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NEWS Updated 7/1/09 County commissioners stop tax funding for JCDC After hearing several testimonies from Jackson County business owners and taxpayers concerning the Jackson County Development Corporation, the Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously to end the county’s agreement with the organization. During the commission’s weekly meeting, Commissioner Roger Coverdale made a motion to terminate the county’s agreement with JCDC as of Monday and to cease funding the program as of Aug. 1. The motion states that the county is “looking at the re-organization of economic development in Jackson County and the promotion of economic development and the growth of jobs within the county will be a continuing concern of the board of county commissioners.” It was further moved that all funds held by JCDC and administered under its control be “accounted for to the commissioners and such funds as are presently held in certificates of deposit, savings accounts and other investments be preserved for future use by the county.” The motion was seconded by Commissioner Larry Fenske and approved unanimously with Commission Chairman Roy Hallauer’s vote. Since 2005, JCDC has received half the funding from the county’s special 0.4-cent sales tax that was approved in 2004. The more than $600,000 in tax funds to JCDC have helped finance new and current businesses and projects in the community. On June 22, the commissioners questioned the organization’s use of funds for administrative fees, citing that approximately $81,964.80 of JCDC’s $161,392 proposed budget was to be used for AMC Plus consulting fees and the director’s salary and benefits. AMC Plus is a commercial consulting company that assists JCDC with research, marketing and networking. The JCDC board and director Pam Holaday said AMC’s resources were too valuable to give up. JCDC is currently in a two-year contract with AMC. The organization entered into the contract without the commission’s approval, it was reported. (Holcomb) Teacher, classified staff contracts OK’d at Holton In Monday’s USD 336 school board meeting, teacher’s and classified contracts were ratified, but reviewing the coaching staff was tabled until July. Twelve coaching positions have already been cut, leaving 54 coaches employed in the district. Openings are still available for assistant boys high school basketball coach, head middle school wrestling coach and assistant high school softball coach. This is the first time in years teacher’s contracts have been ratified before the start of the school year. Superintendent Jim Karleskint said it was easier to reach a contract agreement this year because there were no major changes in the contracts. There were no raises because of the economic situation, and base teacher’s salaries remain at $34,250. The percentage of increase in salaries based on years of experience or continuing education will also stay the same. The school calendar was reduced by two days for students and 1.5 work days for teachers. The board also approved additions to the district’s use of facilities and equipment policy to specify who can use the buildings free of charge and who would likely have to pay. The facilities guidelines now state, “The school district and organizations with the specific intent to benefit students and meet the 80 percent participation provision will take precedence over other groups and will not be charged for building usage unless additional custodial or food service personnel are required. All other non-profit groups will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. Any activity must be adequately insured and must provide a certificate of liability insurance.” Organizers for events that are held in the Holton High School gym will be required to obtain liability insurance, which holds them responsible for injuries rather than the school itself. For example, coaches who hold summer camps in the gym would not be considered an extension of the school and therefore need to acquire the insurance themselves so the school isn’t held responsible for anyone who enters the gym during the event. (Marshall) Federal stimulus funds to boost school budgets Budget shortfalls at the state level have Holton USD 336 Superintendent Jim Karleskint and other school administrators across the state worried about how to cope with the lack of state aid for the 2009-10 school year. “I’ve been in this business for more than 35 years, and this is, by far, the worst situation that we’ve seen in public education in Kansas,” Karleskint said. However, schools in Jackson County have anticipated those shortfalls for the coming year, but part of those shortfalls will be covered through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it was reported. And while nearly $1 million in ARRA funds will not cover the deficit in funding between the coming year and the past year, it will cover a significant amount of each district’s deficit, superintendents reported. Schools across Kansas will receive at least $480 million in stimulus funds over the next two years, according to the Kansas Department of Education, although Kansas Education Commissioner Alexa Posny said that amount is not firm. Most schools, it has been reported, are planning to use those funds to cover staff salaries, and Jackson County’s schools are no exception. In the Holton district, the estimated $350,000 in “state backfill” - fiscal stabilization that will be used to set the base state aid per pupil at $4,280 - that the district expects to receive will prevent the dismissal of about 25 paraprofessionals, Karleskint said. The district had already cut 12 positions in the spring, including four teachers who had retired, and none of those positions are expected to be filled for the next year. Elsewhere in Jackson County, Jackson Heights USD 335 Superintendent Paul Becker said his district expects to receive about $160,000 in state backfill, while at Royal Valley USD 337, Superintendent John Rundle said his district is looking at receiving $321,000 in backfill. Both schools also are using those state aid replacement funds to cover personnel shortfalls that would have otherwise been caused without the funds. (Sanders) 6/29/09 Inmate labor approved for flagpole-painting project The Jackson County Commission has approved the use of inmate labor to help paint approximately 152 flagpoles at the Holton Cemetery. During the commission’s recent meeting, Dale Scheidegger requested inmate labor to help paint the poles, which line the “Avenue of Flags” every Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Scheidegger said that the poles are in “bad need of a coat of paint.” To be painted, the poles need to be removed, painted and then reinstalled. Scheidegger said the annual painting job is “getting too tough” for him and other members of the cemetery board. He said the poles need to be painted before Veterans Day. Jim Gilchrist, jail administrator, said that he could detail three or four prisoners to help with the project. Commissioners also learned during the meeting that the county jail had 97 inmates, with 74 being paid for by other agencies. In other business, the commission learned from Randy Pool, road and bridge administrator, that chip and seal projects are under way. Pool asked what department would pay for the chip and seal at Banner Creek Reservoir. He estimated the cost to be between $10,000 and $11,000. The commissioners said they would discuss the matter further. Also, Jackson County Sheriff Charles Cornell told commissioners that his department has been busy filling out grant applications. One grant is for equipment, another is to fund a salary for an evidence technician and the third is for the purchase of a life scan fingerprint machine. Commissioners also learned from Cornell that he is promoting Detective Al Dunn to chief detective at the sheriff’s department. (Holcomb) Atchison native Feek looking forward to July 4 show Country musician and songwriter Rory Lee Feek will get to spend Fourth of July in his home area this year as he and his wife, Joey, headline the entertainment at July Jubilee at Banner Creek Reservoir on Saturday. “It’s always great to come back to my hometown area and perform,” Feek said. “It’s not only where I was born, it’s where my dreams were born. It’s where I sat on a porch with a guitar and learned to write songs. It’s where I spent my hours and days roaming the fields, writing songs in my head…hoping that one day I’d hear one on the radio.” Feek grew up in Atchison and is now touring the country with his wife as Joey + Rory, a country duo whose single, “Cheater, Cheater,” has hit the top of the Billboard country charts. The couple placed third on the first season of the CMT talent show “Can You Duet” in 2008. That same year they signed with Vanguard Records, releasing their debut album, “The Life of a Song,” in late October. The couple was nominated for Top Vocal Duo at this year’s Country Music Awards. Sugarland won the award. Joey + Rory have also appeared in television commercials for Overstock.com “I have a lot of family in the Holton area,” Feek said. “My grandfather’s brothers and sisters lived in Holton and raised their families there so there are quite a few family members that I’m hoping to meet this trip along with lots of new fans and friends that have been very supportive of Joey and I.” Feek said that growing up in Kansas affected him as a singer and songwriter. “It’s given me my own unique perspective,” he said of his Kansas roots. “I have a particular ‘voice’ that I write from... meaning that I tend to write songs from a small-town viewpoint. My lyrics aren’t poetic and lofty. They’re simple, conversational and hopefully, easy to understand.” Feek says he writes for the “common man” because he is one and is proud of that fact. “Kansas has a way of grounding you, I think. And that shows up in my songs and singing,” he said. (Holcomb) Volunteers give Whiting Café an “extreme makeover” Nearly 100 volunteers throughout Kansas gathered upon Whiting Café this past weekend to give the restaurant an extreme makeover. The café was selected this spring by the Kansas Sampler Foundation to be its pilot project for the “We Kan Bank” - a social capital project matching rural communities with needs with people who can and want to help. On Sunday evening, the group of volunteers completed the renovations on the café, which is owned by Rosa Thomas. “We finished pretty late Sunday night,” Thomas said. “There’s still a little work to do in the bathroom, but everything is done.” The renovation work was originally scheduled for just Friday and Saturday but was extended to Sunday. Some of the renovations included painting the exterior of the concrete block building, painting a mural on one side (Food So great You’ll Scrape Your Plate - 25 Years Of Homemade Cooking), planting a flowerbed, installing new windows, painting inside walls, patching floor and ceiling tile, adding shelves, scrubbing grease off walls,  hanging new curtains, installing a new exhaust fan, air conditioner and stand-up freezer, reupholstering (Chiles Upholstery of Holton re-upholstered the counter stools), spray painting the table pedestals and installing a new air conditioning system. “Everything went great,” Thomas said. “Everyone had a great attitude the whole time and was enjoying every minute of it.” Thomas said her favorite part of the renovation is the new mural painted on one of the café’s exterior walls. “It’s really nice,” she said. “I want people to come out and see it.” During the renovation work, Thomas and her family cooked and served homemade meals to the volunteers at the Whiting Community Building. Thomas said the renovations are a perfect way to celebrate her 25th year at the café in August. “I am very appreciative of everyone’s hard work, and I hope I can return the favor some day,” she said. For more information about the Kansas Sampler Foundation, go online to kansassampler.org (Staff) 6/24/09 Commission considers ending JCDC program The future of the Jackson County Development Corporation is uncertain after the Jackson County commissioners discussed terminating the program during their meeting on Monday. Pam Holaday, JCDC executive director, and JCDC board members Bob Schmanke, state representative Rocky Fund, Irvin Sanderson and Dyana Morgan presented the organizations’ proposed new budget of $161,392. JCDC receives funding from the county’s special 0.4 cent sales tax that was approved in 2004. The funds help finance new and current businesses and projects in the community. The county’s special sales tax is split between economic development and the county road and bridge department for roads. The tax will sunset and will be placed back on the county ballot in 2012. JCDC’s proposed budget includes $40,705.56 toward the director’s salary and $35,000 to AMC Plus for consultation fees. AMC Plus is a commercial consulting company based in Manhattan. The company assists JCDC with networking, research and other areas of business, it was reported. The commissioners said they were concerned with the amount of money it takes to administer the sales tax funds through JCDC. “Fifty percent of your budget is used in administrative fees,” Commission Chairman Roy Hallauer noted. “It seems excessive.” Hallauer said that it was his understanding that administrative costs should not exceed 30 to 35 percent of a given budget. Schmanke, who serves as the JCDC treasurer, said that the JCDC board hired AMC Plus under the direction of the previous county commissioners - John Grau, Lois Pelton and Brad Hamilton. In turn, AMC Plus hired Holaday to serve as the JCDC director. “I understand that the overhead seems kind of high, but we couldn’t run JCDC without a director and the resources from AMC,” Schmanke said. (Holcomb) Budget shortage prompts increase in district court fees Administering justice is getting a little more expensive. District court fees on most civil and criminal case filings in Kansas will be increased by $10 on July 1, 2009, it has been announced. The new total cost on the lowest speeding ticket fine, for example, ($30) plus court fees ($86) will bring the total cost for the speeding ticket to $116 - approaching the equivalent of the bulk of a day’s wage for many people. The court fee hike, stemming from an overall state budget shortfall, is being made initially for one year as a surcharge in response to a more than $11 million cut in funding to the state court system approved this year by the State Legislature. The surcharge will be reviewed at next year’s legislative session, it was reported. Last July, the state’s court system implemented a hiring freeze. All told, the Judicial Branch basic maintenance budget of $112.87 million was reduced by 13.8 percent or $15.9 million by the Legislature for the 2010 fiscal year. Ron Keefover, education and information officer for the State of Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, said Tuesday that this is the most critical funding problem faced by the state’s court system in the 28 years he’s held his position. Colleen Reamer, clerk of the Jackson County District Court, said Tuesday that the State of Kansas Supreme Court had earlier decided to cut funding to the district courts for temporary part-time court employees. The local result was that a court services secretary and a bailiff were both laid off. Both Keefover and Reamer said that up to 30 days of unpaid furlough for all non-judicial court employees in Kansas for the 2010 fiscal year, about one week per month, is already being considered. “That would mean probation officers would not be at work, for example, and with the courts closed no cases would get filed,” Keefover said. “The resulting effect from that would be a horrendous backlog of cases and justice delayed.” Keefover said that 98 percent of the state court system budget is devoted to payroll. (Powls) USD 337 board approves facility use fees New facility fees for community residents who wish to use any of the school district’s buildings were approved during the USD 337 Board of Education meeting on Monday night. The board approved the facility use policy and an updated district facility use form. Building rental fees are as follows: RVMS/RV Elementary gym: $20 an hour. RVHS gym: $25 an hour. Commons or classrooms: $20 an hour. Kitchen and commons: $30 an hour. The use of the kitchen requires a cook to be on duty. The use of a facility outside of regularly scheduled working hours also requires a $23.50 per hour per employee charge for necessary personnel. According to the new policy, community groups may use the school buildings and school grounds unless they interfere with daily school use or any school-sponsored activity. Community service groups such a 4-H, scouts, recreation clubs, etc.., which use the schools for a monthly meeting place, are exempt from the payment fee. Special functions sponsored by these groups, such as dinner, suppers, etc., may require the regular fee. School employees will be able to use the school facilities for free. Non-school groups, which include school employees, will be required to pay the fee. No tournaments will be scheduled without the school board’s approval. Each group will furnish its own equipment and are to leave the building as clean as they found it, according to the approved policy. A release form will be signed stating that USD 337 is not responsible for any accidents that may occur. Organizations or individuals using school facilities assume full financial responsible for the proper care and use all school property. In order to be approved, activities sponsored by non-school organization must be “in keeping with the general program of education and/or of benefit to the community.” (Holcomb)