Friday,
April 27, 2018
Topeka
Natives Proudly Representing…
A
pair of Topeka natives (both Shawnee Heights grads, coincidentally) have been
in the news this week, representing Topeka well. It’s a nice reminder that Topeka
is a City many can be proud to call home.
Dan
Cnossen was named Paralympic Athlete of the Games at this years Team USA
Awards. The Ceremony recognizes the outstanding achievements of U.S. athletes
at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Cnossen won six medals in six events at the Paralympc Winter Games this year in South Korea.
Kyla
Jade is still standing tall on NBC’s The Voice, with a real shot at winning Season 14. She still has family in Topeka and credits her teachers at Shawnee Heights with helping her. She still has lots and friends family here in Topeka.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
City wants more tax dollars for roads. We need info & assurances…
As
weather warms, orange cones litter our streets again. It is “Detour Season” inTopeka, something we have become accustomed to the past few years.
To
be fair, much of this construction is progress. Each project is an effort to
improve streets and infrastructure. We should appreciate our City is making
improvements.
The
problem these past few years is we have struggled to maneuver around projects or,
in some respects, even understand some of them.
Many
projects have been simultaneously in the same areas, creating difficulties in
getting around. We have seen instances of a project being started, then not
being worked on for weeks. We have see the same roads worked on multiple times,
while other areas of need are ignored. We have watched new roads or repaired
roads crack and break apart within just a few years of same road being worked
on.
This
year, the City of Topeka will ask its citizens to not only extend a sales tax
dedicated to roads, but request an increase from ½ cent to ¾ cents.
I
am not outright opposed to this. There is a need to better our infrastructure
and the money is not in the general fund. Not passing could be detrimental to
many necessary programs.
BUT…like
many Topekans, I am not a Yes vote just yet. For that to happen, the City needs
to provide citizens two things: An audit of how, where and to whom previous
dollars have been spent and a detailed plan on how the next 10-year-plan won’t
be the same-old same-old.
The
audit should be clear and provide the following:
- How much total dollars have been spent with the ½ cent sales tax?
- A list of all projects completed or started or still planned
- An accounting of who received all dollars (contractors, engineers, etc.)
The
10-year-plan for the ¾-cent sales tax does not have to list every project money
will be spent on. We understand that is not entirely determined. But, it should
include:
- An explanation of how project timetables will be determined
- A general outline of how this plan will be different from the previous plan
- An assurance some dollars will be spent in under-served areas
- An explanation of how materials used will be improved, so road projects last longer
- A plan on how delays will be shortened and how the City plans to work with contractors to ensure jobs are done in a timely manner
- A plan on how the City will improve coordination with utility companies so projects are not delayed
Providing
citizens details on how money was previously used is transparency at its best
and provides citizens an honest look at how tax dollars have been spent. It
also provides something to measure the new plan against.
Providing
details on how the City plans to ensure the next 10-year-plan will be less
wasteful, efficient and make roads more durable is essential if there is any
hope of voters approving the tax proposal.
This
is the ninth year of the current 10-year plan. Mayor De La Isla and three council
members have been on the City Council for half of that time or more. Two other
current Council Members have been on the Council for 3 years or more during this
time. Half our current governing body has been in place a significant portion
of this 10-year cycle.
Simply
telling us this time will be different because they tell us so is not a reassurance
Topekans accept at this point. We need details and officially stated plans and goals
we can hold up as accountable standards to hold elected officials to.
I
am not a No vote right now on the ¾ cent sales tax. But I am not a solid Yes
either. The City has work to do before I, and many I know, cast our vote in their
favor. All we ask for is information and assurances before we go to the ballot
box this Fall.
Monday, April 23, 2018
No one wants to talk about internet consumer costs...
It is estimated more than 35% of Topekans do not have direct access to the internet in their homes. They either go without or use cell phones. Hardwired broadband services are now available to more than 90% of Kansas residents, yet less than 60% buy it.
This means thousands of Topekans, and hundreds of thousands of Kansas, have no direct access to the internet except through wireless services.
At a recent symposium in Wichita on the issue, industry professional working to bring internet to Kansas discussed reasons behind these numbers and problems of access. But the one reason they did not talk about? Cost to consumers.
Among the issues and obstacles providers did discuss:
* Location of a community
* Dollars available for investment
* Cost of providing service
* Commitment of consumers to purchase
* Federal regulation and Federal dollars available for use
These are not issues to be dismissed, and are areas we need to work with providers on to increase and expand service.
But the No. 1 reason many Topekans go without internet is because it simply costs too damn much. Some households cannot afford it at all, while others choose phone over internet service and piggyback off that to cut household expenses.
Internet providers have a right to make money. But to continue to fail to address the reality that internet services are expensive to purchase, makes it hard to have honest conversations with providers about how to expand services to more people.
Consumers used to be willing to pay a little higher cost for internet service when more on the internet was free. But the internet is changing. Services which once had no cost are finding ways to charge consumers for that same material (Youtube, Hulu etc.) How we view and interact with the internet as consumers is impacting how much we are willing to pay for service, not to mention the economic realities of paychecks and the economy - which dictate what we can actually pay for.
Topeka will be in better shape in many areas (education, small business efforts, public safety, etc.) if we can find ways to ensure Topekans can get affordable access to the internet.
I know many citizens are willing to look at those efforts. Now we need internet providers to acknowledge that household cost is a primary barrier and work together to reduce that monthly internet bill.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Well, now what...
By Spencer Duncan
The Topeka Roadrunners Hockey team has a new owner. This owner has well-known name in Sports (Lamar Hunt, Jr.) and committed to hockey. His investment in hockey is not just on the professional and semi-professional level, but he is deeply committed to developing youth hockey in Kansas and Missouri.
For Topeka, this seems a positive development. But, let's see what happens.
Topeka and Hockey have had a long and complicated history. At its onset, the team had strong crowds and a solid following. But as the team changed hands several times, ownership commitment to the product on the ice and within the City dropped. The owners who just sold the team started strong, but the last few years have not marketed well or promoted well within the City. Attendance has suffered. Some problems can also be attributed to former management at the Expocentre.
With this sale of the team to its strongest owner yet there is a chance things can turn around.
There is still a strong fan base of support for the team. There has been positive youth hockey development that has occurred, which is good for our city and our kids. And there is a new management group running the Expocentre that knows how to make hockey successful.
So, now the questions are:
* Is Mr. Hunt committed to making an effort to make the team successful in Topeka?
* Will Mr. Hunt sign a 3-year contract with the County that can be profitable for all parties, or is he simply interested in a shorter deal?
* Is the County interested in keeping the Roadrunners in town?
Hockey in Topeka can be profitable and add value to our community. It was years ago. Hockey deserves one last effort with an owner who knows the game, is interested in making it successful and knows how to be a good community partner. Hockey deserves a chance with a management company operating the Expocentre who know how to promote the product and work with hockey owners.
Is that we have now? Time will tell.
If Mr. Hunt simply wants to use Topeka as a short term stop with plans to move the team soon (and not tell us), it may be time to say goodbye to the team so Topeka can move.
And, regardless of the outcome of this sale, we must work to help ensure our youth hockey players do not get left out in the cold, with no way to continue their programs.
Lamar Hunt, Jr. Purchases Topeka Roadrunners
Topeka Roadrunners Sold To Loretto Ventures
Roadrunners have a new owner
Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Expocentre Advisory Board. However, as of this posting, I have not been made aware of any "inside information" that gives me insight into what will happen with the Roadrunners.
