What we’re asking Gardner City Council candidates

The Post will send this five-item questionnaire to candidates running for Gardner City Council.

We will publish candidates’ responses the week of Oct. 20, before early voting begins.

These questions are based, in part, on readers’ input.

The Post plans to touch upon some of the same topics at our live, in-person candidate forum scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Trail Ridge Middle School in Gardner.

Tell us you’re coming by responding to our Facebook invite or email us at stories@johnsoncountypost.com. It helps us plan for how many people will be there.

Here’s what we’re asking candidates:

1. Background: Readers want to know something of your background. Briefly explain your education and employment history and how those experiences qualify you for this job.
2. Property taxes: We frequently hear from readers urging cities to consider tax rate cuts or other relief to counteract the impacts of rising valuations in Johnson County. It’s the job of each city’s governing body to set your city’s annual mill levy, or property tax, rate. Is your city’s current tax rate appropriate for your city’s needs? Would you vote for steeper tax rate cuts, as residents often call for? Why or why not?
3. Budget: From inflation to rising health insurance costs to uncertainty around federal grants and programs, municipalities are facing a number of budgetary pressures. As you face difficult decisions about what city services to fund and how much to spend in coming years, what city services will you want to protect most? On the other hand, are there aspects of city spending you want to see trimmed?
4. Housing: Many factors driving Johnson County’s tight and expensive housing market are out of local cities’ control, yet there are some things cities can do to try to address this issue, from incentivizing affordable housing developments to tweaking zoning codes that allow for more diverse types of housing. What policies would you like your city to pursue to make housing in your city potentially more affordable? Is this a priority for you?
5. Infrastructure: From parks and pools to street repairs, a city’s physical amenities — its infrastructure — can have a great impact on resident satisfaction and quality of life. What do you see as the biggest infrastructure challenge facing your city over the next four years and how would you tackle it if elected?