In August, we asked our readers about the issues you wanted to hear the candidates running for Shawnee City Council address. Based on your feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire touching on the most important issues to patrons of the district.
Each day this week, we will publish the candidates’ responses to one of five questions. Today, we are publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Taxation and spending are often contentious issues among members of the Shawnee governing body. What’s your take on the city’s current taxation environment? If you believe taxes in the city are too high, how would you propose cutting spending or increasing revenue?
Below are the answers the Post received from the candidates on this issue:
Ward 3
Lisa Larson-Bunnell (incumbent)
The city of Shawnee is 40 square miles, or about the same size as Boston, MA. Shawnee has the lowest expenditures per capita of the 6 largest cities in Johnson County. We also have the fewest employees per square mile and the fewest employees per 1,000 population. We are a large city of nearly 70,000 residents and that size comes with a cost.
Our residents deserve high quality services and amenities. The city is able to provide an incredible amount of infrastructure and services for the tax dollars we pay. We have always done more with less. Unfortunately, it does not always feel like residents are getting a “good deal” because we are a large city with a small commercial tax base compared to our neighboring cities. We must work to diversify our revenue sources so we can maintain and enhance our community without as much of a tax burden on our homeowners. I was proud to support a modest property tax decrease for the 2022 budget. As we continue to increase our sales and other use taxes, we can continue to look at opportunities for further decreases to the mill levy.
Angela Stiens
I believe almost everyone agrees that property taxes on residents are too high. That is why it was not surprising when 72% of Shawnee residents voted against the property tax increase in 2019. What citizens may not be aware of is that the city council actually increases taxes every year by passing budgets that are built upon property valuation increases.
This past session, the Kansas Legislature passed a bill that requires local governments to take a vote acknowledging they are doing so by exceeding the revenue neutral rate, which will bring needed transparency to the process.
In terms of the budget, I have advocated for a line by line review of every item in the budget to assess if it’s necessary and if it’s being spent in the most efficient way possible – just as a family would do. Certainly, recent decisions such as the 25% pay raise call into question the City Council’s commitment to fiscal responsibility. Every dollar matters.
Ward 4
Kevin Makalous
As I stated in the forum held by the Post, I believe the current tax rate (mill levy) is appropriate for Shawnee today.
Barring any significant changes in the state of the city or the local economy, I would not advocate for a change in this rate. Period. Full Stop.
Jacklynn Walters
With inflation, rising gas and grocery prices, fixed income of our retired neighbors, and families just trying to scrape by, the cost of living is a growing burden!
To best serve our community we need to ensure we are willing to make issues like our police and fire, parks and pipes, and infrastructure our top priority! We need a discretionary approach to our budget, in deciphering between needs and wants. I commit to being fiscally responsible.
Ward 1
Tony Gillette
The question most voters ask is: what will you do as a Council Member to control the ever-increasing spending by local government, and make the city’s budget process more transparent and easier to understand? I was encouraged to see the Council discuss a small reduction in the Mill Levy rates in the 2021 budget. We need to consider these adjustments annually, not just in an election year cycle. I see this minor reduction as a step in the right direction, but more focus needs to be on how we can cut costs and consolidate functions, without restricting the daily services to our citizens.
In the tough economic climate of today, Shawnee families are having monthly kitchen table discussions on tightening their belts and making hard financial decisions. We, as the governing body, must also execute the same process and be good stewards of the people’s tax money. It all starts with full transparency on the budget, which should not be a four-point presentation that has to be pieced together to understand. Shawnee does not have taxing problem; it has a spending problem that government at all levels needs to be addressed.
Additionally, we must continue to grow our commercial tax base. This will help lessen the burden on Shawnee homeowners from shouldering most of the tax requirements for the city to function properly and efficiently. As the brick-and-mortar retail environment continues to shift, I believe commercial development is the key to our growth.
Sophia Theodore
When we talk about our taxes, it is easy to overlook the fact that a small percentage of the property and sales taxes that we pay actually go to the City. The vast majority of our taxes go to the State, County and School Districts. The portion of our taxes that go to the City are pretty reasonable, especially when compared to our neighboring communities.
I also believe that the services we receive for our taxes are exceptional and that there are not significant cuts that we can make without sacrificing the services we expect. Therefore, the answer is that we must increase our tax base. We need to revitalize and/or develop under utilized areas to attract businesses to our City. Those businesses then attract people that will then live and/or spend their money in our city.
Ward 2
Mike Kemmling (incumbent)
I have always fought to lower taxes, which is why I have voted against the majority of the city budgets over the years.
I believe that we need to take care of the basics, like storm water, roads, and our fire and police. One of the best ways to increase revenues would be to stop the massive tax giveaways to developers.
Eric Persson
I feel that current taxes are in line with what is needed to provide the exceptional services that we are used to. The City Council just passed the 2022 budget including decreasing the Mill Levy by .3 mills which I was happy to see pass.
One of the common discussions I’ve been having at the door with people in my ward is the need to continue to attract locally owned businesses to Shawnee in order to help diversify our tax base as well as giving us the ability to spend our hard earned dollars locally. I’ve been excited to see the success of several newer downtown businesses and feel that they have laid the groundwork for others to follow which will continue to broaden our tax base.
On Thursday, we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:
Climate change continues to be top of mind for many Shawnee Mission Post readers. What steps can Shawnee take to prepare neighborhoods for increased flooding, along with extreme heat and drought events? What steps would you like to see the city take to build climate resilience?
