Tag: Mike Brown
Dark store theory: counties break the law, threaten residential property tax hike
Even the name — dark store theory — sounds ominous. With the willing participation of local media, some local officials…
JoCo Sheriff opts department out of county vaccine, testing mandate
When county officials asked Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden to opt his department into a county government initiative requiring employees…
Commissioner says JoCo work sessions should be more open
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners broadcast business meetings live, public comment is usually invited, and the meetings are in…
JoCo eliminates public comment for Dec. 3 meeting
Johnson County commissioners will not permit verbal public comment at their next board meeting. Instead, the commission will meet by…
JoCo ignores resident pleas, adopts tighter COVID restrictions
Bars and restaurants in Johnson County must close by midnight beginning Monday. That’s part of the decision of a divided…
Mike Brown: County commission needs more transparency
Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown will ask the county commission to be more transparent after members of the public have…
Beverly Gossage, Dave Owen vying to replace Julia Lynn
Now that Kansas Sen. Julia Lynn’s name won’t appear on the general election ballot in November, Beverly Gossage and Dave…
CDC: Kansas COVID deaths have average 2.7 comorbidities
The vast majority of deaths reported due to coronavirus involved patients with multiple underlying conditions, or comorbidities, the CDC reported…
JoCo commission approves property tax hike despite opposition
(Update – the original version of this story referenced a 5.3% property tax increase for 2021; a tiny quarter-mill reduction…
Public outcry over Johnson County’s 5% property tax increase
Residents gave Johnson County commissioners an earful at the August 12 public hearing on the county’s 2021 budget proposal, which…
Mask mandates not driven by data
Government proponents of mask mandates say they’re driven by data, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says cloth…
Johnson County affirms mask mandate, enforcement unlikely
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners arguably made a political decision to affirm Governor Kelly’s statewide mask mandate, even though…
JoCo business reopening task force lacks business experience
Johnson County Commission Chairman Ed Eilert appointed a task force to “strategize and implement a phased approach to reopening the…
Little transparency on JCERT sales tax in Johnson County
Voters approved a 1/8 cent ($0.125) sales tax in 2008 for the Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT), which advocates…
Johnson County execs ‘puzzled’ about sales tax decline, but keep spending more
Sales tax revenues are down, and Johnson County officials are waiting for the courts to determine the fate of several…
JoCo Commissioners Sound off on Not Renewing County Manager’s Contract
A divided Johnson County Board of Commissioners declined to renew the contract of county manager Hannes Zacharias last week. Contract…