Latest news with #KLC
West Australian
21-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Nyul Nyul country gains protected status
The Nyul Nyul people have gained national recognition for their efforts to protect country, with the declaration of a new Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) spanning 144,000ha on the Dampier Peninsula. The IPA will help safeguard freshwater springs, monsoon vine thickets, threatened species including the greater bilby and short-nosed sea snake, and stretches of sea country. It also cements Aboriginal-led conservation at the heart of land and sea management in the region. Kimberley Land Council (KLC) land and sea unit Manager Daniel Oades said the recognition was the result of years of dedicated work by the Nyul Nyul prescribed body corporate and ranger team. 'IPA recognition does not happen every day, and this hard-won milestone ensures that Nyul Nyul can assert authority over their country and shape land management according to the vision of the Nyul Nyul people,' Mr Oades said. The Nyul Nyul rangers have been actively managing their country since 2008, carrying out prescribed burning, biodiversity monitoring, cultural education, and sea country care. Their work has already earned national recognition through programs like their award-winning two-way science partnership with the local school. 'This IPA recognises 15 years of proactive land management, led by the Nyul Nyul rangers and guided by the PBC,' Mr Oades said. 'Their efforts have already made a significant impact on the health of country and community. The IPA now provides national recognition and a stronger foundation for future work.' Nyul Nyul ranger co-oordinator Preston Cox said the formal recognition marked an emotional and long-awaited achievement for the community. 'It's a good feeling in my liyan,' Mr Cox said. 'This is a great thing for Nyul Nyul country and people. We have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. This is about more than just land — it's about continuing stories, knowledge and connection,' he said. 'We've passed this knowledge down from generation to generation and with this recognition, all the young people at the ceremony today will be able to do that.' Nyul Nyul PBC director Fiona Smith said the declaration honoured the work of ancestors and future generations alike. 'We are carrying on the legacy of our old people,' Ms Smith said. 'I'm doing this work for my mum who is no longer with us — I continued this work for her because I want to see Nyul Nyul country protected now and into the future. My liyan felt good today.' The new IPA links with the Bardi Jawi protected area to the north and is expected to strengthen further efforts by neighbouring traditional owner groups, including the Jabbirr Jabbirr and Nimanburr, who are also developing their own IPA plans. The Kimberley Land Council says it remains committed to supporting Aboriginal-led conservation in the region.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
SPD scores high marks in KLC Safety and Liability Review
The Kentucky League of Cities is giving high praise to the Somerset Police Department, as well as high marks in a 'report card' that measures the department's safety. John Clark, law enforcement consultant for KLC, presented SPD Chief Josh Wesley with a plaque in commemoration of the department scoring 100% during a Safety and Liability Review of the department. The presentation took place during Monday's City Council meeting. Clark told the council that the review examines 60 areas for SPD personnel, such as driving, firearms training, response to resistance, and keeping track of evidence. 'That is a comprehensive look at an agency's leadership, training, policies, and best practices for law enforcement to see how they're doing. It's almost kind of like a report card that goes back to the League of Cities,' Clark said. The areas looked at are related to situations that could either get officers hurt or get the department sued—both of which could cause insurance premiums to rise. And because the city is insured through KLC, there is an incentive for both the city and KLC to measure law enforcement liability. A high score during this review translates into lower insurance premiums, Clark said, which means the city spends less money to insure the department. 'KLC, as you can imagine, has extremely high standards when it comes to these reviews,' Clark said. 'But the Somerset Police Department has demonstrated a 100% score in all of those areas. And that doesn't happen very often. They exceed professional standards in every area that we measured. '… This is an accomplishment for the police department, but it's also an accomplishment for the city and for you all,' he said to council members, 'because as you all are well aware, these things are not cheap. These things are not just put forth by effort, but many times they have to come to you all, and you have to fund the very things that keep them on the cutting edge of what keeps law enforcement and your community safe.' Somerset Mayor Alan Keck said that he believed this was only the second time the city has received this distinction. 'Chief Wesley, we're grateful for you and your team for your continued hard work,' Keck said. Also, at Monday's meeting, the council approved an ordinance that would update the city's tourism tax requirements to include short-term rental operators, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, to pay the same 4% transient tax that hotels and motels pay. Keck explained in a previous meeting – and City Attorney John Adams reiterated for the second reading – that when the original ordinance was passed in 2013, brand-name house rental services weren't as prevalent in the market as they are now. Therefore, short-term rentals weren't covered in the language used in that 2013 ordinance. The new ordinance will also place short-term rental operators in a category for membership in the local Tourism Commission. Council members also heard the first reading for two new ordinances. One would bring three new streets into the city street system: Innovation Avenue, United Drive, and Progress Lane. These three streets are part of the SPEDA Commerce Park industrial development area, located in the Barnesburg area. The second first reading was for a potential zone change for 100 Mardis St. The owner has requested a change from an industrial designation to Residential-3, or a multi-family residential area. Both items will receive a second reading and vote at a later date.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Several Pulaski cities receive KLC Liability Grants
Four local cities have received liability grants from the Kentucky League of Cities grant program. It was announced this week that Somerset, Ferguson, Burnside and Eubank have received the grants. The City of Somerset received a $3,000 grant. Somerset Mayor Alan Keck, who is also an executive board member for KLC, said the grant would go towards buying equipment for the police department and the water department. 'By supporting the purchase of gun safes for our police department and additional radio read meters for our water team, KLC is helping us build a safer and more efficient Somerset through its liability grant program,' Keck said. 'We deeply appreciate KLC's partnership and commitment to improving local communities.' Mayor Robert Lawson of the City of Burnside had this statement about receiving the grant: 'We are honored to be selected as a recipient of one of KLC's many city-first funding initiatives. The KLC Liability Grant allows my employees to feel more prepared to serve their community and develop a progressive skill set for future training opportunities. We utilize many of KLC's offerings to run our city, including but not limited to their training courses, insurance services, legal department, and legislative voice. The City of Burnside is grateful to be a member of KLC and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.' The City of Ferguson received a $1,500 grant, which City Clerk Kristi Phillips said would go towards sidewalk repair. The grant received by the City of Eubank was put towards the purchase of a body camera for the Eubank Police Department, said City Manager Bobby Dawes. Eubank received a $1,500 grant. 'We just thank the Kentucky League of Cities for what they do for smaller cities,' Daws said. KLC Executive Director/CEO J.D. Chaney congratulated each city for their dedication for improving their communities. 'The Kentucky League of Cities is proud to provide our members with liability grants,' Chaney said. 'Collaborative efforts between the League and our members are vital to promoting community safety and enhancing the quality of life in Kentucky cities.' KLC stated that it has awarded more than $6.5 million to city members since 1999 to help fund initiatives that reduce liability.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City opposes state bill to collect local occupational taxes
Owensboro City Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday, voicing their opposition to a bill filed in Frankfort that would have the state collect city and county occupational taxes. Occupational taxes are local taxes collected by the entity that imposes them. Both the city and county have occupational taxes. In fiscal year 2023-24, the city collected $23.644 million in occupational taxes and $6.399 million in net profit license fees. Daviess Fiscal Court collected $6.194 million in occupational taxes and $3.354 million in net profit license fees. The bill, House Bill 254, was filed Tuesday by Rep. Jared Bauman, a Louisville Republican. The bill wasn't available online Tuesday afternoon, but a press release from the House GOP leadership office says the bill 'would establish a working group to assist the State Treasurer's office in the modernization of occupational tax collections.' The press release says the bill would create 'a unified online portal for businesses to streamline the payment of local payroll and net profit taxes across all jurisdictions.' The bill would make it simpler for businesses to pay occupational and net profit taxes, according to the press release. The city's resolution says occupational tax collection 'is best accomplished at the local level by professionals who have local experience and local knowledge of our communities,' and creating a state system for collecting occupational taxes 'would have a severely adverse effect on the fiscal condition and economic development of Owensboro and all local government entities if mandated by the General Assembly.' An official with the Kentucky League of Cities said Tuesday the organization's board voted to make opposition to the plan their top priority during this year's legislative session. Occupational taxes make up an average of 60% of a city's revenue, the KLC official said. A copy of the resolution Owensboro city commissioners approved Tuesday evening was sent to cities across the state by the KLC. Owensboro City Manager Nate Pagan said the KLC has taken the lead on the initiative, and said word of a possible bill was brought to the city's attention last week. Pagan said a concern is the state would have to create a mechanism to collect the tax. 'There's no structure in place' for the state to collect the tax, Pagan said Tuesday. Any collection system the state creates could come with a collections fee taken from occupational tax revenues, Pagan said. 'It's a cost that's not incurred at this point' by the city, Pagan said. The current system, where the city collects the tax for both city and county, is working well, Pagan said. The city's finance department 'has years and years of experience and expertise' collecting the tax, Pagan said. The KLC official said businesses would have to file multiple forms and would have to file with the state to pay the tax. Mayor Tom Watson, who is on the KLC board of directors, said before the bill was filed that another concern is occupational tax revenue would go to the state, where it could possibly be held for a period of time. 'We are definitely opposed to that, because they could hold (the funds) as long as they wanted to,' Watson said. City Finance Director Angela Waninger told commissioners at Tuesday's meeting she had several concerns about the plan. Waninger said with taxes the state already collects on behalf of the city, such as the tax increment financing (TIF) revenue, the state provides no information that city officials can use to reconcile their estimate of the TIF revenue with what the city receives. Waninger also said the city is currently able to collect unremitted occupational tax revenue through audits, but said that will be lost under a state system. People who pay their occupational taxes at City Hall won't be able to get local assistance as they can now, Waninger said. Pagan told commissioners he had seen a comment from Bauman, who said an electronic system could be managed by two people. Pagan said he thought that was unlikely. 'It's a little head-scratching,' Pagan said. Before the meeting, Watson also expressed a concern about not all of the revenue collected returning to the city. 'Usually, when money comes down from D.C. to Frankfort to Owensboro, everyone takes a little cut off it,' Watson said.
