Print edition: 
The Sedgwick County Commission voted 3-2 last week to participate in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant. The Regional Economic Area Partnership will be the lead applicant, but Sedgwick County has agreed to serve as fiscal agent and to provide $120,707 worth of in-kind contributions to the program.
Reno, Harvey, Butler and Sumner counties and the cities of Wichita, El Dorado, Newton, Hutchinson and Wellington also are being asked to participate.
This is a tremendous mistake, not only for Sedgwick County but for the entire region. By participating in the HUD grant, we have agreed to develop a plan for future development under the guidance and supervision of the federal government in exchange for $1.5 million.
But this is not about the money. It is about the agenda that is attached to the money.
This grant originates from a partnership between HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. Together, they have decided to "provide a vision for sustainable growth" within our communities.
Sedgwick County and all of the other participants in this grant have paved the way for President Obama to plan and develop our communities according to his progressive, big-government vision. They have now invited DOT, HUD and the EPA to "help" us plan our communities.
The program behind this grant is pure, unadulterated, liberal social engineering at its worst. Program officials have made it clear that their goal is to implement their principles "through changes in local zoning and land-use laws and regulations."
The words of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson should send a chill down the spine of every citizen, developer and businessman: "This partnership provides a framework to guide decisions that affect all communities."
Incredibly, the supporters of this grant say that this partnership will reduce the cost of building communities in our region. The notion that introducing concepts such as "social equity" and "environmental justice" into our planning process will lead to reduced cost is ridiculous.
The Obama administration knows it cannot get its agenda passed by the current Congress, so it is using a variety of methods to circumvent the will of Congress, the states and the people. This HUD grant is one of the tools it is using.
In the 2010 elections, the people of Sedgwick County and the region repudiated the big-government agenda of Obama. Nevertheless, elected officials throughout the region have rejected the will of the people and have instead decided to adopt the president's progressive agenda as their own.
But it gets worse.
We would have liked to read the grant application before it was voted on. But we didn't. In fact, no one who has voted on it has been able to read it, because it isn't ready. We couldn't even get a draft copy.
Please take the time to educate yourself on this very important issue. Proponents of this grant will attempt to exaggerate its benefits and dismiss the federal-government agenda that comes with it.
The Obama administration has established the principles that will guide future development under any plan to be created as a result of this grant.
We do not believe this is in the best interests of our county or region.
