Allen County commissioners annually strive to keep property tax levies in check. They often spend several meetings dissecting the coming year’s budget, looking for fiscal efficiencies and ensuring that money spent is done so wisely.
The same may be said about administrators of cities and schools around the county. All are taxpayers themselves and not a one wants to be known as a spendthrift with public money.
Kansas legislators — who prefer cuts to compassion, when it comes to budgets — have had a dickens of a time balancing their annual spending plans, to the point that the current one is $14 million short of revenue expectations and may see a greater shortfall by 2016 fiscal year’s end on June 30. On July 1, unless something extraordinary occurs, they will face a revenue shortfall of $170 million or more.
Last session a sales tax increase of .35 of a cent, the largest tax increase ever in Kansas, was necessary to keep the state solvent.
Meanwhile, these titans of finance want to put their heavy hands on local budgets. A year ago the proposal, which flew through House and Senate and found a receptive voice in the governor’s office, was to limit the amount property taxes can be raised to the rate of inflation, with a referendum required to exceed. The restrictions are to be effective in 2018.
Now, Sen. Jake LaTurner, R-Pittsburg, said he wanted to quicken starting time for the restrictions, have them take effect on July 1. “We feel like property taxes have been a problem for a long time,” LaTurner told the Associated Press’ John Hanna.
Much of whatever truth may be found in that statement lies at legislators’ feet, not local folks who are friends and neighbors to those who elected them. For years state mandates, in one fashion or another including discontinuation of local ad valorem tax relief distributions, have been the culprit. By shifting financial responsibility for statewide programs to local governing bodies, legislators have been able to crow about cutting taxes — while local property taxes have had to be raised to replace state revenue.
Local commissioners and council and board members know their communities inside and out. They know what needs to be done to meet their constituents’ needs and when the price tag is high, they often send the issue to the polls. Sometimes they pass, notably Allen County Regional Hospital, albeit that was a sales tax issue, and sometimes not, the proposal for new USD 257 schools.
PEOPLE WHO offer their time and expertise, often with no renumeration, usually do so out of concession to help to make their communities better.
They spend hours exploring any proposal that might mean an increase in property taxes and act only when they find it meets the test of whether it fits in the puzzle of what is good for those living in the community. That alone should be enough — and those who disagree may find redress at the polls, without any prompting from the Legislature.
— Bob Johnson
