Cities to seek sales tax without voter approval
By Dave Wakefleid
Kansan staff writer
Kansas cities will ask the Legislature for authority to levy a 1/4 cent sales tax without asking for voter approval.
The call for the tax is part of the legislative platform passed by the Kansas League of Municipalities at its annual conference Oct. 13.
The tax would allow cities to raise revenue for replacing worn-out sewers, water supplies, roads and buildings, said Ernie Mosher, executive director of the league.
Also, cities hard hit to find money to pay for the highway program could use the tax to raise that money, he said. The state is asking cities to share costs for highway improvements under a new program.
Cities are now allowed to levy $ \frac{1}{2} $ cent and 1 cent sales taxes for general operating revenue. A voter referendum is required before a sales tax can be levied.
But the league will ask the state to give cities the power to levy the 1/4 cent sales tax without any referendum, Mosher said.
"We already levy a billion dollars of taxes without a referendum," he said. "We do have representative government."
Because the increase is small, the state might view it more favorably.
League president Irene French said, "So many cities are having tremendous problems. There are no dollars for infrastructure improvements."
Mosher said.
Lawrence's $1/2 cent sales tax now raises about $2,650,000 each year, said Julie Karr, city finance director. An addition of a $1/4 cents sales tax would raise about $1,300,000, she said.
Lawrence representatives said they voted for the platform but did not favor increasing the sales tax in Lawrence.
"I was in favor of it because some cities need that help," commissioner Shirley Martin-Smith said. "But I am not in favor of increasing taxes." Commissioner Dave Penny said that because the state recently raised the sales tax by ¼ cents, many representatives saw the increase as a way of rounding the tax out to an even number.
Although city staff members are conducting a study to determine if an increase in police staffing is needed, no money was allocated for an increase in the 1990 city budget.
The special sales tax could not be used to finance staff increases, Mosher said, but general operating funds now earmarked for roads would be freed if such a tax was passed.
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