Month: December 2017

Drizzle in today’s forecast, black ice possible tonight

National Weather Service graphic

Drizzle is expected through the day, according to the National Weather Service.

Drizzle may persist behind the cold front as temperatures fall this evening, possibly leading to the development of black ice, especially on elevated surfaces, the weather service said.

Temperatures are expected to be cold through the weekend, with a chance of snow Sunday. There is little to no snow accumulation expected, according to the weather service.

Today, there is a chance of drizzle in the forecast. Patchy fog is possible before 2 p.m. The high will be near 51 with an east wind of 5 to 7 mph becoming north in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Tonight, patchy drizzle is possible between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 29 with a north wind of 8 to 10 mph.

Friday, it will be mostly cloudy with a high near 36, the weather service said. There will be a north northwest wind of 5 to 7 mph.

Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy, then gradually clearing, with a low of 23, according to the weather service. There will be a north northwest wind of 3 to 5 mph.

Saturday, the high will be near 34 with mostly sunny skies and a north wind of 5 to 8 mph, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there will be a 20 percent chance of snow after midnight, according to the weather service. The low will be around 19.

Sunday, there is a 30 percent chance of snow before noon. It will be mostly sunny with a high of 32, the weather service said.

Sunday night, Christmas Eve, it will be mostly clear with a low of 21, according to the weather service.

Monday, Christmas Day, it will be partly sunny with a high near 37, the weather service said.

Monday night, the low will be around 20 with partly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

Legends parking garage CID, mayor-commission pay raise on Thursday night’s UG Commission agenda

On the agenda for the 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, Unified Government Commission meeting is the Legends Outlets parking garage and green space CID project, as well as a pay raise for the mayor and UG Commission.

The meeting will be held at the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

There will be a public hearing on the creation of a new Legends garage and lawn community improvement district.

The total $63.3 million project includes a green space on the west side of The Legends Outlets, with space for outdoor community events and with a large video screen.

In addition, a parking garage with apartments on top would be built. This 615-space parking garage would have 265 high-end apartments constructed over it. There would be a bridge from the existing Legends parking garage to the new garage. At least 350 spaces in the new garage would be set aside for public parking.

A sales tax of 1 percent would be put in place at the community improvement district, according to the agenda, and the .6 percent sales tax now in place would end. Industrial revenue bonds could be issued by the UG for the project, which is described as a pay-as-you-go project. The developer will pay a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes.

The CID funds would go only toward the garage, land, sidewalk and landscaping for the project and would be capped at $17.5 million.

The total cost of the green space part of the project is estimated at $40 million.

Also on the 7 p.m. agenda:
• Adoption of the UG’s legislative platform.
• Adoption of a cash management policy.
• An ordinance allowing the UG to use alternative project delivery methods for the design and construction of buildings and other structures.
• An ordinance allowing the purchasing director or head of the procuring agency to act as the commission’s designee, with the administrator’s approval, when directed by the commission.
• Changes to the time of appointments to the standing committees.
• Extending the MBC-WBE program for construction contracts for two years.
• Nomination of Jessie Alvarez to the Advisory Committee on Human Relations and Disability, submitted by Commissioner Melissa Bynum.
• An ordinance to sell general obligation bonds.
• A resolution allowing Mayor Mark Holland to buy the 2013 GMC Arcadia provided to him by the UG for $18,000.
• A presentation on the findings of the public meetings on the Indian Springs site.
• Several Land Bank items.

A special UG meeting is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, in the ninth floor conference room of City Hall to have a farewell appreciation dinner.

At 5:30 p.m., the UG Commission is scheduled to go into a closed executive session to discuss labor, litigation and personnel.

Yoder issues statement on passage of tax cut bill

U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, D-3rd Dist., has issued a statement on the federal tax cut bill.

The bill passed in its final version on Wednesday in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Yoder issued this statement on Tuesday, after a preliminary vote on it:

“Today, the House of Representatives passed generational reforms that will reduce the tax burden for hardworking families across America. This was a vote to give relief to the 75 percent of Americans currently living paycheck to paycheck who have been suffering from a stifling economic anxiety and little to no wage growth over the last eight years. Today’s vote was a vote for every family, every single mom, every entrepreneur, and every student fighting to climb up the economic ladder and achieve the American Dream.

“The typical middle class family will see a tax cut of $2,059 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. On top of that, the typical middle class family in Kansas will see an increase in after-tax income by $2,500 – meaning they’ll finally get that pay raise they’ve been hoping for the last decade.

“We do it primarily by making three vital changes to our tax code. We double the standard deduction, making the first $24,000 of a family’s income tax-free. We double the child tax credit to $2,000 and make it refundable, allowing low-income families to reduce their payroll tax burden. And we lower tax rates for all Americans.

“The facts show that relief is specifically targeted to middle and low-income Americans, fulfilling our promise to lower the tax burden for those who need it the most. Analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation shows that those making between $20,000 and $30,000 per year will see the largest percentage tax cut under our bill.

“In Congress, it’s a fight between those who demand higher taxes and more spending in Washington and those who want to return tax dollars to the hardworking Americans who earned them. Today, the Washington bureaucrats lost and the American people won.”

In addition to voting for the legislation, Representative Yoder led the fight to preserve several important provisions for working families:

• Child care tax credits and flexible spending accounts
• Educator school supply expense deduction
• Tax exemption for graduate student tuition waivers