Every weekend, catch up on some of the last week's biggest stories. Tuesday's weather may have come and gone without much commotion, but with lawmakers returning to the Statehouse this week to discuss tax exemptions, spending and budget fixes, Kansas definitely saw its share of storms.
Tax abatements: A boon for the city, or not worth the cost?
KMUW reporter Sean Sandefur examines the common practice of tax abatement. The City of Wichita waives millions of dollars in tax revenue in the name of economic development, but it’s difficult to say for sure if the incentives are actually working in the city’s favor.
Sean says: Although I’ve focused on Wichita’s economic development through several stories over the past couple of years, I’ve never looked specifically at how business startups relate to job growth. I was surprised to learn that the two aren’t as related as they might seem.
Community members, educators protest potential cuts to Wichita Public Schools budget
KMUW reporter Abigail Wilson says Monday’s Wichita Public Schools Board of Education meeting drew an emotionally charged crowd, many of whom were educators, who came to speak out against the district’s numerous budget cuts under consideration. Board members voted to end the school year for students two days early as a way to save the district $400,000, but many other cuts are on the table as USD 259 tries to cut $12 million in day-to-day costs.
Citing security concerns, Brownback withdraws Kansas from federal refugee program
Earlier this week, Gov. Sam Brownback announced that he had informed the Obama administration of his intent to withdraw Kansas from the federal refugee resettlement program. Brownback had earlier issued an executive order banning state-funded agencies and organizations from assisting in resettlement efforts for refugees from Syria, joining about 30 other U.S. governors in doing so.
Business tax exemption targeted for repeal in wrap-up session
As Kansas lawmakers returned to work Wednesday, Heartland Health Monitor’s Jim McLean looked at what will surely be one of the most important topics of this year’s wrap-up session: business tax exemptions. Many legislators and advocates are calling for the repeal of controversial 2012 tax exemptions as a way to fix Kansas’ $290 million budget gap, but the effort is struggling to gain the votes it needs.
Kansas seeing more startups, but little job growth
A report from Wichita State University focused on entrepreneurs found that although Kansas, like the rest of the country, has seen a steady increase in new businesses, the state isn’t seeing a big impact on job growth.. From 1990 to 2010, Wichita saw an 86 percent increase in new companies. But that only translated to a meager 10 percent increase of new jobs.
