KS - February 24 2025

1. Scott Schwab Targets Property Taxes, China in 2026 Kansas Governor Bid
2. Kansas Senate Passes Tax Breaks to Attract Data Centers
3. DOGE cancels Topeka lease for empty USDA office that was 'a huge waste of money'
4. Nearly 5,000 Kansas State Employees Earned Over $100K in 2024
5. Hutchinson Explosion Video Released, NTSB Probes Gas Incident

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1. Scott Schwab Targets Property Taxes, China in 2026 Kansas Governor Bid

Secretary of State Scott Schwab elaborated Monday on plans to seek the Republican nomination for Kansas governor in 2026 by emphasizing the need to limit residential property taxes, forbid land acquisition by China and reduce the size of state government. Schwab, who served Johnson County in the Kansas House prior to election as secretary of state, has sought to stake out positions on policy issues ahead of potential GOP rivals in the contest to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Schwab, 52, was elected in 2018 to the job of secretary of state. In that job, he’s the state’s supervisor of elections and responsible for business filings. He won reelection in 2022 after a primary showdown with Mike Brown, who went on to serve a term as chairman of the Kansas Republican Party.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2. Kansas Senate Passes Tax Breaks to Attract Data Centers

Kansas politicians are renewing an effort to lure data centers to the state by giving such projects tax incentives. The Senate voted 34-6 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 51, which sends it to the House. The bill would create a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of a qualified data center in Kansas with a minimum investment of $250 million. The tax break would apply to the purchase of equipment and other costs. State economic development officials say Kansas is missing out on data center projects and could continue to miss out on them without a tax incentive.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

3. DOGE cancels Topeka lease for empty USDA office that was 'a huge waste of money'

After the federal government canceled a lease in Topeka, the owner of the empty office space says it was an example of the government waste that President Donald Trump's administration is trying to eliminate. "It was just a tremendous government waste," said Jim Klausman, who owns the building that housed the Topeka regional office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency. The Risk Management Agency manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. None of its staff lost their jobs when the office closed, officials said. "The Risk Management Agency's physical office space in Topeka, Kansas was closed on February 1, 2025," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to The Capital-Journal. "The closing had been in process for several months. All staff are still employed with the agency and we expect no impact on Kansas agriculture. Crop insurance policies continue to be sold and serviced through Approved Insurance Providers." News of the lease cancellation comes from the Department of Government Efficiency. Led by Trump adviser Elon Musk, DOGE has started posting online a list of cancelled contracts and leases. One of the listed real estate actions is for the Risk Management Agency office in Topeka. The DOGE website lists that office as having 5,560 square feet with an annual lease cost of about $122,000. It claims a total savings of nearly $1 million. The DOGE website states that the agency has closed the office.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

4. Nearly 5,000 Kansas State Employees Earned Over $100K in 2024

In 2024, 4,933 state employees were paid over $100,000 a year, out of approximately 41,700 people on the state payroll. Some well-known names are missing from the list — including athletic coaches like Bill Self, Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold. At Kansas State, coaches are paid by K-State Athletics, Inc., which is a separate entity and does not receive taxpayer funding, according to Kenny Lannou, a spokesperson for K-State Athletics. Lannou said that each university funds their athletic programs differently. Municipal, county and federal officials are also not included. This is because they are paid by city, county or federal budgets. Kansas state senators and representatives were paid approximately $30,000 a year in 2024 but received at least a $28,000 pay raise at the start of 2025. Here are how much top Kansas officials were paid in 2024: 

·       David Toland, lieutenant governor and secretary of commerce: $183,557 

·       Marla Luckert, supreme court chief justice: $172,821 

·       Laura Kelly, governor: $110,707 

·       Scott Schwab, secretary of state: $86,003 

Some of the highest paid employees were leaders of universities, medicine and science professors, and employees of the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University. Here are the 10 highest paid Kansas employees in 2024: 

·       Travis C. Goff, athletics director, University of Kansas: $1,238,618 

·       John S. Tomblin, executive vice President for research and industry, Wichita State University: $1,100,285 

·       Gene F. Taylor, director of athletics, Kansas State University: $925,000 

·       Robert D. Simari, executive vice chancellor, University of Kansas Medical Center: $856,940 

·       Richard H. Linton, president, Kansas State University: $815,000 

·       Doug A. Girod, chancellor, University of Kansas: $780,200 

·       Akinlolu O. Ojo, executive dean of the School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center: $775,309 

·       Richard D. Muma, president, Wichita State University: $770,000 

·       David P. Jones, former executive director of NIAR’s aerospace research division, Wichita State University: $695,750 

·       Waruna P. Seneviratne, NIAR director of research/senior research scientist, Wichita State University: $638,000

Article Source: Wichita Eagle

5. Hutchinson Explosion Video Released, NTSB Probes Gas Incident

The Hutchinson Fire Department released dash camera video showing the moment a business exploded on Saturday. Crews were called to the 400 block of S. Main Street around 9:26 a.m. for the report of a gas odor. Crews found the issue at the intersection of Ave E and South Main Street. In the video, you see a door fly off Steffen’s Auto Parts, 428 S. Main, followed by the explosion and firefighters running from the building. A 0.7-mile evacuation zone was set up before the explosion. The fire department said no one was hurt. Five investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived in Hutchinson Sunday night to document the accident scene and examine the pipeline and equipment involved.  

Video

Article Source: KWCH

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Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/scott-schwab-aims-gop-gubernatorial-campaign-at-property-tax-reform/

2. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/02/24/kansas-lawmakers-consider-sales-tax-incentive-for-data-center-projects/79209802007/?tbref=hp

3. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/02/24/tremendous-government-waste-doge-cancels-usda-lease-in-topeka/79430741007/

4. https://www.kansas.com/news/state/article300766419.html

5. https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/24/video-firefighters-flee-hutchinson-business-explodes-ntsb-investigating/