HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The proposed State Fair sales tax bill passed the Senate by a 40-0 vote. Senate bill 415 will allow the fair to collect the sales tax it generates. The money will be used for the fair’s capital improvement fund.

Hearings about the bill spurred a multitude of questions. The state perceived a “lack of support” for the fair from the city and CVB. That led to the presentation of a House bill that would have required the fair to submit a request for proposals, which in turn, could have resulted in the fair moving to another city.

It is unknown if the bill will be seriously considered. However, it has resulted in a lot of conversation over the past four days between the city, county, chamber and the fair.

The state sales tax is 6.5 percent. The Kansas Department of Transportation will get 1.5 percent of that, leaving 5 percent sales tax generated on the fairgrounds. The tax could generate as much as $450,000. It also gives the fair incentive to grow. Officials can explore other ways to market the fairgrounds for non-fair events.

The Kansas House will vote on the bill next.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson stormwater utility fee sparked debate this week because of its connection to the State Fair. Legislation presented in Topeka has many Hutchinsonians wondering if the fair will stay in the community.

Hutchinson’s stormwater utility fee is $4.75 per ERU, or equivalent residential unit. The ERU is based on the amount of impervious surface on the property. In Hutchinson, the average ERU is set at 3,120 square feet. For every ERU unit of impervious surface on a property, $4.75 is added to the total utility fee. For example, if a resident has 31,200 square feet of impervious space, the monthly fee would be $47.50.

Most, but not all of the cities in the state have a similar policy. Most cities. like Hutchinson, also have various incentives put in place that can help residents lower their utility rate — some by as much as 40 percent.

Big businesses — such as the former Target store and Lowe’s — that have a large parking surface face fees of more than $450 per month. The Kansas State Fair was hit with a $4,300 per month fee because of the large amount of concrete and asphalt surface.

How does Hutchinson’s utility fee compare to other cities? About where it stands in the property and sales tax department: Above the midpoint. Many cities that have the stormwater utility have higher fees than Hutchinson. The Kansas City suburb of Mission tops the list with a rate of $19 an ERU. Getting closer to the norm, Lenexa and McPherson rates are above $7 a month. Newton, Liberal, Ark City, and Shawnee have rates above $6 per month. Manhattan, Fairway, Junction City and Olathe have stormwater rates above $5 a month. Hutchinson, Topeka, Lawrence, and Ottawa have rates above $4 per month.

Other cities that also carry a stormwater fee include: Pittsburgh, Hays, Derby, El Dorado, Shawnee, Overland Park and Garden City. All are between $2 and $4 per month.

Here is a list of stormwater rates in some other Kansas cities:
Mission $19
Lenexa $7.50
McPherson $7
Liberal $6.25
Newton $6.25
Ark City $6
Shawnee $6
Manhattan $5.34
Fairway $5
Junction City $5
Olathe $5
Hutchinson $4.75
Topeka $4.50
Lawrence $4.12
Ottawa $4
Pittsburgh $3.86
Hays $3.62
Derby $3
El Dorado $3
Shawnee $3
Overland Park $2.50
Prairie Village $0.04 per sq ft

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce issued a response to legislation introduced in Topeka Monday that could pave the way for moving the Kansas State Fair out of Hutchinson.

In response to the proposed legislation that would allow cities to host the Kansas State Fair, the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber, along with Visit Hutch and the City of Hutchinson, stay committed to hosting the annual event that attracts over 350,000 people to the community each year. The City of Hutchinson and Reno County value the 105-plus year history the community has as home of the Kansas State Fair, according to a release from the Chamber Tuesday afternoon.

The city and county have a longstanding spirit of partnership and cooperation with the State of Kansas, the Kansas State Fair and its leadership board. In 2000, the City of Hutchinson and Reno County worked together with the State of Kansas to fund a Master Plan for the Kansas State Fairgrounds. The city and county both committed a combined $3 million over a 10-year period. The City of Hutchinson and Reno County upheld that commitment.

One of the reasons cited for this proposed legislation is the recent increase in Hutchinson’s stormwater utility fee. In 2016, to help Hutchinson start work on a backlog of needed improvements to its drainage infrastructure, the City of Hutchinson implemented a change to how the stormwater utility fee would be assessed to local citizens and business owners. The adjustments to the stormwater utility fees were catching up for years of funding for deferred maintenance of the stormwater system. The fees were also consistent with stormwater management of other Kansas municipalities.

“The City of Hutchinson currently offers a variety of in-kind services to the State Fair in exchange for use of State Fair property for recreational purposes and has been working over the last two years with fair staff to identify ways to offset the stormwater fees,” John Deardoff, Hutchinson City Manager, said.

In addition, a portion of the city’s Transient Guest Tax funds tourism efforts through Visit Hutch, which in return recruits, submits proposals, and financially supports events year-round at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Recent national and statewide events held at the fairgrounds include: the Kansas Junior Livestock Show, American Maine-Anjou Association Junior National Show, and the All-American Junior Sheep Show. Those three events combined had an economic impact that surpassed $2.5 million.

“The Kansas State Fairgrounds is truly a valuable asset for our community,” LeAnn Cox, Vice President of Operations and Tourism for the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber, said. “It allows us to recruit events from all across the country that provides Hutchinson and Reno County with a much-needed economic boost.”

In the last two years, Visit Hutch has provided financial contributions of approximately $8,000 directly to 15 events held on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

“Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, Visit Hutch, City of Hutchinson and Reno County have long stood behind and support all joint efforts to enhance improvements to the fairground facilities in Hutchinson,” Debra Teufel, Hutchinson Reno County Chamber President & CEO, said. “Hutchinson is a place where Kansans from across the state come to celebrate and learn about agriculture and commerce. We support and will remain steadfast in solidarity with local elected officials and community partners to ensure that the Kansas State Fair remains in Hutchinson for years to come.”

The bill stems from numerous questions regarding the support — or what some say is a lack of support — from the city, county and CVB. Some feel that, since the fair alone generates an economic impact of more than $46 million in just a 60-mile area around Hutchinson, more needs to come from those entities.

The questions stem from hearings on a proposal to allow the fair to collect the sales tax is generates. The bill would offset needed funds the state is supposed to pay the fair for its capital improvements fund, but rarely has in the past several years. That senate bill is making its way to the floor after being passed in committee.

TOPEKA, Kan. — The 48th annual KSHSAA State Volleyball Tournament will welcome a new championship host site in 2018. Classes 3A and 4A will compete for trophies at the Hutchinson Sports Arena for the first time.

“The 2018-2019 school year will see a change in our school classification system, which will result in a decrease in the number of tournaments for this state event. With this change, we have explored some of the new venues and upgrades made to other facilities across the state as options for this tournament series,” Cheryl Gleason, KSHSAA Assistant Executive Director & Volleyball Administrator, said. “We are excited about the opportunity to conduct a state volleyball event at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson and the other adjustments made to our tournament locations.”

While the city of Hutchinson and Hutchinson Community College have played host to the state basketball tournament for 75 years and the state football championship at Gowans Stadium since 2006, the first state championship trophy for volleyball will be awarded in Hutchinson this fall.

“Hutchinson Community College is excited to host the 2018 KSHSAA Class 3A & 4A State Volleyball Tournaments. Our experience in hosting 3A football and 3A basketball will benefit us greatly as we prepare to host 16 of the state’s best 3A and 4A volleyball teams. The City of Hutchinson has made a commitment with the renovation of the Hutchinson Sports Arena to bring quality championship-caliber events to our community. The relationship between the KSHSAA, Hutchinson Community College and the City of Hutchinson continues to grow with the addition of this great event,” Josh Gooch, Hutchinson Community College Athletic Director, said.

“We are excited that the Kansas State High School Activities Association has chosen Hutchinson and the Sports Arena as the site for this year’s 3A & 4A State Volleyball Tournament. We can’t wait to welcome these teams to the newly renovated Sports Arena and be able to showcase one of the best volleyball facilities in the state of Kansas,” Holly Leiker, National Sports & Destination Sales Manager for Visit Hutch, said.

The Sports Arena is already host to the NJCAA National Volleyball Tournament for the next two years and the KCAC Conference Volleyball Championships.

RICE COUNTY — The governor of Kansas took time to talk with Rice County Emergency Management at its command center Thursday.

The stop by Governor Jeff Colyer was part of several across Kansas to tour the wildfires burning across the state.

Colyer says the state’s more proactive approach to fighting wildfires come from lessons learned last year:

 

 

 

 

Greg Klein of Rice County Emergency management expressed his appreciation for the state’s efforts and the ability to use four Black Hawk helicopters during the day Thursday:

 

 

Fires have been reported in the Kansas City area, Kiowa County and in Seward County in far southwest Kansas.