Category Archives: Fort Scott
Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson February 6, 2026
Property Tax Relief – Senate and House Leaders, including the tax committee chairmen, met on Monday to lay the groundwork and coordinate moving on property tax reform. Two key initiatives were discussed: the Cap Assessment Protection (CAP) Amendment, SCR 1616, and a revenue cap proposal that would limit increases to no more than 3% without a vote of the people. Implementing both caps is designed to deliver taxpayer protection – shielding taxpayers from sudden, steep tax hikes; transparency – eliminating hidden tax increases that occur when property assessment values skyrocket even when mill rates stay flat or decline; predictability – giving families, farmers, and small business owners a reliable way to budget for future tax bills.
The CAP Amendment is ready for debate on the Senate floor, and the House will begin committee work on a revenue limit measure. However, some special interest groups are working to kill the progress. Certain lobbyists claim SCR 1616 isn’t a “true” tax cut – a claim that ignores the amendment’s 2022 baseline value, which lowers the growth trajectory for everyone. Opponents of SCR 1616 are attempting to block your right to decide. Because it is a constitutional amendment, passage by the Legislature doesn’t change the law – it puts the decision in your hands at the ballot box. You should have the option to vote on the 3% or less Property Tax CAP Amendment. While the CAP Amendment and the revenue limit are still in the early stages of the legislative process, these proposals represent significant structural property tax protections.
Current law requires revenue neutral letters so that you’re notified of any increases and have an opportunity to be heard in a public meeting before the governing body increases your taxes, forcing transparency. This combined with the CAP Amendment and revenue limits, will have meaningful safeguards. Together, these measures would create one of the strongest systems in the country for protecting taxpayers from sudden and excessive property tax increases, while also increasing transparency and accountability in the process.
Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission secrecy will end if SB 299 becomes law. The bill bars any rule that blocks public access to its records. It requires disclosure of the commission’s files, including nominees’ names and hometowns, while keeping background‑checks and sensitive financial information confidential. SB 299 passed unanimously and was sent to the House for consideration.
Unclaimed Cremated Remains could be released or respectfully disposed of after three years by a coroner if HB 2331 becomes law. It also sets special procedures for veterans’ remains, codifies current education requirements for licensed embalmers and funeral directors, and creates a felony for intentionally moving a body to conceal a death or another crime. The bill was amended again to allow all required continuing education hours for embalmers and funeral directors to be completed online, instead of requiring at least 3 hours of in-person training. That change has drawn concern from some funeral homes and is still to be decided. The bill passed unanimously and was returned to the House, which will decide whether to accept the Senate changes or call for a conference committee to negotiate the changes.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
Human Resource Roundtable: Discuss Current/Relevant Topics In The Workplace on Feb. 11
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Memorial Hall Improvement Project Slated for Completion By Years End
Fort Scott’s Memorial Hall is over 100 years old, and the exterior requires improvement.
The City of Fort Scott received a Community Development Block Grant, administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce in July 2025, for an exterior improvement project on Memorial Hall, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The competitive grant is in the amount of $582,000, with a local city match of $184,484, for a total estimated project cost of $766,484.
“The 15–18-month project period began when we received notification of the grant award in July of 2025, so barring any need for extensions along the way and taking all aspects of the process into consideration, we can anticipate that the Memorial Hall project could be completed around the end of 2026,” said Mary Wyatt, Fort Scott’s Planning, Housing, and Business Development Director.
The process
“The scope of this project includes: replacement of all windows throughout Memorial Hall, miscellaneous tuck pointing to seal up the exterior of the building, and replacement of a small area of roof that is leaking,” she said. “The scope of this project was developed to completely seal the exterior of Memorial Hall to protect against any future precipitation and moisture from entering the building and causing damage.”
“We are currently waiting for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to give us their clearance,” she said. They are the last piece of the environmental review process of the CDBG grant.”
“Once we have that approval from SHPO to move forward, the completed environmental review will be presented for signature at a City Commission meeting.”
“After the environmental review is signed, we must publish a notice in the newspaper that will require a 15-day comment period.”
“Next, there will be an additional document that Mayor Salsbury will be requested to sign, and then all of the grant paperwork in its entirety can be submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for review.”
“Once our environmental review is approved by the Kansas Department of Commerce, we will then have the clearance to begin seeking bids for the construction aspect of this project.”
“State grants such as the CDGG program have very detailed steps and reporting processes, then we factor in this particular project being for a historic building, which adds that additional review step from SHPO, so all in all it can take some time.”
“We are so immensely grateful to the Kansas Department of Commerce for providing grant opportunities like CDBG that allow smaller communities such as Fort Scott to apply. Programs like these give our rural Kansas community the chance to take on a project of this magnitude that we would not otherwise have had the financial resources for without the assistance of these State grant programs.”
History of Memorial Hall
“Memorial Hall was constructed in 1925 and dedicated to ‘Those men and women who gave their lives serving our country in World War I’ and was rededicated in 2001 to ‘All of the men and women who have served, are now serving or will serve in the Armed Forces of the United States of America,'” she said.
“Memorial Hall has been utilized for such a wide range of activities and events over the past 100 years that it has stood proudly in our community. Currently and in recent years, Memorial Hall has been utilized for Old Fort Genealogical Society of Southeastern Kansas headquarters, Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters, American Legion Post 25 headquarters, community concerts, comedians, Good Ol Day events, weddings, birthdays, fundraiser events, Boy Scout events, and bingo which, is regularly hosted by the American Legion. We also hosted a 100-year celebration of Memorial Hall in September of 2025.”
“In past years and decades, Memorial Hall has been used for City Commission meetings and City Hall department headquarters, conventions, graduations, basketball games, roller skating activities, a circus event, and in the 1990’s it hosted a show called from Branson to Broadway. Andre the Giant even wrestled Mad Dog Harley Race inside those historic walls! When I was in middle school 30 years ago, I had fond memories of our choir and orchestra concerts being hosted in the beautiful auditorium with the phenomenal acoustics the space provides. This list, as vast as it is, does not fully cover all of the meaningful community gatherings and events that have occurred within this incredible community facility that Fort Scott is so very lucky to have.”
Mary Wyatt’s office is located at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street
Fort Scott, KS 66701
She can be reached at 620-418-5107 (Cell) or
620-223-0550 (Office)
Agenda For USD234 Board of Education Meeting on Feb. 9 at Ware Elementary School
The next USD 234 Board of Education Meeting be held at Eugene Ware Elementary, 900 E 3rd St. It will be Monday, February 9th at 5:30PM.
Unified School District 234
424 South Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697 www.usd234.org
620-223-0800 Fax 620-223-2760
BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING
February 9, 2026 – 5:30 P.M. AGENDA SUMMARY PUBLIC
- Call Meeting to Order David Stewart, President
- Flag Salute
- Approval of the Official Agenda (Action Item)
- Approval of the Consent Agenda (Action Item)
- Board Minutes
01-12-26
- Financials – Cash Flow Report
- Check Register
- Payroll – January 20, 2026 – $1,801,674.26
- Activity Funds Accounts
- USD 234 Gifts
- Leadership Reports (Information/Discussion Item)
- New Business
- Resolution 25-16 Healthy Kansas Farm to School Program – Information, Overview, School Implementation Plan, Implementation Grant
- Long-Range Financial Planning (Information Only)
- Property Acquisition
Enter Executive Session – Property for High School Overflow
- Public Forum
- Other Business – Personnel Matters
- Enter Executive Session – Personnel Matters #1 (Action Item)
- Enter Executive Session – Personnel Matters #2 (Action Item)
- Adjourn Meeting (Time) David Stewart, President
FS Stamp Club Meeting Feb. 14
Pancakes and Groundhog (Sausage) Fundraiser at Southern Baptist Church on Feb. 7
FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH,
1818 S MAIN, FORT SCOTT KS
INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR OUR 7TH ANNUAL
“ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES WITH A SERVING OF GROUNDHOG (SAUSAGE)
AND OR ALL YOU CAN EAT BISCUITS WITH GROUNDHOG GRAVY.
DINE IN OR CARRY OUT
BID ON OUR SILENT AUCTION BASKETS
FEBRUARY 7, 2026 FROM 8:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M.
CHILDREN 7 AND UNDER FREE, 8 TO ADULT $6.00 IN ADVANCE OR
$7.00 AT THE DOOR
FOR ADVANCED TICKETS CONTACT
IDA FORD 417-262-3948 OR
TERRI WILLIAMS 620-215-3202.
**All proceeds to go FSBC Building Fund
Buck Run: A New Public Sauna Available The End of February
The Buck Run Community Center will begin offering a new service to our community.
And with the snow and frigid temps, this new service is perfectly timed.
A new sauna is being installed in the facility and will be used by the staff at first, to get to know the unit, and then it will be available to the public at the end of February.
Thirty-minute limits will be placed on users of the unit, said Katie Chipman, office manager of the center.
The infrared sauna is for one person at a time and is being installed in a small room near the front lobby.
Several people who work out in the fitness center have asked about the availability of a sauna, and “it’s something Lucas has wanted to do since he’s been the manager,” she said.
“It is funded through the Steele Foundation Trust that donates money to the Community Center each year,” said Lucas Kelley, manager of the center.
The sauna will include built-in Bluetooth speakers, an easy-to-use control panel, and chromotherapy options.
Chromotherapy is a method of treatment that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases, according to
The infrared light in the sauna is designed to support healing and revitalization, according to info that Kelley provided.
“The Sauna will open later this month after we finish the final touches,” Kelley said.
It will be available during the center’s regular business hours:
Sunday – 1-5PM
Monday 5 AM – 9 PM
Tuesday 8 AM – 9 PM
Wednesday 5 AM – 9 PM Thursday 8 AM – 9 PM Friday 5 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 8 AM – 5 PM
Call 620-223-0386 for more information.
Amended Ft.Scott Commission Agenda
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR
MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
City Hall Commission Room – 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
February 3, 2026 – 6:00 P.M.
AMENDED
- Call to Order
- Pledge of Allegiance
III. Invocation
- Approval of Agenda
- Consent Agenda
- Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1401-A – Expense Approval Report –
Payment Dates of January 15, 2026 – January 27, 2026 – $420,842.25
- Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting of January 20, 2026
- Public Comment
VII. Appearances
- Stephen Mitchell – IT Update
VIII. Unfinished Business – ADDITION OF ITEM
- Status update of Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure at 602 S. Barbee – L. Kruger
- New Business
Public Hearings:
- Consideration of RESOLUTION NO. 9-2026 RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 310 N. CLEVELAND – L. Kruger
- Consideration of RESOLUTION NO. 10-2026 A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 601 S. LITTLE – L. Kruger
Action Items:
- Status update of 18 S. HOLBROOK – Tabled from November 18, 2025 – L. Kruger
REMOVAL OF ITEM
- Consideration of changes to Ordinance No. 3793 – AN ORDINANCE REGULATING PUBLIC OFFENSES WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, KSANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE FOR KANSAS CITIES, 41ST EDITION, PROVIDING CERTAIN PENALTIES AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 3749 – K. Salsbury
- Approval to go out for bids for Cape Seal Project – B. Matkin
- Discussion – City lake properties – B. Matkin
- Discussion – Contractor Licensing – B. Matkin
- Discussion – Condition of Horton Street – J. Dickman
- Reports and Comments
- Adjourn
Human Resources Roundtable Luncheon On February 11
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FSHS Student Led Fundraiser For Cancer is Feb. 6 at Basketball Game
Agenda for the Ft. Scott City Commission on Feb. 3
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR
MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
City Hall Commission Room – 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
February 3, 2026 – 6:00 P.M.
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Invocation
IV. Approval of Agenda
V. Consent Agenda
A. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1401-A – Expense Approval Report –
Payment Dates of January 14, 2026 – January 30, 2026 – $
B. Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting of January 20, 2026
VI. Public Comment
VII. Appearances
A. Stephen Mitchell – IT Update
VIII. Unfinished Business
IX. New Business
Public Hearings:
A. Consideration of RESOLUTION NO. 9-2026 RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE
REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE
AT 310 N. CLEVELAND – L. Kruger
B. Consideration of RESOLUTION NO. 10-2026 A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE
REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE
AT 601 S. LITTLE – L. Kruger
Action Items:
A. Status update of 18 S. HOLBROOK – Tabled from November 18, 2025 – L. Kruger
B. Consideration of changes to Ordinance No. 3793 – AN ORDINANCE REGULATING
PUBLIC OFFENSES WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF FORT
SCOTT, KSANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE UNIFORM PUBLIC
OFFENSE CODE FOR KANSAS CITIES, 41 ST EDITION, PROVIDING CERTAIN
PENALTIES AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 3749 – K. Salsbury
C. Approval to go out for bids for Cape Seal Project – B. Matkin
D. Discussion – City lake properties – B. Matkin
E. Discussion – Contractor Licensing – B. Matkin
F. Discussion – Condition of Horton Street – J. Dickman
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X. Reports and Comments