The Executive Director of Communication in Geary USD 475, Hugh Davis, has issued a statement on the school district property levy.

This is the first of a series of articles that I ( Hugh Davis ) will be sharing regarding different topics surrounding the funding and reasons why discussions of a new high school are being discussed.

 

Did the USD 475 Mill Levy Increase?

 

No… A few weeks ago property owners in Geary County opened the mail and from first glance it looked like USD 475 raised its mill levy. But if you add all three areas up, one would see that the school district did not. The overall school district mill levy remained the same as of 2015/2016. The Board of Education has always been cognitive of the County and City Mill Levy and that is why they have advocated for the mil levy essentially staying flat since 2009. The Board even elected to lower the school district mill levy in 2014 by approximately 2 mill’s to 43.525.

 

So why does it look like it did? The school district can change the amounts within each category (except for the General Category – fixed by the state at 20.000) and did so by increasing the mills in Sup Gen/C-OUTLAY category and decreasing the amount in the BOND & INTREST category in order to receive the maximum state benefit from Capital Outlay. This change resulted in an additional $453,852 funding in capital outlay. If one was to add up the three categories they would see that the prior year and current year total school district mill levy’s remained the same.

For additional information about the feasibility study being conducted by the architecture firm Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey on behalf of USD 475, visit USD 475.org and look under the news and announcements section for FAQ JCHS Way Forward link.

 

For additional information about the feasibility study being conducting by the architecture firm Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey on behalf of USD 475, visit USD 475.org and look under the news and announcements section for FAQ JCHS Way Forward link.

 

Snow isn’t in the immediate forecast, but baby it’s cold outside – and snow, freezing rain, sleet, and ice are inevitable in this part of the country in the Winter.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Gary Berges said that practicing safe driving practices ahead of inclement weather is key to staying safe when it actually occurs. “We’re unique, especially around here with a transient population; a lot of people have never driven where there’s snow or freezing rain.”

Winter Driving Tips according to Berges

• have all car windshields clean, all around the vehicle; if you have things hanging from the rear-view mirror take that off so you  have more room to see in inclement weather
• keep car (especially in wintertime) gas tank above half, it will keep moisture out of your gas lines; also, who wants to pump gas in 5 degree temps
• keep an emergency kit stocked with – sand or kitty liter, blankets, snacks, flashlight with good batteries, hats, mittens, extra clothing, cell phone charger
• warm up your car before you leave
• speed limits are max limits, if it’s 30 and you feel safe going 15 then do so
• slow down, be cautious as approaching intersections and stop signs

For more information on Disaster Survival Kits and other related information visit Geary County Emergency Management’s website.

 

The Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) met Thursday evening and approved a request for a special use permit to allow travel trailers in a mobile home district at 1510 Rucker Road.

Don Weeks brought the request to the MPC, as the agent for the owner George Wright. The plan is to put in 13 RV sites plus a permanent mobile home that could be used as an attendant office.

In the past there have been up to 14 mobile homes at that location. Sewer, water and gas service is available at the site.

Also, at the December 8th meeting was a proposal for a special use permit to construct storage unites in the residential multiple-family district at 728 W First Street. The MPC continued this proposal until their January meeting.

Hugh and Elaine Dill want to put the storage units on the site of an older building which they plan to tear down.

Zoning administrator David Yearout said  the staff recommendation was to deny the request because that residential area was the wrong location for storage units. “Mr. Dillon indicated a desire to modify the design and provide a little more detailed information and the planning commission’s decision was to continue to allow him to do that.”

The MPC meets again on January 12th.

The first half of taxes, personal property and real estate, in Geary County are due on December 20th.

If the first half of personal property taxes are not paid by the 20th, they begin to accrue interest. After the first half is paid on or before December 20th, the second half will be due May 10, 2017. Full unpaid personal property taxes are sent to the Sheriff’s Department for collection in March. Interest and penalties begin December 21st.

Real estate taxes must be paid in full or half by December 20th. Second half taxes are due by May 10th.

You can avoid waiting in line at the County Office Building by mailing your payment to 200 E 8th Street, Junction City, KS 66441. Your mailed payment should be postmarked no later than December 20th.

For more information click here.

On Tuesday, December 5th the northbound ramps of the US-77/K-18 Interchange were closed for construction. This closure was the result of a misunderstanding concerning the sequencing of construction in the area.

Plans now call for the ramps and K-18/8th Street to be reopened by next Thursday, December 15th, and remain opened until the completion of the current phase of construction.

Work on the northbound ramps will resume at a later date. After these ramps have been reconstructed, US-77 traffic will be carried head to head over these ramps while the bridge is removed and replaced.

This was confirmed by the  Kansas Department of Transportation on December 9th.

The U.S. Senate has approved the National Defense Authorization Act. It now goes to the President for his signature, which would give the measure final approval.

According to information released by Senator Jerry Moran, it includes $12.2 million in funding for construction of an unmanned aerial vehicle complex at Fort Riley.

The measure includes a pay increase for service members of 2.1 percent in monthly basic pay. That is the largest pay increase in five years.

The Act also removes controversial provisions that would decrease the basic allowance for housing for dual military families. Sen. Moran was part of a bipartisan group of senators calling for the removal of those provisions.

 

Westar Energy energized a new 60 mile high-voltage transmission line this week.  It runs from Salina to Concordia and the company says it will ensure wind energy developed in the area can be delivered to customers. It will also improve reliability and give communities better access to power markets, which reduces power prices.

The $54.5 million  project was completed $13.7 million under budget.