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Government, Kansas

Broadband Acceleration Grant Announced

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Governor Laura Kelly Announces Broadband Acceleration Grant Program Submission Window

TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced the application window for Broadband Acceleration Grant Program submissions.

“Access to high-speed internet is critical for Kansans to access health care, education, and compete in an increasingly digital economy,” Governor Kelly said. “My administration is committed to getting every Kansas home and business connected. I encourage anyone who qualifies to apply for this round of Broadband Acceleration Grants.”

The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program is critical in Kansas’ plan to address broadband gaps statewide. Funds will be targeted to areas that are unlikely to receive broadband service without state or federal funding support.

Launched in 2020, the program is poised to invest $85 million over 10 years to bridge the digital divide in Kansas, thanks to broadband modernization funding provided by the Kelly Administration’s bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).

Applicants may make a maximum grant request of $1 million that requires a 50% match for the construction of high quality, reliable broadband infrastructure in Kansas. The program prioritizes applications that address unserved areas, economically distressed communities and areas with compelling needs. The deadline for the intent to apply is Friday, January 14, 2022, with final applications due by noon on February 11, 2022.

“Broadband Acceleration Grants are a powerful tool to provide more Kansans with the high-speed internet they need to compete economically and improve their quality of life,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland said.  “We will continue building partnerships with innovative, visionary organizations on projects that give Kansas communities an edge now and well into the future.”

“The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program is one of the key building blocks we have put in place at the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) to accelerate broadband expansion across the state and build upon the work we completed as part of the pandemic response programs,” KOBD Director Stanley Adams said. “We’ve long known of the significant digital divide in Kansas, and the pandemic reinforced what we need to do. We are prepared to seize the opportunity to connect every Kansan with the broadband access they need and deserve.”

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development will host the first webinar on the grant opportunity at 1 p.m. Thursday, December 16. Additional webinar opportunities are planned for January.

To submit your intent to apply, please click here.

For program information and webinar opportunities click here.

Since the summer of 2020, Governor Kelly’s efforts have spurred more than $75 million of total investment in broadband infrastructure in Kansas to address pandemic health, education and business challenges and spur community and economic development. The first program, the Connectivity Emergency Response Grant funded through the state SPARK program, generated more than $65 million in total investment through 66 broadband infrastructure projects completed across the state. Impacting rural communities in 74 of Kansas’ 105 counties, the program improved the availability of broadband access for more than 51,000 households, businesses and municipalities. The initial year of the Broadband Acceleration Grant invested an additional $10 million in state broadband grants and matching funds.

About the Kansas Office of Broadband Development

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development was established in 2020 by Governor Laura Kelly to help ensure all Kansans have the opportunity to live, work, learn and compete in a global economy by improving universal access to quality, affordable and reliable broadband.

About the Kansas Department of Commerce

As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas in 2021 was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award and was named Site Selection Magazine’s Best Business Climate in the West North Central region of the United States. Find the Department’s strategic plan for economic growth here: Kansas Framework for Growth.

Fort Scott, Government

City of Fort Scott Admin Offices Closed Dec. 24-27

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The City of Fort Scott Administrative Offices will be closed on Friday, December 24th and Monday, December 27th, 2021 in observance of the Christmas Holiday. The offices will reopen on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021.

The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill will also be closed on Saturday, December 25th, 2021 for the Christmas holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Kansas

Excessive Wind Closes Highways in Kansas

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Winds extend I-70 closure, many more highways

closed across the state
As of about 3:50 p.m., the Kansas Department of Transportation has extended the westbound I-70 closure from Salina to the Colorado state line, the eastbound closure continues on I-70 from Goodland to Russell.

Numerous other highways in western and south central Kansas are also closed because of low visibility from blowing dust and crashes blocking the roadways. The map below highlights the closures.

Most of the highways closed earlier this afternoon continued to be closed to the traveling public.

Additional closures should be expected to continue into the evening. For up-to-date information on road closures and road conditions, visit www.kandrive.org, or call 511 in Kansas or 866-511-5368 outside Kansas.

Map

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Kansas

Heavy Winds are Causing Power Outages

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Evergy Crews Responding as Windy Conditions Persist

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Dec. 15, 2021 – Due to heavy winds across Kansas and Missouri, Evergy crews are responding to power outages to restore power to affected customers. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, outages were limited and scattered, but gusty winds (up to 70 mph) are expected to become more intense through midnight Wednesday.

Proactive maintenance work, including tree trimming, helps reduce the impact of storms and wind on the power grid, but prolonged or extreme winds still pose a threat to the power grid and may cause outages.

Customers are encouraged to take steps to prepare for potential outages. Keep phones and other electronics charged. Have flashlights, batteries, water and non-perishable food on hand, as well as a communication plan for family members to connect if an emergency situation occurs.

Customers may report outages at Evergy.com. They also may sign up for outage text alerts when their account is registered online. Evergy’s automated outage reporting lines can accept thousands of calls per hour to serve customers in need.. Outages may be reported by phone at:

    • Evergy Central 1-800-LIGHTKS (800-544-4857) or
    • Evergy Metro, Missouri West 1-888-LIGHTKC (888-544-4852)

Coming into contact, even indirectly, with a power line can cause extreme injury and could be fatal. High winds and storms could cause tree limbs to blow into power lines or result in downed powerlines. If a branch or other debris is in contact with a power line, do not attempt to remove it. Assume downed power lines are energized and keep a distance of at least 10 feet from them. If a downed line is in a heavily trafficked area, report it to 9-1-1. Downed lines can also be reported via Evergy’s outage reporting lines.

 

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Government, Health Care, Kansas

KDHE Launches New Initiatives to Address Maternal Mortality

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TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health to receive funding as part of the State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal Partnership Programs to Reduce Maternal Deaths due to Violence. Additionally, KDHE, in partnership with Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KPQC), has been accepted to enroll into the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) for the October 2021 cohort. The Kansas maternal mortality rate of 14.8 (2014-2018) is 29.8% higher than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 11.4 maternal deaths per 100,0000 live births. These initiatives will help address the urgent matter of maternal mortality in Kansas.

“These initiatives will provide vital education and training to patients and providers across the state of Kansas,” said Janet Stanek Acting Secretary. “We are thankful for the ongoing collaboration with our partners across the state to implement these key initiatives to help in reducing the maternal mortality rate.”

Maternal Anti-Violence Innovation and Sharing Project

Through Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (KMMRC) case reviews of maternal deaths in Kansas between 2016-2018, homicide was the second leading cause of maternal deaths with substance use disorder and/or mental health contributing to more than half of all pregnancy-associated deaths.

KDHE will work collaboratively with partners at the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV), Kansas Connecting Communities (KCC), the KPQC and the KMMRC to launch the Maternal Anti-Violence Innovation and Sharing (MAVIS) Project to reduce maternal deaths in Kansas due to homicide and suicide.

The MAVIS Project will continue to build and expand on the success of the KMMRC to gather additional data related to violent maternal deaths. Additionally, the MAVIS Project will provide cross-training to perinatal care providers and domestic violence service providers related to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, perinatal substance use and intimate partner violence.

Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health

KMMRC has determined that approximately one in four deaths of women during or within one year of pregnancy were pregnancy-related, and over 90% of these deaths were preventable.

The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health will implement a maternal quality initiative project based on their Postpartum Discharge Transition Patient Safety Bundle. It offers a national forum to exchange innovative ideas and a resource for continuous improvement in maternal safety and quality.

Additional Maternal Health Initiatives

KDHE has partnered with KPQC to launch the Fourth Trimester Initiative (FTI), a statewide effort focused on improving maternal health and decreasing maternal morbidity and mortality for all Kansas mothers. FTI uses a three-pronged collaborative approach to address maternal health by including the patient, private and public sectors in education and awareness efforts, including over 25 birthing facilities across the state.

KDHE’s Maternal Warning Signs Initiative (MWS), a component of the FTI project, provides patient, partner and community education throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period on key topics such as the signs of preterm birth and stillbirth, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and warning signs of life-threatening pregnancy-related complications.

More information on maternal and child health is available on our website, kdheks.gov/c-f/mch.htm.

Bourbon County, Government

Press Release on Bourbon County Tax Statement Error

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The Bourbon County Commission, Treasurer, Clerk, and Appraiser are providing this statement to inform taxpayers that the most recent tax statement mailed had an error on the USD 234 Recreation levied amount.

USD 234 Recreation published a levy of 2.612. When the abstract was produced the actual levy used was 4.437. The increase in the USD 234 Recreation levy will affect only those residents residing in the USD 234 school district.

Why did this happen?

Unfortunately, the increase in the levy was due to a clerical error when completing the levy abstract and the timing of notice from the State of Kansas.

The budget and levying process involves many units of government at the local and county levels. Senate Bill 13 and Senate Sub for House Bill 2104 changed the way that tax entities in the state of Kansas were required to report budgets for 2022.

Generally, County officials have from August 25th to November 1st to work through budgets, assessed valuation changes, mortgages, levied funds and any changes from the taxing entities. With the new law, county officials lost 30 working days as they only had October 1st to November 1st to work through changes of entities exceeding the revenue neutral rate and get a certified approval from the State. Below is a recap of the changes in the law:

  1. County Clerk will provide to taxing subdivisions on or before June 15 of each year their revenue neutral rate and include said rate on the notice of the estimated assessed valuation provided to each taxing subdivision for budget purposes.
  2. No tax rate in excess of the revenue neutral rate shall be levied by the governing body of any taxing subdivision unless a resolution or ordinance has been approved by the governing body according to the following procedures:
  3. At least 10 days in advance of the public hearing, the governing body shall publish notice of its proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate by publishing notice: (A) On the website of the governing body, if the governing body maintains a website; and (B) in a weekly or daily newspaper of the county having a general circulation therein. The notice shall include, but not be limited to, its proposed tax rate, its revenue neutral rate and the date, time and location of the public hearing.
  4. On or before July 20, the governing body shall notify the county clerk of its proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate and provide the date, time and location of the public hearing and its proposed tax rate.
  5. The public hearing to consider exceeding the revenue neutral rate shall be held not sooner than August 20 and not later than September 20. The governing body shall provide interested taxpayers desiring to be heard an opportunity to present oral testimony within reasonable time limits and without unreasonable restriction on the number of individuals allowed to make public comment. The public hearing may be conducted in conjunction with the proposed budget hearing pursuant to K.S.A. 79-2929, and amendments thereto, if the governing body otherwise complies with all requirements of this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit additional public hearings that provide additional opportunities to present testimony or public comment prior to the public hearing required by this section.
  6. A majority vote of the governing body, by the adoption of a resolution or ordinance to approve exceeding the revenue neutral rate, shall be required prior to adoption of a proposed budget that will result in a tax rate in excess of the revenue neutral rate. Such vote of the governing body shall be conducted at the public hearing after the governing body has heard from interested taxpayers. If the governing body approves exceeding the revenue neutral rate, the governing body shall not adopt a budget that results in a tax rate in excess of its proposed tax rate as stated in the notice provided pursuant to this section.
  1. Any governing body subject to the provisions of this section that does not comply with subsection (b) shall refund to taxpayers any property taxes over-collected based on the amount of the levy that was in excess of the revenue neutral rate. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed as prohibiting any other remedies available under the law.
  2. If the governing body of a taxing subdivision must conduct a public hearing to approve exceeding the revenue neutral rate under this section, the governing body of the taxing subdivision shall certify, on or before October 1, to the proper county clerk the amount of ad valorem tax to be levied.
  3. After the first two years, in the event that a county clerk incurred costs of printing and postage that were not reimbursed pursuant to section 7, and amendments thereto, such county clerk may seek reimbursement from all taxing subdivisions required to send the notice. Such costs shall be shared proportionately by all taxing subdivisions that were included on the same notice based on the total property tax levied by each taxing subdivision. Payment of such costs shall be due to the county clerk by December 31.

Once budgets are forwarded to the county, the county clerk enters each taxing entities levies and budgets to be certified to the State of Kansas. Unfortunately, in order to get tax statements processed, statements were sent to the printers before hearing back from the State of Kansas. Bourbon County received notice of the error on December 6th. At this point in the process, tax statements had already been mailed and unable to be corrected.

What does this mean for taxpayers?

Bourbon County will collect the taxes at the higher rate and make a distribution to USD 234 Recreation. USD 234 Recreation will hold these funds in their account until the next taxing year. The additional revenue generated will be considered cash carryover and will automatically reduce the amount of taxes levied during the next budgeted year. The amount of taxes levied for the 2023 budget year will result in a levy lower than the adopted levy of 2.612 for 2022.

How much will my taxes increase?

A house that appraises at $50,000 will see an increase of approximately $10 for the year. A house that appraises at $150,000 will see an increase of approximately $31 for the year.

 

Contact Information

620.223.3800

County Commissioners:

Lynne Oharah – 1st District

Jim Harris – 2nd District

Clifton Beth – 3rd District

County Clerk: Ashley Shelton

County Treasurer: Patty Love

County Appraiser: Matt Quick
Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD234 Press Release for Dec. 13

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Fort Scott Middle School, 2019.

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, December 13, 2021, for their regular monthly meeting.

President James Wood opened the meeting.  The board approved the official agenda.  The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:

 

A.    Minutes

B.    Bills and Claims

C.    Payroll – November 19, 2021 – $1,470,719.34

D.    Financial Report

E.     Activity fund accounts­­­­­­

F.     Donation of wrestling mats

G.    High School Swim Team fundraising applications

H.    Increase in adult meal prices for breakfast and lunch

 

Jamie Armstrong, outgoing board member, was recognized for her years of service.  There were no comments in the public forum section.  Brenda Hill, Fort Scott KNEA President, shared information with the board.  Principals from each building shared written reports.  Ted Hessong, Superintendent, gave a report.  In addition, Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.

Andrea Scott, Fort Scott Preschool Center Principal, gave a presentation on the Fort Scott Preschool Center.  Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting.   The board approved the following employment items:

A.    Resignation of Kaytelynd Keller, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, effective November 16, 2021

B.    Retirement of Alvin Metcalf, Sr., middle school teacher aide and middle school coach, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

C.    Resignation of Lacey Graham, bus driver, effective November 3, 2021

D.    Retirement of Pamela Milton, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

E.     Resignation of Alexandra VanSickle, Winfield Scott first grade teacher, effective December 16, 2021

F.     Resignation of Maggie Johnston, high school paraprofessional, effective November 23, 2021

G.    Resignation of Annyssa Davenport, high school paraprofessional, effective December 16, 2021

H.    Resignation of Gregg Sweet, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective December 10, 2021

I.      Leave of absence request from Caitlin Shrewsbury, Eugene Ware third grade teacher

J.      Change in work agreement for Wendy Budd, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, from a 7.5-hour day to an 8-hour day for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

K.    Employment of Judith Davis as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

L.     Employment of Adrianne Wisdom as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

M.   Employment of Charlie Hensley as a high school auto tech teacher aide for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

N.    Employment of Jennifer Herring as a Winfield Scott 6.5-hour cook for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year; Employment of Jennifer Herring as a 2-hour bus driver for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

O.    Employment of Shaunn Pytlowany as a four-hour bus driver for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

P.     Resignation of Tyler Bell, high school assistant wrestling coach, for the 2021-22 school year; resignation of Abigail Duffy, high school JV volleyball coach, effective November 8, 2021; resignation of Kelli Davis, high school freshman volleyball coach, effective November 8, 2021

Q.    Employment of Brendon Blackburn as a high school assistant wrestling coach for the 2021-22 school year

R.    Employment of Tyler Ericson as a Winfield Scott first grade teacher for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

 

The board adjourned.