Mayor Jeff Longwell: Property tax lid needs exemption for public safety

Kansas adopted a property tax lid aimed at cities and counties in 2015, and that law is still on the books. This year in Topeka, there have been many efforts to tighten the lid by removing exemptions and speeding implementation.

We haven’t needed a state mandate to provide good financial management. The city of Wichita has held its mill levy steady for the past 22 years, and other than public safety costs, city property tax expenditures have been well below the inflation rate for years. If, as we expect, state lawmakers take such action during the veto session, it should be done thoughtfully.

We have focused on protecting two very important areas: public safety and economic growth.

▪  Any tax lid should exempt public safety costs, or risk significantly impacting outcomes. Taxpayers in Wichita place a high priority on the services our dedicated police officers and firefighters provide. No state mandate should be allowed to impact our ability to provide these desired outcomes.

More than half of every property tax dollar in Wichita funds police and fire. Since 2011, public safety spending has increased by $12.9 million (11.3 percent). We added firefighters to improve response times. We are deploying body cameras for police and plan to build new substations. We will elevate training with Sedgwick County and the new Law Enforcement Training Center. All of this and more require increased costs.

▪  Any tax lid should exempt new construction and major rehabilitation. Otherwise, cities such as Wichita will be punished for growth.

In recent years, the city has partnered with the private sector to revitalize downtown Wichita. This has led to hundreds of millions in new private investment ($320 million since 2010, and nearly $1 billion in the past decade). Residential living downtown is once again booming. Any change that discourages efforts to revitalize property would be counterproductive.

At least for the city of Wichita, the property tax lid appears to be a solution in search of a problem. Our residents want public safety and economic growth, which are good for the region and state, and are among the many core services delivered each day. We hope state leaders use caution in making adjustments.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Mayor Jeff Longwell: Property tax lid needs exemption for public safety."