Month: April 2017

Improvements coming for KCK trash collection, UG says

Kansas City, Kansas, officials are pledging that there will be improvements in local trash service.

After a meeting with Waste Management, a firm that took over Deffenbaugh, Unified Government officials stated that there will be major steps taken to improve trash and recycling in Kansas City, Kansas.

Residents had made hundreds of calls to the UG complaining about late trash pickups over the past year, officials stated.

After meeting with Waste Management officials, starting in January and continuing for some months, UG officials stated that the firm will be implementing changes to provide improved service in the community and to ensure that these delays do not occur again.

The changes, according to a UG spokesman, include:
• The number of trash routes and trucks will increase from 12 to 14-15 per day.
• An additional recycling truck will be added each day.
• The new plan is expected to speed-up pickup times by several hours per day.

“I am pleased with the strategy Waste Management has proposed to improve the quality of trash collection services our residents have come to expect,” stated Doug Bach, Unified Government county administrator, in a news release. “Seeing an increase in the number of drivers on our streets to improve reliability and timeliness of service is a big win for our community.”

Mayor Mark Holland, earlier this year met with Waste Management executives in Washington, D.C.

“They pledged to get to the bottom of the problem and come up with solutions,” Holland said after the meeting.

“The transition for Waste Management into the Kansas City market was not an easy one,” Rich Sarac, Waste Management senior district manager, stated. “Unfortunately, Kansas City, Kansas, residents experienced service delays last year. We apologize for these service delays and the inconvenience they caused to the residents.”

The additional trucks and other changes are expected to be in effect by the end of the month, according to the UG’s news release.

T-Bones sign outfielder and two pitchers

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed outfielder Kevin Keyes and two pitchers — Will Morris and Chris Perry — to contracts for the 2017 season.

Keyes, 28 (03-15-89), who is 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds out of Austin, Texas, has spent all seven years of his professional career in the Washington Nationals’ farm system.

He split time in 2016 between double-A Harrisburg and triple-A Syracuse, batting a combined .204 with 66 hits, including 12 home runs, 45 RBIs and 35 runs scored.

Keyes’ best season was 2015 when he split time between Harrisburg and Syracuse, and batted .248 with 117 hits. The previous season, 2014, Keyes hit 20 home runs at Harrisburg. The Nationals selected Keyes in the seventh round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of Texas.

Morris, 23 (05-02-93), is a 6-foot-4 and 180-pound right hander from Las Vegas, Nev. In 2016, splitting time between high-A Clearwater and double-A Reading in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization, Morris went 9-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 28 games (14 starts). He struck out 59 and walked 25 in 107 2/3 innings.

The Phillies selected Morris in the 24th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada. In four professional seasons, Morris is 18-10 with three saves, a 3.04 ERA, 179 strikeouts and 55 walks in 89 games (23 starts).

Perry, 26 (07-15-90), is a 6-foot-2 and 215-pound right hander from Cary, N.C. He has spent the first four seasons of his professional career in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, after the club selected him in the 17th round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Methodist College.

Last season, Perry went 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 37 relief appearances. He struck out 60 and walked 40 in 53 1/3 innings. Perry has a career record of 12-13 with 20 saves and a 3.29 ERA. In 143 games (13 starts), Perry has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 274-125.

The T-Bones open the 2017 regular season at home on May 19 against Lincoln.

– Story from Matt Fulks, T-Bones

Legislation aims at revenue shortfall

Views
Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Taking one-time money from the long-term investment funds should solve the immediate cash flow problem of about $290 million for the state of Kansas fiscal year that ends June 30, 2017.

That was the view of State Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D-36th Dist., who was a member of a legislative panel at a coffee held Saturday, April 8, at the West Wyandotte Library. The League of Women Voters of Johnson County, the NAACP of Kansas City, Kansas, and the Kansas City, Kansas, Public libraries sponsored the event. About 20 persons attended.

Rep. Moore said this would be a short-term solution and would not address the $1 billion shortfall predicted through 2019. This short-term proposal has passed both houses of the Kansas Legislature and awaits Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature.

State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Fifth Dist., said that state government spending is at an all-time high. Major industries in Kansas, including gas and oil and agriculture, are suffering and therefore producing less tax revenue. However, the state has not made necessary cuts in spending, Sen. Fitzgerald said.

The panel agreed that, even though Kansas is facing fiscal problems, it is not as severe as in those states such as Oklahoma, Wyoming or Alaska that are highly dependent on tax revenue from gas and oil or coal, or both.

Sen. Fitzgerald said there is a need for more funds for the Kansas Department of Transportation. There have been proposals to increase the gas tax to fund road work.

There was discussion about the “Uncork Kansas” legislation that would let grocery stores sell Kansas strong beer. This proposal has been before the legislature for the past several years. Apparently a compromise has been reached among liquor store owners and grocery stores. The liquor stores would be able to sell other items such as ice and party supplies. Presently grocery stores can sell only 3.2 beer. The Alcohol Beverage Control agency would handle the details of how the grocery store personnel would sell strong beer.

State Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist., said despite this compromise, he predicted it would hurt the existing Kansas liquor stores; all are individually owned. He said he has contacted every liquor store in Wyandotte County.

A man in the audience said he was concerned because of a 20-percent increase in the valuation of his home. He said he is retired and living on a fixed income and fears a substantial property tax increase.

Sen. Fitzgerald said valuations are set by the Unified Government. He suggested that the man might want to appeal his valuation to the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals.

When asked if there might be another attempt to override Gov. Brownback’s veto of a bill that would attract more federal Medicaid funds, Rep. Moore said she did not expect it. Various health care professional organizations, including the Kansas Hospital Association, have urged passage of the bill. Those opposed to it have said it would cost the state too much money long-term; besides, opponents said it is uncertain how long the funding source, the federal Affordable Care Act, will be in effect because of opposition from Congress and President Donald Trump.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.