Nick’s Picks | Taxes, Highways, Holidays, and More …

A Taxing Time

Dig out your W2s. It’s Tax Day on Tuesday.

You have until midnight tomorrow to submit your returns to the IRS.

It may be news to many of us.

One in four Americans have yet to file. According to a new Turbo Tax survey, more than half of 18-24-year-olds don’t even know when the tax filing deadline is.

For many Americans, tax refunds represent their largest check of the year, averaging over $3,000.

The Kansas City Star has been breaking down the numbers locally. Here’s the average tax refund amounts in the Kansas City area:

• Johnson County: $3,533, 62% of tax returns resulted in refunds
• Platte County: $3,049, 65% of tax returns resulted in refunds
• Jackson County: $2,876, 70% of tax returns resulted in refunds
• Clay County: $2,831, 69% of tax returns resulted in refunds
• Wyandotte County: $2,822, 75% of tax returns resulted in refunds

Kansas Lawmakers Return Home

Kansas lawmakers are back home this week after wrapping up a whirlwind veto session in Topeka.

One of their biggest actions was to scrap the state’s income tax brackets to impose a new 4% flat tax. Gov. Laura Kelly says it could be financially ruinous, costing the state up to $1.3 billion annually.

Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers are back at it in Jefferson City this week. The Missouri session ends May 16.

ATV Crackdown

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is vowing a new crackdown on all-terrain vehicles after an ATV ran over a Kansas City police officer on Saturday. The officer was hospitalized with head injuries but has since been released.

Lucas was visibly angry after the incident, telling local media, “The vehicles are not toys, and the streets are not playgrounds for lawlessness.”

The mayor had scheduled a morning news conference with the police chief to outline new enforcement actions, including submitting felony referrals to prosecutors.

Check Your Receipts

Local businesses are already feeling the sting from America’s new trade war. Now, they’re finding a new way to pass the cost on to you.

Along with the sales tax, you may see something else added to the bottom of your receipt this week: a tariff fee.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of retailers are adding what it calls, “This Tariff Isn’t Our Fault” fee. The surcharges are showing up on everything from bathroom fixtures to children’s toys.

 On Reddit, some posters have voiced support for the fees, saying they would help to educate buyers. Others expressed doubts that it would do anything but polarize customers.

But it’s not all grim news when it comes to prices….

When you fill up at the pump today, you’ll be paying 52 cents a gallon less than you did a year ago, according to the price tracking service GasBuddy.

Last Week, Reviewed

And the Next City Manager …

More than two weeks after unanimously firing City Manager Brian Platt, the Kansas City Council will begin the process of picking his replacement this week.

Lucas says they’ll review the initial applicants on Thursday during the City Council’s business session.

Jackson County is also hanging out a “help wanted” sign after the surprise resignation of County Administrator Troy Schulte.

Did he simply get fed up with all the drama at the county courthouse?

Schulte has left his high-paying job as the Jackson County administrator to become the new city manager in tiny Lebanon, Missouri.

What’s in a Name?

Stop calling it the South Loop Project.

Kansas City’s ambitious plan to cap the downtown freeway and turn it into an urban green oasis has now got a new name.

Starting this week, it will be officially called “Roy Blunt Luminary Park,” after the former Missouri U.S. Senator who helped secure nearly $30 million in federal funding for its construction.

Related Content

Big Plan to Cover Downtown’s South Loop Taking Shape

But the project is still short of cash.

Local leaders are trying to find $76 million towards the $217 million price tag.

It means the park won’t be open for World Cup visitors next year, as originally planned.

Now, there’s a fuzzier timeline with promises of starting construction “by the end of the year.”

Remember Mike Parson?

What’s the best way of honoring former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson?

Naming a new bridge or stretch of highway after him?

How about a life-size statue outside of the Missouri statehouse?

How about naming a meat lab after him?

The former Republican governor will be in Columbia on Friday as the University of Missouri unveils its newest building, “The Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory.”

In Other News You Can Use

We’re beginning one of the most religiously significant weeks of the year.

• The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover continues through Sunday.
• The financial markets will be closed on Good Friday.
• And Sunday is Easter.

Nick Haines tracks the week’s most impactful local news stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 pm on Kansas City PBS.