The Sunflower sent questions to Sedgwick County Commission candidates about their goals if elected and how they would work for WSU students while in office.
The Sunflower received responses from District 2 candidates Sarah Lopez and Jeff Blubaugh. District 3 candidates Celeste Racette and Stephanie Wise did not respond to The Sunflower’s questions.
Answers have been edited for clarity.
What will be your top one to two priorities if elected to office?
Lopez: With mental health services in Kansas ranked last nationally, I took a leading role in bringing a desperately needed Regional Mental Health Hospital to Wichita. We break ground next year, but the need is great and our work will continue. It can’t be business as usual in government and provide significant, sustainable tax relief. Functional consolidation of county and city services will eliminate duplication, modernize and streamline processes and reduce costs while also improving the quality of public safety and infrastructure services we count on. Consolidation also simplifies customer service, no more figuring out who to call with an issue.
Blubaugh: On day one I will be addressing real property tax relief and a fair property tax assessment process. The property tax assessment process is broken and needs to be overhauled for both residential and commercial property. If you own a commercial property and you appeal your tax assessment value at the municipal court or Board of Tax Appeals you have a less than one percent chance to get your value reduced. An appraisal is an opinion and it is not statistically possible for the County Appraiser to know the exact condition, use and life of a property 99% of the time with such a broad appraisal process which is determined by a pretty small sample size of estate activity. County commissioners approved a $563 million budget for next year, a 6% increase in spending over the current budget. They did lower the mill levy by about one-third of a mill but to give you context, that’s $4.14 a year on a $100,000 home. Total spending is still UP 6% including a 3% pay raise for County Commissioners making over $100,000 a year already. We need real property tax relief as the current mill levy reduction doesn’t even cover the cost of a Scooter’s coffee or a couple gallons of gas.
What will you prioritize to protect in the budget? What do you think can be cut?
Lopez: When I came into office, the county faced a serious staffing shortage (65% staffing across the board) negatively impacting services. I know county services are only as good as the people who provide them, so I’ve raised pay and improved benefits for all county employees, raising staffing levels to 90% today.
I expect efficiency and financial accountability, and I’ve cut the mill levy property tax rate the last two years to the lowest rate in 30 years. We have a financially responsible budget and no cuts are necessary. Our financial discipline has earned Sedgwick County a rare AAA credit rating.
Blubaugh: Public safety needs to continue to be at the top of the list in protecting the budget. Before I look at additional cuts I want to research more collaborative opportunities with the City of Wichita as well as the other 19 cities in Sedgwick County. There are too many publications between the cities in the county and Sedgwick County government. We need (to) practice more lean management of government operations.
What will you do for Wichita State University students? What’s at stake for students in this election?
Lopez: Responsible, forward-looking local government is at stake. I’m a young healthcare IT professional with experience finding innovative solutions for complex problems that come in under budget and on deadline. I believe in people over politics and work hard to make this community better than I found it. I’ve already improved public safety/infrastructure services, cut the property tax rate twice and made smart investments to enhance our quality of life. In contrast, my opponent denied south Wichita expanded transportation options because he “didn’t see the need” and left Wichita a $55 million budget deficit and unavoidable cuts to public safety. Unacceptable.
Blubaugh: Wichita State University has been one of the largest benefactors of local, state and federal monies to increase educational opportunities in the area. I was on the Wichita City Council when we worked with WSU on the innovation campus, the law enforcement training center as well as the BioMed center downtown. As these projects continue to come to fruition and growth, students will continue to reap the benefits. I am proud to say my nephew moved here from Newburg, Oregon to attend WSU this fall.
What can you do to make housing more affordable for college students?
Lopez: I will continue Sedgwick County’s financial support for WSU with millions annually for scholarships to local students. We’re also investing in significant infrastructure work to help keep property insurance costs down and we’ve cut the property tax rate two years in a row (both expenses included in local rents). Sedgwick County is also encouraging development of starter homes and other affordable housing options within Wichita through tax incentives for projects meeting certain criteria. I support new housing development in town where there’s already infrastructure to make more options available to students and families seeking affordable housing, not high-end suburban sprawl.
Blubaugh: High interest rates and low supply have created a bottleneck in affordable housing. People aren’t leaving their current homes to upgrade because they can’t buy as much house in this market, so affordable housing isn’t coming onto the market. Cost inflation and supply have created an environment where building new affordable housing is also challenged and many of the new housing or duplex projects are coming to the market with $1,500+ rents which are not affordable. There are opportunities to free up development by using some of the tools that already exist. RHID needs adjustment but could be a tool for infill projects of used properly. The market needs to be freed up as much as possible in order to meet needs organically. Density is the best way to meet the need quickly. Local banks and creative funding pools have been discussed to give investors opportunities with developers to create more housing.
How can the county commission keep people in Sedgwick County?
Lopez: Functional consolidation is an innovative way to improve the vital safety and infrastructure services we count on while also making significant, sustainable tax relief possible. I have a proven track record of financial responsibility, cutting taxes and improving public services, and I have the professional experience to continue modernizing local government. We should also make more smart investments in quality-of-life amenities. For example, I serve on the Exploration Place committee building the new EP2 Riverfront regional attraction that’ll increase annual attendance from 400,000 to 1 million, economic impact from $22 million to $66 million, and create hundreds of new jobs.
Blubaugh: We need to ensure we keep Sedgwick County an affordable place to call home. Our value proposition here in Wichita and Sedgwick County is you can get to pretty much get anywhere is town in 20 minutes, still a small town feel where we know our neighbors and we continue to be one of the cheapest places to like in the country. We need to ensure our sustainability and growth by making sure we keep the cost of living as low as possible while working toward quality of life projects as the economic climate permits opportunities.