Commissioner Davis warns of cuts without sales tax
By Brandy Nance
Originally published 01:40 p.m., May 23, 2008
Updated 01:40 p.m., May 23, 2008
Lyon County Commissioner Bob Davis sounded off on the county-wide sales tax question during Thursday’s commission meeting.
On Aug. 5 voters will have the opportunity to vote on a 1-percent increase in the county’s sales tax. The sales tax’s intention is to lower the ad valorum property tax in Lyon County. If approved by the voters in the August election, the sales tax will be collected by the State of Kansas and will be distributed at a rate of 54 percent to Emporia; 41 percent to Lyon County and 5 percent to smaller communities in Lyon County. The resolution the county commission passed Thursday says specifically that the county will use the money to lower property taxes. Anything above and beyond property tax lowering will be funneled into the county’s capital outlay fund.
Davis addressed the question of what the county will have to cut if the sales tax isn’t passed.
“Well, we could start with the Flint Hills Community Health Center,” he said, adding that next could come the Mental Health Center and the building that houses the Flint Hills Community Health Center.
Davis said the county next could sell the hospital, then the bus service could be cut as well as the landfill.
“We could close some roads and bridges around Emporia that get flooded continually,” he said.
All these cuts would only save the county 4 mills.
“And the sales tax issue would raise 8 mills,” Davis said. “If we raise 8 mills on sales tax and give the city (52 percent) of it, we could maintain our services with no ad valorum tax increase. That’s the equation we are looking at.”
Davis said he wants to make it very clear that the cuts listed above are not advisable.
“This is not good for the county to make these cuts,” he said. “The question was asked where would you cut and that’s where we’d cut.”
The other item Davis wanted to make clear was how much Lyon County spends per person for schools and city and county budgets. Lyon County spends about $980 per person while Finney County spends about $1,800 and Butler County $1,100. Lyon County is behind that curve.
“That’s pretty cheap,” Davis said. “The reason our ad valorum tax is so high is our valuation is so low.”
cheerup (anonymous) says...
Since when has tax dollars ever been used to support the hospital??? I think as a county commisioner Mr. Davis needs do be better informed on how money is spent in the county. He sure thought we had enough money last year to buy the old Jonh Deere building at above apraised value and spent several hundred thousand dollars on renovations. This building was also taken of the tax roles after the county purchased it.
It looks to me like the county needs to quit the foolish spending as they have been doing recently and live within their means and quit threatening the citizens with tax cuts that have nothing to do with the butget. Besides in 4 years the new 330 milion dollar Westar plant will be on the tax roles which should result in a large tax decrease. Mr. Davis you need to wake up.
May 23, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pizza (anonymous) says...
What is Davis's angle? He is making no sense in trying to sensationalize the sales tax issue. If the tax does not pass we will be right where we are now. If it does pass property taxes supposedly will decrease and the city will have lots more money to spend. We had over 600 grand to buy and remodel an extension office when we already had a very nice office. Sell the hospital, the health center, etc? Is Mr. Davis really capable of being a commissioner? He's gone off the deep end. The more he talks the less I want the sales tax to pass.
May 23, 2008 at 8:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Bunch of C%$#!
May 23, 2008 at 9:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Warcoach (anonymous) says...
No more taxes! In fact, cut the taxes we already pay and NO we won't have to sell the hospital or close the health centers. That is just a lie trying to scare people into voting for more taxes because our local politicians can't balence a budget. No more taxes.
May 24, 2008 at 1:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
ok, if all of you know so much, the next time elections come up i expect all of you to put your hat in the ring.
secondly, tax dollars do support all of those things because they are run by the government of the county. in times where those services come in "in the red" for their budgets, they don't close their doors, they deal with the loss and stay open, unlike what a normal business would because they are government services.
and for those of you whining about "no new taxes"....if that is what you TRUELY want, then no whining when services get cut, or some roads have to close because they can't maintain them, or the ambulance coming to your house can't make it because it's 15 years old and with what little money you cheap idiots feel like contributing, they can't buy a new one for another 10 years....
get real, you get what you pay for, even if you don't agree with it.
May 24, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
the other problem tre, is that we have a bunch of "for profit" businessmen who are running things in our city...thinking they constantly have to "sell the city" (yes, as in going to vegas last week) and that they have to bring a profit to the table. Until they stop thinking that this is another one of their businesses and that they have to show a profit, then the city will continue to run horribly.
please commissioners...it's not your business, it's our city. all we ask is that you give the people who maintain our city the proper tools to do the job, and that not only includes the equipment, but the leadership that would provide for a good work ethic and morale among the employees. reasonable pay and decent benefits play in there somewhere as well. i think after what...7 or 8 years of suffering, they have more than shown that they are loyal and willing to stick around for what they all hope is something better.
May 24, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cheerup (anonymous) says...
Can someone tell me when the last time a tax dollar has been spent to maintain the hospital??
Why did we need to spend have to spend over 600 grand for the extension office. When we were sold on the new court house we were told by our then comissioners that the extension office would be moved to the old court house after it was remodeled. The cost of the remodeling would be paid in part by the sale of the old extension office. Our politicians seem to to think that we will forget what is told us one year and spin a new twist later. It just seems funny that we had all kinds of money last year and now this year we are broke. Get real!!!!
May 24, 2008 at 4:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )