Claycomb connection to real estate developer criticized
A Wichita developer makes generous campaign contributions to a city council candidate, raising questions about both parties. (more…)
30
Oct
26
Aug
Wichita being sued, alleging improper handling of bond repayment savings
A lawsuit claims that when the City of Wichita refinanced its special assessment bonds, it should have passed on the savings to the affected taxpayers, and it did not do that. A lawsuit filed in Sedgwick County District Court charges that the City of Wichita improperly handled the savings realized when it refinanced special assessment bonds at a lower interest rate. The case is 2018-CV-001567-CF, filed on July 13, 2018, and available here. The suit names David L. Snodgrass and Leslie J. Snodgrass as plaintiffs, and a long list of defendants, namely: The City of Wichita, Kansas Wichita City Manager…
08
Jan
In Wichita, three Community Improvement Districts to be considered
In Community Improvement Districts (CID), merchants charge additional sales tax for the benefit of the property owners, instead of the general public. Wichita may have an additional three, contributing to the problem of CID sprawl. This week the Wichita City Council will hold public hearings considering the formation of three Community Improvement Districts. In Kansas Community Improvement Districts, merchants charge additional sales tax for the benefit of the property owners, instead of the general public. [1. Weeks, Bob. Community improvement districts in Kansas. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/kansas-government/community-improvement-districts-kansas/.] Each of these CIDs will charge customers additional sales tax, with a cap on…
25
Oct
Downtown Wichita report omits formerly prominent data
The new State of Downtown Wichita report for 2017 is missing something. What is it, and why is it missing? Recently the Wichita Business Journal reported: When you're Jeff Fluhr, you don't spend much time in park -- it's usually full speed ahead. It was no different when a couple of members of the Wichita Business Journal's newsroom visited with the president of Downtown Wichita and the Greater Wichita Partnership in early October. On this day, Fluhr was excited to pass out copies of the 42-page 2017 "State of Downtown" report, which had just been released. [1. Horwath, Brian. Downtown…