Derby adjusts policy for financing public improvements

6 Thursday, April 6

Derby adjusts policy for financing public improvements

info2023-04-06T10:44:11-05:00April 6th, 2023|

In an effort to more equitably spread out costs for public improvements such as streets, sewer improvements, etc. – the Derby City Council looked at and approved a new policy resolution at its March 28 meeting. Last updated in 2016, Assistant City Manager for Development Dan Squires presented the adjusted public improvement financing policy on March 28. The policy specifics financial guarantees from developers, the term of special assessment taxes (which help recover part or all of the costs of public improvements) and the cost split between the city-at-large and the developer/benefitting properties. ... Squires pointed out the current policy is [...]

6 Thursday, April 6

Barton County OKs more facade grants

info2023-04-06T10:44:25-05:00April 6th, 2023|

Another set of Barton County Facade Improvement Grant applications were approved by the County Commission Wednesday morning as commissioners harked back on a program that has become a popular one. “We were right in the middle of COVID,” said commission Chairman Shawn Hutchinson, District 3. “The federal government decided that they wanted to give us a whole pot of money. We had to figure out how to redistribute that throughout the county.” They conceived a way to utilize some of the funds to “reinvest it into our main street business owners. “What better way to have a lasting impact on our [...]

6 Thursday, April 6

Hillsboro approves chickens and secure dogs

info2023-04-06T10:45:53-05:00April 6th, 2023|

A proposed new Hillsboro dog ordinance will be considered April 18. The ordinance would change the definition of “securing” a dog in the open bed of a truck. The proposed ordinance also would change who designates a dog to be “dangerous.” Under current ordinance, the designation is made by police, but the proposal changes that to municipal court. ... An ordinance to permit chickens to be kept in town was approved. Residents to keep as many as 10 chickens on a lot of less than 15,000 square feet and one additional chicken for each additional 1,000 square feet. They would have [...]

6 Thursday, April 6

Marion County firefighters battle more than 2 dozen wildfires

info2023-04-06T10:47:07-05:00April 6th, 2023|

County firefighters were kept unusually busy during this past week fighting blazes in dry conditions and high winds. In all, they battled 24 fires through the week, with no fires reported only one day. Many of the fires had rekindled after controlled burns. Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal

6 Thursday, April 6

With the Ogallala Aquifer drying up, Kansas ponders limits to irrigation

info2023-04-06T09:00:53-05:00April 6th, 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. That hasn’t stopped people like Brownie Wilson from trying to [...]

6 Thursday, April 6

Kansas Senate passes constitutional amendment restraining property tax valuations

info2023-04-06T10:48:31-05:00April 6th, 2023|

The resolution asks voters to consider a constitutional prohibition on counties raising property tax valuations by more than 4% in any year. ... Lawmakers have considered ways throughout the session to address rising property values and the tax bills associated with them. The proposed constitutional amendment would limit tax-assessed property values from growing by more than 4% per year. There are exceptions for new construction, changes in property class or when property is transferred to another owner. Source: Kansas Reflector

6 Thursday, April 6

Fire department evacuated residents in north McPherson due to gas leak

info2023-04-06T10:48:46-05:00April 6th, 2023|

The McPherson Fire Department (MFD) evacuated residents on the north side of McPherson due to a gas leak Wednesday night. "Crews on scene for a gas leak," the MFD said in a Facebook post. "Several residents have been evacuated." The MFD says they received a call around 7:20 p.m. for the report of a gas leak in a residential area near the intersection of Oakmont Street and Oak Park Drive. McPherson Fire Department Chief TJ Wyssmann said six homes were evacuated. Source: KSN-TV

6 Thursday, April 6

Resource costs lead Wichita public golf courses to consider membership fee increases

info2023-04-06T08:54:48-05:00April 6th, 2023|

The City of Wichita Golf Board of Governors met on Tuesday to discuss an increase in membership prices for city courses. The decision is still pending an official vote. The plan is to raise adult individual membership costs by $12 and couples by $18. Another change would be increasing the annual equipment replacement fee from $37 to $50. "There's not been money in the golf division to spend on the improvements that need to be made, so it's really across the board," said City of Wichita Golf Director Jesse Coffman. "We're trying to improve all of the golf courses and all [...]

6 Thursday, April 6

Wheat crop struggling with drought and high winds

info2023-04-06T08:53:20-05:00April 6th, 2023|

This will be the second year in a row that some wheat farmers in Kansas will not have a crop. "You look out there, and it's just a fog of dust across there," said Brian Mitchell with Mitfarms. "It's awful." Mitfarms is in western Kansas and is not alone in seeing very dry conditions affecting the wheat crop. KSN Agriculture analyst John Jenkinson says the topsoil across the state is not good this year. Source: KSN-TV

6 Thursday, April 6

Wyandotte’s online tax auction may be hurting residents without internet

info2023-04-06T10:49:37-05:00April 6th, 2023|

For some Wyandotte County residents, the area’s online auctions of property with delinquent taxes, otherwise known as virtual tax sales, have become an unwelcome tradition. The most recent sale was held online through a third party platform on March 28. Homes at least three years behind on taxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Commercial properties delinquent on taxes for at least two years and vacant lots delinquent for at least one year were also tax sale eligible. Critics say that holding the auction virtually instead of in person has hurt access for both elderly constituents and those with poor [...]