Should Wichitans have to pay for county services?

Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell doesn’t think the county should foot any of the cost of Project Access, a physician-led program that provides medical care to low-income residents. After all, Wichita residents, and not other county residents, are the primary beneficiaries of the program, he noted. But Wichitans pay about 75 percent of the property taxes that help fund Sedgwick County’s budget. Why shouldn’t those taxes help support Project Access? And if Howell wants to go down this road: Why should taxes paid by Wichitans help pay for services that primarily benefit those who don’t live in the city? – Phillip Brownlee

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 7:05 PM.