Students interested in attending Driver Education at Fort Scott High School should call 620-223-0600 for dates and information on registering. Students who are 14 years old by April 1, 2020, are eligible to register. Cost of the course is $114.00, payable when signing up. Students may sign up the week of June 1-5 at high school.
Kansas Tax Collection Sees Growth For April
State sees total tax collection growth over April Consensus Revenue Estimates; attributes to online sales and withholding taxes
TOPEKA –The State of Kansas saw total tax collections for May Fiscal Year 2020 at $448.7 million; 6.6% or $27.8 million above the estimate. That is down 20.3% or $114.4 million compared to the same month last fiscal year.
Individual income tax collections were up $5.9 million or 2.8% compared to the estimate with $215.9 million collected. That is 22.3% or $62.0 million less than last May. The increase from the estimate can be attributed to reduced bond payments from withholding and an extra payroll period for the semi-monthly withholding tax filings. Corporate income tax collection receipts were down 167.9% or $8.4 million from the estimate at negative $3.4 million. This is due to the state processing more refunds than it received in corporate income tax collections. When compared to the same month last fiscal year, those collections are down $14.4 million.
Retail sales tax collections were $18.9 million or 12.2% more than estimated with $173.9 million collected.
Compared to May of last fiscal year, collections are down $27.3 million or 13.6%.
Compensating use tax collections are 25.5% or $7.7 million more than expected at $37.7 million.
When looking at last year’s numbers, these collections are $1.2 million or 3.2% more than May of last fiscal year.
This can be attributed to the increased registration of online retailers to collect and remit Kansas taxes.
On average, the state is seeing 300 new registrations per month.
For detailed info:
11_May_Revenue_FY2020_06-01-2020_Final
Obituary of Vicky Hawkins
Vicky Sue Hawkins, age 56, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Saturday, May 30, 2020, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas. She was born July 3, 1963, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Albert Richard Hawkins and Clara May Love Hawkins. Vicki graduated from the Ft. Scott High School and received training as a CNA. She had worked for over thirty years at Mercy Hospital in Ft. Scott. She loved taking care of people and her family. She often babysat for family and friends. She also cared for all kinds of animals. Vicky enjoyed watching the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs and the KU Jayhawks.
Survivors include her son, Dustin Hawkins, of Ft. Scott and a brother, Tim Hawkins, Sr. and wife, Cheryl also of Ft. Scott. Also surviving are three nieces, Kayla Hill, Darcy Hawkins, and Shelby Hawkins and two nephews, Tim Hawkins, Jr. and Donathan Hawkins; and great-nieces and great-nephews, Landon, Donavan, Maylynn, Morgyn, Laney, Lane, Sadie Sebastian, Izzy and Annistyn. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Rick Hawkins.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Thursday, June 4th at the Maple Grove Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.
Fort Scott Sidewalk Sale: Parking Spots Were Difficult to Find
It was difficult to find a parking spot on Main Street in downtown Fort Scott on Saturday.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce hosted the Merchant Madness Sidewalk Sale and invited shoppers to come shopping.
The mild weather and recent reopening of businesses during the COVID 19 pandemic made for a perfect day to go shopping.
Another Merchant Sale And Town-Wide Garage Sale
Another town-wide sale is coming soon and this time includes all those who want to clean out closets and garages.
On June 12-13 retailers will be celebrating National Flag Week, according to a press release from the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
With any purchase, shoppers will receive a souvenir American Flag and also they can fill out a Trivia Card to enter them into a drawing for $50 Chamber Of Commerce Bucks.
Also on that weekend of June 12-13, there will be a Spring Town-Wide Garage Sale.
To register one’s sale which will be printed on a garage sale map, call the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce at 620. 223.3566. Sellers may also sign up at Bids & Dibs, 108 Scott Ave.
The cost is $10 to be added to the map.
All customers are to use hand sanitizer at every yard sale before touching merchandise and homeowner should have this available, also practice social distancing of being 6-feet apart, according to the press release.
Photos of some the participating retailers in the Merchant Madness Sidewalk Sale:
Fort Scott Public Library Newsletter June 2020
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Obituary of Linda Chambers
Linda Maxine Chambers, a resident of Fort Scott, died Monday, May 25 at the hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Linda was born June 18, 1947 in Corvallis, Oregon, the oldest child of Earl and Maxine Wagner Priest. Linda attended most of her school years at Pleasanton, Kansas and graduated in 1965 at Arvada West High School in Arvada, Colorado.
She married Gerald “Jerry” Chambers in 1971 in Denver, Colorado. They have one son, Eric, who lives in Oswego, New York.
The family moved to Fort Scott from Denver in 1980 and have remained in Bourbon County most of the time since, except for a couple of years in Ely, Nevada.
Linda worked hard all her life, obtaining her first job when only 13 years old at the drugstore in Pleasanton, making 35 cents an hour. Linda loved crocheting and reading. Her family was very important to her. Linda cared for her mother in her later years. She helped raise her nephews, Levi and Daniel Priest. She also babysat for great-nieces and a great-nephew.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Earl Dean Priest and Maxine Wagner Engle, her step-father, James McKinney, and a brother, Anthony “Tony” Priest.
She is survived by her husband, Jerry, her son, Eric Chambers and his wife, Jennifer and two grandchildren, Kaitlynn and Trevor Chambers of Oswego/Mexico, New York, a step-son, Mike Chambers and wife Amy of Denver, Colorado, a step-daughter, Susan Harris of Boise, Idaho, two step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren, her sister Judy Hall of Mineola, Iowa, brothers, Earl Dee Priest of Iola, Kansas and Mark McKinney and his wife, Jane, of Fort Shaw, Montana, an uncle, J V Wagner and wife Ila, of Moran, and aunts, Eva Wagner of LaHarpe, Audrey Wagner of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Delana Wagner of Hepler, Kansas, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 from 3:00 – 5:00 P.M.at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Private burial will take place in the U. S. National Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to St. Jude’s Hospital and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports June 1
Don’t Be Deceived By Lies by Pastor Jimmy Tucker
The Bottom Line
Don’t be deceived by lies
We can learn a lot from horses. Have you heard someone say, “He’s got plenty of common horse sense”? If so, you know they’ve given that individual a compliment. Horses are herd animals, which means they always stick together. And there’s always a leader in the herd.
As believers in the Body of Christ (the Church), we need each other. We should stick together to help carry one another’s burdens. And we should follow Jesus and do everything He did. “I [Jesus] tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19).
The same God that created the horse also created the human. I can see definite similarities in the way a horse and rider relate and the way God and His children relate. A horse and rider must learn to trust each other, and the horse must learn to yield to his master’s commands. We believers need to trust God and yield our will to His. “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ’Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21). Jesus is our example, leader, and trainer and we need to be like Jesus. We should want His thoughts to be our thoughts, and His ways to become our ways.
When a trainer is teaching a horse a certain behavior, he applies and holds pressure to the horse until the animal responds with the appropriate behavior. Have you ever had God apply pressure to you in order to get you to do something? I have. When I yielded to what God was asking me to do, I obtained His peace.
Receiving peace from God when we obey Him changes us from glory to glory. When we like something we want more of it. Since trusting, yielding, and pleasing God results in peace, we should learn to obey Him right away — just like a horse yields to the rider because he wants release (or peace) from the pressure.
Sometimes we get confused and don’t realize where the pressure is coming from. The pressure may seem to be a result of our sin, stubborn pride, or foolish mistakes. This uncomfortable pressure may come to us in the form of depression, anger, anxiety, or guilt.
The devil is a master deceiver who whispers lies to us to try to keep us from seeing the truth. He wants us to focus on the problem instead of trusting Jesus our Savior. Christ Jesus has more than enough grace available for every need. He will help us be victorious even in our most-difficult situations. Absolutely nothing is impossible with God.
The Bottom Line: If you have pressure in your life, use common horse sense. Trust your all-wise and loving Heavenly Father and do what He wants you to do.
Pastor Jimmy Tucker
Diamond Community Church
Why Me, Lord? By Pastor James Collins
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
“Why me?” is the first question we ask when tragedy strikes. “Why me, Lord? Why did my loved one have to die?”
Some of us have the same question when we have a flat tire. “Why me, Lord? My car broke down and it cost $600 to get fixed… $600 that I don’t have. Why me? After all, I am as good as most people. In fact, I’ve been better than most. Why are You treating me this way? Why are You punishing me this way?”
Some of us have the same question when the internet goes out, or when the dishwasher quits working, or when the weed eater string gets tangled, or when the bathroom sink is clogged. “Why me, Lord? Why am I wasting time trying to fix this stupid thing? This is going to cost me more money to get this fixed. Jesus, You know I don’t have any money. By the way, why, at my age, should I still be having financial problems? Why have You denied me opportunities for fame and fortune that You have given to others? Why me, Lord?”
I don’t know about you, but when I find myself starting to think like this, which I often do, it sometimes helps for me to ask the same question about other aspects of my life. “Why me, Lord? What have I done that’s so great that You should have blessed me with a car, internet, a dishwasher, a weed eater, and a home? Why did You give me all these things anyway?”
Sometimes, it helps for me to ask, “Why me, Lord? Why did You permit me to be born in America with all its wealth? I could have been born in a poverty-stricken country like Ethiopia, or Haiti, or Afghanistan. Why was I born in rich America? Why me, Lord? Why did You allow me to have a job when so many, who are just as deserving as I am, are without work?”
Sometimes, it helps for me to ask, “Why me, Lord? Why am I in good health? Others my age have died of heart attacks. Others were crippled by accidents or disease. Others have cancer. Why should I escape sickness and injury when other people who believe in You are either suffering or dead?”
Sometimes, it helps for me to ask, “Why me, Lord? Why have You spared me from the heartaches that assault other families? Others, wonderful people, are seeing their families torn apart, but you have blessed me.”
The point is: Life is about perspective. If you would just stop and remember all the ways the Lord has blessed you, even though you don’t deserve it, I wonder how you could complain about the relatively insignificant things that go wrong in your life from time to time. If you and I could only remember to count our blessings.
Furthermore, if you are a Christian, it helps to ask, “Why me, Lord? Why would You go to a cross and die for me? Jesus, why would You love me so much when I am so unlovable?”
Years ago, the great songwriter, Kris Kristofferson, wrote a song titled, “Why me, Lord?” The song begins with Kristofferson pouring his soul out to God:
Why me Lord, what have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I’ve known
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth loving You
Or the kindness You’ve shown.
Jesus showed kindness, grace, and love for us by dying for us. Even though, we are sinners, even though we don’t deserve it, even though we are ungrateful, Jesus died for us.
Why? Why me, Lord? Why would You love me? Why would you die for me?
Why me, indeed…
James Collins is the senior pastor at First Southern Baptist Church. For more information on his ministry, go to the website www.fortscottfsbc.com.
USD234 Minutes of Special Meeting May 29
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met virtually on Friday, May 29, for a special board meeting.
President David Stewart opened the meeting. The board approved the purchase of computers for teachers and students.
The board adjourned.
Fort Scott Commission Agenda For June 2
AGENDA
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
FORT SCOTT CITY HALL
COMMISSION ROOM
123 SOUTH MAIN
JUNE 2, 2020
6:00 P.M.
I. ROLL CALL:
K. ALLEN P. ALLEN NICHOLS WATTS MITCHELL
II. FLAG SALUTE
III. INVOCATION: None
IV. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS: None
V. CONSENT AGENDA:
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Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of May 19th, 2020 and special meeting minutes of May 22nd, 2020 and amended minutes of May 5th, 2020, and amended special meeting minutes of May 14th, 2020.
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Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1264-A totaling $459,811.91.
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Consideration of Fort Scott Housing Authority Appointment – Edna Erie – Resident Commissioner – 4 year term
VI. APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:
-
APPEARANCE:
B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 5 minute limit per citizen) Comments will not be taken during this meeting. If you have a topic to discuss not listed on the agenda, please contact a City Commissioner or send a written request to [email protected].
C. PUBLIC HEARINGS/COMMENTS: 6:15 p.m. Resolution Directing the Repair or Removal of an Unsafe and Dangerous Structure located at 10 N. National Avenue
VII. CONSIDERATION:
- Finance Update
- Discussion of Pool Opening
- Consideration of sale of City property
-
Consideration of Bids for Curb and Gutter Work – 500 block Andrick
- Consideration of Lake Advisory Board Member selection
- Consideration of Interlocal Agreement with Bourbon County
- Consideration of Financial Policy
VIII. COMMENTS:
- Director Updates:
- Commission:
K. Allen – Vacancy in Office of City Commissioner
P. Allen –
R. Nichols –
L. Watts –
J. Mitchell –
- City Manager: 500 Block Andrick residents
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
I MOVE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE
SESSION FOR ________________________________ IN ORDER TO
(see below justification)
DISCUSS ______________________________________. THE
EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL BE ___________ MINUTES AND THE OPEN
MEETING TO RESUME AT ________________.
Justifications for Executive Sessions:
-
Personnel matters of non-elected personnel
-
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
-
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative or representatives of the body or agency
-
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
-
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
X. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT: ROLL CALL
Fort Scott Commission Minutes of May 22
CITY OF FORT SCOTT
SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING
Minutes of May 22, 2020 Special Meeting #5
A special meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission was held May 22nd, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. in the City Commission Meeting Room, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas.
ROLL CALL:
Commissioners Kevin Allen, Randy Nichols, Lindsey Watts were present, and Mayor JoLynne Mitchell was present via teleconference. Pete Allen was absent.
AUDIENCE IN ATTENDANCE: None
CONSIDERATION:
JoLynne Mitchell moved to open the Public Hearing at 8:04 a.m. Lindsey Watts seconded. All voted aye.
Approval to consider an application to be submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for Small Cities Community Development Block Grant funds under the CDBG-CV category – Rachel Pruitt, Economic Development Director, informed the Commission that this public hearing is being held to take comments in regards to the City applying for the CDBG-CV grant. This is a similar program to what the City had last month. The biggest difference is that if awarded, the funds will be in the form of a grant and not a forgivable loan. Another differential is this will be allowed for owner operator business. Business owners would count as employees for this round of grants. The maximum we are applying for is $300,000 and the reason for the early morning meeting is that this is a first come, first serve grant. The grant is complete after this public hearing. This grant is for cities under 50,000 in population and will be very competitive.
There were no comments from the public call in line nor did anyone call in with concerns regarding this grant submission.
Randy Nichols moved to approve the submission of the application to the Kansas Department of Commerce for the CDBG-CV grant program. Lindsey Watts seconded. All voted aye.
APPROVED THE SUBMISSION OF THE APPLICATION TO THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR THE CDBG-CV GRANT PROGRAM.
Randy Nichols moved to adjourn the special meeting at 8:08 a.m. Lindsey Watts seconded. All voted aye. Motion carried.
ADJOURNED SPECIAL MEETING AT 8:08 A.M.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is to be held on June 2nd, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
RECORDED BY:
_____________________________________
DIANE K. CLAY
CITY CLERK