Ranzau: Privatizing transit system should be option for city

The chairman of the Sedgwick County Commission says the city of Wichita should be open to privatizing its struggling transit system.

Commissioner Richard Ranzau is recommending changes to the proposed Wichita-Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan, which is intended as a guide to future growth and development.

Ranzau suggested less emphasis on bicycle and pedestrian transportation and a bigger emphasis on property rights. Those suggestions differ from the Wichita City Council’s plans for transportation and community growth.

He said privatizing the public transit system should be given serious consideration.

“You need to explore all options, and we need to be honest with ourselves about it,” Ranzau said.

“Elected officials should be prepared to make important and necessary changes even if they are unpopular,” according to his recommendation.

Wichita Transit faced a $2 million shortfall before the council used one-year stopgap funding to buy time to find a long-term funding solution. Voters last year rejected a city sales tax proposal that included additional transit funding.

Ranzau said the struggling system needs to survive without additional funding sources, particularly funding from roads and bridges, which he called a core function of government.

“Everybody uses roads and bridges, while a very small percentage of the community uses public transit,” Ranzau said.

But Wichita City Council member Pete Meitzner said public transit is an important city function to many Wichitans.

“A lot of people don’t choose to ride the bus in the Wichita area, they do it because they have to,” Meitzner said.

Meitzner and Mayor Jeff Longwell have said they hope the city can get more sales tax revenue from the countywide sales tax. But county commissioners largely aren’t keen on the idea to change the distribution formula.

“It is imperative that this revenue stream remain and that it continues to be distributed as it has been,” according to a recommendation submitted by commissioner Jim Howell for the comprehensive plan.

Meitzner said that’s a separate issue.

“Revenue streams and revenue distribution are not a part of a community investment plan,” Meitzner said.

Ranzau also said the city’s and county’s future plans shouldn’t feature bicycling and walking as part of the transportation system.

“It’s not going to contribute, to a large degree, to the transportation system,” Ranzau said. “Not a large percentage of people are going to do that here in Wichita. We’re not New York City.”

Meitzner said the recommendation to eliminate references to the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plans seemed odd.

“I don’t know what message he’s trying to say there,” Meitzner said.

Ranzau also wants future land-use policies to drive growth that is “market driven and protects individual property rights.”

The County Commission voted to send the plan back to the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission last week for more consideration, with recommendations from the commissioners.

The City Council will review the recommendations from the county and MAPC on Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Ranzau: Privatizing transit system should be option for city."