Dear Chamber Supporters,
It’s well known that pets can have a positive impact on our well-being. From a physical standpoint, interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of stress and lower blood pressure. Mentally, we know that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost mood. There are several national holidays that celebrate different pets, but today many are partaking in celebrating National Bring Your Pet to Work Day, which means receiving physical and mental benefits throughout the whole day, not just after work! If you’re like me and unfortunately don’t have a pet, the City of Ottawa is celebrating the occasion with an event here in a bit at the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium to help get your fix (flyer here). Along with the fun at the OMA, the Ottawa Library joined the festivities by having their furry friends tag along in the workplace (photo here). If you’re looking to keep the fun going by adopting your own, I know our friends at Prairie Paws Animal Shelter would love to connect you with a new best friend. Check out all their adoptable dogs and cats here.
Tax Cuts and STAR Bonds
The Kansas legislature met Tuesday for the special session Governor Kelly called a month or so ago. This short recall accomplished a couple of things, the first being the new tax bill, and the second was approving STAR bonds to aid the deal towards luring Kansas City sports teams across the state line. The income tax bill took several forms before finally getting passed; this final form will cost the state government two billion dollars over the next five years. Here are all the pieces included in the legislation: Kansans will now have a two-tiered income tax structure, 5.2% and 5.58%, this plan also increases the standard deduction and personal exemption, eliminates taxes on Social Security, increases the property tax exemption to $75,000 for the statewide mill levy and expands tax credits for child and dependent care to 50%. These savings for citizens have been discussed all session and many Kansans will be pleased that a decision has been finally made even if it couldn’t be accomplished this spring.
The Legislature also passed House Bill 2001, which was an incentive bill aimed at recruiting Chiefs and Royals to relocate to Kansas. The bill amends the existing STAR Bond program to have a combined capital investment of at least $1 billion and would allow for STAR bonds to cover 70% of the project’s cost. The 70% repayment in question comes from sales, liquor, and transient guest taxes collected in the STAR Bond district. The bill also extends the repayment period from 20 years to 30 years. We’ll have to see if this offer is grand enough to grab the attention of Clark Hunt and John Sherman now that the Legislature agreed on a deal.
Friendly Faces at Chamber Office
I hope you’ve had the opportunity to meet our newest team member, Jenna Kelsey, who has been with us over the past month. It’s been great getting her introduced and plugged into our community. Along with her addition to the office, we’ve recently been accompanied by Ottawa University Senior Zeke Reazin. Zeke is finishing up his undergraduate degree with a double major in finance and economics. Along with his studies, he currently serves as Student Body President. Growing up in Eudora just up the road, we are happy to have him intern with us this summer in between his other offseason obligations. One of the first things he was able to do this week was help swap out light bulbs throughout the office (picture here). You can say that he’s already making our office a brighter place!
Stepping Up to Alleviate Ottawa's Foot Woe
Chamber members walked over to the Foot Pain Center of Kansas City at the corner of 3rd and Main Street to hear from podiatrist Dr. Goldstein (pictures here). Dr. Goldstein has been practicing this care for over twenty years―twelve of those in Ottawa. Specializing in diagnosing and treating a wide range of foot and ankle conditions, whether that’s the skin, muscles, nerves, and more. Dr. Goldstein leverages his experience to handle issues such as chronic pain, sports injuries, diabetic foot care, and surgical needs. The Foot Pain Center aims to alleviate discomfort and improve the community’s mobility by meeting people where they are, here in our community, rather than having to head north for this kind of support. Talking about support, one of the initiatives that his office is undergoing is the topic of orthotics. Custom orthotics entail a foot pad or heel insert that can treat and prevent an array of foot and ankle conditions. He believes that having the general public understand terms and treatments like this plays a role in fighting apprehension towards making progress on the health of one's feet.
Dr. Goldstein did share that it has become increasingly more difficult to be a solo practitioner in today’s world; you’re seeing fewer and fewer of these kinds of offices in communities. Many of these challenges stem from insurance processes, which can confuse patients and doctors both. Working in the healthcare world means involving yourself with insurance practices, often involving complex billing, reimbursements, compliance, and the need for administrative help to keep everything in line. With all that being said, Dr. Goldstein still loves serving the Ottawa community as a local foot doctor. He knows that the work that he does to treat the lower extremities can make a massive impact on the whole health of the individual. He did remind us that you do not need a referral to make an appointment and you receive a discount if you deodorize your foot before each appointment!
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The Chamber office is always a little less organized when Sherri is not in the office keeping us all in line. She has been able to take some much-deserved time off to spend with family the past week or so and will be returning to the office this Monday after her and her husband Dan’s trip to the East Coast. Meanwhile, as Sherri prepares to return, Makayla and I are gearing up for an exciting adventure out west. We'll be joining my brother-in-law for an exhilarating week of hiking in some of our country’s national parks. Starting next Tuesday, I will be rather unplugged throughout this time off; if you have any urgent needs, please reach out to my awesome team, who will be doing good work here in town. Our return back to Ottawa coincides perfectly with our town's 4th of July celebration, making it back to town just in time for the festivities. I look forward to sharing pictures and stories with you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
