Labette County now offers a Tag and Tax Estimator on the county’s website, county treasurer Crystal Addiis said this week.
On your computer go to the county’s website: www/labettecounty.com. Look for the red button, shown on the right of the screen “Tag and Tax Estimator.”
This takes you to a screen called “Kansas Motor Vehicle Property Tax and Fee Estimator,” Addis said.
This service allows you to determine the property tax and applicable fees for the current tag renewal year or the remainder of the previous year in Sedgwick County. In a table shown below on the screen, you select the vehicle model and year you are purchasing or already own, the trade-in vehicle (if applicable), then click the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. From the resulting list, select the correct vehicle model and you’ll see an estimate of the property tax due.
This will give an estimate on tag, title, and property tax fees for a new purchase or registration renewal.  This does not include the sales tax fees.
“We are excited to offer this service to the county,” Addis said.

Three Excellence in Education Awards were presented at the annual Labette County USD 506 Staff Appreciation Luncheon held on March 9. One elementary teacher, one high school teacher, and one support staff member are chosen annually as recipients of the award. All staff members have opportunity to nominate staff from their building for the awards.
Selection criteria for nominees include: at least five years of district service; exhibits outstanding service to the district; goes above and beyond the normal job requirements; enriches the lives of students; serves as a good example for all; exhibits professional courtesy; sets and achieves goals to improve job performance.
Steve Spencer – Support Staff Recipient –– he serves as district Maintenance Director. This is his 24th year of service to USD 506.
Heather Wilson – LCHS Teacher Recipient –– she has taught English at LCHS for the past 12 years. She received her B.S. degree from PSU in 1997 and her M.S. degree in 2002.
Mary Manuel – Elementary Teacher Recipient –– she teaches seventh and eighth grade at Mound Valley Grade School. This is her 18th year of teaching. She received her B.S. degree from PSU in 1991 and her M.S. degree in 2001.
Other nominees are as follows:
Support Staff: Ronda Rohling, Altamont Grade secretary; Melissa Russell, Bartlett Grade para; Missy Buchanan, Edna Grade para; Susan von Wedell, Meadow View para; Gayle Peoples, Mound Valley cook; Nancy Boegel, LCHS secretary
Elementary Teachers: Mona Garrett, Altamont 8th grade; Lisa Strickland, Bartlett Special Education; Judy Taylor, Edna Special Education; Susan Patton, Meadow View seventh/eighth grade
High School Teachers:  Lewis Goins, English teacher and Kent Peterson, business teacher.

Labette County Fair Board president Steve McKinzie gave a report on lawn mower races at the monthly board meeting held Wednesday, Feb. 25. There were nine members and two guests present.
McKinzie said that the track should be made with a road grader with old tires on top. Dan Peterson suggested the fair board have a used tire drive.
There will be three classes of lawn mowers: single cylinder modified, twin cylinder modified and super modified.
Everett  Becker and Steve McKinzie will be in charge of lawn mower races.  McKinzie will also be checking on insurance.
ALSO AT THE MEETING:
• Introduced Kylie Ludwig, Family and Consumer Science agent. Jeff Falkenstien reported about the judges pay. The committee of Jeff Falkenstien, Kristen McKinzie, Sherry Foister, Lisa Strickland and Kylie Ludwig will look more in depth at judges pay for the county fair and report back.
• Jim Schmitz, 4-H Program Assistant reported about changing work sharing to help with clean-up since the correction camp will not be here this year at the fair.
• President McKinzie suggested the board could use help cleaning up the grandstands on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.  They could use help on the show ring, Tuesday morning of the fair.
• Schmitz also reported he is working on building collapsible showcase units that will cost $50 to $75 for materials to build each. Schmitz is donating his labor to make them. Rick McKinzie moved and Jeff Falkenstien seconded to spend up to $500 for the showcases.
• President Steve reported that Lori McKinzie is working on sale pamphlets.  He also asked the superintendents to go through the fair book and bring any changes to the next meeting. Steve reported he would like to finish putting wash racks in the hog barn.
Clint Hanigan reported on the demolition derby.  Everett Becker moved and Destry Lynn seconded to adjourn the meeting.
Next meeting will be Wednesday,  March 25, at 7:30 pm.
–– Submitted by Bill Chapman

Industrial park is the hope of replacing the plant’s activity

For the first time since World War II, the making of military ammunition has stopped. The Kansas Army Ammunition Plant officially closed with a brief ceremony last week during which an olive drab cover was placed over the installation’s red flag. About 75 people attended the event in the basement of the facility’s buildings located between Parsons and Oswego.
The shuttering of the KAAP was a part of the most recent congressional plan to close and reconfigure military bases.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Ruby Redmond, 85, who worked in personnel at the plant from 1951 until retiring in 1994.
The plant actually made its last bomb — a sensor-fused weapon that is capable of hitting multiple targets and dropped from aircraft — in December. The facility started producing munitions in 1942, when more than 7,000 employees built bombs and artillery rounds bound for Europe and the Pacific.
Redmond said the plant was its own city when she worked there, with thousands of employees working around the clock to build ammunition for the Korean and Vietnam wars.
“We pulled in people. We needed people,” she said.
The plant had 1,300 workers after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but less than 300 when production stopped in December. Wages at the plant averaged more than $40,000, nearly twice the median salary in Labette County, one of the state’s lowest in per capita income.
Pentagon officials targeted the plant for closure in 2005 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process. Production was transferred to ammunition plants in Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Local officials did not fight the closure and had even started working toward converting the plant to industrial purposes before it made the BRAC list. An Army spokesman said Wednesday that the plant was the first of its installations from the 2005 BRAC to be deactivated, nearly a year ahead of schedule.
The Army expects to transfer the land to the new owners by the end of this year.
Day & Zimmermann Inc., which has run the plant for the Army since 1970, is buying 4,000 acres and two production lines with the hope of eventually landing a new munitions contract.
Great Plains Development Authority, created by local officials, will own about 3,000 acres. It plans to create an industrial park with highway and rail access and already has received some federal and state aid for the work.
“It’s not going to happen tomorrow, and it’s not going to happen in a year. But it’s going to start right now,” said Ann Charles, a former newspaper publisher and deputy director of the authority.
The ammunition plant was the only casualty in Kansas during the 2005 BRAC process. The state overall saw significant gains in military activity, including the return of the 1st Infantry Division to Fort Riley after 10 years in Germany.