A benefit for to help offset a local woman’s medical costs will be 5 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.

Gala for Gail, to benefit Gail Staab, will feature Dueling Pianos by Ernie Biggs. The social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. The evening also will feature raffles.

Tickets are $50 per person, with children age 8 and younger free. Tickets are available at Refine, Sake2Me Sushi Rolls and Union Station Coffee and Roasterie.

Proceeds will help Staab offset medical and travel costs after a recent bone marrow transplant.

For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Hays-area garage sales

Scroll to the bottom for a map of garage sale locations. Hays Post offers FREE garage sale listings weekly. Having a sale next weekend? Click HERE for details.

Address: 1550 Hilltop, Hays
Friday 4-8. Saturday 8-noon

Items for sale: Household and kitchen items. Exercise equipment. Mens, womens, childrens clothes. Located 1.75 miles north of 27th and Commerce Parkway intersection.

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Address: 1325 Golden Belt Drive, Hays
Thursday Aug 4 4-9. Friday Aug 5 2-9

Items for sale: printer, dog house, lg dog carrier cover; full headboard, sewing machine cabinet, dresser, dishes over 100 pieces to set) New in box-Tomtom, 15″ R35 tire, craftman skill saw, craftsman zigsaw, 15 gal sprayer tank with pump (needs switch), 2 new window well covers, microwave, paper shredder, handheld rotary seeder, heavy duty pickup mats, like new clothing (lots of Buckle brand). Jeans-like new, assorted sizes (Buckle brands).

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Address: 3015 E. 14th, Hays
Thurs, July 28 4pm-7:00 Fri July 29 10am-12:30 and 4pm-7:00 Sat July 30 9am-11:00

Items for sale: Dishes, queen/king size comforter set, handmade jewelry/crafts, household goods/decor, games/puzzles/books, kids DVDs and music CDs, lots of Barbies and accessories, kid crafts, kids snow pants, sleeping bag and more!!

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Address: 2214 Drum Ave. Hays
Saturday, July 30th 8am-Noon/1 pm

Items for sale: Baby clothes, baby gear & toys, children’s books & toys, women’s clothing (Maurices and some Buckle), home decor, household items

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Address: 1309 Washington Circle, Hays
Friday 3 pm-7pm, Saturday 8-10:30am

Items for sale: 2 lazy boy recliners, hide a bed sofa, clothes ranging from infant to adult sizes, stroller, toaster oven, oak interior doors, metal file cabinet, lots of toys including kitchen set, toy box, doll house, and lots more.

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Address: 1804 S. Sternberg, Hays
Friday: 11-4; Saturday 9-11

Multi-Family sale:
Infant/toddler clothes and shoes (boy and girl): Gymboree, Gap, Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, etc. (many with tags); Kids/Teens (Hollister, American Eagle, Aero, Maurices, etc. (all sizes); kids toys (john deere ride-on, stuffed animals, etc.); Halloween costumes; jogging stroller; crib sets (Pottery Barn and Skip Hop); Home Décor; Christmas (including many prelit artificial trees); some furniture (entertainment stand, dresser, etc.); craft supplies, picture frames, and much more…

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Address: 2901 Ash St, Hays
Friday July 29th 2pm – 8pm, Saturday July 30th 8am-11am

Items for sale: * LOTS of toys and kids stuff!
* Step 2 road and train table
* Step 2 kitchen
* Sofa
*Lazy Boy Recliner
*Mission style coffee table
*Ping Pong Table
*Home Decor
*Willow Tree figurines
*Too much to list!

FHSU University Relations and Marketing

MacKenzie Orchard, a 2016 graduate of Fort Hays State University, has been selected as the FHSU ambassador for the high school and college advisory board with ICT S.O.S., an organization in Wichita that seeks to end domestic sex trafficking of minors in Wichita.

ICT S.O.S. is a project-based organization that acts as a liaison between specific local professional groups who work with trafficked youth and the Wichita volunteers who seek solutions.

Only one student per high school or university can be selected for the ambassador position. Orchard is the first FHSU representative on the advisory board for ICT S.O.S. She will begin her volunteer participation immediately and will travel to Wichita periodically to meet with other volunteers.

Orchard is a graduate of the Department of Criminal Justice and is now entering the Master of Professional Studies program with a concentration in criminal justice.

NPS

NICODEMUS–The United State Postal Service will provide a special stamp cancellation station on Saturday, July 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Nicodemus Homecoming celebration.

Nicodemus National Historic Site and the U.S. Postal Service collaborated and developed a special Pictorial Postmark to recognize and celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the designation of five buildings in town as Nicodemus National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service.

The law designating the Site was signed by former President William Clinton twenty years ago on November 12, 1996.

On Saturday, July 30, the Postal Service will have a temporary postal retail station set up in the Nicodemus town park. They will provide hand postmarking service, the sale of stamps, and other stamp products during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Visitors can personally present addressed or unaddressed envelopes, postcards, or other items with sufficient First-Class Mail postage to a postal clerk at the temporary retail station on Saturday. The clerk will apply the pictorial postmark and hand back the items.

If visitors are unable to attend the Homecoming Celebration on July 30, the U.S. Postal Service can provide mail-back service for a limited time.

Visitors can mail pre-stamped envelopes and postcards to the Hill City Post Office at 112 E. Main Street in Hill City, KS 67642, to receive the special pictorial postmark. Mail-in requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following July 30.

The town of Nicodemus is symbolic of the pioneer spirit of African Americans. They dared to leave the only region they had been familiar with to seek personal freedom and the opportunity to develop their talents and capabilities.

Nicodemus NHS represents the western expansion and settlement of the Great Plains, and includes five buildings: The First Baptist Church, St. Francis Hotel, Nicodemus School District Number One, African Episcopal Church, and Township Hall.

KDOT

Starting in early August, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin a bridge repair project along I-70 in Trego County. The work will take place in the westbound lanes at Exit 115 near Collyer.

Traffic in the construction area will be reduced to one lane and minor delays, not exceeding 5 minutes, should be expected. KDOT urges all motorists to be alert, obey the warning signs and “Give ‘em a Brake!” when approaching and driving through work zones. Work is expected to be completed by the end of October, weather permitting.

PCi Roads is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of $184,440. The project is funded by T-WORKS, the transportation program passed by the Kansas legislature in May 2010. Find out more about this and other T-WORKS projects at https://kdotapp.ksdot.org/TWORKS.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Hays city commissioners have been reviewing the proposed 2017 budget for the past month. After some discussion during last week’s work session, they agreed to keep outside agency funding requests at the 2016 level.

“It’s going to be very difficult for us to spend more money given the very tight budget situation that we face,” said Commissioner Henry Schwaller.

Three groups–Fort Hays State University Scholarship Program, Ellis County Historical Society and Hays Arts Council–had each asked for an increase in city funds for 2017.

City Manager Toby Dougherty told commissioners the Hays Public Library modified its mill levy request.  The HPL board had approved its preliminary budget before the city received its assessed valuation from Ellis County.  According to  Dougherty, HPL then “found out it was in danger of losing some state grant money for books and so submitted another (higher) request to make sure it was in conformance with the state.”

The net effect, explained Hays Finance Director Kim Rupp, was an increased 1/4 of a mill–about $51,000.

Commissioner James Meier asked what adjustments then had to be made in order for the city’s mill levy to remain at 25.

“In the employee benefit fund, the contingency line dropped by that $51,000,” Rupp explained. “The library can go to six mills, as well as one mill on their employee benefits. They’re now at 5.623 and 0.823. So if you maintain the city’s 25 mill levy, you have to reduce an employee benefit fund and/or subsidize with general fund money.”

Funding for the Hays Public Library funding is required by state law and charter ordinance, according to Dougherty. “You have a charter ordinance that says the library can ask for up to six mills for general operation and one mill for employee benefits,” he reminded commissioners.

Keeping the city’s mill levy at 25 “is a goal; it’s not codified,” Dougherty added. “The 25 mill goal  was developed with the library being a part of that.”

Dougherty reviewed the proposed budget highlights at an earlier meeting.

“Again, a levy of 25 mills, which we have maintained for many years now,” Dougherty pointed out, ” and the budget is balanced.

“We are putting money into reserves which helps us pay cash for street programs and buy down debt, things like that.”

No full-time employees will be added next year and there will not be a salary increase for current employees.

“Sales taxes are declining.  We’re very aware of that, so at this point we didn’t feel it was prudent to budget salary increases,” Dougherty explained.

However, city staff has been “challenged to find me money for raises next year. Even if we go through a continued downturn in sales tax, I want to try to find money for raises. I don’t want to go two years in a row without that. I’m confident city staff is going to come back with ways to save money, find money for raises next year,” he added.

The local sales tax, which funds the city’s general fund, is projected to be down about $250,000.

“Overall revenues for the general fund (are) down about $275,000.  But if you look at total operating expenditures, they’re down about $300,000. That’s our reaction to the (declining) sales tax.  Revenue will be down about $275,000; we’re gonna cut $300,000 of operating expenditures to make sure we stay under the budget,” Dougherty emphasized.

The 2017 street maintenance program is fully funded and the reconstructions of 8th Street and Allen Street have been moved up in the Capital Improvement Plan.

“We’d originally planned for those in 2018 and 2020, and right now we’re looking at 2017 and 2018 for those two projects. They’re our top two priority projects right now,” he said.

City commissioners will continue reviewing the proposed 2017 budget at their meeting tonight and consider setting a public hearing date of Thu., Aug. 11.

Click here to see the complete July 28 agenda.