Pay the piper?

The Lawrence Journal-World reports: "The idea of having counties where regents universities are located increase local property taxes to help pay for $660 million in university repairs is picking up steam in the Legislature." Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, is quoted by the LJ-W: “The universities are a great economic benefit for those communities that host them. I don’t think it’s wrong to ask communities to share at least in some small way with this problem.” LJ-W also reports that Morris noted that the cities of Wichita and Topeka already assess local property taxes to help support Wichita State University and Washburn University and that House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, and House Democratic Leader Dennis McKinney, of Greensburg, said such a proposal should be considered in the other counties where regents institutions are located. Read the whole article here: Taxes touted to fund repairs.


My response: That might be an OK idea, if students from counties without a state university pay higher tuition to attend state universities or if their county of residence pays the state like they pay for county residents who attend another county's community college. And, it might be OK, if residents of counties with state prisons, state hospitals, the state capitol, highway patrol offices, KDOT facilities, state parks and lakes, state offices, and other state-owned and maintained facilities that also bring a locality economic benefits pay a local property tax for state building maintenance at the same rate as that proposed for counties with a state univeristy. After all, fair is fair. Right?

As far as Wichita and Topeka paying extra local property taxes for WSU and Washburn, let's remember that keeping the local property tax was a legislative requirement for WSU becoming state-supported. And, don't forget, Wichitans paid local property taxes at a higher rate for WSU before the state shouldered their burden and they still get special benefits from the arrangement. Washburn shouldn't even be included in the comparison, because it's not a Regents' institution and is more comparable to a community college that requires a local tax but also gets state aid.

Where in all this discussion about university building repairs is mention of the present state-wide property tax for buildings? I believe it's 1 mill, unless it's been changed. Wouldn't it be simple to increase the statewide rate to 2 or 3 mills and use it for the maintenance of state buildings wherever located? Sometimes, I just shake my head and wonder what kind of dolts the voters are sending to Topeka.

In the same LJ-W article, Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, is reported as saying that she wouldn’t be interested in such a plan as Morris advocates because “Property taxes are too high,” and legislators also must consider that while universities provide many benefits to their home counties, they also increase costs in public services.

My response, again: The latter part of Marci's statement is true. Would Morris, Neufeld and McKinney be willing to make in lieu of tax payments to cities and counties that host state universities and other institutions to help them contend with the public service burden these institutions impose on the host communities? I doubt it. I guess when you live in Hugoton, Ingalls or Greensburg, the clean air and bucolic setting of those places give you a special perspective on the rest of Kansas. Being from a remote location must cause you to think it's all right to spend other Kansan's money for state programs from which your children derive benefits equal to the children of host communities. I'll bet if those guys were smokers, their favorite brand would be O.P.s.