Thank You
I have been touched by the many messages of appreciation I received following my retirement announcement. Thank you! And while I am not running for re-election, I am still serving as state representative until next January when my successor is sworn in. The only person to file to succeed me is Jim Minnix, a farmer, rancher, and county commissioner from Scott City. I have known Jim for many years and hold him in high regard. It makes it easier to retire knowing that the residents of the 118th District will be so well represented in the future!
CARES Act Distribution to Kansas Counties
As part of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act included distributions to every state. Governor Kelly established a special committee (SPARK) to consider how that money should be distributed. Under the federal guidelines the money cannot be used to backfill existing government budget shortfalls caused by the economic downturn. Instead the funds must be used for direct pandemic response. Here is a link to the plan they have developed. In Phase I a total of $400 million will be distributed to county governments, based primarily on population but also considering incidence of COVID-19 infection and county unemployment rates. County commissioners will be responsible for distributing a portion of the funds to municipalities and school districts within the county.
Here are the distributions announced for the counties within the 118th District:
• Gove County $524,056
• Graham County $490,062
• Lane County $308,989
• Logan County $552,252
• Scott County $984,964
• Sheridan County $500,621
• Thomas County $1,535,491
• Trego County $558,940
• Wichita County $416,096
Response Rates for 2020 Census
Distribution of the CARES Act funds is just one example of how federal and state tax dollars are distributed back to local government and taxpayers through formulas based on population. It illustrates how vitally important the federal census has become, and how every individual must do their part in filling out the census form. Here are the current voluntary response rates for each county in District 118:
• Scott County 65.2%
• Thomas County 62.4%
• Gove County 62.2%
• Logan County 61.9%
• Trego County 59.7%
• Sheridan County 57.7%
• Graham County 54.4%
• Wichita County 51.2%
• Lane County 47.6%
These rates are too low. If you have not yet responded, I urge you to do so. Every citizen must be included in the count if we are to receive the state and federal dollars we are rightfully entitled to through so many government programs. If some of us aren’t counted, then our tax dollars will flow to taxpayers in other states rather than back home to us.
Wallethub.com recently ranked Kansas last in terms of dependency on the federal government. While an independent spirit has long been an admirable trait of Kansans, in this case at least, it comes with considerable cost. We can impact that by filling out the census form and ensuring every Kansan is counted.
Cowboy Logic: Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
Quote of the Week: “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” - Aldous Huxley
Sermon in a Sentence: Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
