Budget-Strapped Kansas to Borrow $900 Million From Itself; Employees Blamed for N.Y. Prison Escape

By Route Fifty Staff

TOPEKA, KANSAS
BUDGET | Kansas plans to borrow a record $900 million from a pool of its own investments in order to cover state expenses in the next fiscal year. The borrowing was authorized yesterday by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and legislative leaders and involves what’s known as a certificate of indebtedness. The state’s budget director described it as, “essentially borrowing from ourselves.” Senate President Susan Wagle, a Republican, offered another take. “This is like me putting groceries on a charge card and praying that the money comes in,” she said. A package of 2012 tax cuts Brownback championed has been under fire from critics, who argue it is at the root of ongoing budget difficulties in the state. [The Wichita Eagle]

DANNEMORA, NEW YORK
CORRECTIONS | In a report detailing the events that led up to the escape of two murderers from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York last year, 20 prison employees—uniformed and civilian—were named responsible as a result of laziness and incompetence. According to an examination of state payroll records by The New York Times, there have been few, if any, consequences for 18 of those 20 workers. None of the 18 has been fired; none will be prosecuted. Nine of these employees are still on the job. During the three-week manhunt for the two killers, the state sent out 1,300 officers and spent $23 million in overtime. [The New York Times]

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
SICK LEAVE | Members of the City Council unanimously approved up to five days of paid sick leave per Chicago worker—joining more than two dozen other U.S. cities. The ordinance goes into effect July 2017, much to local businesses’ dismay that the move would drive up their costs on top of higher minimum wages and property taxes. “[W]e anticipate that for many businesses, especially those with high turnover, they will see a reduction in costs," said one alderman. [Chicago Tribune]

DENVER, COLORADO
SCHOOL SAFETY | To help pay for push-button locks on all of its classroom doors, Denver Public Schools is floating a roughly $4 million bond request. The idea with interior button-operated locks is that it’s not necessary to search for a key during an emergency, such as a shooting threat, or to have someone go outside of a classroom to lock the door. “In the ’50s, principals reported at the time one of their biggest concerns was chewing gum in the hallways,” said John McDonald, Jefferson County School District executive director of safety and security. “Today, we’re seeing something completely different.” [The Denver Post]

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
BUDGET | Gov. John Bel Edwards’ calls for raising an additional $600 million in revenue to help shore up Louisiana’s strained budget were looking as though they would go unheeded, as lawmakers entered the final day of a special legislative session Thursday. Edwards says any shortfall will result in cuts to popular programs in the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1. The Legislature was said to be on track Wednesday toward raising $258 million. “It’s a success that we haven’t given government all that it wants,” said state Rep. Cameron Henry, a Republican. State Rep. Sam Jones, a Democrat, took a different view. “We haven’t fixed anything,” he said. “We’re just plugging holes as we’ve been during the past eight years.” [The Advocate]

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY
WEBSITES | State government websites including that of the Governor’s Office, Finance Cabinet, Revenue Department and Secretary of State’s Office have been down since late Wednesday or early Thursday. Hosted by private vendor Kentucky Interactive, they crashed during its upgrading of a website development program. There is no estimate as to when the sites will go live again, but some remain unaffected like the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’, Transportation Cabinet’s and the state legislature’s. [Courier-Journal]

PORTLAND, OREGON
MARIJUANA | The Portland City Council has two colors on the brain, green and gold, after voting unanimously to place a pot tax on the Nov. 8 ballot. If the measure passes, a 3 percent tax would go into effect on all recreational marijuana sales. Conservative estimates predict that the city could raise $3 million to $5 million per year. The city council has big plans for this cash. Pot tax revenues would go towards drug and alcohol treatment efforts, public safety staffing and transportation projects to cut down on traffic accidents. [The Oregonian]

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
PARKS | To promote its parks as places for exercise and recreation, the county banned smoking tobacco and e-cigarettes within the public spaces. Drones were also banned with public and wildlife safety cited as a concern. A small space in Green Lane Park will be set aside for flying drones. The county is eyeing a ban on smoking in public housing next. [Plymouth-Whitemarsh Patch]