John Braun, Hays Assistant Public Works Director, explains the recommended bid to city commissioners.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The bid for reconstruction of 13th Street between Main and Milner with one additional alternate was approved 3-2 by Hays City Commissioners during their Thursday night meeting.
APAC, Kansas, Inc, Hays, was the low bidder in the amount of $2,067,710.
Outgoing commissioner Kent Steward went against staff recommendation and moved to do the project with all five alternates, at an additional cost of $402,075.
“In improving 13th Street–which is one of the main access points to downtown–that will last for 50, 60, 70 years, that is not at all extravagant to do it well so that we continue to enhance the character of our downtown,” Steward said. The motion failed 1-4.
Selecting any of the alternates required additional funding from the City Commission Reserve Fund.
The other outgoing commissioner Ron Mellick didn’t like that, adding that “we have to live within our means.”
“We had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things the past 15 years to get to a ‘pay as you go’ policy–living within a budget.”
“I’d like to do this, and I voted for having all of it engineered, but we know what the budget is. This money is going to affect things next year and in the following years. It’s going to affect the mill levy and everybody wants to keep the mill levy to a certain place. If we do this, we’re going to throw away everything we have done in the past 10 years,” Mellick said.
The approved project–Alternate A with Additional Alternate 2–includes removing and replacing the driving lanes, replacement of the parking lanes, curb and gutter, driveways, and sidewalk between the intersections, reconstructing the intersections, replacing storm sewer inlets, pipe and structures, all new water service, and installing brick-lined crosswalks at all intersections.
The additional alternates not selected were brick street pavers, decorative street lighting and a historical monument base.
Mellick suggested that “other groups might want to raise the capital for the alternates.”
A public informational meeting about the 13th Street reconstruction will be held Tuesday, March 10, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.
The city of Hays will change the CID portion of its Economic Development Policy and now require applicants to financially participate in the project in an amount that is at least 25 percent of the total project cost.
City commissioners Thursday night voted 4-1 to revise the Community Improvement Development policy.
The revision was prompted by the commission’s passage in November of a 1-cent sales tax hike on purchases at the Hays Mall. The developer, DP Management, will not provide any capital for the renovation project besides the revenue from the CID, an estimated $3 million.
“I still believe that any new development that comes to us must have an investment in it,” said Hays Mayor Henry Schwaller, “and the taxpayer–whether it’s the shopper or the taxpayer at large–is not paying 100 percent of the development.
“They’re (the developers) making money. They don’t need to make money twice.”
“Properly so, there is some concern with allowing people to tax their customers to paint their building and to replace the light bulbs. It’s not common practice in business to ask your customers to pay above and beyond what they’re paying in rent and the price of their goods for maintenance of the building 40 years after it’s built,” Schwaller said.
Vice-Mayor Eber Phelps said he thinks there is some misunderstanding among residents about CIDs.
“The CID is not something the city of Hays came up with,” he explained. “It’s enabling legislation by the state of Kansas that is being used as a (economic development) tool to come before the cities which can add any caveats they want.”
Outgoing commissioner Kent Steward maintained his ongoing opposition to the CID program and voted against the change.
“I think there is good motivation for what you’re proposing but I think we should do away with them. It’s like ‘putting lipstick on a pig.’ They don’t accomplish what people delude themselves to think they accomplish,” Steward said.
CIDs in Hays can be used for expenses greater than $250,000 in order to promote economic development or tourism within the city.
In addition to the new turf conversion program the city of Hays has started to help conserve water, this year Water Specialist Jason Riegel will also be concentrating on increased education and marketing of the rebate for low-flow urinals.
“Last year was the pilot program for that rebate,” according to Riegel. “It offers a $300 rebate on a pint-flush urinal. A typical urinal uses a least a gallon of water per flush. These (more efficient urinals) are 1/8 gallon per flush so you can get ‘8 for 1.’
“A business with a high volume of urinal users — 200 users per day — such as a restaurant, a convenience store, can save about $200 annually on utility costs,” he estimated.
The urinal rebate is for commercial customers only, and Riegel said “it was slow to go … participation was less than we thought it was going to be.”
“I pounded the pavements last year as soon as the rebate program was approved to try and get people to participate,” he said. “I like to think people are going to do the altruistic thing and they’re going to want to save water because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s needed in our area … but I know it’s about dollars and cents in business.”
“That’s why I talk about what people can save — both homeowners and business owners — I know that’s what it’s about.”
Riegel said he plans to “pound the pavement again” this year and with “increased marketing,” try to “get people to take them.” Schools are also eligible for the urinal rebate.
The city of Hays also offers rebates for high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets, and also has a low-flow showerhead exchange program.
This warm season buffalo grass lawn uses considerably less water than a cool season grass such as fescue.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The newest water conservation program launched by the city of Hays has a “huge potential” in water savings, according to the city’s Water Conservation Specialist Jason Riegel.
He says the turf conversion program targets lowering outdoor water use and “essentially pays people to convert their water-thirsty landscapes to less water-intensive landscapes.”
Rebates of up to $1,000 are available for changing to warm season lawns, xeriscaping and even artificial turf.
“This program is groundbreaking for us. It’s our first, and from our research, it’s also the first ‘Cash for Grass’ program east of the Rockies and north of Texas,” Riegel said. “So this is something we haven’t seen in our area before. It kind of puts us on another level for incentives for water conservation.”
There are only 50 “Cash for Grass” rebates available, and Riegel said there have been a “lot of inquiries” about it, with two people already signed up.
“If we maximize the potential of this program–50 participants–this will best our other rebate programs combined for water savings,” Riegel said.
More turf conversion information is available at www.haysusa.com or by calling Riegel’s office at (785) 628-7350.
The Hays Fire Department offers a “Ride-Along” program for local adults to learn more about the services provided by the department.
According to Brandon Zimmerman, he and his fellow firefighters are not “sitting around waiting for the fire alarm to sound.” Until that happens, they are busy performing “many different services, which most residents are not aware of,” explained Zimmerman.
“If a person has a weird sound in their house and they don’t know what it is, they call (fire) dispatch and we come over and we’ll investigate it.
“Sometimes it’s a simple as somebody’s phone is making a noise that they’ve never heard before and we’ll come and investigate. Things as simple as that all the way up to gas leaks, water leaks, CO2 alarms, structure fires.
“Sometimes a car bumps their house. They’re not for sure if it did anything structurally. We come, sound out the building, make sure it’s structurally safe and then get them in contact with the people they need to take care of the problem,” Zimmerman said.
“And yes,” Zimmerman added with a smile, “We also rescue cats out of trees.”
To participate in the Ride-Along program, call the Hays Fire Department at (785) 628-7330. A minimum ride-along of four hours is recommended and selected participants will sign a liability waiver.
RUSSELL–Russell USD 407 is conducting a mail ballot election regarding its Local Option Budget (LOB).
Legislation passed by state lawmakers last spring allowed the USD 407 Board of Education (and any others in Kansas) to increase their LOB up to a maximum 33% for the current academic year. To maintain the 33% LOB, the state requires voter approval.
Russell school board members estimated the increase will generate approximately $127,000, offsetting a loss in state aid and without raising the local mill levy. If the mail ballot fails, the LOB will revert to 31% and USD 407 board members say they will have to identify approximately $130,000 in program cuts and/or allocations.
According to information from the school district printed on fliers that have been distributed throughout the community, approval of the keeping the 33% LOB would not increase Russell County property taxes at the current valuation.
A mail ballot LOB increase election in Hays USD 489 last June was defeated nearly two to one.
According to Russell County Clerk Mary Nuss, ballots will be mailed to registered voters in USD 407 today, Wednesday, Feb. 18 and must be marked, signed and received at the Russell County Clerk’s Office by 12 noon Tuesday, March 10.
Russell USD 407 operates four attendance centers: Simpson Elementary, Bickerdyke Elementary, Ruppenthal Middle School and Russell High School. All are located in Russell.
If you haven’t yet been contacted by a Girl Scout, not to worry.
Girl Scout Cookie Booths opened Friday and will have their classic cookies for sale through Sunday, March 8. If you can’t get to a local booth, for the first time ever, according to Hays Girl Scout Product Sales Manager Lisa Cech, you can order online from your favorite Girl Scout.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is going beyond the booth and offering more ways to buy cookies and support girls’ learning. Digital Cookie is now available for girls to market their online cookie business by inviting customers to visit their personalized cookie websites through a link sent via email.
“This year they’ve added where you can actually purchase cookies online tied to a specific Girl Scout and they can be shipped directly to your home,” explained Cech. “It’s definitely one of those features we look to be really utilized with family and friends who live out-of-state or elsewhere.
“They’re very excited about it. All our girls are online these days so it’s best to provide them with a safe environment to be in,” Cech added.
There’s an online Cookie Finder available at https://www.girlscoutcookies.org to find Cookie Booths at retail stores, restaurants, churches, sporting events, and other special events throughout the 80 western Kansas counties served by Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland.
Eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies are available in Hays: Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbreads, Thanks-A-Lots and the new gluten-free Trios.
The local favorites are “Thin Mints and Shortbreads,” said Cech.
The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Older Worker Task Force will host the annual Older Worker Awards ceremony on April 6. The Department is now accepting nominations for the awards.
This event honors older workers who continue to play crucial roles in the Kansas workforce and economy, as well as their employers. Honorees will include older workers who are employed in both public and private sector jobs, and businesses and companies that regularly employ workers age 55 and older.
WHAT: Older Worker Awards ceremony.
WHEN/WHERE: 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 6, at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 Southwest 10th Ave., Topeka, Kan. 66605.
NOMINATION INFORMATION: Nominations for workers 55 and older and for companies that employ older workers are due March 16. Nomination forms are available at KansasCommerce.com/OlderWorkers. For more information about the ceremony contact Susan Weidenbach at (785) 296-7842 or [email protected].
Nominations will be accepted for three award categories:
· Outstanding Older Worker: Bestows appreciation on an older worker who demonstrates outstanding qualities of leadership, dedication and commitment. Nominations are open to the general public. Nominees must be 55 years or older, residents of Kansas and working at least 20 hours a week in paid employment. Previous winners are not eligible.
· Oldest Worker: Celebrates the tenacity and fortitude of the experienced worker and is awarded on the basis of age of those working for pay. Previous winners are not eligible.
· Employer of the Older Worker Award: Bestows appreciation on a business that promotes, recruits, retains and develops experienced workers, and provides a positive and friendly work environment for older workers.
Troy L. Waymaster, State Representative, Kansas House District 109
From the Dome to Home February 13, 2015
Governor Sam Brownback Outlines Education Allotment
As I mentioned in previous updates that with the tax revenue estimates for the month of January were $47.2 million less than expectations and the Rescission bill passed to address the $280 million shortfall for fiscal year 2015, there are still additional items that need to be addressed. This prompted Governor Sam Brownback to announce on Thursday, February 5, that there would be reduced allotments that would affect K-12 and Higher Education in order to address a continued budget shortfall.
The reduced allotments of 2 percent of the Regents system and 1.5 percent for K-12 will result in additional funds in the State General Fund of $44.5 million. The governor stated in his press release that “even with the allotments, Fiscal Year 2015 funding for higher education remains $20 million above Fiscal Year 2014 funding. State Aid for K-12 funding in Fiscal Year 2015 remains $177 million higher than Fiscal Year 2014 funding.” These allotments are scheduled to take effect on March 7.
The impact to the Kansas Department of Education with the new allotment would be a reduction of $28,300,635. I have not received an itemized list of all of the school districts in the 109th Kansas House District and what the financial impact will be on them.
We did receive the impact that this allotment plan will be for our institutions of higher learning. Here are some of the institutions and the impact of the allotment:
• Board of Regents-$4,506,34,
• University of Kansas-Main Campus $2,702,462; KU Medical Center $2,099,947
• Kansas State University-Main Campus $2,150,195; ESARP $949,476
• Wichita State University-$1,489,632 • Fort Hays State University-$679,762.
Constitutional Carry
During the early weeks of the 2015 Legislative Session, the Senate introduced a bill that would allow Kansas to be a constitutional carry state. This means that Senate Bill 45, if passed by the Senate and House, would create an avenue for concealed carry of handguns without a license in Kansas.
If this bill was to pass, it would not repeal the existing concealed carry handgun licensing law that we currently have. The intent of this bill is to allow any Kansan who can legally own a handgun, the ability to legally carry the weapon in public without a license.
Even though Senate Bill 45 would exclude the requirement that a Kansan must have a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon, when asked about the possible legislation while working on the Office of the Attorney General’s budget in the House General Government Budget, Attorney General Schmidt did say that Kansans who still travel out of state would need to have an issued permit in order to comply with other states’ concealed carry laws.
There would be an impact to the Attorney General’s budget since they anticipate that if Senate bill 45 would be passed they would definitely see a decrease in the number of initial and renewal applications.
Transparency Act
House Bill 2148, also known as the Transparency Act, received a bill hearing in the General Government Committee today, February 13.
The bill, beginning January 1, 2016, would create a pilot program that would broadcast audio of legislative committees that meet in particular committee rooms in the Capitol building. The broadcasts would be required to be available in real time for the public to access. Also, the bill states that all broadcasts will be archived and be available on the internet.
The Legislative Chief Information Technology Officer would provide all the operations and maintenance of the audio broadcasts and equipment.
The committees meeting in these certain committee rooms may suspend the broadcasting requirement by a two-thirds vote of the committee’s voting members when there is an equipment failure and the purpose of the vote is not to avoid the requirements of the bill.
If this bill was to be passed, the Legislative Chief Information Technology Officer would then identify four committee rooms within the Capitol that would be equipped with audio broadcasting equipment before the beginning of the 2018 Legislative Session and would be able to broadcast all of the remaining committee rooms by the 2019 Legislative Session.
It has been determined that the cost to broadcast these committee hearings will cost the state of Kansas $77,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $34,000 in fiscal year 2017. All monies to fund the Transparency Act would come from the State General Fund.
Negotiations, Visitors, and Contact Information
On Tuesday, February 10, the House Education Committee worked House Bill 2034 regarding teacher negotiations. The bill that was worked in the House committee is not the same bill as House Bill 2257, which would amend the Professional Negotiations Act. The House Bill 2034 is considerably different than House Bill 2257.
House Bill 2034 did generate contentious debate with an amendment proposed to replace the contents of the bill with that similar to House Bill 2257. However, that amendment failed to pass through committee.
This week I had many visitors from home. On Tuesday, Elin Colglazier stopped by my office. I did have a chance to meet with Roy Doonan, Great Bend, Janae Talbott, Russell, many local members of Kansas Farm Bureau from Lincoln, Jewell, Smith and Russell counties, and also the County Treasurers from Smith, Rush and Russell counties.
It is an honor to serve the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns and questions. I appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas.
Troy L. Waymaster
State Representative
109th Kansas House
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612
Monte Smith calls his wife Angel to “Pay with Lovin'” at the north Hays McDonald’s as crew member Linda Fisher and swing manager Dusty Barnes look on.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
A lot of people saw the Super Bowl commercial in which customers get free menu items from McDonald’s when they “Pay with Lovin’ ” instead of cash. Some have wondered about its authenticity.
It’s for real, and the new campaign continues nationally through Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14.
One of the winning customers at the north Hays McDonald’s on Tuesday morning was Hays resident Monte Smith.
After he handed over his $3.33, longtime crew member Linda Fisher told Smith the breakfast he ordered at 8:27 a.m. would be free, if he wanted to “Pay with Lovin.’ ” Smith opted to call his wife Angel and say, “I love you.”
“I had just seen her 15 minutes earlier, so she was surprised I called, and she loved it,” Smith said with a grin. Fisher, who has worked weekday mornings for 33 years at the north Hays McDonald’s, also had a big smile on her face.
“I just came in to get my morning McMuffin, and I was asked to call someone that I love, so I called my wife and I made the rest of the McDonald’s staff really happy,” Smith recalled, although “it was all just a big blur.”
There were also a couple other unusual things for Smith.
“I usually order a breakfast burrito. I don’t know why I went with the McMuffin this time. I got the No. 2 — a sausage McMuffin with a Coke instead,” he said.
It was also unusual that Smith was even in the north McDonald’s restaurant.
“Honestly, I usually go to the south McDonald’s. I just came in here today. Things were different today, obviously. Everything was off, and on, at the same time,” he laughed.
The Hays McDonald’s restaurants are owned and operated by Rick and Gail Kuehl of Hays, who also own the stores in Russell, WaKeeney and Colby.
Customers who enter participating McDonald’s at randomized, predetermined times between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. are selected to participate. The times are different each day, coming from corporate headquarters, and are unknown to the local employees.
Dena Rupp, marketing manager of McDonald’s in Hays, Colby, Russell and WaKeeney
Local marketing director Dena Rupp said the campaign has been a been “a lot of fun” and “nearly every selected customer has ‘Paid with Lovin’ ” through phone calls, fist bumps, dances and more.
Even customers who weren’t selected have enjoyed the fun, according to Rupp.
“There were two ladies from Colorado in our WaKeeney McDonald’s who stopped on their way to see their sister in St. Louis. There happened to be quite a few of the Pay with Lovin’s given away right in a row. The ladies were sitting out there in the lobby just whooping and hollering and clapping with the crew. They’d get up and go to talk the customers who won the free meal, giving them high fives. It was just awesome,” Rupp said.
“It’s just so nice to have positive things going on,” she added.
The promotion will continue an extra week, through Saturday, Feb. 21, at the five stores owned by the Kuehls.
“They gave local owners the option to go another week, so we decided to continue Pay with Lovin’ at our stores in Hays, WaKeeney, Russell and Colby,” Rupp said Thursday afternoon. “We’ve been having so much fun with it.”
Dr. Adam Holden, FHSU Dept. of Teacher Education chairman
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
According to the National Center for Education, half of all public school teachers will leave their positions within five years.
Those are “really disturbing statistics for us in teacher preparation,” said Dr. Adam Holden, Fort Hays State University’s chairman of the Department of Teacher Education.
Holden is one of the consultants in a recent analysis of 2014’s Best and Worst States for Teachers. He was asked to give his opinion for the article by “Wallet Hub.”
“For the first time, I’ve been contacted by school districts needing to fill teaching positions, which have never before had that problem,” Holden said. He calls it an “alarming trend” and believes it has a lot to do with “burnout.”
“It has a lot to do with how we’re stretching our teachers,” Holden said.
“The greatest challenge teachers face is meeting the needs of all students in educationally diverse classrooms. Teachers go into the field because they naturally want to help kids. It’s almost a professional service calling. And when that person’s motivation is diminished significantly, when they don’t feel they’re helping the kids the way they should be, they’re going to naturally leave.”
However, “western Kansas teachers tend to stay longer in their jobs,” according to Holden.
Holden also told WalletHub that in addition to teaching, teachers must be able to multi-task in order to complete the “seemingly endless pile of critical paperwork” and required testing.
There’s also the standard-of-living issue.
“We look at the most successful nations in the world in terms of their teaching–and Finland has led the way for many years–there is a direct correlation between what teachers are paid and how they’re respected in society, in my opinion, and why they have so many good teachers who want to go into the profession there.
“But most teachers don’t go into the profession to get rich. They go into the profession to make a difference. I think the best way we keep them in the profession is to help them make a difference and make sure they know that they matter and that we care about their efforts,” Holden said.
Holden is a native of England and has served as a private and public school administrator for more than fifteen years in both Europe and the United States.
2014 Farm Bill informational meetings are drawing hundreds of attendees across Kansas.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Farmers are faced with some of their most important decisions ever in the 2014 Farm Bill.
K-State agricultural economists Drs. Mykel Taylor and Art Barnaby are hosting 15 in-depth educational meetings across the state to help farmers better understand the details. Hundreds of people are turning out at each event.
The pair, teamed with representatives from the federal Farm Service Agency and several sponsors, was in Hays Wednesday speaking to producers and landowners at the K-State Ag Research Center.
Once a commodity program is chosen, the farm is locked in for five years.
“That’s a long time to live with your decision,” said Dr. Taylor, “and this is the first Farm Bill people have been given a choice between three different programs.”
“I think the biggest question we’ve been getting is ‘How are we supposed to make this decision when the payouts from the programs are dependent on the prices and what happens with yields in future years,’ ” Taylor said.
“Of course, none of us can say what payouts are going to be in future years and that’s a concern. So, we’re just trying to help people understand how these programs are going to work and we run through different scenarios–if prices are really low, or if prices are really high, and if we have a bad yield year and so on–so they can make a decision based on their own farm, their financial situation and their risk preferences. We’re helping them customize this as best we can.”
Farm Bill 2014 also has significant improvements to crop insurance, according to Taylor.
K-State Research and Extension and Oklahoma State University have developed a new Excel-based online tool to help ag producers make decisions as they examine their options.
Taylor said the agmanager.info website has “really expanded the reach of the Farm Bill information to out-of-state landowners who can not attend an information session in person.”
The Hays morning meeting filled up with attendees, including one man from Maryland whose family’s land is in Trego County, so organizers added an afternoon session for which 150 people signed up.
The USDA says farmers have until March 31 to sign up with one of the commodity programs, which include wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops.
Hays is among the 1 percent of cities in Kansas that have Catholic schools for students from pre-kindergarten through high school. Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School, along with Holy Family Elementary, have a combined record enrollment of 779 students.
Still, the Catholic schools are looking at a potential $400,000 deficit for the next fiscal year, according to the Strategic Planning Committee and Finance Council, which was created a year ago. The group presented its “State of Our Catholic Schools” address last week. Advancement Director Jeff Brull said representatives within and outside of the schools have had input.
“We had a whole array of people that had an interest in the direction the schools are going, the particular situations we’re facing right now — the budget and the residency situation. … They really took a look at how those situations affect each other. Everything we do is interdependent,” Brull said.
TMP-Marian is closing its residence halls and transitioning to a host family program for nonresident students beginning this fall, which will save an estimated $275,000 dollars.
Parents of students attending the three Catholic schools have been notified that school fees will increase in the next academic year to help close the budget gap — increasing to $575 for each Holy Family enrollee and $675 per pupil at TMP-Marian. The fees are capped at $1,800 per family. The higher fees are projected to generate approximately $145,000.
Brull said the cost per pupil is kept low “thanks to the stewardship of many people who volunteer their time, their talent, or give of their ‘treasures’ — including donations, endowments and gifts of land.”
