Geary County Commissioners are preparing for an increase in the property tax levy for the County in 2016.

Commission Chairman Ben Bennett spoke Monday and said that currently the proposed budget includes a “hefty” property tax levy increase.

“I really don’t know exactly where we are until we get some of these things done, but right now it’s equal to last years increase,” said Bennett.

The County had to increase the property tax levy by 6.7 mills for 2015. The increases are being made necessary by State funding reductions.

Commissioner Florence Whitebread added that the City of Junction City has also approached them about an increase to the ambulance budget.

“What really concerns me is the amount that we’re being asked to fund from the city for the ambulance budget, which is a 41 percent increase from them,” said Whitebread. “If every one of our departments came up with an increase of that size we would have had a huge budget. I can’t imagine what created a 41 percent increase for us, and they didn’t have any answers.”

City Officials are expected to return next Monday with some answers to questions concerning that increase.

Whether the county property tax levy will go higher or the Commission can find ways to make some cuts is still to be determined.

 

The new Flint Hills Medical Home Clinic unveiled by Irwin Army Community Hospital in Junction City last week could have a negative financial impact on Geary Community Hospital.

The new Clinic is located west of Hwy 77 on Junction City’s west side. It has caught the attention of Geary Community Hospital and Geary County Officials.

“That will be a primary care facility and I do know that it will certainly take some patients, family members and business if you will out of Geary Community Hospital,” said Dr. Joe Stratton, GCH CEO. “We know that, we just don’t know what the impact will be at this point in time. While we understand they have a certain configuration, and they’re trying to make things more efficient with the U.S. Army, and we can appreciate that, we’re not sure exactly what the outcome is going to be for us. But I think it will have some negative impact.”

Stratton went on to say that Geary Community will not likely see the impact until after a year or so.

County Commission Chairman, Ben Bennett, also expressed concerns about the impact the new clinic will have on GCH.

“It’s good for the Army, and it’s good for the people in the Army. But when we put this new wing on the hospital, the reason for that was because of the increase of the size of Fort Riley. That was what most people were banking on when they voted on the bond issue for the hospital renovation,” said Bennett.

The new clinic is designed to serve the family members of Fort Riley’s active duty Soldiers along with military retiree’s and their family members that live within a 30 mile radius of the clinic. It is an extension of Irwin Army Community Hospital which serves up to 42,000 beneficiaries. At its capacity the clinic will provide care for 8,100 beneficiaries.

A truck crashed into the 902 North Washington Street building that houses the Sheila M. Burdett Agency on Monday night.

The driver was heading north on Washington Street, swerved into oncoming traffic and struck the building. The truck hit a supporting beam and with the impact wedged the vehicle in between the beam and a tree.

The driver of the vehicle refused treatment, and no one was injured.

Several windows were broken and there was structural damage along with damage to computers, office furniture, and multiple offices. No one was in the building at the time.

Sheila Burdette confirmed the business will continue to operate and necessary repairs will be made. She estimated it will take two or three months to return to normal.

 

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department reports that Deputies responded to mile marker 149 on U.S. 77 Monday night for a single vehicle injury accident.

Donald Anderson, White City, was traveling north in his Chevrolet 1500 when the vehicle left the highway and struck a tree. Non-life threatening injuries were reported as a result of the accident.

—

The Sheriff’s Department also reports that Deputies responded Monday morning to the 12000 block of Humboldt Creek Road for a vehicle abandoned on the side of the road with no wheels and tires.

Contact was made with the owner who stated the vehicle was stolen from his residence in the 15000 block of Roeser Road. The case is still under investigation.

North Central and Northeast Kansas –  According the National Weather Service of Topeka, thunderstorms are possible today and tonight with the greater chances from the late afternoon through the night. A few of the storms could produce large hail and damaging winds, but the primary concern will be locally heavy rainfall which could lead to flash flooding.

Today: Partly sunny with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the upper 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Wednesday: Partly sunny with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s. Northeast winds up to 5 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. East winds up to 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 90.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70.

Sunday: Partly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70.

Monday: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Geary Community Hospital officials are trying to move quickly to get temporary assistance to fill the gap left by the recent arrest of orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Allan D. Holiday Jr., on suspicion of Aggravated Sexual Battery.    The arrest occurred July 30 after police said they received a complaint in a case involving a 16-year old juvenile on July 26.

Holiday has been a practicing physician at Geary Community Hospital as an orthopedic sureon with Flint Hills Orthopedic / Sports Medicine.

On Monday, The CEO at Geary Community Hospital, Dr. Joseph Stratton said hospital officials are trying to get temporary assistance in to help on the clinic side for people needing diagnosis or ongoing care. “Some chronic care, if you will. So we’re in the process of doing that. We’re hoping that in the next week or less that we’ll be able to have a physician on site, an orthopedic specialist that’ll be able to help us.”  Stratton added, “We’re working on that, not knowing what goes on for the next day to week with this case. We are trying to find some help as best we can to serve the patients and families.”

Stratton stated they have two candidates that they began to talk to on Monday.

He reported to the Geary County Commission on Monday that Holiday is on a 14-day  suspension, which is per the medical staff bylaws at the Hospital. “Every hospital has those, and so you move through whatever the process offers, if you have to continue to suspend or not. I think some of that’s dependent on the process of the legal system.”

Holiday has been an important revenue producer for the Hospital in his role as orthopedic surgeon.

The next step in the court process is a status check for Holiday on Thursday morning ( Aug. 6 ) in Geary County District Court.

Geary USD 475 did not have to pay for the cost overrun on the construction of the new Fort Riley Elementary school.

That good news fact was reported to the Board of Education on Monday.

In August of one year ago the projected cost was determined to be four million dollars more than expected. Value engineering by school district staff reduced that cost by two million dollars.

The district’s Director of Business Operations, Bill Clark, said they went to the federal Office of Economic Adjustment and State of Kansas to cover the remainder of the cost overrun. In July of this year the State did pay the school district approximately $410,000 or about 20-percent of the total.

Clark stated, “Just last Friday the director of the Office of Economic Adjustment signed an additional grant agreement providing the additional $1.6 – $1.7 million to pay for the cost overrun that we incurred. ” Clark added, “So at this point in time there’s no additional funding cost to USD 475 to complete the new Fort Riley Elementary School.”

Clark reported that the total cost for the entire school is a little over $22 million.

BETHANY, Mo.- A 60-year-old Kansas man was injured in a single vehicle crash along I-35 in Harrison County, Missouri, Monday just after 11 p.m.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report says Randy Kraner of Manhattan lost control of his pickup truck, which left the highway and started to overturn before it went down an embankment.

Kraner was transported to Harrison County Community Hospital with moderate injuries. According to the report, Kraner was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Approximately 140 new teachers were welcomed to Geary USD 475 during the new teacher breakfast Monday in Junction City.  As of Monday’s school board meeting 16 positions remain open.

Board member Tom Brungardt is concerned about the cost of what the district loses. “In this day and age when teachers are hard to come by, as has been reported in the media, having a loss of about 25 percent of our district every year, turnover of about 25 percent every year does create some problems. It’s expensive to train new people, it’s a problem because all of these new people have to be evaluated twice a year for a couple of years which creates a headache for the administration. It doesn’t provide us the kind of continuity I would like.”

Brungardt added he thinks it’s something the school board needs to study and how they can better retain teachers. “And it isn’t just salary, although salary is a big part of it. There’ve been studies that show that pay the teachers all the money in the world, and if there’re not a place they want to work they won’t stay there.

Brungardt told fellow Board members on Monday he would like the district to look at a long range plan to retain staff.

RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a report of guns taken during a pair of home burglaries over the weekend.

Riley County police say that a rifle and shotgun were taken from a home in the13000 block of Crooked Creek Road in Leonardville.

The total estimated loss is approximately $520.00 and this crime is thought to have occurred between the 27th and 31st of last month. Police continue to investigate the matter.

In addition, police say on Sunday, an antique gun was taken from a home in the 7800 block of Marie Lane in

Officers on the scene found that a variety of tools and the gun were removed from the residence. The total estimated is $2,194.00.