Month: November 2021

$9 million available to Kansas residents to restore drinking water service

Kansas households adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic may benefit from a new program to help restore or prevent disconnection of drinking water and wastewater services.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is the administrating agency for the Emergency Water Assistance Program (EWAP), a new temporary federal program authorized by the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

“The program’s sole focus is to restore or prevent disconnection of water to Kansas households,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said in a news release. “Kansas was awarded $9 million to support hardworking Kansas households who have gotten behind on their water bills because of the pandemic.”

Once the funding is exhausted, the program will end. Households may apply only one for the program and it is separate from other DCF assistance programs such as the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).

Applications for EWAP will be available Dec. 1. Kansans are encouraged to visit www.dcf.ks.gov/EWAP for information about qualifying and applying for the program. They may also contact their local DCF Service Center, Office Locator Map – Services (ks.gov).

An EWAP qualifying Kansas household:
• Currently disconnected from drinking water or wastewater services or have received a disconnection notice.
• At least one adult household member must be responsible for drinking water or wastewater costs incurred at the primary residence payable to either the landlord or to the water utility vendor.
• At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or meet the lawful residency requirements.
• Combined gross income equal to or less than 150% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

An important partner for the successful distribution of the funding are water utilities companies in Kansas.

“Public water utility partnership is vital to the success of the water assistance program,” Howard said. “DCF is required to pay the public water utility provider, not the household. The sooner the utility company is in the system, the faster payment will be made on behalf of the household by DCF.”

Water partners are asked to submit a signed water vendor agreement and tax documents that can be found on www.dcf.ks.gov/EWAP.

BPU to meet Wednesday and Thursday

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 1, for a work session and regular session.

The BPU also will have a finance committee meeting at 5 p.m. Dec. 1.

On the agenda for the work session, which starts at 5:30 p.m., is executive staff development.

On the agenda for the regular meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., will be a public comment time, October financial report, utility analytics and reporting, miscellaneous comments and board comments.

All three meetings on Dec. 1 will be available for the public to access through the telephone or through the internet on a Zoom meeting.

To join the Zoom meeting, visit the website https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.

To join the meeting by telephone, call toll-free 1-888-475-4499.

The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.

The board meeting information packet is online at https://www.bpu.com/Portals/0/pdf/board-information-packet-12-1-21.pdf.

Members of the community who wish to speak to the board must be logged in to the Zoom meeting via the internet using their browser or the Zoom application. Members of the public will be asked to raise their hand to signal they wish to address the board.

For more information about how to access the Dec. 1 meeting, visit https://www.bpu.com/About/MediaNewsReleases/December1BPUBoardMeetingNotice.aspx.

The BPU board also is scheduled to meet for a budget workshop on Thursday, Dec. 2.

The in-person workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the BPU administration building, 540 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The workshop on Dec. 2 will include budget reviews for the electric production; accounting and finance – purchasing and supply, and administrative services divisions; general management; corporate compliance; customer service; information technology; water; electric operations and electric supply divisions.

The final 2022 budget will be presented to the board for its approval during the Dec. 15 board meeting.

Sporting KC makes roster moves ahead of 2022 season

Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has exercised contract options for Felipe Hernandez and Jaylin Lindsey ahead of the 2022 MLS season.

Sporting has declined contract options for Amadou Dia, Wilson Harris, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec, Ilie Sanchez and Brooks Thompson, according to the announcement. Additionally, Graham Smith is out of contract with the club.

Sporting is currently in discussions with Roger Espinoza, Kendall McIntosh and Graham Zusi, all of whom are out of contract with the club, according to the spokesman. These discussions began following the conclusion of Sporting’s 2021 season.

Sporting now has 20 players under contract for the 2022 season: Hernandez and Lindsey plus the 18 players who were already under contract in 2022.

Sporting KC players under contract in 2022
• Goalkeepers (2): Tim Melia, John Pulskamp
• Defenders (5): Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Jaylin Lindsey, Kayden Pierre, Kaveh Rad
• Midfielders (7): Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Jose Mauri, Remi Walter
• Forwards (6): Grayson Barber, Tyler Freeman, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Khiry Shelton

The calendar of Major League Soccer’s offseason roster-building events begins with a half-trade window Dec. 12 and ends with the MLS SuperDraft Jan. 11. Sporting will have the opportunity to protect up to 12 players in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, which will see expansion club Charlotte FC add up to five players to its roster for the 2022 campaign. Homegrown players will be automatically protected in the MLS Expansion Draft.

MLS offseason roster mechanisms
• Sunday, Dec. 12: Half-day trade window (8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT)
• Tuesday, Dec. 14: MLS Expansion Draft (time TBD)
• Wednesday, Dec. 15: End-of-Year Waivers (12 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, Dec. 15: Free Agency opens (12 p.m. CT)
• Friday, Dec. 17: Re-Entry Process, Stage 1 (12 p.m. CT)
• Thursday, Dec. 23: Re-Entry Process, Stage 2 (12 p.m. CT)
• Tuesday, Jan. 11: 2022 MLS SuperDraft (time TBD)

Sporting’s roster will continue to take shape in the buildup to the club’s 2022 MLS campaign, which will kick off on Feb. 27 at Atlanta United FC. For a full list of Sporting’s offseason roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker.

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