# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 172
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3421 "2025-01-06T13:35:13Z")
Somebody is stupid here. It’s a combination of Kansas legislators and the Attorney General. Under state law, the AG determines if a bond issue meets legal requirements. Also under a new state law, county election officials must publish notification of any election in a county website, as well as a newspaper. In an election last May, the voters of the Greeley County school district, one of the smallest in the state, approved a 4 million dollar bond issue for renovating some facilities. Notification of the election was not posted on the county’s website, because the small county doesn’t have a website. However, it was published on the school website, and the school superintendent made efforts to inform the community regarding the merits of the bond issue. However, the AG has determined that the bond issue didn’t follow the law and has blocked the funding. > “I feel like we have ignored a core tenet of our society and our government as a whole,” said John Niehues, the district superintendent. “You know, it’s the will of the people.” > **[Kansas attorney general blocks school bond funds in state’s smallest county](https://www.kake.com/home/kansas-attorney-general-blocks-school-bond-funds-in-state-s-smallest-county/article_934f4bf4-c9d6-11ef-b5d4-1b1b8470df3a.html)** > > Voters in the Greeley County school district, headquartered in Tribune near the state’s westernmost edge, approved in May a $4.6 million school bond for renovations and new construction, but the ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3422 "2025-01-06T13:39:15Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > However, the AG has determined that the bond issue didn’t follow the law and has blocked the funding. - > > > “I feel like we have ignored a core tenet of our society and our government as a whole,” said John Niehues, the district superintendent. **“You know, it’s the will of the people.”** How quaint. /s ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3423 "2025-01-06T13:41:36Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Notification of the election was not posted on the county’s website, because the small county doesn’t have a website. [Cite?](http://greeleycounty.org/) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3424 "2025-01-06T13:50:26Z")
That might not be an official site. It’s a .org, not .gov. On ICANN, it’s registered to an individual (redacted info). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3425 "2025-01-06T14:27:33Z")
How can a place be “too small” to have a website?? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3426 "2025-01-06T14:44:48Z")
Well, the claim wasn’t that the county was “too small” to have a website. It’s that the county is small so it doesn’t have one. Sure, anybody could register a site and throw up a blank page, but there’s no purpose to that. If the population really is only 1200 across the entire county, it is probably not a priority to set up a proper county website. And if they did decide to make one, they’d have to do it right, i.e. compliance with all relevant Kansas statutes and maintenance, which means having a semi-dedicated person (meaning $ out of the no doubt limited funds in such a low population county) to set it up and keep it going. A slapdash homebrew page would be rightly excoriated. That would be worse than no page at all. If it is the AG’s position that compliance requires the county have a website in order to fulfill various requirements, that’s an unfunded mandate. Let the state provide money to set up and maintain a site, if that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3427 "2025-01-06T15:15:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That might not be an official site. It’s a .org, not .gov. Good catch! I’ll say this about the county, if they are truly too small to setup an official website, they should be part of a larger organization that can. I don’t like the idea that they don’t need to do 21st century outreach for a bond issue because they’re so small that “everyone” knows what they need to know. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3428 "2025-01-06T15:46:34Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I don’t like the idea that they don’t need to do 21st century outreach for a bond issue because they’re so small that “everyone” knows what they need to know. The notice was on the school website. The notice was also on the website of the local newspaper, as required by law. [Greeley County Republican](https://gcrnews.com/legals/notice-of-bond-election) These notices, until a year before this election, were sufficient 21st century outreach for the bond issue. It was only after the Kansas legislature passed the 2023 law that suddenly these notices were not sufficient enough. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3429 "2025-01-06T16:18:55Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > It was only after the Kansas legislature passed the 2023 law that suddenly these notices were not sufficient enough. Kansas legislature: “Education is dumb, I need a new bass boat” ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3430 "2025-01-06T17:13:33Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > If the population really is only 1200 across the entire county, it is probably not a priority to set up a proper county website. If the population is only 1200, then the county is probably so rural that only a percentage actually have internet (maybe less than 50%?) If the state is going to mandate a website, it should also provide internet to the citizens. I suspect that the newspaper reaches more of them than the internet anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3431 "2025-01-06T17:19:59Z")
I wouldn’t bet on that. Availability of truly high speed internet (let’s say \>100Mbps just to put a number on it) might be limited, but I would guess a solid majority have some form of internet availability at home. Plus whatever they can get via phone plans, which I would think approaches 100% availability, even if not everybody in that county goes that route. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3432 "2025-01-06T17:44:59Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > then the county is probably so rural that only a percentage actually have internet (maybe less than 50%?) Satellite 100 Mbps is available to almost 100% of the county. DSL is available to 75% of the county. Even the farmer hicks in bumfuq Kansas use the internet these days. > **[Top 8 Internet Providers in Greeley, KS](https://broadbandnow.com/Kansas/Greeley)** > > Home internet in Greeley: Fiber internet is 40.8% available in Greeley. DSL is available to 40.4% in Greeley. Satellite is available to 100% in Greeley. Fiber providers include KwiKom Communications. And, as @Great_Antibob stated, virtually everybody has a cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3433 "2025-01-06T17:51:21Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > In an election last May, the voters of the Greeley County school district, one of the smallest in the state, approved a 4 million dollar bond issue for renovating some facilities. > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > If the population really is only 1200 across the entire county, it is probably not a priority to set up a proper county website. The article said $4.6m bond. So, if the population is really only 1200, that’s almost $4,000 each. That’s a hellova tax increase! Edited to add… From the original article,… > [@](#): > > Leading up to the May 21 primary, Niehues engaged the community to inform them about the bond, which would replace an old one and avoid tax increases for local property owners. Answers to frequently asked questions and in-depth information about the bond were — and still are — visibly posted on the school district [website](https://tribuneschools.org/35934_1). OK, so their taxes don’t go up. The current bonds are expiring and the school wants to issue new ones. And, they’re not paying all up front, they’re paying over the lifetime of the bonds. I think this puts it at (roughly) $500 / year. Again, for every adult and child, so (roughly) $1,200 per family per year. That’s on top of whatever covers school operating funds. That seems like a lot of tax burden. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3434 "2025-01-06T18:24:08Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > The current bonds are expiring and the school wants to issue new ones. Correct. So instead of taxes being reduced by $130 per year per $100k of the value of a house, those taxes will remain in place. But taxes will not be increased if the bond measure is approved by the AG. > **[USD 200 Bond FAQ (Working Document)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yx1ewpXp3fjg2T6sa2hPQdhcPf-F-uN-tJC0_IKXhHM/edit?tab=t.0)** > > USD 200 School Bond FAQ Document Materials prepared by USD 200 to educate patrons about the May 21st bond election. Conceptual renderings: Please keep in mind that these are based on a concept, and the final look may change if the bond is... ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3435 "2025-01-06T18:50:40Z")
Sounds like the Kansas lawmakers are woefully ignorant of conditions in Kansas. A place that they’re all from. Which place is largely rural. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3436 "2025-01-06T18:53:14Z")
Where are you from? I’m asking because I think your statement is not quite accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3437 "2025-01-06T19:02:47Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The notice was on the school website. The notice was also on the website of the local newspaper, as required by law. [Greeley County Republican](https://gcrnews.com/legals/notice-of-bond-election) > > These notices, until a year before this election, were sufficient 21st century outreach Potentially sufficient for a tiny county, not at all sufficient for a county with hundreds of thousands of residents, but the law has to be the same for everyone, or it’s not really a law. The Kansas legislature failed to put in a single purpose exception for outreach to accommodate a tiny county that can’t be bothered to make a website. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3438 "2025-01-06T19:30:27Z")
This kind of crap drives my wife and I crazy. We are DINKS but work for a different county that we live and vote in. They need to fund their schools, Road and Bridge and all county departments. Road and Bridge is having lots of problems because their pay is shit. We always vote for new taxes, but it never passes. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3439 "2025-01-06T19:34:24Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > The Kansas legislature failed to put in a single purpose exception for outreach to accommodate a tiny county that can’t be bothered to make a website. All the legislature had to say was something like “election notices must be placed on the official county website, if such website exists.” Problem solved. This 2016 study by [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_study:_7_percent_of_American_counties_have_no_official_website) found that 7% of all US counties did not have official websites at that time, including about 5% of counties in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/3440 "2025-01-06T20:32:42Z")
All Kansas has to say is “Only 5 percent?? Get with the program!”. Is there any evidence at all that they asked for help in starting one up? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=171) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=173)