Liquor-by-the-drink? Question will come up during the Nov. 3 general election season

Voters throughout Johnson County will consider a liquor-by-the-drink question during the Nov. 3 general election season, while Leawood and Roeland Park are asking residents to approve sales taxes.

If approved, the liquor amendment will allow individual drinks to be sold without requiring establishments to serve food as well.

Current law, described as archaic by its detractors, requires that food account for 30% of the gross receipts of a business if it is to sell liquor by the drink.

“While some establishments are unaffected by this regulation, our local breweries, wineries, distilleries and neighborhood bars must deal with the stress of meeting this regulation and the unnecessary burden of massive paperwork each month,” the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce said on its website.

Backers of the change say it will make Johnson County more competitive when such businesses decide where to locate.

Here’s more on the sales tax issues

▪ Leawood is seeking a renewal of an eighth-cent sales tax for street and stormwater work that is not eligible for financing from other government sources.. The tax would take effect next July and expire in mid-2028.

Voters first approved the tax in 2000, and it has been renewed three times since then.

“Historically, approximately half of the tax has gone towards street improvements including the annual mill and overlay program,” the city said on its website, “with the other portion being used to fund stormwater improvements such as replacement of corrugated metal pipe and failing storm sewer structures.”

▪ Roeland Park hopes to raise more infrastructure money by repealing a quarter-cent sales tax and replacing it with a half-cent tax that’s twice as big. The change would take effect in January and the new tax would expire at the end of 2030.

“This sales tax provides support for a variety of infrastructure improvements, including improvements to buildings, sidewalks, streets, stormwater infrastructure, and parks,” the city said on its website.

Park system schedules ribbon-cuttings

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District will cut the ribbon this month on two new amenities that opened during the summer:

▪ The Arthur and Betty Verhaeghe Park, at 11401 W. 167th St. in Overland Park, will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Oct. 17. The 11-acre park, part of a 40-acre tract donated by the Verhaeghes, includes a farm-themed playground requested by the family to honor its nearly 100-year history of farming and raising bedding plants.

The new park also provides another access point on the 3.4-mile Coffee Creek streamway trail which runs from Heritage Park in Olathe to Switzer Road in south Overland Park.

▪ The Russell and Helen Means Observation Tower will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Oct. 24 in Kill Creek Park at 11670 Homestead Lane in Olathe.

The 58-foot tower is made of structural steel surrounding a precast concrete elevator shaft.

The Verhaeghes once owned 639 acres of the 897-acre Kill Creek Park property. They donated 355 acres, arranged an installment purchase agreement for the rest and willed $1 million worth of assets to the county for park improvements.

SM South Spanish instructor earns state recognition

Leigh Rysko, who teaches Spanish at Shawnee Mission South High School, is the 2020 Kansas World Language Association Teacher of the Year.

For many years, Rysko has coordinated and chaperoned student trips to Spain, France, Italy and Mexico. She is a leader in the Amigos de Las Americas program, which gives students a stronger connection to Spanish-speaking countries and an opportunity to learn more about culture and community.

Rysko also is a mentor teacher and chairs the world language department at Shawnee Mission South. She was a presenter at the recent Racial and Social Justice Summit organized by the Kansas National Education Association.

Note: Last week’s community news stated the Shawnee City Council tentatively would consider an apartment project proposed for the former Wonderscope Museum property in the block of 5700 King Street. The council decided not to take up the matter at the Oct. 12 meeting.

This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Liquor-by-the-drink? Question will come up during the Nov. 3 general election season."