News briefs

Commissioners serve on committees

Five of the seven Johnson County commissioners are serving on National Association of Counties steering committees, one more than in the past several years.

They are Chairwoman Annabeth Surbaugh and Commissioners Ed Peterson, Jim Allen, Doug Wood and Calvin Hayden.

“Being involved with NACo and its steering committees means we’ll have the opportunity to share some of our community’s successes and challenges with leaders from across the country, and learn more about how their communities are handling similar situations,” Surbaugh said.

“More importantly, it means that Johnson County is represented not only at the local, regional and state levels, but it assures us a seat at the table with federal officials in expressing our positions and working to gain a better appreciation for the needs of local communities. It allows the chance to be our community’s voice in Washington.”

Fire district has new rating

Fire District No.2 of Johnson County has received the results of a nearly year-long independent evaluation of the district’s capabilities to provide fire protection and to supplement a water supply system.

The Fire District’s Public Protection Class rating improved from a split classification of 3/9 to 3. The new rating should mean an improvement in the fire insurance rates for most residential and commercial properties located in the 90 square miles of Johnson County served by the fire district.

Election office honored

The Johnson County Election Office received the Stars and Stripes Award for Outstanding Partnerships at the Election Center’s Annual National Conference in San Diego, Calif. The award came for the project “Reducing Lost Voters through Electronic Polling Place Lookup.”

“This award recognized outstanding partnerships, and we developed many in 2008 to ensure voters reached their specific polling place,” Johnson County Election Commissioner Brian Newby said.

With 285,001 (more than 78 percent) of Johnson County’s voters participating in last year’s presidential election, only 668 voted at an incorrect polling place, down from 4,267 in 2004.

“Voters can cast a provisional ballot if they aren’t at the correct polling place, but the ballot may not be customized for them, which means some votes in some races couldn’t be counted,” Newby said. “This outreach effort was geared to ensuring all votes were cast and recorded properly.”

Telephone discounts available

Low-income customers can take advantage of the Kansas Lifeline Service Program, a program that offers significant discounts on basic local telephone service for those who need it.

The program helps individuals who meet certain income requirements receive discounts on their phone bill, with savings of more than $17 per month. 

Approximately 29,000 Kansans receive Lifeline service, but that number should increase as a result of HB 2637, which was passed in 2008 by the Kansas Legislature.  The bill allows the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services and local telephone companies to work together to provide automatic enrollment of residents who currently are recipients of public assistance programs, such as food stamps and temporary assistance to families.

Individuals are also eligible for Lifeline discounts if they participate in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), General Assistance, the food distribution program of the United Tribes of Kansas and Southeast Nebraska Inc., the National School Lunch Program or if their household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

To enroll, consumers should call their local phone company. They will be mailed a form to complete and return, verifying eligibility.

Med-Act is finalist for Freedom Award

U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-3rd District, congratulated Johnson County Med-Act, which provides emergency medical services countywide, on being named a national finalist for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

The Freedom Award is given to businesses and agencies that show an outstanding commitment to National Guard and Reserve employees and their families when they are called to military service.

“The men and women of the National Guard and the Reserve are serving the United States with honor and distinction. They deserve our thanks, our gratitude and especially our support,” Moore said. “We are all honored to have such a responsible employer in our community, not just for the care Med-Act provides to citizens, but also for the dedication they have to each and every employee and their families.”

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