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Wednesdav, October 31, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
County Commissioner
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Mark Buhler (R)
Age: 35
Hometown: Garden City
Education: B.A. in personnel administration from KU.
Background: Moved to Lawrence in 1958. Member of the City and County Metropolitan Planning Committee.
Buhler eying city growth
By Elicia Hill
Kansan staff writer
Leadership is the overriding issue in the election of a Douglas County commissioner, candidate Mark Bubler said.
"I can provide that kind of leadership," he said. "What Douglas County needs is someone who understands the issues."
Buhler, who is a member of the Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Committee said that the city's Planning Commission County was a viable community.
"People need to have good jobs, live in safe neighborhoods. And we need to maintain our downtown," he said. "Downtown needs to be supported. The current land plans have foundations that need to be observed."
He said he wanted to avoid strip development, such as that on 23rd Street, and concentrate instead on block grouping of development.
Buhler he was in favor of the South Lawrence Trafficway because it would decrease traffic on 23rd Street.
"The trafficway is needed to give motorists an opportunity to get to Lawrence and Topeka," he said. "Traffic is the issue. Traffic will be reduced on 21nd Street with this traffic study studies have shown this will happen."
Buhler he wanted to be a part of the creation of the trafficway, but he did not stipulate how he would do that.
He also supports the Eastern Parkway
"The parkway is as important as the trafficway," he said. "I'm in favor of the original interlocal agreement that assures equal financing to each one. The community needs to be balanced in terms of growth."
The second high school is not an issue, he said, because it will be within city limits and not the coun-
tv's responsibility.
"I support the concept of the second high school because I trust the leadership of the school board on this matter," he said.
Buhler said tax abatements were needed to entice companies to locate in Lawrence.
"I would rather not have them, but that is unrealistic," he said "It's important for us to communicate with our communities. This issue is a half-full, half-empty one."
Buhler said he was not in favor of impact fees, which require developers to pay for capital improvements of using property-tax revenues.
"There are impact fees that are being paid right now," he said.
He said other communities were taking second looks at their impact fees because the fees did not raise economy like they thought they would.
Rundle against tax raise
Kansan staff writer
Bv Elicia Hill
The stage is being set for sprawling development growth in Lawrence, and steps need to be taken to ensure equal endowment of capital improvement dollars, said Kevin Gunner, an attorney for Douglas County Commission.
"Land-use planning issues are looming on the horizon," he said. "I want the comprehensive land-use plan to grow out of public needs, and I am convinced that it does not develop from pressure from special interest groups."
Rundle, who has served as city commissioner since 1987, said he had watched other communities grow haphazardly. He wants to control the growth in Douglas County to pre-empt the quality of life that the area offers.
Rundle said putting money into roads supported what would be an archaic mode of transportation. Lawrence and Douglas County need to make sure transportation to deal with population growth and traffic problems, he
"With the trafficway we will have a direct route for trucks from Kansas City that could avoid paying toll fees. Truck traffic will increase. Modern roads don't reduce traffic, they increase traffic."
"I think we're being misled on the trafficway," he said. "It's not going to solve the traffic problems. Studies have shown that 80 percent of the traffic on 25rd is people that were on 15th and 30th, so that we will have spent millions of dollars on a road that did not decrease local traffic."
Mike Rundle (D)
Age: 37
Rundle said he did not approve of the route for the South Lawrence Trafficway because it would not ease the traffic problem on 23rd Street.
Hometown: Logan
Education: B.A. in human development from KU in 1976.
Background: Moved to Lawrence in 1971. Member of the Lawrence City Commission since 1987.
said.
Rundle said although he agreed that a new high school should be built, he did not approve of the proposed site.
He said he wanted to avoid the flight to the suburbs that neighboring communities have experienced.
"I also have a considerable interest to see that at some level of government we consider impact fees," he said. "Other communities have poured dollars into their suburban areas to build the best schools and public facilities and then ignored the older parts of the city. Capital improvements should address all aspects of a community equitably."
Impact fees require developers to pay for capital improvements instead of using property-tax revenues.
Rundle hopes to solve the community's financial needs with creative alternatives to raising money
instead of raising taxes.
"We need to have very clear and stringent monitoring policies on tax abatements," he said. "We can't keep going to the taxpayers to raise taxes and forge the taxes from a company unless it is justified."
Rundle recently submitted a 27-page document to the city commissioners about improvements to the city's economic development planning procedures. He said this would help make it inevitable growing Douglas County.
Rundle said the sister city relationships had added quality to residents' lives because they highlighted the importance of county through a visitor's perspective.
"I really love Lawrence, and when I first moved here I was like a kid in a candy store because of all the things that the town has to offer," he said.
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