Playing with taxpayer money, Kansas officials recently endorsed a generous — check that — extremely generous offer to the Kansas City Wizards and Cerner Corp.Now, Gov. Mark Parkinson says the state won’t sweeten a proposal to use $229.5 million in public subsidies to help build a Wizards stadium and a Cerner office complex in Wyandotte County.“We’re not willing to make an offer that is unfair or unreasonable to the taxpayers,” he said Wednesday. Parkinson’s got a good point.The already-large public assistance for the project would prevent the state from recouping its investment in the soccer stadium for almost 20 years — and for about nine years in the Cerner complex. Parkinson responsibly doesn’t want those subsidies to last any longer.It was odd to see Republicans, supposedly the party of fiscal rectitude in Kansas, taking swipes at the governor’s stand. Overland Park Rep. Kevin Yoder even criticized what he called a “lackluster effort” by the state, a peculiar statement given the healthy amount of proposed taxpayer aid.Fortunately, in a world where elected officials too often kowtow to developers’ requests, Parkinson this week politely seemed to be telling the Wizards and Cerner to “take it or leave it.”We hope they take it.It makes great sense to create an 18,500-seat home for professional soccer in the Village West area that already features sports, retail and entertainment destinations. Bringing 4,500 or so Cerner jobs nearby would boost traffic for existing retailers and restaurants.The faster tax revenues are created at Village West, the faster the county and state will be able to pay off millions of dollars in bonds needed to help build the stadium and the Cerner offices. And when the bond payments end, more tax revenues will be available to provide basic public services in Kansas and Wyandotte County.It’s good to see that Parkinson — while boosting the Wizards and Cerner projects — understands the need to protect and serve taxpayers, too.

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Posted on Thu, Oct. 29, 2009 10:15 PM

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Parkinson protects Kansas taxpayers

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Playing with taxpayer money, Kansas officials recently endorsed a generous — check that — extremely generous offer to the Kansas City Wizards and Cerner Corp.

Now, Gov. Mark Parkinson says the state won’t sweeten a proposal to use $229.5 million in public subsidies to help build a Wizards stadium and a Cerner office complex in Wyandotte County.

“We’re not willing to make an offer that is unfair or unreasonable to the taxpayers,” he said Wednesday.

Parkinson’s got a good point.

The already-large public assistance for the project would prevent the state from recouping its investment in the soccer stadium for almost 20 years — and for about nine years in the Cerner complex. Parkinson responsibly doesn’t want those subsidies to last any longer.

It was odd to see Republicans, supposedly the party of fiscal rectitude in Kansas, taking swipes at the governor’s stand. Overland Park Rep. Kevin Yoder even criticized what he called a “lackluster effort” by the state, a peculiar statement given the healthy amount of proposed taxpayer aid.

Fortunately, in a world where elected officials too often kowtow to developers’ requests, Parkinson this week politely seemed to be telling the Wizards and Cerner to “take it or leave it.”

We hope they take it.

It makes great sense to create an 18,500-seat home for professional soccer in the Village West area that already features sports, retail and entertainment destinations. Bringing 4,500 or so Cerner jobs nearby would boost traffic for existing retailers and restaurants.

The faster tax revenues are created at Village West, the faster the county and state will be able to pay off millions of dollars in bonds needed to help build the stadium and the Cerner offices. And when the bond payments end, more tax revenues will be available to provide basic public services in Kansas and Wyandotte County.

It’s good to see that Parkinson — while boosting the Wizards and Cerner projects — understands the need to protect and serve taxpayers, too.

Posted on Thu, Oct. 29, 2009 10:15 PM

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