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THURSDAY • JUNE 30 • 2016
School plan carries Lawrence tax break By Rochelle Valverde Twitter: @RochelleVerde
Changes made to the school funding formula by the Kansas Legislature may not add much money to the Lawrence school district’s overall budget, but local taxpayers will see a break. The changes provide the Lawrence district more than $1.5 million in equalization aid, al-
Average homeowner will save $28 per year lowing for a 1.5 get have been mill decrease removed as part in the district’s of this, but goproperty tax rate. ing forward it is Lawmakers drew an equitable and from multiple constitutional sources in order SCHOOLS plan for the good to fund the plan, includ- of all of our students in ing some that would the state,” said Kathy have given a boost to Johnson, the district’s general funding for the director of finance. Lawrence district. State equalization aid “Some of the pos- is used to hold down sible increases of bud- property taxes in lower-
money in its local option budget but with less local tax dollars. “It’s new state aid to the school district, but not new budget authority,” Johnson said. “It will only be property tax relief.” Taxes are levied on 11.5 percent of a home’s assessed property value, and one mill is equivalent to
wealth districts. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in May that the way that aid was distributed was inequitable, and it gave the Legislature until the end of June to make changes or else risk closing schools. The $1.5 million increase for the Lawrence district will allow the district to generate the same amount of
Please see TAX, page 8A
Ash trees’ removal leaves lots of open sky
Judge denies voter ID injunction Kansas residents must prove citizenship for national form, he rules Associated Press
Residents of Kansas, Georgia and Alabama will have to prove they are U.S. citizens when registering to vote for federal elections using a national form, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sided against a coalition of voting rights groups that sued a U.S. elections official who changed the proofof-citizenship requirements on the federal registration form at the request of the three states and without public notice. Residents of other states only need to swear that they are citizens, not show proof. Newby The judge refused to issue a temporary injunction sought by voting rights advocates to overturn the move by Brian Newby, the executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, until the case can be decided on its merits at trial. The decision is expected to be appealed. Newby took the top job in November at a government agency entrusted with making voting more accessible, and then months Please see VOTER, page 2A
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
LAWRENCE PARKS AND RECREATION EMPLOYEE JUSTIN STRICKLAND takes down a diseased ash tree Wednesday at 13th and Connecticut streets. In April, the department began removing and replacing ash trees infested with the invasive emerald ash borer throughout the city, which is spending more than $238,000 this year on the at-risk trees' treatment and removal.
Kansas transportation secretary leaving in July Staff Reports
Topeka — Mike King, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, will resign effective July 15, Gov. Sam Brownback announced Wednesday. King has served as KDOT Secretary since 2012. “I am grateful for the vision and leadership of Mike King,” Brownback said in a
news release. “His experience and construction knowledge have been instrumental in maintaining our nationally recognized King highways.” King said that he would be returning to private business in south-central Kansas. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to
serve my home state and am proud of the accomplishments by the entire KDOT and KTA team members," King said in the news release. King had worked in the construction industry for more than three decades and was owner of a McPherson company when Brown-
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Today’s forecast, page 8A
ernment to balance its budget. Former state Rep. Richard Carlson will serve as interim secretary until a permanent hire is made. Carlson, who served in the Legislature for 10 years, most recently was the legislative liaison for the Kansas Department of Revenue.
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By John Hanna Associated Press
Topeka — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking the state’s highest court to reconsider rulings earlier this year that motorists suspected of drunken driving cannot be punished for refusing to take sobriety tests. Schmidt cited a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Schmidt Minnesota and North Dakota cases in filing his request Monday with the Kansas Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court said the U.S. Constitution allows states to punish drivers who refuse to take
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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back named him transportation secretary in March 2012. King has run a department with about 2,500 employees and an annual budget of well over $1 billion. Since 2013, he has also overseen daily operations for the 236-mile Kansas Turnpike. But also during his tenure, the state has repeatedly diverted highway funds to other parts of state gov-
Schmidt to court: Review rulings on sobriety tests
Please see SOBRIETY, page 2A
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Vol.158/No.182 24 pages
This year’s Free State Festival drew 15,000 to 20,000 attendees to its variety of arts and cultural events, organizers said. Page 3A
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