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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hazard Mitigation Plan updated
Jun. 2—Last week, the Barton Community College Board of Trustees approved the 2025 Kansas Homeland Security Region E Hazard Mitigation Plan and Resolution. This was also on the agenda for Monday's Great Bend City Council meeting. Other entities in Kansas Region E will also be required to adopt similar resolutions. Kansas Region E includes Barton, Pawnee and Stafford counties, along with Barber, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa and Pratt counties. Mark Dean, Barton's vice president of administration, provided a copy of the plan — a document with 290 pages plus appendixes, and a resolution adopting it. "We didn't write this, but we were involved in it," Dean said. "All cities, counties and colleges are required to approve the resolution. That allows us to be eligible for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) dollars." Other entities in Kansas Region E will also be required to adopt similar resolutions. Other adopting jurisdictions in Barton County are the City of Albert, City of Claflin, City of Ellinwood, City of Hoisington, City of Pawnee Rock, City of Susank, USD 112 Claflin, USD 355 Ellinwood, USD 428 Great Bend, USD 431 Hoisington, Ark Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (REC), Midwest Energy, Rolling Hills REC, Sunflower Electric, Western Electric, Wheatland Electric, Post Rock Rural Water District and Rural Water District #3. The introduction to the plan explains its purpose: Hazard mitigation is commonly defined as sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from hazards and their effects. Hazard mitigation planning provides communities with a roadmap to aid in the creation and revision of policies and procedures, and the use of available resources, to provide long-term, tangible benefits to the community. A well-designed hazard mitigation plan provides communities with realistic actions that can be taken to reduce potential vulnerability and exposure to identified hazards. This multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) was prepared to provide sustained actions to eliminate or reduce risk to people and property from the effects of natural and man-made hazards. This plan documents the Kansas Region E and its participating jurisdictions planning process and identifies applicable hazards, vulnerabilities, and hazard mitigation strategies. This plan will serve to direct available community and regional resources towards creating policies and actions that provide long-term benefits to the community. Local and regional officials can refer to the plan when making decisions regarding regulations and ordinances, granting permits, and in funding capital improvements and other community initiatives. According to FEMA, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories including American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands have approved mitigation plans. A total of over 21,227 local governments and 196 tribal governments have approved or approvable-pending-adoption mitigation plans. The nation's population who live in communities with current mitigation plans is nearly 80.9%. States, tribes, territories, and local governments benefit from all hazard planning because it helps them understand natural hazards and develop mitigation strategies. It also provides eligibility for certain non-emergency FEMA grants.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BCC: Federal cuts part of budget review
May 14—The Barton Community College Board of Trustees reviewed preliminary numbers for next year's budget on Tuesday, with Vice President of Administration Mark Dean noting they will have more information in a month. That isn't unusual for this time of year but this year Kansas community colleges also have questions about cuts to federal programs. The college hopes to receive $180,000 more from tuition than was budgeted in Fiscal Year 2025, based on a 5% growth rate, tuition increase, and tuition from Senate Bill 155, which allows high school students to qualify for state-funded college tuition in approved technical courses. The FY 26 budget is for $13.272 million in tuition. Revenue from taxes is expected to stay the same at $10.869 million. Miscellaneous revenue from interest, refunds and reimbursement are expected to be $861,200, or $128,000 more than last year. However, total revenue in the FY 26 budget is $36.9 million, or $732,338 less than was budgeted last year, due to cuts in state aid. About $208,000 of the cuts are based on a three-year formula but another $832,562 in cuts are tentative, Dean said. These are in areas such as capital outlay, apprenticeships, student support and deferred maintenance. Expenses are also expected to increase in all areas except salaries, where changes in positions will cost $159,504 less than last year. The budget for salaries is $20.7 million. "Based on what we know today," Dean said, the college is "approximately $1.4 million short of having a balanced budget based on last year." Barton President Dr. Marcus Garstecki said TRIO and federal workstudy could be hit by federal budget cuts. TRIO are federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Trump Administration wants to eliminate the program. President Trump's proposed FY 26 budget includes significant cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. In addition to TRIO, it could eliminate Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). The president's "skinny budget" for FY 26, released this month, is considered a policy blueprint. "A lot in the skinny budget affects higher education," Garstecki said. "This is a piece that Congress has to pass. It would ultimately defund TRIO and Adult Ed. The intent would be for the State to pick up the Adult Ed piece." Garstecki said he's been reaching out to legislative staffers to share the long-term impact these cuts will have on students and on workforce development. Board Chairman Mike Johnson said that based on what he's seen, "there will be no appetite at the state level to pick up any of this." He expects more state budget cuts next year. Garstecki said TRIO "has a strong national group and there's a lot of advocating going on." Vice President Angie Maddy agreed, adding, "They've been very successful. A couple of members of Congress are Trio alumni. It's had bipartisan support." Garstecki concluded, "Our staff continue to push forward and do what they can."
