University Daily Kansan / Thursday, April 18, 1991
Campus/Area
3
Legislators discuss possible education budget
State financing for KU could decrease by $3 million next year
By Joe Gose
Kansan staff writer
Area legislators yesterday sent a message as black and white as their audience's coffee and cream; there either will be a tax increase or further budget cuts and a $159-million property tax increase.
State Reps, Betty Jo Charlton, D Lawrence; John Solbach, D Lawrence; Sandy Paeger, R
Lawrence and State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, took part in the Eggs and Issues" forum yesterday at Bridge Lake酒店, 701 Massachusetts St.
The four legislators answered questions concerning a variety of issues from about 65 people who attended the breakfast sponsored by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.
The discussion focused on the proposed budgets for education, social services and state employee salaries. But the legislators emphasized the need for tax increase to fulfill almost $138 million in slated increased spending.
"If we don't raise taxes, we will have to go back and cut budgets a 4 or 5 percent across the board." Winter said. "Property taxes will increase
While the Legislature approved $130 million in increases for various programs, it increased the Board of directors budget by less than 1 percent.
as well "
Although the fiscal 1992 Regents budget reflects an overall 0.2 percent increase compared to the actual 1991 budget, the increase is $20 million by a Senate committee.
Those cuts amount to a $3 million decrease in the University of Kansas'
present financing. Both KU and the Regents system could face even deeper cuts if a tax measure is not approved up-session that begins Wednesday.
The House had restored $16 million to the Regents budget that was later deleted by the Senate. Praeger said she would be part of a House-led bipartisan coalition that would fight for restoration of the $16 million while it is in a conference committee during the wrap-up session.
Solbach said that although a tax increase would be painful to the state in the short run, it would provide future strength.
"If it's going to hurt us in the long
range, I won't take that
approach," he said.
Although KU's overall budget would show a decrease, Winter said that a separate appropriation bill that has not yet been passed would increase faculty and administration salaries by 2.5 percent.
Dam repairs
Dale Jarrett signals to have a batter board raised on the Bowersock Dam across the Kansas River while Eric Erickson waits to brace the board in place. Jarrett and Erickson, both employees of Bowersock Mills and Power Co. worked yesterday to put back into place boards that were pushed over by recent rains. The boards are used to raise the level of the river for generating electricity with hydroelectric turbines.
McDonald's cuts the garbage
Restaurants introduce revamped packaging plan aimed at reducing trash By Katie Chipman Kangan staff writer
Jerry Guffrey, supervisor of the two Lawrence restaurants, said the restaurants had quit using polystyrene to seal the bowls and used a plastic paper wrap instead.
Some parts of the plan already have been put into action by local MCHC.
McDonald's restaurants have launched an environmental plan that has the potential of eliminating four-fifths of the garbage they generate.
The restaurant is looking for suitable packaging for breakfast food, which still uses polystyrene packaging, he said.
Guffey said that McDonald's restaurants were use unbleached bags for carryout meals and that most of their paper products, such as napkins, paper towels and carryout trays, were produced from recycled paper.
"We now use bags for Happy Meals instead of the paper board we were using."
McDonald's is experimenting with reusable coffee mugs and pump-style dispensers for ketchup, mustard and dressing of the plan to reduce waste output.
Bob Hamilton, regional environmental coordinator, said 83 percent of McDonald's restaurants in the United States recycled corrugated cardboard, which was used to transport food.
McDonald's to cut trash 80%
Highlights of a plan by McDonald's and Environmental Defense Fund to cut back on waste at the company's 8,500 U.S. restaurants (they produce a total of more than 2 million pounds of trash daily):
Paper products: Replace polystyrene packaging with paper wrapping; convert to unbleached paper bags and unbleached Big Mac wrappers; 21% smaller napkins
**Reuse:** Test reusable lids for salads; test refillable coffee mugs and pump-style dispensers for condiments instead of individual packets; test reusable coffee filters
Recycling: Make changes in composition in all packaging materials to increase recycling options, find alternatives to the current wax coatings on meat shipping boxes
Composting: Begin tests for composting organic and paper waste
"Corrugated cardboard represents about 40 percent of our waste." Hamilton said.
However, the two Lawrence restaurants have not been able to do this yet because there are no services available.
Hamilton said that McDonald's had been working with the city and that a program was being organized so that, by summer, the Lawrence restaurants would be able to participate.
Knight-Ridder Tribune News/MARTY WESTMAN
McDonald's also is experimenting with composting in 10 stores in New England.
McDonald's has set a goal of completing its environmental plan within two years.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
Book drive to benefit University of Costa Rica
By Jonathan Plummer
"We're trying to compose items like egg shells, coffee grounds and food scraps." Hamilton said. "Food waste is 34 percent of our waste."
Kansan staff writer
Cavitt saw the need for books when she went to Costa Rica as part of the University of Kansas study abroad program.
Cavitt, Stilwell graduate student, is coordinating a book drive for the University of Costa Rica. Books for this year's book drive are Strong Hall rotunda until April 4.
Even if the bookstore does not want your books at the end of the semester, Roberta Cavitt knows some people who do.
"The University of Costa Rica is 50 years old," she said, "and I'm not saying that the books in the library are old, but some of them were really old."
airline as well as the national airline of Costa Rica would donate shipping for the books.
She has been in contact with the Costa Rican national airline and hopes to send a load of books with the airplane that study abroad students take to the country in February, she said.
Cavitt said she hoped a domestic
"We're trying to do this basically on a budget of zero," she said. "This may seem a backward way to do this, but it's when everything else is in place."
Cavitt said that books in English would be just as helpful to the students in Costa Rica as books in French, and the students there knew both languages.
"Many students take a special course in English," she said.
"because if you are in engineering,
for example, there are going to be
books and magazines with informa-
tion that they can do a professional
that are only in English."
She said that she had heard of Costa Rican students borrowing books from KU students and photocopying the entire book.
Cherie Sale, library associate in the School of Business, said the session filled 60 boxes of books it was willing to donate, whatever organization wanted them.
"They are old editions, duplicate editions or, in some cases, books we simply didn't have space for," she said.
"We will give them to whoever
wants them and whoever can come
get them.
Time, not accuracy, given priority in reappraisal effort
Kansan staff writer
By Vanessa Fuhrmans
Efforts to correct problems in the county reappraisal program have not only created new ones but also have revealed some of the sources of previous mistakes.
Chris McKenzie, county administrator, said yesterday that, faced with a choice between accuracy and timeliness, the ap-pocalypse may have been insignificant notices on deadline rather than miss it by accessing previous property appraisals manually.
Because appraised property values from 1989 and 1990 are on a separate file in the Douglas County Courthouse's mainframe computer system, county appraisers were able to call up the information to help determine the 1991 appraisals. McKenzie said.
Partly to blame is the appraisal computer software, McKenzie said. Several features of the program are not conductive to the system, which operates from a mainframe.
"Many of the problems that we are having are peculiar to the five large counties with which we live."
"Even as of today we're still trying to get it," he said.
The other counties are Johnson, Wyandotte, Sedgewick and Shawnee.
Meanwhile, Douglas County officials have
decided to terminate the extended-hour telephone service for property owners with questions or complaints about their notices. The appraiser's office, which still handles calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. last week expanded its office to the weekend weekly evenings and Saturday mornings.
Mekenzie said that the increased intake of telephone calls had produced an overwhelm.
"It's just to move the mountains of paperwork generated from this," he said. "It's just a physical impossibility for the staff to continue it."
Since taxpayers received their appraisal notices April 6, the appraiser's office has handled more than 3,000 complaints and scheduled 950 appeals hearings, McKenzie said. The appraiser's office has settled 870 complaints without appeals already.
Free Tax Advice
Legal Services for Students
Legal Services Available
Free with Valid KU ID
Appointment Necessary
Luxe Union - 0123-864-5665
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The Student Senate is now accepting applications for the positions of:
- Treasurer
- Administrative Assistant
- Student Executive Committee Chairman
- Executive Secretary
- A.S.K. Director
- Community Service Coordinator
Applications available at the Student Senate Office, 410 KS Union Deadline: April 19, 5:00 p.m. ???'s...Contact the Student Senate Office at 864-3710