Category: Opinions

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Opinion column
by Murrel Bland

Money—or the lack of it—was a main topic of discussion at the monthly meeting of the Legislative Committee of the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce Friday morning, Sept. 11.

Kathy Damron, the lobbyist for the chamber, said the balance in state coffers of about $50 million at the end of about two months into the new fiscal year, didn’t indicate that the state was in particularly good financial shape. She said that a balance of about $200 million would have made state officials much more comfortable. Revenue is falling short of projections, she said. The new fiscal year began July 1.

Damron reported on a recent decision by a three-judge district court panel in Shawnee County that directed that Kansas public schools would receive an additional $50 million. She said that this move would probably affect a decision on a larger school funding case that is before the Kansas Supreme Court. School districts including Kansas, City, Kan., have alleged that the present state formula is unfair because it doesn’t provide adequate funding for school districts to provide a suitable education for students.

The current $15.3 billion state budget is a record amount. It provides for a massive shift of income tax to sales tax. The ultra-conservative legislature supported Gov. Sam Brownback in this shift. This move was supposed to attract new businesses and workers to the state. So far, this effort has not been that successful. Moderate Republicans and Democrats are saying that the increase in sales tax is hurting those who can least afford it—like the working poor. Ultra-conservative Republicans say that this effort of less income tax needs time to work.

There was also an extended discussion at the chamber’s committee about the payday lending industry. Craig Gaffney, a senior executive with Country Club Bank and a member of the chamber’s board of directors, introduced Ken Williams, the president of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.

Williams told how people get trapped by payday lenders who use a recurring service fee that can amount to as much as 400 percent. Williams said that those who use payday lenders are not just very poor people; many are members of the middle class. Gaffney said Country Club Bank is helping some of these people by loaning money so they can get out of the trap; such persons are required to take a money management course.

One of the larger payday lenders in the country is owned by QC Holdings that had its roots in Kansas City, Kan.; its corporate headquarters is now in Overland Park. The company, which claims to have about 500 locations in 23 states, is publicly traded; its president, Darrin Andersen, received a total compensation of $711,625 for the fiscal year of 2014 according to the Reuters news service. QC Holdings has two loan stores in Kansas City, Kan.—one on Central Avenue and the other in the Rosedale community according to its Internet site.

Those in the payday industry say that people need loans to pay for such necessities as an electricity bill or food. They justify their high interest rate pointing out a high default rate. QC Holdings reported its default rate in the second quarter of 2015 was 33.2 percent.

Concerning other issues, Greg Kindle, the president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, expressed concern about origin and destination sales tax. Kansas law says that if someone (such as a resident of Overland Park) buys an item at a Kansas retailer (such a Nebraska Furniture Mart) and takes it home, then the sales tax benefits Kansas City, Kan. However, if that Overland Park resident has the item delivered, then Overland Park collects sales tax. Kindle said if all sales tax were “origin-based,” Kansas City, Kan., would benefit.

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

Dear editor,

Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools recently announced that their district has begun providing breakfast and lunch to all early childhood and elementary students at no cost to students’ families. This opportunity became possible through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which was part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. CEP is an innovative tool to improve child nutrition and reduce administrative burdens on schools and parents.

USD 500 is one of the first Kansas school districts to take advantage of this program. It is a smart and strategic move on the part of KCK Superintendent Cynthia Lane – as well as other district leaders – to help reduce child hunger.

The district’s decision to participate in CEP matters because it is part of a larger, sobering conversation about Kansas kids and their futures. Although the great recession is long over, nearly one in three Wyandotte County children continue to live in poverty. Kids in poverty are more likely to be food insecure, and studies prove that hungry children struggle to learn.

The effects of child poverty are especially evident in the classroom. Times are tough for all Kansas schools as they struggle to serve more students with fewer resources. A greater number of poor Kansas children combined with less state funding is an equation for crisis in Kansas schools. Alternate school meal models like CEP will help get nutritious meals to kids who need them – ensuring more kids are healthy and ready to learn.

Kansas kids who started Kindergarten when the great recession began in 2008 are now a year away from high school. We can’t afford to let child hunger continue at such significant levels for another year. The longer kids go hungry, the more likely they are to face other challenges later in school and – ultimately – later in life. Dr. Lane and USD 500 are to be applauded for their pro-active focus on this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Shannon Cotsoradis
President and CEO
Kansas Action for Children

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by Murrel Bland

Historic preservations organizations need to take a more active role in the community.

That was the message that about 70 persons heard Friday, Aug. 28, at the Kansas State Historical Museum in Topeka. Members from the National Alliance of Preservation Commission, based in Norfolk, Va., led the all-day meeting that focused on education, advocacy and training.

Adam Thomas, who works for a historic preservation consulting firm based in Denver, told of the legal issues in historic preservation as they relate to local commissions. He said much of what can be done is based on the National Historic Preservation Act.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this act into law in 1966. This law established several institutions including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a law establishing the Antiquities Act that prohibited the excavation of antiquities from public lands without a permit from the Secretary of the Interior. Congress passed the Historic Sites Act in 1935 that established a national policy for preservation.

Thomas said that it is important for such organizations as the Unified Government’s Landmarks Commission to take an active role in creating an inventory of historic places. He said that grants may be secured to take such inventories. The primary role of the Landmarks Commission has been to review any proposed changes of historic sites.

Thomas said that actions concerning historic preservation often must balance the rights of an individual property owner with the public good.

It is important to get support from property owners and elected officials according to Wade Broadhead who was another presenter at the meeting. Broadhead is the planning director at Florence, Colo.

Friederike Mittner, another meeting leader, said it is most important to keep the public informed about the importance of historic preservation. Mittner is the historic preservation planner for the city of West Palm Beach, Fla.

Members of the Landmarks Commission who attended the meting were Murrel Bland, Christina Grey, Dave Meditz, Jim Schraeder, Mary Shepperd, Loren Taylor and Charles Van Middlesworth. Other Kansas cities represented included Garden City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Newton, Olathe, Salina and Topeka.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press.