I went to take Old Brown, and Old Brown took me.
-Henry C. Pate
A Serious Threat to Black Jack’s Long Term Success
If Proposition 1, a 1/2 cent addition to the sales tax to fund the renovation and expansion of the Douglas County, Kansas, Jail and build a badly needed Mental Health Crisis Center fails in the April 25-May 10 mail-in election, Black Jack would likely LOSE ALL COUNTY FUNDING!
Douglas County is required by state statute to provide minimum security and services to jail inmates, which because of overcrowding at the jail, it cannot currently provide, so the county has no choice but to renovate the jail to provide those services. If the sales tax ballot issue fails, the county would need to fund the work out of current revenue sources, which would include seriously cutting back all non-essential expenses, including support for all the historical agencies in the county, Black Jack included.
Black Jack has received $10,000 per year since 2015 as an external agency of the county, not to mention over $175,000 in grants from the Heritage Conservation Council since 2011. Loss of the ability to receive county funding would stagnate Black Jack and cause us to struggle for survival with severely diminished resources. It would have the same effect for all the historical agencies in Douglas County, thereby gutting the local historical community.
There is a well organized opposition to the sales tax vote, which is using paid staff to make phone calls to voters in the county. They are framing it as a justice and mass incarceration issue, which many consider an incorrect reading of the situation.
The opposition has a significant advantage in that the Douglas County government is prevented by law from advocating for the tax, and can only distribute information. The county has good informational videos and other material on Proposition 1 on its website at https://www.douglascountyks.org/.
If you are a voter in Douglas County, please be aware of the ramifications of a no vote in this election, investigate the facts of the issue, and vote in the election. If you are not a Douglas County voter, but know people who are, please let them know of the importance of this vote to the future of Black Jack..
Proud Partner
Heritage Conservation Council of
Douglas County, Kansas
email
info@blackjackbattlefield.org
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Robert Hall Pearson Farmhouse open seasonally or by appointment.
2018 CWT Park Day at Black Jack
Postponed due to winter weather from Saturday, April 7th, to Saturday, April 28th, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. See Our Events page on this website for full information.
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Mission: To preserve and make accessible this nationally significant battlefield and its environs for posterity, and provide for multiple uses of the site for the benefit not only of those seeking to better understand the battle and its role in American history, but also others who desire the opportunity of relating woodlands and prairie.