Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Yes. Kansas does not offer a single “search by street address” button that dumps every group using 212 SW 8th Ave, Suite 202, but the public records that exist are enough to build that list yourself.

Best official tool: Kansas Secretary of State business entity search

Portal: https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx

Search by Current Resident Agent Name (Kansas’s term for registered agent). Try variations:

  • Duncan, R.E.
  • Duncan, Robert
  • Duncan, Tuck
  • R.E. “Tuck” Duncan
  • Duncan Law

Results show entity name, type (including not-for-profit corporation), status, registered office, and usually principal/mailing address. Click through each record for officers, formation date, and filings. The public search often caps at about 100 hits, so you may need a few name variants.

That is the cleanest way to see which Kansas entities list him (or his office) as the person/place that receives official mail and legal papers.

Other public lists

What is already easy to confirm

The same suite is publicly used as the address for more than just the law office:

  • Duncan Law Office / R.E. “Tuck” Duncan, Attorney at Law LLC — 212 SW 8th Ave, Suite 202, Topeka, KS 66603.
  • Kansas Public Transit Association (KPTA) — 501(c)(6). He has been Executive Director since 2006. The association lists 212 SW 8th Avenue, Suite 202 and a nearby phone (785-235-8825) with the same fax as the law office.

His site also lists nonprofit/tax-exempt work among practice areas. He is separately described as a principal in Capitol Connection Kansas LLC (government affairs). His son Spencer has also been tied to a Capitol Connection lobbying shop. That is association management + registered-agent work, which is common for Topeka counsel who form entities and run trade groups.

What the records do and do not prove

Using one law-office address as registered office and mail drop for multiple clients and associations is standard and legal. It does not, by itself, mean the groups are shells or that he is a “shill.” It does mean official SOS mail, service of process, and often association correspondence can go through that suite.

To see the actual count and names, run the resident-agent search on the SOS site and cross-check interesting hits on the AG charity list and IRS 990s. That is the perusable public trail. 

There is no public Form 990 that lists a W-2 salary line for Tuck Duncan as KPTA executive director. What is public is how the job is structured and how the association is funded.

How he is paid (structure, not a published salary)

KPTA’s own FAQ says the executive director is “retained under contract by the Board” and works under an annually approved work plan and budget — not described as a regular staff employee.

That usually means:

  • Payment goes to him, his law office, or a related firm as a management/professional-services contract, not a typical nonprofit paycheck.
  • On a full Form 990 that arrangement often shows up as management fees / independent contractor, with the ED listed at $0 salary on the officer table (Missouri’s transit association does exactly that: ED $0 on Part VII, plus a six-figure management fee to another org, of which a slice was later identified as the ED’s pay).

An older association directory listed KPTA with staff count 0 and a budget under $50,000. That is consistent with a small shop that may file only a 990-N e-Postcard (gross receipts normally $50,000 or less) or a short 990-EZ. A 990-N does not disclose anyone’s pay.

So: he almost certainly gets paid, but it is not published as “Executive Director salary: $X.”

Where the money comes from

KPTA says:

  • About one-third of the operating budget is membership dues
  • About two-thirds is a KDOT grant (FTA sections 5311 and 5313(b) / state rural-transit technical assistance style funding)

That grant money is public transit program funding that flows through KDOT to support training, information, and association work for Kansas systems. Dues are the members’ share.

It is not a large national trade-group ED job. APTA’s CEO is in the high six/seven figures; state associations like this are typically a part of a lawyer/lobbyist’s book of business, not a $200k+ standalone salary.

What he gets besides cash

Even without a published salary, the role includes:

  • Contract fee for running the association (admin, annual meeting/expo, bulletins, board support)
  • Use of 212 SW 8th Ave, Suite 202 as KPTA’s official address
  • A separate KPTA phone (785-235-8825) and the same fax as the law office
  • Statehouse / agency access as the association’s paid voice
  • Possible separate legal or government-relations billing if members or the association hire the law firm for that work (that would be on invoices, not the ED title)

How to see the actual dollars

  1. IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search — find KPTA’s EIN, then download every 990 / 990-EZ / 990-N.
    irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations
  2. On a full 990, check Part VII (officers) and Part IX line 11 (management / legal / other fees) and the independent-contractor list.
  3. KDOT public-transit grant files and any KORA request for the KPTA contract and invoices (the 2/3 grant piece is the state-money trail).
  4. Kansas SOS entity record for the legal name of the association and any related LLC that might be the contractor.

Bottom line: Public sources do not show a large listed ED salary. They show a board contract to run a small 501(c)(6) whose budget is mostly KDOT grant + dues, operated out of his law office. The dollar amount is in that contract and (if they file more than a 990-N) in the fee lines of the 990 — not in a published “salary” column under his name.

In short: the charter makes councilmembers legislators and policymakers, not administrators. The detailed operating rules live in the Governing Body Rules of Procedure, not in a long duties list inside the charter itself.

 The Topeka city charter (compiled in Appendix A of the Topeka Municipal Code) does not contain a long, itemized “job description” list of personal duties for an individual councilmember. Powers are vested in the governing body as a whole (the nine district councilmembers + the mayor).

The core charter language (verbatim)

Appx. A, Sec. A2-25 – Powers of the governing body:

(a) The Council and Mayor shall be the governing body of the city. It shall exercise the corporate powers of the city and, subject to the expressed limitations of this Charter Ordinance, it shall be vested with all powers of legislation in municipal affairs adequate to provide a complete system of local government consistent with the Constitution of the State of Kansas. It shall have no administrative powers.

That is the main statement. The governing body is a legislative / policy-making body. Day-to-day administration belongs to the city manager.

A later charter ordinance (No. 117) repealed an older, longer “Powers of the City Council” section and left this additional specific power:

In addition to any other grant of authority under the Constitution of the State of Kansas, applicable state law, or Charter Ordinance No. 94, as amended, the Council shall have the following duties, powers and responsibilities including, but without limitation thereto:
The ability to override a mayoral veto of any council legislation whether by resolution or ordinance by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire council, that number being six (6).

The gist

  • Councilmembers (with the mayor) make city law and policy: they vote on ordinances, resolutions, budgets, zoning/plats, contracts that require governing-body approval, appointments where the charter or ordinance requires it, etc.
  • They do not run departments, give orders to city staff, or handle administration. Those functions belong to the city manager. Individual members cannot direct staff; direction to the manager comes from a majority of the governing body.
  • Meetings: at least twice a month; six members make a quorum; most actions need six affirmative votes (ordinary home-rule ordinances that are subject to mayoral veto need five council votes).
  • The city’s own description: the Council “conducts the business of the city by voting on ordinances, resolutions, applications, plats, zoning petitions, receiving reports and other items.” Service is treated as part-time.

In short: the charter makes councilmembers legislators and policymakers, not administrators. The detailed operating rules live in the Governing Body Rules of Procedure, not in a long duties list inside the charter itself.


Look here

The local United Way serving Topeka is **United Way of Kaw Valley** (formerly United Way of Greater Topeka; EIN 48-0561978). It merged with United Way of Douglas County in 2022 and now covers Shawnee, Douglas, Jackson, and Jefferson counties.

### Most recent figures (FY ending June 30, 2025)
From the organization’s own IRS Form 990 and its public statements:

- **Total expenses:** about $5.04 million
- **Program expenses:** about $4.16 million (~82.5% of total expenses), including $3.61 million in grants to partner agencies
- **Fundraising expenses:** $321,397 (~6.4%)
- **Management and general (administrative) expenses:** about $560,000 (~11.1%)
- Combined **administrative + fundraising (overhead):** **~17.5–18.1%**

The organization itself reports that administrative and fundraising costs were **18.1% in FY 2025**. It notes that Charity Navigator considers charities spending under 25% on those categories efficient, and that BBB/IRS guidelines allow up to 35%.

Charity Navigator’s latest published program-expense ratio for the organization (based on recent 990s) is **84.25%**, implying overhead in the mid-teens.

### Context and history
- In 2010 the organization reported roughly 10.7% of revenues going to administrative costs.
- Around 2014 it raised the administrative fee it withholds from donor-designated gifts (from 9% in 2009 to nearly 15%, plus an additional allowance for uncollectible pledges). Designated gifts subsequently dropped.
- A small administrative fee is still applied to designated gifts passed through to agencies.

Financials, audits, and 990s are posted on the organization’s site: [uwkawvalley.org/finances-reports](https://www.uwkawvalley.org/finances-reports).

“Administrative costs” typically include management, accounting, rent, communications, and similar overhead; United Way also counts some community-coordination, volunteer, and capacity-building work in support costs rather than as pure program grants. Percentages can shift year to year with campaign size, merger effects, and how expenses are allocated.

Henry McClure
785.383.9994 

Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
Get Outlook for Android

LOOK at this #mcre1





 

KORA - Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), K.S.A. 45-215 et seq

September 1, 2026
Dear Records Custodian:
Pursuant to the Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-215 through 45-223, I request inspection and copies of the following public records.
This request concerns the Compass Datacenters information sessions held on July 28, 2026, at the Innovation Center at Washburn Rural High School, Auburn-Washburn USD 437, including the afternoon session attended by public officials and the later public open house.
Please provide any existing records that show:
  1. Whether any rent, facility-use fee, custodial fee, security fee, utility charge, deposit, or other consideration was charged, waived, invoiced, or received for use of USD 437 facilities (including the Innovation Center or any related rooms, parking, or grounds) for those July 28, 2026 meetings or related setup/cleanup.
  2. If any such charge was assessed or paid:
    • Who requested or reserved the space;
    • Who was billed;
    • Who paid (name of person, company, or public agency);
    • The amount charged and the amount paid;
    • The date of invoice and date of payment;
    • Any fee waiver, in-kind arrangement, or “no charge” determination and who authorized it.
  3. Related existing records, if any, limited to this event:
    • Facility rental applications, contracts, permits, or reservation confirmations;
    • Invoices, receipts, purchase orders, payment records, checks, credit-card records, or accounts-receivable entries;
    • Emails or written correspondence among district, city, or county staff and Compass Datacenters (or its representatives) regarding use of the school facility, rent, fees, or waiver of fees;
    • Any district facility-use policy or rate schedule that was applied to this reservation.
I am not asking any agency to create a new report or answer questions in narrative form. I am requesting existing records. If your office does not maintain a listed item, please so state and, if known, identify the agency that does.
Please produce records in electronic form by email if available. If fees will exceed $25, please provide a written estimate before incurring those costs. I am a Kansas resident and request that any fee waiver or reduced-fee practice your agency applies to residents be applied here.
Please respond by the end of the third business day after receipt, as required by K.S.A. 45-218(d). If additional time is needed, please provide the required explanation of the cause for delay and the earliest date the records will be available.
Requester: Henry McClure
MCRE, LLC
3625 SW 29th Street #100
Topeka, KS 66614
785-383-9994
mcre13@gmail.com
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Henry McClure