Everything was on the table.

Keith Ascher, County Commissioner, stopped by the KJCK studios Thursday morning to discuss the County’s proposed 2018 budget.

Ascher addressed the $60,000 reduction in funding for ATA bus services in that proposed budget.

“I won’t say we were looking at a certain amount, but everything was on the table,” said Ascher. “When we took office and took our oath, our first [County] Department Head meeting we put out a directive – we want to tow the line, so we need all [your] help to make cuts and do more with less; so they were aware of that early on, that wasn’t a surprise to them.”

Ascher and Charles Stimatze joined Ben Bennett on the County Commission in January after the retirement of Florence Whitebread and Stimatze’s defeat of Larry Hicks.

Ascher noted that all other County departments or County funded agencies submitted budgets with requested decreases.

“As things were coming in and we got ATA bus’ budget, we were looking at all the decreases the other departments were making including some of our outlying agencies and we thought ‘ you know everybody is going to have to pony up here and do more with less’,” said Ascher. “The bottom line is valuations are down, and we didn’t have the money.”

The County’s assessed property valuation is down $2.3 million.

“We knew coming in we had a tax lid to deal with, that was no surprise; but what we weren’t aware of is our valuation we were looking down the barrel of a decrease,” said Ascher. “When you break that down, that’s somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 actual money that we find cuts and save.”

ATA bus Director Anne Smith noted that the actual impact to services will be much greater because local dollars are leveraged as matching monies for State and Federal Funds.

Ascher noted that all agencies have been asked to do more with less. The County has proposed a 2018 budget with an overall reduction in the property tax levy of 1.64 mils.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) announced his legislation to address the threat of agro-terrorism and ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply was signed into law. Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, introduced the bipartisan legislation with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

“As the backbone of the U.S. economy, the spread of any deadly pathogen among our livestock and plant population would cause irreparable damage,” Senator Roberts said. “As former Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I understand the unique threat our farmers and ranchers face. I am pleased we have taken this important step to better ensure the safety and security of our nation’s food supply.”

“As DHS continues to build the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kan., now is the exact time to shore up authorities regarding coordination and mitigation should the worst occur and the nation is hit by a biological attack on our food and agriculture. I look forward to continuing to work with DHS and USDA, which play equally important roles, in protecting our food supply. I’m pleased President Trump has signed this bill into law to reiterate the important and necessary role of the DHS in the agro-terrorism space.”

Our nation faces global and complex national security challenges. Agro-terrorism, and other high-risk events, pose serious threats to our food, agriculture, and livestock industries across the United States. It is imperative to have preparedness policies in place to quickly respond to events threatening U.S. agriculture or food production systems – ultimately protecting these key industries which impact every Americans on a daily basis. The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs, to lead the government’s efforts to secure our nation’s food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and high-risk events. The bill also authorizes the secretary to collaborate with other agencies, to ensure food, agriculture, and animal and human health sectors receive attention and are integrated into the DHS’s domestic preparedness policy initiatives.

After Senate passage, Senator Roberts recorded an audio message available here.

Reps. David Young (R-IA), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), and Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced the legislation in the House.

The text of the bill can be found here.

The United Way of Junction City – Geary County needs volunteers for their annual Stuff the Bus program.

The United Way partners with USD 475 to ask members of the Junction City and Geary County community to donate school supplies to help children in the  school district whose families who may struggle to provide the necessary items to start the school year.

Volunteers are needed for July 22nd from noon to 4:00 pm; July 29th from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm; and August 4th from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Volunteers can work in two hour shifts.

If you are interested in being a volunteer contact the United Way at 238-2117.