeting Wednesday evening, the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission voted 9-0 to recommend the project for approval. The project will now go to the Lawrence City Commission for consideration. Following a national request for qualifications, the city selected Joe O’Connell, of Tucson, Ariz., two years ago from more than 40 artists to create the art at the new police headquarters, 5100 Overland Drive. O’Connell is expected to complete the $325,000 project this year.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T07:16:48-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

City of Lawrence issues cease and desist order for all AT&T projects, cites ‘continuous reckless, illegal, and discourteous behavior’

The City of Lawrence has issued a cease and desist order to AT&T and its subcontractors for all active projects in the city because of numerous complaints and what the city describes as reckless behavior. In a news release Thursday, the city states that all right-of-way permits applied for by AT&T and its contractors will be denied until further notice. The release states that the city has received numerous complaints from residents and the other utilities operating in city right-of-way areas regarding the behavior of AT&T and its contractors. In the cease and desist order, the city states that the city has received complaints from residents and other public utility companies on “numerous occasions” regarding AT&T’s “continuous reckless, illegal, and discourteous behavior within the City.” The order states the main problem is AT&T and its contractors working in the right of way without having properly performed utility location.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T07:16:05-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

Wichita to revive its downtown with unique ‘Midwestern placemaking’ design

… local business and city leaders are looking to the future after launching the new “Front Porch Project” through a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Wichita’s project will pair artists and local businesses to create “front porches,” or outdoor extensions of their business, building on a Midwestern placemaking concept that is an integral part of the community. The project, created by Downtown Wichita, a local nonprofit, in partnership with the city of Wichita is among more than 60 projects set to receive NEA funding nationwide that will integrate arts, culture and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical or social outcomes. … The “Front Porch Project” also builds on a finding that local officials had determined early on in the pandemic: outdoor spaces can be critical to the livelihood of a business.
Source: Smart Cities Dive

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T07:13:25-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

Local and state school boards grapple with critical race theory as national debate comes to Kansas

Haven, Kansas, is about the last place most people would expect a debate on critical race theory. The small town of 1,200 people halfway between Hutchinson and Wichita is a far cry from New York City or Chicago or other larger districts that have rethought the teaching of issues of race and American history — moves that have embittered conservative lawmakers nationally. But as the debate surrounding CRT, primarily taught at institutions of higher learning, has divided educators, legislators and parents, one member of the Haven Unified School District 312 board decided they needed to take a stand.
Source: CJonline.com.

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T07:04:43-05:00July 16, 2021|News|

Panel: Review use of American Indian mascots

A commission tapped by Gov. Laura Kelly to probe racial equity in Kansas has recommended schools in the state “review and eliminate” the use of American Indian mascots, nicknames or imagery. The guidance from the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice is voluntary but comes as many schools throughout the state are reevaluating mascots that many consider to be offensive and derogatory. The move wasn’t unexpected, as many members advocated for the recommendation during a recent meeting of the commission dedicated to the subject.
Source: Salina Journal.

Ranson Financial2021-07-16T06:58:47-05:00July 16, 2021|News|