Thank you for your interest in receiving news from Sedgwick County’s 1st District.  I always look forward to sharing what we’re doing at Sedgwick County.    I also welcome your input, especially during the upcoming 2017 budget process. This summer we’ll offer you an opportunity to voice your opinion through public meetings and an online public forum.  

I am proud of all that Sedgwick County has accomplished during my tenure as a County Commissioner.  We have provided highly efficient programs and services, specifically in our health and human services and public safety.  Our finances have been very well managed and we have been able to maintain a AAA bond rating, generous financial surpluses, and the respect of other governments both in Kansas and around the nation.  I am proud of our community partnerships, particularly our partners in economic development and higher education and job training.  

Though our efforts developing culture and entertainment organizations (Sedgwick County Zoo, Exploration Place, and INTRUST Bank Arena), we have increased our community’s quality of life.  While I have served as a Commissioner, I have seen Sedgwick County do many great things and work for the good of the community.  Below are a few current stories that Sedgwick County is working on and I look forward to many more great things to come! 

I stand firmly against any type of state-imposed property tax limit. I do not support tax increases, but I do support being responsible, as a County Commissioner, for establishing our local county budget. That is what Commissioners are elected to do. And that means being able to take advantage of economic development and growth in our County.

At issue is a law passed by the Legislature last year that limits the amount counties can raise from property taxes without putting it to a public vote. The Legislature may repeal – or fix – the law in this session, and Kansas counties are weighing in. ALL counties in the Kansas Association of Counties have opposed the tax-lid legislation -- EXCEPT for Sedgwick County.

Commissioner Peterjohn calls this tax lid a “voter empowerment provision.” The way I see it, the tax lid simply prevents growing counties like ours from collecting taxes on increased property values. Those increases are needed to support services to new residents and businesses in the growth areas.

The fact is, we don’t need a state-imposed restriction. Any proposed property tax increase can be put to a vote in Sedgwick County, allowing voters to decide if an increase is acceptable to offset the cost of new services. There is no need for the state to interfere with our home rule.

And, as a practical matter, the law sets out an unworkable timetable for County budget preparation. The BoCC votes on the budget in August -- yet the tax rolls on which the budget is based are not certified until the first of November. That could leave the County potentially approving a budget in August that might be larger than the dollars available in November.

It’s a nightmare we don’t have to face, if the Legislature simply rolls back or fixes the bill. Stay tuned.

Please join us on Monday, April 18 for a special Board of County Commission meeting at the Derby Welcome Center (611 N. Mulberry, Ste. 200). There will be a meet and greet at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. Come and meet your commissioners and engage in an evening meeting for your convenience.