At the end of a long ballot this November, past U.S. Senate, Kansas governor, state legislators and judge retentions, Wyandotte County leaders are hoping that voters will pay attention to two important questions.
Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, voters will be asked whether to approve two new sales taxes that leaders say could be game changers for the Unified Government’s ability to provide key services for residents.
Those two questions include:
- Whether Wyandotte County can impose a 1/4-cent sales tax to fund health services, which could include a new year-round homeless shelter.
- Whether Kansas City, Kansas, can impose a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund improvements to parks and roads.
The Beacon has previously covered the health sales tax, and you can read more about that ballot question here.
The parks and infrastructure sales tax, leaders say, would triple the amount of money the city has available for parks and recreation projects such as the Parkwood Pool, overdue community center renovations or possibly a new park in Piper.
The infrastructure money would help the city get a handle on tens of millions of dollars in long-needed maintenance of things like roads, bridges and sidewalks.
But those improvements would not be free.
The new 3/8-cent sales tax would be added to any purchases made in KCK, showing up on all shopping or dining bills. It would apply to anyone purchasing in KCK, including people crossing state or county lines to pick something up at the Legends or grab dinner on Central Avenue. The tax would not be collected in parts of the county outside the city limits.
What exactly will I see on the ballot?
The exact language of the KCK parks and infrastructure tax question is as follows:
"Shall the City of Kansas City, Kansas, be authorized to impose an additional three-eighths of one percent citywide retailers’ sales tax the proceeds of which shall be used as follows: 1) approximately fifty percent (50%) for the purposes of financing park capital improvement projects, including parks, community centers and trails, and 2) approximately fifty percent (50%) for the purposes of financing infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and sidewalks, the collection of such Sales Tax commencing on April 1, 2027, or as soon thereafter as permitted by law, and terminating ten years after its commencement?"
What does a ‘yes’ vote do?
A “yes” vote would create a new 3/8-cent sales tax within city limits of Kansas City, Kansas. The money would be split 50-50 between the Parks Department and Public Works.
That sales tax would expire after 10 years.
The Unified Government estimates that this tax would generate $16 million every year — that’s $8 million for parks and $8 million for public works — or a total of $160 million by 2036.
Notably, approving this sales tax would max out the city’s special purpose sales tax rate. The Unified Government would be prohibited from asking voters for another special purpose sales tax until at least 2030, when the existing public safety and neighborhood infrastructure sales tax expires.
What does a ‘no’ vote do?
A “no” vote would keep the sales tax rate the same.
Currently, the state charges a sales tax of 6.5%, the county charges a sales tax of 1%, and the city charges a sales tax of 1.625%.
That brings the grand total to 9.125%, or $9.13 for a $100 purchase.
Will a ‘yes’ vote increase my taxes? And if so, by how much?
Yes.
This is a proposed 3/8-cent sales tax, meaning that the government would charge 3/8 of a cent for every dollar you spend.
If you spent $100 on groceries, for example, you would pay an extra 38 cents.
This would apply to most purchases you make within city limits of KCK including food, clothes, electronics and home goods. Importantly, purchases made in Edwardsville or Bonner Springs would not be subject to this tax.
Why is the Unified Government asking for this?
In short, the local government can’t afford to upgrade facilities and roads that really need repair.
Commissioner Andrew Davis, who represents the 8th District in north-central Wyandotte County, said the Unified Government has been short on infrastructure money for a long time. And as a result, roads and parks have deteriorated faster than the UG can repair them.
That deferred maintenance continues to snowball every year that the UG skips repairs that it can’t afford.
“We hear about the needs all the time,” he said, “about the conditions of our roads, about our lack of sidewalks, about our playgrounds being in disrepair, about our parks being in disrepair, about our community centers being in disrepair and needing renovations.”
Davis said that governments use what’s called a “Pavement Condition Index” to measure the quality of roads. Most governments try to stay around the 70 to 80 range, out of 100.
The Unified Government is rated at 48 out of 100.
“For roads, for us to get (to 75), we would have to spend about $36 million a year,” he said. “For our upcoming budget, we’re going to spend a little under $5 million.”
Another $8 million from the sales tax will not close the gap. But if the UG can get halfway there, Davis said, “That’s a big, big deal.”
Mayor Christal Watson told KCUR’s “Up to Date” that she understands some residents might struggle with choosing to spend more money on taxes every year. But she hopes that residents will decide that improving the city’s parks and roads is worth the investment.
“We have to invest in ourselves,” she said. “We can’t expect for other people to come in and do this for us. We have to be held accountable for what we want in our own community. And I’m hoping that the community understands and can relate to that and are willing to make that investment just as much as I am as a resident.”
What do opponents say?
Three members of the Unified Government’s Board of Commissioners have concerns about levying a new sales tax on shoppers in KCK.
Bill Burns, Andrew Kump and Chuck Stites voted against placing this question on the ballot. They represent the 2nd District, the 2nd At-Large District and the 7th District, respectively.
“Sales tax (is) the most regressive tax,” Kump said at an Aug. 20 meeting of the commission, “and what that means is they disproportionately impact lower-income families. And that’s something that we need to keep in mind whatever we do tonight.”
Sales taxes are considered regressive because they’re a flat rate no matter your income, which often means that they cost low-income earners a greater portion of their money than high-income earners. That’s unlike income taxes, which change based on how much money you make, or property taxes that only apply to people who own property.
But cities and counties in Kansas aren’t allowed to charge their own income tax, except for taxes on interest or dividends. So outside of property taxes or state and federal grants, sales taxes are the only way for governments like the Unified Government to raise money.
Would this affect my property taxes?
Not directly.
A “yes” vote would increase the sales tax rate, not the property tax rate.
But some leaders are making the case that bringing in more money to the local government through a sales tax would make it easier for the Unified Government to offer property tax relief.
That’s because Wyandotte County currently relies heavily on property taxes to pay for government services. If the Unified Government wants to reduce the property tax rate, it doesn’t have enough other places to pull money from. A property tax cut means a service cut.
But if the Unified Government had other sources of money, like a sales tax to fund roads or parks, property taxes wouldn’t have to shoulder so much of that cost.
Who decides how to spend the money?
The Unified Government’s Board of Commissioners is responsible for approving the yearly budget for both Kansas City and Wyandotte County, including how its sales tax revenues are spent.
The spending decisions for this money will ultimately belong to the 10-member commission and Watson. Importantly, the revenue will be earmarked specifically for capital projects, meaning construction or repairs. The money cannot pay, for example, for park employee salaries.
However, the Unified Government intends to rely heavily on community feedback to decide where that money goes.
The Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will offer recommendations to the Unified Government about how much of that money should go to trails, versus park lighting, a new park, splashpads, community centers or swimming pools.
And the Unified Government takes requests directly from Wyandotte County residents for pothole repairs, street resurfacing, sidewalks and other road infrastructure.
How far will the money go? Is the UG promising any key projects if this is approved?
The Unified Government is not making any promises, per se.
That’s because deferred maintenance sometimes makes those decisions for you.
An inspection forced the Kansas Department of Transportation to immediately close the Lewis & Clark Viaduct in 2024 for urgent repairs. And across the state line, a sinkhole under Southwest Trafficway required immediate action for Kansas City, Missouri, this summer.
But the Parks Department and Public Works Department have given the UG Board of Commissioners a menu of sorts, listing several options to pick from.
As far as public works projects, $8 million per year equates to 19 lane miles of pavement every year. Or, 27 miles of alleyway, or two or three bridge replacements.
As far as parks, the new sales tax would triple the current budget for capital improvement projects.
Community center repairs and improvements are one option. Out of the city’s seven community centers, six are more than 50 years old and two are more than 90 years old. Improvements would cost $10 million, about an eighth of the revenue from this sales tax.
Other options include replacing and modernizing Parkwood Pool or constructing a new park in Piper.
The city could construct new trails, make sure parks are well lit and build bathrooms.
Davis hopes that if the sales tax passes, residents will no longer have to drive outside of Wyandotte County to go swimming, play basketball or find a safe playground.
“I can’t give you a timeline saying 10 years or after this sales tax sunsets, that everything’s going to be fixed,” Davis said. “What I can say is, our park system will be tremendously better, dare I say, unrecognizable. … We will have things that generations beforehand never saw and never thought we would get.”
What's the deal, KC? Text KCUR your questions about the Nov. 3 election.
KCUR's new series is answering your most pressing questions about Kansas City's biggest issues. Early voting has begun across the Kansas City metro! When you go to cast your ballot, you’ll also be voting on local issues, too. What do you want to know about the KC-area races and questions at the city and county level? Text KCUR at 816-601-4777.
This story was originally published by The Beacon, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
