TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel is pleased to announce the new child welfare grantees. The new Case Management grant was divided into eight catchment areas, whereas in the current structure, there are only four catchment areas. The new Case Management providers are:

• Catchment Area 1—Saint Francis Ministries (previously known as Saint Francis Community Services)
• Catchment Area 2—Saint Francis Ministries
• Catchment Area 3—KVC Kansas
• Catchment Area 4—TFI
• Catchment Area 5—Cornerstones of Care
• Catchment Area 6—KVC Kansas
• Catchment Area 7—Saint Francis Ministries
• Catchment Area 8—TFI

The Family Preservation grant catchment areas will continue to align with the four DCF Regions—West, Wichita, Kansas City and East. The new Family Preservation providers are:

• West Region—Eckerd Connects
• Wichita Region—Eckerd Connects
• East Region—Eckerd Connects
• Kansas City Region—Cornerstones of Care

Currently, there are two providers providing both Case Management and Family Preservation services to the entire state. Moving forward, there will be four Case Management providers and two Family Preservation providers.

DCF posted the child welfare RFP’s May 31, which included substantial changes from the current child welfare contracts. DCF developed the improved child welfare grants to address known issues within the Kansas foster care system after receiving input from the public, legislators and stakeholders.

“The new child welfare grants include substantial changes—we are putting Kansas children and families first and emphasizing contractor accountability and oversight,” DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel said. “We carefully designed the new grants to positively change the landscape of child welfare in Kansas, and just as purposefully, we chose providers we believed would best serve the needs of children and families.”

DCF awarded the new child welfare grants following an extensive and robust review process. Two internal DCF teams, consisting of DCF staff from across the state, analyzed and blind-scored each bid submission offsite for three days at the end of August. The agency then entered negotiations with bidders in September, and continued internal discussions into October.

As part of the bid process, each applicant was required to submit a six-month transition plan in order to establish a seamless changeover and continuity of services for Kansas children and families. In addition, DCF has formed internal oversight teams to help support the current and future providers as they transition. The agency is also seeking feedback, both internally and externally, from those who have experienced a contract change before to ensure a smooth transition. To share suggestions, concerns or thoughts, visit http://www.dcf.ks.gov/Agency/pubcomments/Pages/Child-Welfare-Grant-Transition.aspx.

“I am confident that services to Kansas children and families will improve with the new child welfare grants because we have removed conflicts of interest and increased competition, bringing more providers to the table to provide quality, timely services,” Governor Jeff Colyer said. “These new grants will serve as the foundation for enacting true reform in Kansas child welfare.”

Transitions will start January 2019 and the new providers will begin serving Kansas children and families July 1, 2019.

Governor’s Water Conference Deadline Fast Approaching

The Conference Agenda Has Been Posted on the Kansas Water Office Website

The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas will be Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14, at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Manhattan, Kansas. Registration price increases after November 1.

This is the seventh year for the conference and building off last year’s success, there will be keynotes in the morning on Day 1 including Tom Kula, Executive Director of North Texas Municipal Water District, Tim Hardman, World Wildlife Fund and breakout sessions in the afternoon.

The conference topics include:

• Reservoir Management to Meet Growing Demands
• Market Forces That Influence Conservation and Management Practices
• Infrastructure for the Future
• Water Technology Farms and Ogallala Aquifer Impacts
• Kansas Water Vision Implementation
• Why Does Navigation Matter to Kansas

The fourth Water Legacy Award will be presented at the conference Tuesday morning and ‘Be the Vision’ nominees will be recognized as well.

To view the brochure for a current list of speakers and panelists visit: www.kwo.ks.gov

Day two will build on the water policy, funding and vision implementation discussions from the previous day with technical presentation talks and posters. Graduate and undergraduate students will also present their research.

Anyone who has an interest in our state’s water resources, legislators, water managers, state, federal, city and county officials as well as scientists, organizations and agricultural producers are all welcome and encouraged to attend.

Registration is available online at www.kwo.ks.gov. The deadline for regular pricing is November 1! Conference details, brochure, speakers, sponsors and hotel information can be found online as well.

The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is hosted by the KWO, K-State /Kansas Water Resource Institute. Major sponsors for the event include Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

If accommodations are needed for persons with disabilities, please notify the KWO, (785) 296-3185, at least five working days prior to the meeting.

Fiscal year tax collections exceed previous year by $183.49 million

TOPEKA—Fiscal year tax collections have exceeded previous year’s totals by $183.49 million according to data from the latest revenue report released Thursday.

Fiscal year 2019 tax collections so far total $2.20 billion, exceeding estimates by $105.60 million.

October tax collections were up $10.71 million, or 2.14 percent over last year. October’s tax collections exceeded expectations for the month by $6.99 million.

Individual income tax collections in October totaled $242.29 million which is $12.88 million or 5.61 percent above the same time last year. October sales tax collections fell short of last October’s collections by $3.88 million.