Johnson County Commission Chairman Ed Eilert speaks out against tax lid legislation

A new state law requiring public votes for future property tax increases would severely limit the county’s ability to provide services Johnson Countians want and need, Ed Eilert, chairman of the Johnson County Commission, said Tuesday.

In his annual State of the County message, Eilert expressed frustration with state lawmakers and the property tax lid bill, saying county services that the public is happy with — public safety, the library system and parks — could be hampered by the tax lid. The law also could jeopardize the county’s past success in bringing in new business startups, he said.

Eilert urged attendees to call or write lawmakers within the next 24 hours because of the proximity of a Statehouse vote. Contact information was provided at the luncheon tables.

Local governments like Johnson County have been successful at one of the Legislature’s main goals — creating new jobs, Eilert said.

“The question then needs to be asked: Why would legislative leaders want to put brakes on economic growth and job creation by forcing cities and counties to make those economic development decisions with the restrictions of tax lids and special elections?” he said. “Success for our state cannot be achieved if our economic development hands are tied behind our backs.”

A tax lid was passed in the 2015 session, requiring a public vote of approval when rising property values result in taxes going up faster than the Consumer Price Index.

Some local government officials have objected, saying tax bill deadlines make the elections nearly impossible to schedule. Some on the Johnson County Commission have also objected to what they see as state intrusion into local government, noting the state has had its own troubles making ends meet.

This year, legislators are looking at possible exemptions to the tax lid. Eilert told the audience that he’d spent a day in Topeka committee hearings voicing concerns about the tax lid.

The House bill allows exemptions for critical services but the Senate bill did not, he said.

Such services, including law enforcement, medical responders and services for the mentally ill represent more than $75.8 million in the current county budget, he said.

A tax lid would also limit the county’s ability to pay for road improvements for increased traffic near the BNSF Intermodal facility and to encourage job startup companies, Eilert said.

He added that the special elections would cost the county $800,000 for a mail-in ballot or more than $1 million for polling, and that in some cases, the county needs more funds to pay for state-mandated services like corrections and the motor vehicle department.

Eilert noted the 96 percent satisfaction rating residents gave the county as a place to live in the 2015 Community Survey.

“As I begin my sixth year as county chairman, I have never been more optimistic about our future,” he said. “We are fortunate to live in one of the nation’s best places to raise a family, obtain an education, earn a living and build a business, right here, right now, in Johnson County.”

He also cited a county unemployment rate of 2.9 in 2015, compared with a Kansas rate of 3.5 percent and national unemployment of 5.5 percent. In fact, Eilert said, Johnson County averaged almost half the job growth in Kansas from 2011 to 2014.

“The numbers that we want to go up are going up and the numbers we want to go down are going down,” he said. “I call that progress.”

Eilert singled out the mental health center, Med-Act, the public health department and the county judicial management system for video presentations highlighting how they serve taxpayers and save the county money. He mentioned state lawmakers when noting that the Rainbow Services mental health provider has saved the state general fund about $3.25 million. But state funding for that program has not been allocated beyond 2017, he said.

Much of the speech was a roll call of new plans for libraries and parks among other things. Last year the commission approved its first property tax rate increase since 2006. As a result, plans are now in the works for new library buildings in western Shawnee and Lenexa, development of parks near De Soto, Olathe and Edgerton and for additional bus routes and services for the disabled.

Eilert also mentioned other major projects, including the development of the former Meadowbrook golf course as a park in Prairie Village, the Stilwell Community Park and renovation of the former King Louie bowling lanes into a new county arts and heritage center.

He singled out mental health services that keep the mentally ill out of jail as a “beacon of hope.” But he added that those services also need funding from the state. The state has decreased funding for under- and uninsured mental health patients by about 30 percent since 2008, he said, shifting more of that burden onto county taxpayers.

Besides the tax lid, Eilert mentioned two local issues that will need the county’s attention soon. The county commission is making plans to rebuild its Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Plant in Leawood to meet federal environmental standards for clean water. If it receives final approval, the project will cost about $266 million.

The commission also is in the process of deciding whether to build a new courthouse to replace the current one, which is in need of repairs to make it more secure, handicapped accessible and more energy efficient. The commission also is looking at proposal to build a new facility for autopsies. Those items may go to a public vote in November.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Johnson County Commission Chairman Ed Eilert speaks out against tax lid legislation."