Kansas Association of Counties

Thanks for a great July! We will see you August tomorrow!

Extreme 🥵 heat forecasted across Kansas this entire work week with 100º plus temps! Be sure to keep your most precious cargo - your children and pets safe by checking the back seat before you lock your vehicle. DO NOT leave children 👧🧒or pets 🐶🐱 in a vehicle for any length of time as extreme heat temps inside your vehicle 🚗 can become deadly quickly!

LOOK UP! ⭐ The Delta Aquariids are predicted to peak late night on July 29 through early morning on July 30. The Capricornids are expected to reach max activity late night on July 30 into early morning on July 31. The shower is active until August 21, though peak rates will gradually decline.

Commerce Awards $380,000 for Rural Kansas Counties to Market ROZ Program

TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $380,000 has been awarded to 40 Kansas counties in the first round of Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) Local Marketing Grants. The funds are intended to help counties market the unique ROZ financial incentives available to new residents: Student loan repayment assistance and/or 100% state income tax credit.

Counties that have annually contributed and supported the matching requirement of the program will receive between $5,000 and $15,000 to better support and promote their program. Funding will assist the counties and local partner organizations as they develop customized marketing strategies best suited for their community.

“There is not a one-size-fits-all solution when effectively marketing what each unique Kansas community has to offer its residents,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The ROZ marketing grant will provide support to showcase each community’s potential to be that perfect place for someone relocating to Kansas.”

Awarded funds can be used for initiatives such as:
• Creating or improving a community’s ROZ marketing approach to highlight the opportunities for relocation
• Creating a new promotional relocation video
• Supporting a talent recruitment campaign at colleges and universities

“These new funds are intended for sponsoring counties and local partner organizations to allow for their creativity to flow and focus on how to effectively highlight their communities,” Director of Office of Rural Prosperity Trisha Purdon said. “Communities now will have the financial resources to market their rural communities to people looking to move to rural Kansas. I’m thrilled to see how each county promotes their town and everything it has to offer.”

Awards are granted based on the county’s annual sponsorship of ROZ. To view the awarded counties, click here: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/roz-marketing-grant-recipients/ To find more information about the ROZ program, click here: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/taxes-and-financing/rural-opportunity-zones-roz/

Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ) Rural Opportunity Zones are the 77 Kansas counties that have been authorized to offer one or both of the following financial incentives to new full-time residents: Kansas state income tax waivers for up to five years and student loan repayments up to $15,000 over 5 years.

UPDATE: Governor Kelly Directs Flags Half-Staff in Honor of Former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin William Barkis

TOPEKA – Earlier this week, in accordance with Executive Order #20-30, Governor Laura Kelly ordered flags throughout the State of Kansas to be flown at half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities immediately until the day of interment, in honor of former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin Williams Barkis who passed away on July 19, 2024.

Since Speaker Barkis will be interred on Oct. 11, flags on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities should be raised to full-staff immediately and then lowered to half-staff from sunup to sundown on Oct. 11. A reminder will be sent closer to the date.

Kansas County Happenings July 26 Issue Now Online! 📰
Check out all the latest information for Kansas Counties, including News, Around Kansas, Promotional Campaigns, Educational Opportunities, Special Events, Grant Training Workshops, Grant Funding Programs, Local Government Job Openings, and more!
Read the July 26 Issue here: https://online.flipbuilder.com/kqualls/dezk/

Kansas County Happenings July 26 Issue

Happy Friday all! Welcome to the opening day of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris! 🏆🥇🥈🥉

Southwest Airlines ✈️ is changing its seating policy to assigned seating in 2025. Southwest's open seating policy has been a constant at the Dallas-based airline for more than 50 years.

We’re continually evolving to meet the needs of our Customers. That’s why we’re excited to announce some big changes designed to enhance your Customer Experience—still delivered with our same Southwest Heart:

✅ Assigned seating (expected to become bookable in 2025)
✅ Premium seating options (expected to become bookable in 2025)
✅ Red-eye flights (now available for booking on https://swa.is/4c1dQdk!)

The research is clear and indicates that more than 80% of Southwest Customers prefer an assigned seat. These changes come as a part of our ongoing commitment to enhance the Customer experience, including faster WiFi, new in-seat power, larger overhead bins, and more comfortable seats.

For now, it's business as usual - we're working hard to meet Customer expectations and expect seating changes to become bookable in 2025.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard with the same Southwest Hospitality that you know and love. Learn more about these upcoming changes: https://swa.is/4cVnAY2

EXCITING NEWS! Today, the Kansas Association of Counties is providing you with a sneak peek of our new website: https://kansascounties.org Our website has moved from a covered wagon vehicle to a BMW with the new look and feel, and the user-friendly wealth of information that we will be able to provide for you, our Kansas County members. Special Note: The KAC website is soft launching, though much of it is still under construction, as this year's 2024 KAC Annual Conference & Exposition registration will take place through the new website which is integrated with our new membership database. Stay tuned as you learn more about all the new member benefits as we continue to expand the website and the membership database in the weeks ahead! Just for you, our amazing members! 🌻

media1.tenor.co

-- Be sure to mark your calendar and cast your vote in the upcoming August 6 primary election! Contact your local Kansas County Election Office if you have any questions or concerns. ❤️🤍 🩵 🗳 🇺🇸
Thanks Finney County Clerk for sharing this important reminder to make YOUR voice heard!

🚨CrowdStrike released a video guiding users through a self-remediation process and updated remediation guidance. Learn more: go.dhs.gov/38C

We continue to see threat actors leverage the outage for phishing and other malicious activities.

Stay vigilant and follow ongoing updates: go.dhs.gov/38C

What dreams do you have for your community? Grants are a great tool to gather people together to achieve a goal. Need Skills? We've got you covered. https://ksre-learn.com/grant-writing-basics

Topeka/Shawnee County Area: ‼️ Attempt to Locate - Bank Robbery Investigation ‼️

JULY 26 UPDATE: Governor Kelly Directs Flags Half-Staff in Honor of Former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin William Barkis

TOPEKA –Earlier this week, in accordance with Executive Order #20-30, Governor Laura Kelly ordered flags throughout the State of Kansas to be flown at half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities immediately until the day of interment, in honor of former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin Williams Barkis who passed away on July 19, 2024.

Since Speaker Barkis will be interred on Oct. 11, flags on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities should be raised to full-staff immediately and then lowered to half-staff from sunup to sundown on Oct. 11. A reminder will be sent closer to the date.
_______________________________________________________________________

Governor Kelly Directs Flags Half-Staff in Honor of Former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin William Barkis

TOPEKA — Today, in accordance with Executive Order #20-30, Governor Laura Kelly has directed flags be lowered to half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities effective immediately until sundown on the day of interment in honor of former Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives Marvin William Barkis.

“Speaker Barkis championed legislation throughout his career that propelled our schools forward and supported Kansas families,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “His contributions to our state will not be forgotten. My deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones.”

This flag order will be updated when the date of interment is determined.

Beautiful 108 foot mural now showcased in Inman, Kansas! 🌞🌾💛 Thanks to the artist Mindy's Murals and the Office of Rural Prosperity for helping to make this gorgeous Kansas mural a reality!

Thanks to Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for sharing this important initiative "Speeding Wrecks Lives" as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation's Drive to Zero campaign this week, July 22-28!

Thank you to National Center for Rural Road Safety for supporting and providing safety messaging for Rural Road Awareness Safety Week last week. There are many of the 105 Kansas Counties that have rural roads and it's important that road & bridge departments keep safety in mind with what they do each day on county roadways for Kansas drivers. And, it is up to Kansas drivers to keep safety in mind every time they get behind the wheel. Thanks to Kansas Department of Transportation for sharing this important safety messaging!

Kansas County Happenings July 19 Issue Now Online! 📰
Check out all the latest information for Kansas Counties, including News, Around Kansas, Promotional Campaigns, Educational Opportunities, Special Events, Grant Training Workshops, Grant Funding Programs, Local Government Job Openings, and more!
Read the July 19 Issue here: https://online.flipbuilder.com/kqualls/hmnx/

Kansas County Happenings July 19 Issue

🚨Widespread IT outages due to CrowdStrike update: Affected customers should follow ’s remediation guidance. 👉go.dhs.gov/38C

We will update the alert with more information as it becomes available. As always, we encourage organizations and individuals to be vigilant of malicious activity. Threat actors have been observed taking advantage of this incident for phishing and other malicious activity. Work directly with your vendors to help resolve the issues you may be experiencing. Learn more: go.dhs.gov/38C

More on the National Tech System Outage.

Douglas County, KS Emergency Communications- 911
Lawrence Kansas Police Department
Baldwin City Police Department
Eudora KS Police Department
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical
Consolidated Fire District #1, Douglas County, KS

Global Technical Issue Impacts Agency Services

TOPEKA – The Kansas Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) confirmed that a software update from vendor partner CrowdStrike has impacted services for Executive Branch agencies.
This was not a cybersecurity attack and there is no threat to life safety services.

CrowdStrike, a vendor partner, deployed an update late Thursday evening and into the early morning hours of Friday, impacting servers and computers. CrowdStrike has provided fixes, and OITS is working closely with them and the Executive Branch agencies to remediate any issues. This is a global problem, impacting many beyond Kansas.

Services continue to be restored online. We cannot provide an estimated time for each service's restoration.

More information will be provided as things develop.

Please direct any questions to Allie Denning, Director of Public Affairs, OITS. She can be reached at [email protected].

Send a message to learn more

Day 5 Rural Road Safety Awareness Week Topic: Positive Driving Behaviors with SeatBella.
To All Drivers > > You can do it. You can drive safely and demonstrate positive driver behavior! 🫶 when your behind the wheel.
Read a comic and learn more about SeatBella's adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road.../day-5-rrsaw2024/

You can do it❕You can drive safely & demonstrate positive driver behavior 🫶 Read a comic & learn more about SeatBella's adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road-safety-awareness-week-2024/day-5-rrsaw2024/

Here are three easy tips to make sure you at home! ♻️

is all about preserving life between the lines by preventing rural RwDs. High Friction Surface Treatments keep vehicles in their lane, reducing injury crashes by 48% and wet road crashes by 83%.

Learn more about this Federal Highway Administration safety countermeasure here: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/.../hfst4localsst.../page05.html

is all about preserving life between the lines by preventing rural RwDs. HFST keeps vehicles in their lane, reducing injury crashes by 48% and wet road crashes by 83%.
Learn more about this Federal Highway Administration safety countermeasure here: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/FoRRRwD/hfst4localsstoryboard/page05.html

Wildlife and Parks Commissioners Approve New Blue Catfish Harvest Regulation

PRATT – Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commissioners approved a new blue catfish harvest regulation for Clinton, El Dorado, Elk City, Glen Elder, John Redmond, and Melvern reservoirs at their June 20 meeting. The new regulation – now in effect – includes a creel limit of 10 blue catfish per day with no more than one fish measuring 30 inches or longer.

Blue catfish are popular with Kansas anglers and interest in the species continues to grow. They can reach large sizes, providing big fish opportunities previously unavailable in Kansas, while the smaller fish are a popular table fare. Most of the reservoirs that contain blue catfish were stocked within the last 20 years, making the species relatively new to Kansas fisheries.

“Many of our early blue catfish populations were initially protected with very restrictive harvest regulations to allow the stocked fish to mature and naturally reproduce,” said Craig Johnson, KDWP El Dorado District Fisheries Biologist. “Now that blue catfish numbers are being maintained at several lakes through natural recruitment instead of supplemental stocking, we can relax the regulations and anglers can benefit by harvesting more fish from these productive populations.”

Research shows reservoirs with lower population densities exhibit the best growth rates for the species, equating to larger fish available to anglers. The time required for a blue catfish to reach 30 inches varies from eight to 14 years, making older and larger fish quite valuable. The new regulation encourages angler harvest, which is necessary to provide desired densities in Kansas waters. Blue catfish harvest should focus on smaller fish less than 30 inches, especially fish between 18 and 28 inches, while releasing the larger fish to fight again.

“For the 10 blue catfish per day with one over 30 inches limit as well as protected slot length limits for blue catfish to meet the objective of improving fish size structure, anglers need to harvest legal length fish,” said Johnson. “Releasing the smaller blues with the idea that they’ll grow larger isn’t the best approach in lakes with limits encouraging harvest. Take your blues home, they make for a great fish fry, and you’ll know you’re helping improve the fishery.”

For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Fishing

Governor Kelly Announces KDOT awarded $62.6M for 18th Street Bridge Replacement Project in Kansas City

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has awarded the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) a $62.6 million Bridge Investment Program grant for the 18th Street Bridge Replacement Project in Kansas City, Kansas.

“The health of our transportation infrastructure is vital to the safety of all who travel on Kansas’ roads, bridges, and highways,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The 18th Street bridge has been a critical connection for decades, and this project will support continued success and growth in the area.”

The 18th Street bridge over the Kansas River in Wyandotte County is part of U.S. 69 and a key link for Kansas City neighborhoods. Built in 1959, the bridge has had many repairs over the years, but now it’s beyond restoration and needs to be replaced.

Upon inspection in 2017, the bridge was immediately closed for corrosion and cracking repairs. During this closure, from April to December 2018, comprehensive repairs were made, extending the bridge's life. However, a long-term plan was needed as the bridge was nearing the end of its service life, and maintenance was no longer cost-effective.

“Bridges are absolutely vital to our public infrastructure – not just as part of our state highway system, but as crossings within communities,” Secretary of Transportation Calvin Reed said. “KDOT appreciates the emphasis the U.S. DOT has placed on updating our existing bridges, such as the one on 18th Street over the Kansas River.”

In 2019, KDOT completed a study to evaluate bridge options and identify a preferred alternative. During this study, the 18th Street Bridge Replacement Project Team developed a range of alternatives, which were compared and evaluated using various engineering factors. This study’s key goals were maintaining the Kansas River crossing and improving safety for travelers through the U.S. 69 (18th Street) corridor.

The bridge currently has four 12-foot lanes with narrow shoulders measuring two to three feet wide; the new bridge will use modern design standards with 10-foot exterior shoulders and 6-foot interior shoulders. It will also include visually appealing designs for the fencing over the railroad and the exterior concrete pattern, which will be consistent with the pattern used on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct, which connects Kansas City, Kansas, to Kansas City, Missouri.

“We are extremely grateful for the grant award. We pledge to work diligently with our federal and state partners to make this bridge project successful, and we are committed to strengthening our partnerships to address other critical bridge needs within our community,” said Tyrone Garner, Unified Government Mayor. “Bridge infrastructure represents the lifeblood of transportation arterial connections that make a city and community work, thrive, and grow.”

KDOT will implement additional improvements in the corridor to utilize the full closure of 18th Street while the bridge is being replaced. These improvements will include roadway improvements along 18th Street just north and south of the Kansas River and bridge rehabilitation on the 18th Street bridges over Ruby Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue, Kansas City Terminal Railway, and Osage Avenue.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025, and the 18th Street Bridge will be closed to traffic throughout the duration of construction. This full closure is estimated to last approximately 24 months.

U.S. DOT Bridge Investment Program grants focus on funding for existing bridges to reduce the overall number of bridges in poor condition or in fair condition at risk of falling into poor condition. The program also expands opportunities for all levels of government to apply for and be direct recipients of program funds to advance projects that meet local community needs.

More information on the 18th Street Bridge Replacement Project can be found here: https://18thstreetbridgekck.ksdot.gov/ .

For additional details on the U.S. DOT Bridge Investment Program, visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bip/ .

18th Street Bridge Replacement Project CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION Project Overview The U.S. 69 (18th Street) Bridge over the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK), is one of the few remaining deck truss bridges on the state highway system. Built in 1959, the bridge has undergone numerous rehabilitations over its 60-year li...

Day 4 Rural Road Safety Awareness Week Topic: Weather Conditions.
Rural road conditions can be unpredictable ⛈️ 🌫️ ❄️ 🌬️ Thankfully, there are tools that reduce RwDs & prevent drivers from leaving their lanes.
Read a comic & learn more about Kinetico's adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road.../day-4-rrsaw2024/
National Center for Rural Road Safety

Rural road conditions can be unpredictable ⛈️ 🌫️ ❄️ 🌬️ Thankfully, there are tools that reduce RwDs & prevent drivers from leaving their lanes.
Read a comic & learn more about Kinetico's adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road-safety-awareness-week-2024/day-4-rrsaw2024/

Day 3 Rural Road Safety Awareness Week Topic: Sharp curves

Sharp curves don’t have to be dangerous ⪢ Read a comic & learn more about ChevRon’s adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road.../day-3-rrsaw2024/

Sharp curves don’t have to be dangerous ⪢ Read a comic & learn more about ChevRon’s adventure to SAVE LIVES here!: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/rural-road-safety-awareness-week-2024/day-3-rrsaw2024/