Month: September 2018

Mild weather forecast ahead

Sunny skies and a high of about 82 are in today’s forecast from the National Weather Service.

No hazardous weather is expected through next week, and minor river flooding is ongoing along points on the Missouri River, the weather service said.

Winds will begin to pick up out of the south this morning, according to the weather service, becoming gusty through the afternoon, with south southeast of 5 to 10 mph in the forecast.

The surface ridge has shifted further east, allowing stronger moisture to move across the southern plains and some cumulus clouds developing by late morning to early afternoon, the weather service said. Near normal temperatures will continue with highs topping out in the lower 80s across much of the forecast area.

By Friday and Saturday, an increase in low-level moisture will bring the heat index back into the lower 90s, according to the weather service.

Precipitation chances are low through the weekend, but a system moving across the northern plains early next week could have an effect. A cold front will slide into the region late Monday and Tuesday, bringing increasing chances for showers and thunderstorms, according to the weather service, but precipitation chances are not high. Areas north of I-70 will have the best chance of rainfall, the weather service said.

Hurricane Florence at this time appears to have little to no impact on the local area, but there could be increased cloud cover working into the region Monday and Tuesday, the weather service said.

If the track shifts to the west and Hurricane Florence works its way inland, there might be a few showers developing ahead of the frontal boundary as the hurricane increases convergence near the front.

Today, it will be sunny with a high near 82 and south southeast wind of 5 to 10 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, it will be mostly clear with a low of 67 and a southeast wind of 6 to 9 mph, according to the weather service.

Thursday it will be mostly sunny with a high near 84, and a south wind of 7 to 13 mph, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 68 and a south southeast wind of 6 to 10 mph, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be sunny with a high near 88 and a south wind of 7 to 10 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 69, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 87, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny with a high near 86, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 86, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 83, the weather service said.

Victim of fatal accident identified

The victim of a fatal traffic accident at 6:50 p.m. Monday near 4th and Quindaro in Kansas City, Kansas, has been identified, according to police.

The victim has been identified as Melanie McDonald, age 2, according to a Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman.

Police stated that the child ran into the street and the mother pursued her, the spokesman stated. Both the mother and child were hit by a vehicle westbound on Quindaro, and both were taken to the hospital.

The driver of the vehicle stopped at the accident and cooperated with police, according to the spokesman. The case is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Traffic Support Unit – Critical Collision Response Team.

Opinion column: Tax board ruling favors owner of The Woodlands

Views
Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

The Kansas Board of Tax Appeals, meeting July 26, ruled unanimously that The Woodlands is paying too much property tax and reduced its tax liability substantially for the year 2017.

Wyandotte County Appraiser Kathy Briney and Wendy Green, a lawyer for the Unified Government, said they have requested a copy of the detailed proceedings from the Tax Appeal Board to determine if they will appeal the ruling.

The Woodlands is owned by Phil Ruffin, a wealthy businessman who also owns other Kansas race track properties in Wichita and Frontenac. He is a business partner with Donald Trump; they own the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas.

If the ruling stands, it could mean taxing units, including the Unified Government, the Piper School District and the Community College, could be forced to make refunds to The Woodlands.

The Woodlands paid $297,988.30 in real estate taxes for 2017. Of the amount, about 45 percent or about $134,000, was the Unified Government’s portion. The Piper School District’s portion at 33 percent was about $90,000. The Community College’s portion was about 15 percent or about $44,000. If the ruling holds, the Unified Government’s new portion would be cut to only about $10,000; the Piper School District’s share would be only about $7,000 and the Community College’s portion would be about $3,500.

Bernie Shaner, an appraiser representing The Woodlands before the Tax Appeals Board, said the current use for the property is not economically feasible to operate as a horse racing enterprise because of “increased competition from nearby riverboat casinos and other land-based casinos…” He said that the present buildings at The Woodlands are in a serious state of disrepair and should be razed. Shaner said the highest and best use of the slightly more than 381 acres would be residential use.

Residential property in western Wyandotte County in a typical subdivision sells for about $35,000 for one-third of an acre. Assuming The Woodlands could be developed into a residential subdivision using 75 percent of the land for residential lots, its retail value could be more than $29 million.

The Tax Appeals Board ruled that the valuation of the property should be cut from $7,025,690 to $548,580. The ruling also could have an impact on 2018 and future tax amounts.

One person who follows real estate values closely, who asked to remain anonymous, said this decrease in valuation of the Woodlands property is much too low. The unimproved land was sold to the original Woodlands’ developers, R.J. Hubbard and Dick Boushka, in 1988 for $1,772,000. The cost of the development was $68 million when The Woodlands opened in 1989.

The property, including land and buildings, was sold to Ruffin from the estate of Bill Grace for $15 million in 2015.

A nearby commercial property with 44 acres is listed for sale at $3.5 million.

If the Unified Government does appeal the Board of Tax Appeals ruling, the case would go before the Kansas Court of Appeals. It could be months before the court would rule on this case.

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