Kansas Leaders Try to Lure Kansas City Chiefs Away from Missouri
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — The state of Kansas is making a play to lure the Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri to Kansas. Top legislative leader have intensified efforts to woo the Super Bowl champion Chiefs to the state by offering to let the professional football franchise shape a plan for using state bonds to finance a new stadium in Kansas.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson said late yesterday (TUE) that the Legislature would consider the proposal during a special session set to convene June 18. The two leaders invited the Chiefs to weigh in on the plan in a May 23 letter to the team's chairman and CEO. Meanwhile, a new nonprofit group called Scoop and Score has launched a campaign for the proposal and registered 20 lobbyists. Scoop and Score started an online petition aimed at the Legislature, sent texts saying the Chiefs “deserve a permanent home in Kansas,” and registered 20 lobbyists to represent it at the Statehouse, including a former House speaker and some of the state's most prominent contract lobbyists.
Kansas officials saw an opening in early April after voters on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area decisively refused to extend a local sales tax used to keep up the complex housing the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium, home to professional baseball’s Kansas City Royals. “Your insights and expertise are invaluable in shaping the success of this project,” Hawkins and Masterson said in their letter. “Your organization’s stature and experience in professional sports will help shape our understanding and ensure that this initiative aligns with the interests of all stakeholders involved.”
The lobbyists who registered to represent Scoop and Score included Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area businessman who served as Kansas House speaker from 2017 through 2022. His former legislative chief of staff, Paje Resner, also registered, and she was listed as the group’s incorporator when it filed its articles of incorporation with the state on May 13.
Hunt told reporters in April that the Chiefs would take “a broader perspective” about the team’s future home after the vote in Missouri. The Chiefs had hoped to use their share of the local sales tax to help pay for an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead.
The plan favored by Hawkins, Masterson and other members of the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature would pay off bonds for a new stadium with sales and alcohol tax revenues generated in a designated area around the stadium. It would be similar to how the state and officials in Kansas City, Kansas, financed construction of NASCAR's Kansas Speedway and an adjacent shopping and entertainment district. “We are poised to make the Kansas City Chiefs even stronger,” Hawkins and Masterson said in their letter. “It also promises to be a victory for Kansas taxpayers and a game-changer for our state’s economy.”
Some legislators were pushing a similar proposal to build new stadiums in Kansas for both the Chiefs and the Royals before lawmakers adjourned their annual session May 1, but the plan never came to a vote. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called the special session to consider broad tax cuts after vetoing three previous tax plans, but legislators can consider whatever they want.
The earlier stadium-financing proposal faced opposition from Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, a small-government, low-tax group long against the use of such bonds and influential with Republicans. Critics have argued that using the bonds for big projects represents the state picking economic winners and losers instead of the free market.
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Republican State Representative Les Mason Dies at Age 69
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Governor Laura Kelly has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of a Kansas lawmaker who died this week. The Kansas News Service reports that State Representative Les Mason of McPherson died Monday at the age of 69 after suffering a brain aneurysm. He represented District 73 as a Republican for 10 years and was seeking re-election this November. Mason also served as the assistant majority leader in the Kansas House and as chairman of the House social services budget committee. After the news of his death, many of Mason’s colleagues described him as a dedicated servant and friend. The governor says flags on state property should be flown at half-staff until Mason’s burial.
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Kansas Revenues Fall Far Short of Expectations for May
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas tax collections fell far short of expectations in May, after a revenue spike the previous month. The Kansas News Service reports that the state brought in about $660 million in taxes last month, 20 percent less than predicted. Kansas took in less than half of what was anticipated in corporate income taxes. Personal income taxes were also well below the forecast. But those May numbers might be a result of higher collections in April. The Kansas Department of Revenue says faster processing of tax payments inflated revenue in April and led to lower numbers in May. The shortfall comes two weeks before lawmakers hold a special session to consider state tax cuts.
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Kansas Lawmakers Will Soon Start a Special Session on Tax Cuts. Here’s What We Can Expect
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - The state of Kansas has billions in the bank. State lawmakers will return to Topeka June 18th for a special session to try and reach a tax-cutting agreement with Governor Laura Kelly. Special sessions have become increasingly more common in Kansas in recent years. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly called the special session after rejecting three different bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature that would have cut state income and property taxes. Kelly supports tax cuts but says she wants lawmakers to pass a bill that’s less costly for the state. (Read more.)
Kansas Among States Addressing Property Tax Hikes
UNDATED (AP) – For retirees Tom and Beverly McAdam, the good news is the value of their two-bedroom home in suburban Denver has risen 45% since they purchased it more than six years ago.
That's also the bad news, costing them thousands more in real estate taxes and leaving less for discretionary spending. “To pay the higher property taxes, it just means we’ve got to take more money out of our investments when it comes time to hit those big bills,” Beverly McAdam said.
She backs a Colorado ballot proposal that could cap the growth of property tax revenue. It's one of several measures in states this year to limit, cut or offset escalating property taxes in response to complaints.
Over the past five years, single-family home prices have risen about 54% nationally, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
That means higher tax bills for homeowners when governments don’t offset higher real estate values by reducing tax rates. And with offices seeing higher vacancies as people still work from home after the coronavirus pandemic, some commercial property values are declining, putting even more pressure on residential properties to deliver revenues.
“With assessed values skyrocketing over the past few years,” said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the nonprofit Tax Foundation, “homeowners are clamoring for relief, and state policymakers are increasingly exploring ways to provide it.”
Colorado, like Alabama and Wyoming, also has a new law that will limit the growth in tax-assessed values for homeowners.
Property tax relief will be part of a special legislative session beginning June 18 in Kansas, while Nebraska also could hold a special session to cut property taxes. (Read more about the special session in Kansas.)
Georgia voters will decide in November whether to authorize a new law limiting increases in assessed home values for tax purposes to the rate of inflation, unless local governments or school boards opt out.
Five years ago, Lanell Griffith and her husband paid a little less than $2,700 in property taxes on their Topeka, Kansas, home in a historic neighborhood of tree-lined, brick streets. Their bill last year was more than $3,700. “The government shouldn’t be able to arbitrarily just increase what they say you owe them without any sort of guardrails on that,” Griffith said.
Kansas lawmakers this year passed three measures that would have reduced the state's property tax levy for public schools. But each was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly because of concerns about other sections to cut income taxes. The special session will mark a fourth attempt at consensus.
In Vermont, Republican Governor Phil Scott has vowed to veto a bill that would raise property taxes by an average of nearly 14% to provide more money for public schools. Scott said people “simply cannot afford a historic, double digit property tax increase.”
In many states, property taxes are primarily a function of local governments such as counties, cities, school boards and special districts for libraries, fire departments and water systems. Each entity sets its own property tax rate, which is added to the others to come up with an overall tax bill for property owners.
State legislatures can intervene in a variety of ways. They can establish statewide limits on how much assessed property values can rise, create partial tax exemptions for all homeowners or provide income tax credits to help offset property taxes for certain people, such as those 65 and older.
But any relief carries consequences. Limits on the growth of assessed property values may provide a greater benefit to the wealthy. Exemptions for homes used as primary residences can shift a greater tax burden to rental properties and businesses.
"If you do this too much, you can now start tying the hands of your local government and cutting them off from the ability to raise revenue," said Richard Auxier, a principal policy associate at the nonprofit Tax Policy Center.
While signing several property tax relief laws this year, Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon vetoed one that would have exempted 25% of a home's value from property taxes. He said it “jeopardized the financial stability of the state and counties.”
In 1982, voters in Muscogee County, Georgia, approved a local ordinance freezing assessed property values for homes used as primary residences. The result: longtime homeowners pay very little, newcomers pay more and businesses face some of the state's highest property tax rates, said Suzanne Widenhouse, the county’s chief appraiser.
Last year, two similar homes worth around $330,000 had dramatically different tax bills. One, whose assessed value was frozen in the 1980s, owed less than $8. The other, whose assessed value was frozen when purchased about five years ago, owed $3,236, Widenhouse said.
“Anytime you grant an exemption, you create an inequality,” she said.
A Georgia ballot measure would amend the constitution to allow increases in assessed property values to be capped at the rate of inflation. But it wouldn’t undo past increases.
In the eight years since Rob Romeijn bought a ranch-style house on 10 acres (4 hectares) southeast of Atlanta, Rockdale County has raised the assessed value of his property from $127,000 to $230,000, also bumping up his property tax bill, he said.
As a Dutch immigrant with permanent residency, Romeijn can’t vote in elections in Conyers, but he was so unhappy about the increase that he made a sign urging people to vote out Rockdale’s commissioners and protested outside county offices in April.
Colorado also has been at the center of the property tax debate. The state has experienced decades-long growth in new residents, driving up demand for housing. Meanwhile, it has struggled to find a balance between providing tax relief for homeowners and sufficient funding for local governments.
A 1982 constitutional amendment limited residential properties to 45% of Colorado’s total property tax base while also setting a fixed assessment rate for commercial properties. To keep the ratio in balance as home values rose, residential tax assessments were cut, leaving less revenue for essential services such as fire districts.
Colorado voters repealed that constitutional provision in 2020. Since then, assessed home values have risen rapidly and the General Assembly has responded. The latest law, signed in May, is projected to shave over $1 billion annually off future property tax revenue by reducing tax rates and imposing growth limits.
But that’s not enough to satisfy some residents. The conservative group Advance Colorado backed a citizens initiative asking voters in November to cap all property tax revenue growth at 4% per year and is gathering signatures for still another ballot initiative to lower property taxes.
“People are saying this is too much growth; government doesn’t need this much money,” Advance Colorado President Michael Fields said. "People are genuinely scared of losing their houses.”
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Republican State Representative Brenda Landwehr Won't Seek Re-Election
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Several Kansas lawmakers have announced they will not seek reelection this fall. The Kansas News Service reports that they include Republican Representative Brenda Landwehr of Wichita, who advanced a conservative agenda as chair of the House health committee. She led opposition to Medicaid expansion and abortion rights. She withdrew minutes before the Monday filing deadline, citing family reasons, and endorsed Republican newcomer Jill Ward. Neal Allen at Wichita State University says it could be part of a larger strategy to influence who runs for her seat next. “Her stepping down just before the filing deadline, and then endorsing a chosen successor, does box out other Republicans. And this is a fairly common thing that happens in Kansas and all over the country,” he clarified. Allen says Democrats could aim for Landwehr’s House seat as they try to break a Republican supermajority this fall. Landwehr’s northeast Wichita district voted for Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in 2022.
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Chair of Kansas Senate Education Committee Won't Seek Re-Election
UNDATED (KNS) – The Republican lawmaker who chairs the Education Committee in the Kansas Senate is not running for re-election this year. State Senator Molly Baumgardner withdrew her filing for Senate District 37, south of Kansas City, as Monday's noon deadline approached. The Kansas News Service reports that Baumgardner has served in the Kansas Senate since 2014. She pushed for the creation of the state’s Dyslexia Task Force in 2018 and the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy, which was adopted earlier this spring.
Republican Doug Shane filed to run for Baumgardner’s seat. His opponent will be Democrat Sherry Giebler, a counselor and community volunteer.
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Kansas Ag Officials Keeping Close Eye on Avian Influenza
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - As we've reported on KPR, the lethal and highly contagious avian influenza has been detected in Kansas birds and cattle. The disease, also known as bird flu and H5N1 has only infected one Kansas flock of birds since January. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the disease has also been confirmed in commercial dairy herds in Kansas. Two herds were infected in March and two more in April. Since last December, avian flu has been identified in more than a half dozen Kansas counties, including Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Mitchell, Rice, McPherson, Barton, and Grant.
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Ascension Continues to Work on Restoring Electronic Access to Health Records
UNDATED (KNS) – Health giant Ascension says it’s working to restore access to electronic health records in Kansas and other states by the end of next week. The Kansas News Service reports that the health care system is still reeling from a May 8 ransomware attack that took many electronic systems offline. Ascension operates a number of hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in Kansas and Missouri. Some nurses have recently raised safety concerns, saying they’re cut off from systems that are critical to patient care. Ascension says it’s still investigating the attack. It has not said whether patient data was compromised.
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Interactive Map Educates Kansans About Prescription Drug Savings Program
UNDATED (KNS) – A recently published interactive map helps Kansans learn which hospitals in the state participate in a federal drug savings program called 340B. The Kansas News Service reports that the map, created by the Alliance for Integrity and Reform of 340B, also highlights news articles exposing hospitals that misuse the program. Nicole Longo, a representative for the alliance, says 340B was originally designed as a way for hospitals that serve low-income communities to lower prescription drug costs. But Longo says some hospitals profit by marking up the price of the discounted drugs, making patients pay more. “The website and tool is to help everyday people get a better sense of how the 340B program works in their state and to give them the information they need to ask their hospitals what they’re doing with the program,” she explained. Longo says more than 90 hospitals in Kansas are part of the 340B program.
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Kansas Senator Helps Secure Audit into Slow Mail Delivery Service in Kansas and Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - Why is mail delivery in Kansas and Missouri so slow? That's what Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is trying to find out. The Republican Senator helped secure an audit of U.S. mail services at Kansas City's mail processing and distribution Center. As part of the audit, the USPS Office of Inspector General will conduct a thorough review of delivery operations and property conditions at post offices in KCK, Mission and Kansas City, Missouri.
"This audit is a great first step in getting much-needed answers for the Kansas City area communities who deserve reliable mail services," Marshall said.
The Kansas-Missouri region has been significantly affected by mail delivery delays, with some of the worst performance data of any region in the country. According to the postal service itself, less than 68% of First-Class Mail is delivered on time.
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Tick-Related Illnesses on the Rise in Kansas and Missouri
UNDATED (KCUR) – Cases of tick-related illnesses are increasing in Kansas and Missouri as summers get longer and hotter. One of those diseases is alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS. That's an allergy to red meat that usually occurs after a tick bite. Taylor Harris with the Platte County Health Department in Missouri suggests wearing long clothing and using insect repellent if you go into the woods or areas with long grass, cautioning that “...after you are out in woody areas, be sure to examine yourself and even your pets for ticks and try to remove those immediately.” Symptoms of AGS usually appear a few hours after eating. They range from hives to vomiting to a life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
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Summer Temps Rising in Midwest and Plains
UNDATED (KNS) - Summers are bringing more unpleasantly hot and humid days to the Midwest and Great Plains than in the past. Over the past half century, average summer temperatures have risen in the middle of the country. That’s according to Climate Central, a nonprofit group that compiles weather data. Compared with 1970, St. Louis now gets an extra three weeks per summer of hotter-than-usual weather. Topeka gets an extra two weeks. Wichita, an extra week. Kansas City, a few days. At night, those cities don’t cool off as much as they used to. Yet, the Midwest isn’t warming as quickly as some other parts of the country, like the Southwest and the East Coast.
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Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Lyon County
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) – Tree experts say the Emerald Ash Borer has been discovered in Lyon County. The Kansas Department of Agriculture recently confirmed the presence of the damaging insect in Emporia. Lyon County is now the 14th county in Kansas confirmed to have the invasive insect. The beetle is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 30 states. The pest was first discovered in Kansas 12 years ago, in Wyandotte County.
The Emerald Ash Borer – as its name suggests – is a green, invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees by eating tissues under the bark. Adult beetles are known to emerge in mid-to-late-May. Tree experts at Kansas State University say early detection and proper treatment can save some of the infected trees.
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Bill Haw, Former National Farms CEO, Dies at Age 85
UNDATED (KCUR) – A Kansas City business leader who left a lasting legacy in the Flint Hills has died. For more than 40 years, Bill Haw, Sr., was CEO of the cattle-feeding business National Farms. KCUR Radio reports that he died last Thursday. Haw purchased large sections of land in the Kansas Flint Hills and transformed ranching practices in the region. His “intensive grazing” method is now standard practice. When Haw decided to sell his Flint Hills ranches three years ago, he worked to preserve an area about half the size of Shawnee, Kansas. Speaking about the deal in 2021, he said a conservation easement put in place will ensure that much of the land "will never change."
Haw, who was 85, also owned the Livestock Exchange Building in Kansas City, and developed real estate in the West Bottoms area that surrounds it.
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Study: Overland Park Is 2nd Best City in Nation to Raise a Family
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPR) - A recent study claims Overland Park is the second best city in the nation to raise a family. The study, by WalletHub, ranked 182 cities on various factors, like the cost of housing; quality of education; health and safety and opportunities for fun and recreation. After ranking the best and worst places to raise a family, WalletHub claims Fremont, California is the best place. Fremont was followed by Overland Park.
WalletHub also notes that Overland Park has the second-highest percentage of families with two parents, along with the 10th lowest rate of separation and divorce.
Memphis, Tennessee, was ranked as the worst place to raise a family.
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Sunday Presentation in Emporia Covers History of the Kansas Historical Society
EMPORIA, Kan. (KPR) - No doubt you've heard of the Kansas Historical Society, which collects and catalogues the history of Kansas. But what about the history of the Historical Society itself? This Sunday afternoon in Emporia, the Executive Director of the organization, Patrick Zollner, will present the History of the Kansas Historical Society. The free presentation begins at 2 pm Sunday at Red Rocks State Historic Site, the former home of writer and publisher William Allen White. Zollner will also discuss the redesign of the Kansas History Museum in Topeka.
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