Some Johnson County voters can begin going to the polls for the Aug. 1 primary this Saturday.
That’s when advanced voting begins for a smattering of local city council races in the Shawnee Mission Post’s coverage area.
One of those races is a three-person contest for Prairie Village City Council Ward 3. The top two finishers in this race on Aug. 1 will advance to the general election Nov. 7.
Earlier this summer, we asked our readers to tell us what they wanted local candidates talking about in the run up to the August primary.
The questions the candidates responded to in this guide are based, in part, on that reader input.
Here’s a map of Prairie Village’s city council wards, so you can check to see if you live within Ward 3.
Here is a bit more about each candidate and their stances on some key issues:
Bonnie Limbird (incumbent)
Current Ward 3 councilmember (first elected 2019)
Occupation: Interior designer
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design
Other professional notes: Member of the Kansas State Library Board and Johnson County Library Foundation; co-chair of the Mid-America Regional Council’s First Suburbs Coalition; former president of Belinder Elementary PTA
Personal background: Has lived in Prairie Village for more than 15 years; her daughter Abi will be a senior at Shawnee Mission East this fall; lives with her husband, Chris, her daughter and four pets
Do you support the city’s current’ housing recommendations? Why or why not?
Having served on the ad hoc housing committee, I fully support the city’s current housing recommendations. We listened to and heard a lot of resident feedback on the recommendations both for and against. Based on that feedback, the city council has voted on multiple occasions to dial back the recommendations to make residents more comfortable.
All that we are left doing in R1 single-family housing zones at this time is an update to the Neighborhood Design Guidelines and modifying rental regulations to better address short term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.). Everything else is off the table for this current council as far as I am concerned.
In non-single family residential zones, we are currently in the public feedback phase of looking closer at the possibilities there and hearing from residents. After this, staff will present recommendations to the Planning Commission at a public meeting, the commission will discuss, hold a public hearing and make a recommendation to the City Council.
Despite the unfortunate turn that these discussions have taken online and during council meetings, I’m still glad we’re having them as we think about the next 75 years for Prairie Village. The Council of today, along with staff and the mayor, is having tough, forward-thinking conversations — not all of them universally popular — to set Prairie Village up for our continued success into the next 75 years. There are issues affecting our community, including rising property taxes, that we have a part to play in addressing, even if it’s a small part, and it’s important that we don’t lose our nerve and move backwards in our policy or actions.
Do you think the city should replace the aging Paul Henson YMCA with a new city-run community center? Why or why not?
I think the city should explore all avenues to fill the void that will be left when the Paul Henson Y closes. Our community will have lost an important amenity that many of our senior citizens, young families and those in between rely upon. Not everyone can afford membership in a private health club or a country club, and the services that the Y provide are far above and beyond what either of those types of clubs provide.
The city is currently pursuing an opportunity to partner with the Y, but it will be a multi-step process with off ramps available at each step. Nothing has been decided at this point, and residents will have a final say on if this project becomes a reality.
What, if anything, can the city do to address residents’ concerns over rising property taxes?
The city’s finance practices are perennially conservative and award-winning. Many of the departments run very lean, and budgets are started from scratch each year to ensure that they’re as accurate as possible to what it really takes to run the city and provide the services that Prairie Village residents expect and deserve.
Along with that, each year we consider the mill levy rate and whether we need to adjust it. To make meaningful changes to address resident concerns, we need to work with the other entities for the most impact to residents. In 2022, PV reduced our mill levy rate along with Consolidated Fire District #2, the [Shawnee Mission] school district and the county for the 2023 budget year. We are still in the budget process for the 2024 budget year.
It’s worth noting that property taxes, based on appraisals, go hand-in-hand with our rising median home values that have been affected by the teardown/rebuild trend in Prairie Village and which the housing recommendations are meant to help.
Lori Sharp
Occupation: Former occupational therapist
Education: Bachelor’s and Master’s in Occupational Therapy; Doctorate from University of Kansas
Other professional notes: Involved with Stop Rezoning PV group; former work with Missouri First Steps and Kansas City Public Schools; involved in the past in PTA, Boy and Girl Scouts and Science Olympiad
Personal background: Has lived in Prairie Village for more than 10 years with husband Rex, who owns a Prairie Village law firm
Do you support the city’s current’ housing recommendations? Why or why not?
The Stop Rezoning efforts were formed to save the R-1 Single Family Residential zones from being rezoned by the city council to multi-family (the multi-family zones are R-2, for two families per lot, R-3, for three families per lot, and R-4, for multiple families per lot). R-1 Single Family Residential zones make up about 90% of Prairie Village and have been the backbone for our neighborhoods for almost 70 years that has made us a nationally recognized suburb. It clearly is not broken, so why the sudden change?
I believe what has been built in Prairie Village and is coveted by the rest of Johnson County must and should be protected. R-1 is meant for stable neighborhoods so that those who have invested their time and money into their largest investment (their home) can have it appreciate in value and they can achieve the “American Dream.”
Second, I oppose allowing McHigh Rise Apartments in R-2, R-3, R-4, and C-0 zones. Many people still hate the McMansions built in R-1 (height in R-1a has been limited for almost a decade to 35 feet, and since 2016, R-1b, which makes up most of PV, is limited to 29 feet). In an effort to add more density and rental units, the Prairie Village City Council has actually asked us to consider allowing over 8 story apartments to loom over our village. I don’t believe this allows us to maintain the community feel we all cherish, and I would oppose this.
Do you think the city should replace the aging Paul Henson YMCA with a new city-run community center? Why or why not?
First and foremost, I believe that this is an issue that should be decided by the voters and not politicians. If the people of Prairie Village want a new community center and they want to pay for it with increased taxes then that should happen. But that should be left up to the will of the people and not a small group of politicians on the city council. I strongly believe the people of Prairie Village should decide this issue. We should also consider if our city’s bond rating will financially effect Prairie Village for years to come.
What, if anything, can the city do to address residents’ concerns over rising property taxes?
Prairie Village must act to find ways to make the budget more efficient and lower taxes to help ensure home ownership in our community remains affordable across all income levels. Under the current city council’s direction, the General Fund Budget increased 5.3% in 2022 to $25.6 million (from $24.3 million in 2021), increased another 8.5% in 2023 to $27.5 million and is proposed to balloon 13.7% in 2024 to $31.6 million — that is a more than 20% increase in 3 years.
Even at record-high levels, inflation is less than half that. I believe the city council needs to reprioritize its spending on truly local issues like safety, infrastructure improvements, parking, green space and parks, and strengthening rather than dividing its neighborhoods.
Alex DiCarlo
Occupation: Real estate agent
Education: Bachelor’s in Economics (University of Kansas)
Other professional notes: Has worked for Better Homes and Gardens since 2019; ran unsuccessfully for Johnson County Commission in 2014
Personal background: Volunteer hockey coach with USA Hockey; head coach of the Kansas City Youth Hockey Association’s Carriage Club Bantam team; former honorary governor of the American Royal Association
Mr. DiCarlo did not provide answers to the Post’s questions
