This is a place where we can put important information that is of concern to the residents of our neighborhood.
* Trash pick up is on Wednesday. Just a reminder that you can not take your trash to the curb before 4:00 pm the day before your trash pick up date.
http://wycokck.org/uploadedFiles/Departments/Public_Works/Deffenbaugh%20Q%20and%20A.pdf
* Just another reminder that each address is only allowed 2 garage sale permits per year. You have to get a permit at Indian Springs on the lower level. This is according to codes, nothing the neighborhood has to do with.
* Burn season is the entire month of April and from October 15 to November 15. You have to get a burn permit from your local fire station to burn.
* Our local recycling center is located at 3241 Park Drive. Here is the link
http://wycokck.org/uploadedFiles/Departments/Public_Works/RecyclingCenter012208.pdf
* Save the date for the 5th annual "Build Green Conference". It is Thursday April 29, 2010. It is put on by BPU. It will be at the Jack Reardon Center, 500 Minnesota Ave, KCK. It will show how builders are building green, energy efficiency and sustainability. For information about registration and exhibition space availability contact Winnie Boykin, KCK BPU 913-573-9898 or at wboykin@bpu.com
* To report a pothole in the Wyandotte County you can call 913-573-8307 and to report a pothole on the highway you can call Kansas Department of Transportation at 913-721-2960.
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2010 Burn Permit Process
Residents are allowed to apply for a burn permit at any of the Fire Stations
currently staffed by the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department. The burn permit does not
include commercial or business sites. If you operate a business out of your home you are
classified as a business and cannot participate. The burn permit is valid for up to 3 days
during the month of April 2010 and from October 16 through November 15, 2010.
Applications must be received and approved at least 24 hours prior to the commencement
of burning. Open burning with a permit is allowed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m.
The resident doing the burning must be at the burning site at all times. Residents
shall maintain a copy of the burn permit on site, an adequate water supply and/or fire
extinguisher while conducting open burning. In no circumstance shall open burning
occur within 15 feet of any building or within 15 feet from any one’s property line.
Piling of brush, tree limbs, grass and other organic materials are limited in size to 100
square feet at the base.
At any time, the Fire Chief may revoke burn permits or ban open burning.
Weather conditions (high winds, low humidity) may make open burning too dangerous.
Open burning may also be suspended when air pollution “Red Alert” days are declared
by the Mid America Regional Council, MARC, and the Unified Government.
Each Burn Permit allows for one organic pile per permit, one permit per property.
All organic materials burned within the city limits of Kansas City, Kansas are limited to
organic materials and/or burning without a permit shall be subject to Section I-7 (General
Penalty, Continuing Violations) of the general provisions code of the Unified Govt.
2010 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days Set
The schedule for the Household Hazardous Waste Collection days for Wyandotte
County residents has been set for 2010. The site will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
on the following Saturdays: April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, August 21, September
18, and October 16. The site is located at 2443 South 88th Street in Kansas City, Kansas.
(South on 88th Street from K-32) or (East of I-435 using Woodend exit near Kaw River)
When bringing items to the collection site please label or identify all items. Items
accepted include tires (limit of 10 tires and rims need to be removed), motor oil, batteries,
antifreeze, degreasers, paints, varnishes, solvents, lawn & garden insecticides/pesticides,
and household cleaning products. For additional information call 573-5400.
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Questions and Answers
about the
KCK Public Safety and Community Infrastructure Sales Tax
KCK voters will decide on April 13 whether to approve a 3/8-cent increase in the KCK sales tax.
The new revenue raised by the tax would pay for public safety services and community infrastructure projects, including street repairs and curbs and sidewalks in neighborhoods. The dedicated sales tax will sunset in 10 years unless voters renew it.
What Does a "YES" vote mean?
Voting yes means there will be a new source of money to help protect the KCK Police Department and KCK Fire Department from further budget cuts which will weaken public safety efforts. A yes vote also means new revenue to pay for street repairs and neighborhood improvements such as curbs and sidewalks.
What Does a "NO" vote mean?
Voting no means there won't be a new source of money to help ease the severe, on-going budget shortfalls confronting the community. Budgets will be cut deeper, including the KCK Police and Fire Departments. Street repairs and neighborhood improvements such as curbs and sidewalk projects will continue to be suspended. The Unified Government will be forced to consider increasing the property tax rate.
Why is the Unified Government experiencing such severe budget shortfalls?
The economic recession is taking a heavy toll on the revenues which pay for Unified Government services. The national collapse of the housing market caused an increase in foreclosures, a decrease in home sales and a severe decline in property tax revenues. Rising unemployment and slower consumer spending created a drastic drop in sales tax collections. And the Kansas Legislature, facing it’s own budget crisis, slashed millions in funding promised to the Unified Government.
Elimination of the Machinery and Equipment Tax is costing the Unified Government
$5.6-million annually in lost revenues.
The drop in assessed values on residential and commercial properties has reduced
property tax revenues by $8.1-million.
Sales tax revenues slipped by $2.2-million.
What has the Unified Government already done to cut costs?
The 2010 Budget contained millions of dollars in cuts. Most UG employees are under a two year pay freeze and are forced to take 15 days of unpaid furlough, which amounts to a 4.5% pay cut. Most union employees agreed to waive promised pay increases. The UG workforce has been reduced by 15%, totaling more than 300 employees. All departments are operating under at least a 10% reduction in their budgets.
Did the Unified Government raise property taxes in 2010?
No. The Unified Government Commission made a policy decision to not solve the budget crisis by raising property taxes. That decision was made despite the fact that assessed property values across the county fell an average 10%, meaning property tax revenues were $8.1-million less than the year before.
What is the current KCK sales tax and what will a 3/8-cent increase cost me?
The current sales tax in most of KCK is 7.55%. Approval of the 3/8-cent sales tax increase will make the sales tax rate 7.925% in most of KCK. That means you'll pay 7.9 cents for each $1 spent.
How much will this proposal increase a $100 purchase?
If the sales tax proposal passes, the sales tax paid on a $100 purchase will total $7.90. That's an increase of 40-cents over what is now paid.
Isn't the sales tax higher than 7.5% at Village West, The Legends, Plaza at the Speedway and other shopping centers? Yes. Some shopping areas in KCK have additional taxes ranging from 1/10th of a cent to one penny. For example, some stores at Village West have a 7.6% sales tax rate, while others have a sales tax totaling 8.1%. At Prescott Plaza and Plaza at the Speedway the rate is 8.5%.
Do any other cities in the KC metro have sales tax rates over 8%
Yes. Many cities including Mission, Lenexa, Leawood, Overland Park, Lee's Summit, Independence and Kansas City, Missouri have sales taxes over 8%. Some shopping areas, such as Zona Rosa and one in Leawood have sales tax rates over 9%. And KCMO adds an extra 2% tax on restaurant and bar tabs.
Will the sales tax be added to gasoline I buy at the pump? No.
Will the fee on my BPU bill be reduced if this sales tax increase passes?
The Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) fee on BPU electric and water services is already set to go down in 2011 and 2012. The fee will drop 1% next year and an additional 2% in 2012, for a total reduction of 3% over the next two years.
If the sales taxes passes will the freeze on Unified Government employee pay be lifted? The additional revenues raised by the sales tax will strengthen the Unified Government's financial condition and help protect against deeper cuts to important programs and services. While the Unified Government budget will be in better shape if the sales tax passes, it won't guarantee that pay raises for non-union employees can be paid in 2011.
Will passage of the sales tax end furlough days for Unified Government employees? Passage of the dedicated public safety and community infrastructure sales tax will improve the Unified Government's financial situation, but many other factors play into building the budget. It's too soon to say for sure that there will be no furlough days in 2011, but passage of the sales tax greatly increases the chances that furlough days can be ended.
The new revenue will benefit the KCK Police Department, Fire Department and public works improvement projects. How will it help other Unified Government departments? The $6-million in projected new revenues raised by the sales tax will help the overall budget by filling part of the budget shortfall. With those funds going to support public safety and community infrastructure improvements, the pressure on other funds will be lessened, improving the chances against deeper budget reductions in other departments.
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The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City is excited to share the news we've received a $25,000 grant from PetSmart Charities for our targeted spay/neuter program. Pet owners in the 66101, 66102 and 66105 zip codes can get a dog spayed/neutered for $36 or a cat spayed/neutered for $5 (both include rabies and distemper vaccinations). Call the shelter at 913-596-1000 for more info. The grant allows us to do 1,250 of these subsidized surgeries.