If you haven’t voted yet for the Aug. 4 primary in Johnson County, there’s still time.
Early voting sites will be open through noon on Monday and then polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The lone county race voters will see is a three-person contest for county chair. The top two vote-getters this August will advance to November.
The field includes current chair Mike Kelly, wrapping up his first term, and two challengers, Karen Crnkovich and Gene Senesac.
You can learn more about each of them at our race primer page here.
A handful of key issues could help decide who you vote for chair. The candidates addressed some of readers’ top issues at a live, in-person forum in Overland Park the Post hosted on June 30.
If you missed the forum, you can watch it in its entirety at our YouTube channel.
But we know many voters are pressed for time, so you may just want to review a key issue or two that is important to you.
Below we’ve jumped to the point in the debate where the candidates respond to four of the hottest topics for this Aug. 4 primary:
- Property taxes
- Housing
- Data centers
- Elections
Hopefully this will help you decide which candidates best represent your views and priorities.
Property taxes
Question: By a wide margin, property taxes were the most common thing we heard from readers. Several pointed out that appraised values keep climbing, so holding the mill levy flat or trimming it a fraction still leaves them paying more every year. As one reader asked, when valuations rise, shouldn’t the levy come down enough to keep the actual bill from going up? So: when valuations rise, do you believe the county has an obligation to lower the mill levy enough to hold homeowners’ actual bills flat?
Housing
Question: After taxes, housing was readers’ biggest concern. Many are frustrated by what one reader called the “constant influx of apartments” and want to see more attainable homes for young families and for seniors trying to downsize. One reader cited a United Community Services report on how far housing costs have outpaced what people here can afford. What specific tools, if any, can the county commission use to expand the supply of attainable housing?
Data centers
Question: Readers repeatedly raised questions about the wave of large data centers proposed around the county. Several asked, point blank, whether you would support a moratorium. What is your position on data-center development here, including whether you’d support a pause on new data centers?
Elections
Question: We had a few questions from the audience regarding voting and the recent announcement that the county would be rolling back the number of overall early voting sites. One audience member asked, “Can you share more about your opinion about the early voting locations?” (and the fact that they have been reduced by an overall total of 6 or 8), but also more broadly explain what you would do to make sure elections are secure and fair.
