Hays city commissioners voted 4-1 Monday night to rescind the fireworks ban in the city limits.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
It was a standing-room-only crowd that gathered in Hays City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Monday for a special city commission meeting to discuss the sale and use of fireworks.
In a normal year, the city of Hays allows fireworks to be discharged only on July 2, 3 and 4 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Hays is in the fourth year of a drought and commissioners chose to continue a ban for the third year at the May 22 meeting.
Twice since then, the issue has been revisited at the request of vendors and residents because of plentiful rain in Hays during June. Citing concerns about sending mixed messages when Hays remains in a drought and that Ellis County, Ellis and Victoria have a fireworks ban, the commission retained the ban.
A standing-room-only crowd was on hand to hear Hays city commissioners rescind the fireworks ban.
Following weekend rainfall of nearly two inches, Monday night they voted 4-1 to remove the ban and allow the sale and discharge of fireworks within the city of Hays July 2, 3 and 4.
The commissioners cautioned that Hays still remains in a drought although lawns are green.
Commissioner Kent Steward reversed his earlier votes and said he was in favor of allowing fireworks this year. Vice-mayor Eber Phelps remained against the measure and voted “no.”
A fireworks ban remains in effect outside of Hays city limits and the city of Ellis.
Former 110th District representative Dan Johnson, R-Hays, talks with constituents May 12, 2010. He died Sunday at the age of 77.
Hays Post
Former state Rep. Dan Johnson was the “epitome of public service,” Eber Phelps said as he reminisced about his friend and former House colleague. Johnson died Sunday in Hays at the age of 77.
The two served 14 years together in the Kansas Legislature. Johnson was a Republican representing the 110th District, which covered portions of rural Ellis County; Phelps, a Democrat, served the 111th District, which covers Hays.
Both were first elected in 1996.
“Dan believed in doing what’s best for the people you represent,” Phelps said, “even if that meant ‘crossing the aisle’ for a vote, which he would do. He always had his district’s best interests at heart.”
There were “many things in common” between the areas represented by the pair, he said, including medical facilities, education, agriculture, oil and the area’s infrastructure.
“We voted alike so many times, that when we didn’t, we’d call each other on the House floor to see if one of us was ‘missing something’ about the issue,” recalled Phelps.
“We traveled many miles together to attend various events from Colby to Salina, Ellis to Russell, and I always looked forward to those, particularly Eggs and Issues in Hays.
“You can’t find a finer person — patriotic, family-oriented, respectful of others’ opinions — and Dan had those attributes through his military service, in his agricultural work and in the Legislature.”
Johnson served the 110th District from 1997 to 2011.
Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus and Hays USD 489 school board members James Leiker and Lance Bickle wait for the final tally of Friday’s LOB election.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Hays school board members Lance Bickle and James Leiker were disappointed — but not surprised — by the nearly 2-to-1 defeat of the USD 489 LOB question Friday.
With a turnout of 38.27 percent for the mail-in ballot, voters turned down the opportunity to increase the local option budget by one percent.
The unofficial results were YES-1,794; NO-3,425 , or 65.60 percent against the measure which would have raised the LOB from 30 percent to 31 percent and generate nearly $200,000 for the cash-strapped school district.
The board already had indicated it would use the authority granted by the Legislature to hike the LOB up to 2 additional percentage points for a year. Both Bickle and Leiker said they talked to voters who were “concerned” about that extra increase.
“It’s unfortunate,” Bickle said. “Obviously the results weren’t what we had hoped for. We’ll have to find new ways to find efficiencies and things like that to raise funds for being able to hire teachers back and reduce class sizes.
“We’re trying to look through every department, every area we can to try to make things more efficient, whether it’s principals, supervisors, or coordinators and get them more involved in saving money in their positions. The ultimate result we want is to provide the best education possible for our students with what we have,” Bickle added.
Hand-counting of the mail-in ballots started at noon Friday and concluded before 7 p.m.
Leiker said parents are going to have to get more involved.
“There will be a little bit more put on the parents — helping out their children with nightly homework — and helping us look for those efficiencies. We’ve gotten some great feedback the past six months. We want them to let us know any new ideas they have for saving money or what they’ve heard other school districts are doing,” he said.
Approximately 86 percent of the school district’s budget is used for teachers’ salaries and benefits.
“We’ve got a better feeling on what the state’s going to do next year with funding projections,” Leiker said. “We should know within a couple weeks of how we finished up the year and how much money we’ll have to move into next year. That’ll give us a really good idea on how much we still need to cut.”
The district’s 2014-15 budget is nearly $1.4 million in the red.
A number of factors have led to the district’s budget shortfall, according to superintendent Dean Katt, including state funding cuts beginning in 2009 in which the district’s general operating funds declined from $24.6 million in 2008-09 to $23.3 million in 2013-2014. He has also said enrollment figures were predicted incorrectly and figures for wage increases for teachers were budgeted incorrectly.
The district recently cut 16 teaching positions and added several new fees to begin closing the gap.
“It’s going to be an ever-going process as we continue to look for ways to raise funds and find any efficiencies we can to save money,” Bickle said. “I think the board knows we’re probably not going to have a windfall of money coming from the state any time soon.”
The ballot results are unofficial until canvassed by the Ellis County Commission Monday morning at 10 a.m.
A new Kansas law affecting political party affiliation “concerns” Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus.
Anyone wishing to change their affiliation must do so before Tuesday.
“We’ve had situations where people were used to changing their party affiliation right up until the registration books close 21 days before an election. That would have been July 15 for this year’s Aug. 5 primary election, but now the state doesn’t allow it,” Maskus said.
Under the law adopted this spring through House Bill 2210, party switching isn’t allowed from June 1 – or the first business day after that date, in this case – until after primary results are certified. State law requires certification to take place by Sept. 1.
Voters got an extra month this year because new state laws don’t take effect until July 1.
Ellis County has 16 outposts for voter registration, in addition to the courthouse, which will be open Friday and Monday.
Maskus said any voter wanting to change parties this weekend could do so at the Hays Public Library outpost.
Click the image below to review the new party affiliation rules.
One of the reasons Hays city officials have explained for not agreeing to a pay increase requested by the International Association of Fire Fighters union, which represents 18 firefighters, is the current “negative sales tax.”
It’s now at 1.18 percent below expectations, and the trend is projected to end the year 2 percent below projections.
Historically, when negative sales tax occurs, “no merit or COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) is given the following year to prevent ongoing expenditures that are unsustainable,” according to Assistant City Manager Paul Briseno.
That last happened in 2011 when Hays sales tax revenues the previous year were below expectations and the entire nation experienced a recession.
Officials are unable to pinpoint an exact reason why this year has held a negative trend, Briseno said:
The local sales tax goes into the General Fund which provides funding for city services, including fire, police, parks, swimming pools and the golf course. It also provides funding to outside agencies.
The city of Hays is at impasse with the International Association of Fire Fighters union regarding wages.
IAFF, which represents 18 Hays firefighters, is proposing pay increases of 5 percent for firefighters and 7 percent for fire lieutenants — a collective increase of $47,500. IAFF also wants to increase both groups’ maximum earning potential by 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
According to Assistant Hays City Manager Paul Briseno, the city has proposed a one-time 2 percent bonus for firefighters, a total of $17,500 in 2015.
The two other employee unions, SEIU Local No. 513 and Fraternal Order of Police, representing about 78 employees, have tentatively agreed to the city’s proposal. All non-union employees alsowould receive the same 2 percent one-time bonus. The estimated expense in 2015 for all city employees, union and non-union, is projected between $112,000 and $120,000.
Briseno said Hays firefighters have received a pay increase every year since 1989, with the exception of 2011, when city sales tax revenues were flagging.
“We have to live within our means and react to the local economy, and right now the local economy is down when it comes to sales tax,” Briseno said. “We appreciate these firefighters’ service and dedication to the community, as we do all our employees. However, the IAFF pay increase proposal is not sustainable”:
Briseno added the city has a “cushion built up for a one-time bonus for all employees” because of “good budgeting.”
The two groups have been meeting since March. The next step in the IAFF contract process is making a mediation request through the Kansas Public Employee Relations Board.
Three environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has not done enough to protect the lesser prairie chickens.
The birds, native to Kansas and neighboring states, are now listed by the USFWS as a threatened species, which is a step below endangered.
Kansas has joined Oklahoma in a federal lawsuit against the designation.
The 111th state district representative, Sue Boldra, R-Hays, agreed with Gov. Sam Brownback that the move goes too far and will result in regulations that will hurt the state’s economy:
In May, the Kansas legislature also passed a bill, signed into law by Brownback, that declared state sovereignty over the birds to block any enforcement of federal regulation.
The Smoky Hill River is pictured Thursday 1 mile west of Schoenchen.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Bernie Kitten, director of utilities for the city of Hays, will present a water supply update to city commissioners during their work session Thursday night.
The city monitors water flow in its water well fields on a weekly basis.
Late last week, for the first time in five years, there was rainwater reaching the Hays Smoky Hill River well field south of Schoenchen.
Nick Willis, assistant utilities director, explained the city uses several water monitoring methods:
Kitten also will update city commissioners about the Big Creek water well field.
ELLIS — An Ellis resident has started a petition asking the Ellis City Council to remove its ban on fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday.
Susie Kohlrus created the online petition at www.change.org Saturday evening after talking to other residents who are also unhappy the city council members voted Thursday night to retain the ban.
“We hope the council will get rid of the ordinance requiring a decision be made by June 15 whether to allow the discharge of fireworks on July 4th,” Kohlrus said Monday morning.
“We think it makes more sense to make the decision by July 1, because God does sometimes give us rain after June 15th. If it becomes too dry, the city can always spread the word through the media just before the Fourth that fireworks won’t be allowed after all.”
A printed petition asking for the ban to be rescinded was presented to the council last Thursday, but “I was told some of the signatures were illegible and others were duplicated,” said Kohlrus. “That’s why I decided to go with an online petition. I’ll print it out shortly before tonight’s (June 16 Ellis City Council) meeting so there are as many signatures on it as possible.”
According to Kohlrus, Ellis has previously “postponed the Fourth of July celebration” because of dry conditions and allowed the discharging of fireworks at a later date after dry conditions improved.
Ellis Fire Chief Denis Vine told council members last week he had no objection to July 4 fireworks because of the abundant recent rains.
Kohlrus believes banning fireworks has a negative impact on the Ellis economy.
“Selling fireworks is a good fundraiser for nonprofit groups, and having fireworks helps our local stores, especially the grocery store which sells food for parties and barbeques,” she added.
Debris remains on the ground near the railroad tracks Friday afternoon after five K&O empty cars were derailed Wednesday by a 100 mph wind gust. (Photos courtesy Mike McAvoy)
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
LA CROSSE — Railroad crews finished clearing the tracks Friday morning in La Crosse after Wednesday night’s storm and high wind derailed five of 43 empty cars in the downtown area.
“We were lucky the derailment happened where it didn’t have an effect on traffic,” said Rush County Sheriff Ward Corsair.
Corsair said the National Weather Service in Dodge City told him the storm produced constant 80 to 90 mph wind and it was a 100 mph gust that moved the five cars off the K&O (Kansas & Oklahoma) railroad line at about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday.
A storage building owed by Eslinger Lumber, La Crosse, was severely damaged when two empty railroad cars were blown into it late Wednesday night.
Two of the empty rail cars went into a nearby storage building owned by Eslinger Lumber.
“It was unoccupied, but there is a lot of damage,” Corsair said.
There were no injuries.
The storm was part of a system that moved across much of Kansas on June 11.
ELLIS — The 20 volunteers of the Ellis Fire Department train annually in the city swimming pool for various types of water rescues.
Wednesday night, they put that training to work and rescued two people from a Toyota SUV after the vehicle was swept into the rain-swollen Big Creek as it was driven through a low-water crossing east of the dam spillway about 10:45 p.m. The road is a “trail” for use by city employees.
Fire Chief Denis Vine, who’s been on the force since 1973, said it was the first time he could recall a Big Creek water rescue using ropes.
“One winter, years ago, we did rescue a person who fell through the ice,” Vine recalled Thursday afternoon as he stood on the creek bank, looking out at the vehicle, which was still mostly submerged in the water.
As new details about the accident emerged, Vine explained that three of the five people were able to “self-rescue” and get out of the SUV. When first responders arrived at the scene, two people on top of the vehicle had to be rescued by the fire department’s rope team:
Vine commended all the firefighters’ efforts and said he “considers the entire fire department a team, and I’m the coach.”
“We had to have the other guys backing up the two swimmers — Tim Kohlrus and Dustin Vine.”
Brandon Pfeifer was one of the “other guys”:
The accident scene has drawn a lot of curious onlookers.
The Ellis Police Department, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Ellis County EMS also responded to the scene, as did several local residents.
There were no injuries to the rescued victims, although Kohlrus lost his boots to the swift-moving river water, Vine said.
Friday morning, Police Chief Taft Yates said an investigation is “still underway.” Yates added it is “yet to be determined if charges will be filed.”
The vehicle occupants were two adult males, two adult females and one minor female.
The Toyota was still in Big Creek as of Friday morning.
June 12–Smoky Hill River west of Schoenchen at 5 p.m.June 5–Smoky Hill River west of Schoenchen
BY BECKY KISER Hays Post
First thing Thursday morning, city of Hays employees were checking out the results of Wednesday night’s rainfall, hoping this time it would finally begin recharging the city’s Smoky Hill water well field south of Schoenchen.
It was.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, there was a “pretty good flow” in the Smoky Hill River at the Ellis Avenue Bridge, a mile into western Ellis County, according to Assistant Utilities Director Nick Willis.
At 5 p.m., Willis was “happy to see” the water had reached the westernmost bridge on Schoenchen Road, the western edge of the Hays Smoky Hill well field:
At 5:30 p.m., the water was moving further east and under the bridge just outside the western Schoenchen city limits.
Nick Werth, a lifetime Schoenchen resident, lives just one-quarter milenorthwest of that bridge and watched the water start moving under the bridge.
“I stopped on the bridge to see if there was any water yet, and here it came,” Werth said with a smile on his face:
A number of vehicles drove slowly over the bridge to view the unusual sight while other people trekked the short jaunt from town and stood on the bridge to take it all in.
“Beautiful,” said one mother, who stopped to take pictures with her two young children.
