Sports: Indians fall in opener at state tourney See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Thursday, July 30, 2015
USD 257
School board looking at tax increase By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Property owners in USD 257 are being asked to spend more when they pay their tax bills. At a special USD 257 meeting Wednesday night the board approved for publication its 2015-16 spending plan, which calls for a 4.7-mill increase.
The district plans to support its operating budget with an ad valorem tax levy of 49.139 mills. That means the owner of a $70,000 home will be expected to spend about $350 in property taxes to support USD 257 next year, or about $38 more than was spent for 2014-15. It’s important to note the mill levy still is lower than it
was two years ago after state lawmakers — under orders from the Kansas Supreme Court — revamped their LOB equalization funding. Thus, the district’s levy was reduced from 52 to 44 mills for 2014-15. Now, state aid for USD 257 is frozen under a new block grant system. This means the state aid the district was allotted last year is exactly the
same. The general fund budget is $12,485,893. “The governor has said there has been an increase in state aid and he’s right but it’s not where you think it is,” Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn said. That’s because capital outlay, KPERS and other line items are now being reported as part of the district’s gen-
eral fund. Placing these three items together makes it appear there is more money for the district to spend. There is one state aid increase for USD 257 this year. The school district has partnered with Greenbush Learning Center to create a virtual learning program. The See BUDGET | Page A5
More hospital ‘punch list’ items complete By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
It’s been open to the public for the past 19 months, and now Allen County Regional Hospital is nearly fully complete. At their regular meeting Tuesday, the hospital’s board of trustees unanimously approved paying Murray Company $80,000 of the final $105,000 they had retained until all of the final “punch list” construction items were complete. Only two items remain on the list, the most prominent of which deals with masonry surrounding the building. (The other deals with drip edges on canopy scuppers.) The rest of the funds will be released to Murray when the final items are resolved, Trustee Harry Lee Jr. said. In a related matter, the public will get one last opportunity to say goodbye to the old hospital at the intersection of First Street and U.S. 54. The open house on Aug. 25 will allow the community to celebrate the hospital’s role in Iola and Allen County’s history, Trustee Karen Gilpin reported. Allen County Commissioners approved a contract earlier this month to
have the old hospital razed in order for a grocery store and apartment complexes to be built on the lot. TUESDAY’S
MEETING
was the first under newly hired chief executive officer Marion “Tony” Thompson. Thompson replaces the retiring Ron Baker. Prior to coming to Allen County, Thompson was CEO of Goodland Regional Medical Center in Western Kansas. In his final report to the trustees board, Baker reported about ACRH’s occupancy trends. After an extended period of “up and down years with a generally downward trend,” Baker noted Allen County’s patient days has grown each year since 2012. “The first half of 2015 projects a continuation of that growth at a higher level than any year since 2005,” Baker wrote. For total hospital census days, the trend at ACRH and other hospitals nationwide has been down for the past decade. However, Allen County has seen a significant up-
Above, Cody Kendall, Erie, tries to rope a calf Wednesday at the Allen County Fair Ranch Rodeo. Below at left, Caleigh Porter handles a miniature American alligator she displayed at the Baby Barnyard. At lower right, Jarrett Herrmann and his mother, Julie, wash a bucket calf shortly before he entered the animal for judging. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
See HOSPITAL | Page A5
Chanute man to appear in court for traffic death GIRARD, Kan. (AP) — An October preliminary hearing date has been set for the Chanute man charged in the traffic death of a Washburn University professor who was struck and killed while riding her bike The Topeka CapitalJournal reports the hearing for 37-year-old Todd M. Kidwell will be held Oct. 26 in the Crawford County District Court in Girard. He’s charged with second-degree reckless murder in the June
Auction tonight
7 death of Glenda Taylor, of Topeka. Taylor was head of the Washburn University art department. She was riding a bicycle in Crawford County when a pickup truck struck her while its driver tried to pass her. Taylor was participating in an amateur time trial. Kidwell is also charged with reckless driving, improper passing of a bicycle and driving left in a no-passing zone.
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 186
Tonight’s Allen County Fair 4-H and FFA Premium Livestock Auction isn’t just about the money. Youngsters who sell their animals will come away with some cash, but the sales also will be the end of a long journey that for most started with a young animal and involved months of care and feeding and, as the fair approached, disciplining and grooming the animal for showing. Such close association over several months’ time will leave many young owners with a touch of melancholy. While livestock are too big to be house-broke, they often do take on the role of pets. See AUCTION | Page A5
“I was adored once too.”
Hi: 89 Lo: 67
— William Shakespeare 75 Cents
Iola, KS