Art and creative activities all over town will welcome visitors to Lucas on Friday, April 1. The theme of the day is “Friday Follies” and will include opportunities to meet artists, local art site tours, hands-on art activities, an art show and sale, along with lunch and even fortune telling and live music. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Coming off a Tuesday afternoon meeting where the Barton County Planning Commission and tow truck operator Larry Marshall hammered out a compromise, the County Commission Wednesday morning OKed rezoning and conditional-use permit allowing Marshall to operate a salvage yard in a rural residential area west of Great Bend. “This reminds me of why I am so proud to be a Barton County resident,” said commission Chairman Shawn Hutchinson, District 3, who attended the Planning Commission meeting a day earlier. “Because when neighbors get together, it doesn’t matter how far we’ve been driven apart, there’s always some common ground that can be [...]

To better cover the rising costs of upkeep for Barton County owned and operated memorial parks and cemeteries north of Great Bend, the County Commission Wednesday morning OKed an increase in plot fees. These apply to both Golden Belt Memorial Park and Hillcrest Cemetery located on NW 50 Road. “The regulations were last passed in 2015,” Register of Deeds Pam Wornkey said. Due to the continuous increase in expenses to maintain and keep things up at the memorial park and cemetery, she suggested the price increase from $250 to $350 for all plots. Plot recording fees will remain the same because [...]

For the first time since 1995, Barton County has a new county clerk. Bev Schmeidler was sworn in Tuesday morning by her retiring predecessor, Donna Zimmerman, at a ceremony in the County Commission chamber. Source: Great Bend Tribune

The Barton County Commission emerged after a day-long special meeting Wednesday dominated by hours of closed-door meetings without selecting a new county administrator. It is anticipated a decision will come when commissioners meet for their regular weekly meeting this coming Tuesday morning. The Wednesday meeting was called to conduct interviews with administrator candidates. These were conducted in executive session over the course of Wednesday morning and afternoon. Commissioners reconvened in open session at 3:15 p.m. following the final interview only to go back into closed session to discuss the results of the discussions. They ruled out making a selection Wednesday because [...]

Earlier this year, some riders on the Bird rental scooters used the wheels to vandalize the newly resurfaced tennis courts at Veterans Memorial Park. As repairs start this week, City Council members want those responsible held accountable. Source: Great Bend Tribune

The Great Bend Public Library has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Kansas Library Association to support staff health and wellness. This grant was made possible through a 2019 gift from the Kansas Health Foundation to the Kansas Library Association. The installation of artificial turf at the Great Bend Sports Complex “is moving along very well,” City Administrator Kendal Francis said in an update to the City Council Monday night. The City of Great Bend received its most recent tax distributions from the Kansas Department of Revenue and the numbers looked promising, City Administrator Kendal Francis told the City Council [...]

Voters in Great Bend approved three retail sales tax additions Tuesday. A sales tax was also approved in Ellinwood. Collection of the new taxes will commence on April 1, 2022. ... The City of Great Bend sought a total 0.45% retail sales tax increase, divided into three propositions. This raises the city sale tax to 1.2%. Added to the state sales tax of 6.5% and the Barton County sales tax of 1.0%, the total after April 1, 2022 will be 8.7%. Proposition 1 (Yes: 1,067 - No: 884) will impose a permanent 0.15% city-wide sales tax “to pay the costs of [...]

In recapping last week’s Kansas Association Of Counties annual meeting, Barton County officials who attended returned with a handful of key takeaways, and the review of these led to passionate discussion amongst county commissioners when they met Tuesday morning at the courthouse.... In addition to the educational workshops and vendor exhibits, the KAC’s Legislative Policy Statement was finalized. It was the soft-handed tone of this statement that sparked frustrations for commissioners. “The KAC needs to be tougher on the state,” said District 3 Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson, who was Barton County’s voting delegate and attended along with District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. [...]

There was a reason Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis chose to hold its latest Kendal’s Koffee Friday morning in the garage of the Police Station. The aging Williams Street facility stands at the epicenter of the city’s trio of sales tax initiatives to appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Santa and Mrs. Claus joined The Men Motorcycle Club and friends Saturday for Great Bend’s annual Toy Run. Admission to the parade was a donation of cash or a toy, so local children will have presents for Christmas. Source: Great Bend Tribune