Kansas T-Link

October 2, 2008

Ms. Allie Devine; KLA
T-Link Task Force
Kansas Department of Transportation

Dear Allie,

Barton County is not unique in Kansas in that we struggle financially to meet the transportation needs of our citizens. Budgets are tighter, more accountability, and higher costs have greatly influenced priority road building and maintenance.

In the last two and a half years, several dynamics have come into play for Barton County and points west. In March of ’08, Tyson Foods beef processing facility closed at Emporia. Live cattle, beef, grains, and other agricultural commodities trucking routes have changed taking them to Tyson’s plant at Holcomb, through Barton County and to Barton County’s cattle feeding operations for growing and finishing. The amount of truck traffic has dramatically increased accelerating the toll on Barton County’s roadways and bridges.

With the increased traffic including trucking pressures, comes higher fatal accidents and motor vehicle safety risks. Economically, there has been a billion dollar shift from the eastern arterials to central and western Kansas, this coming from a packing industry source. This source quoted “9,800,000 pounds/wk. in live cattle alone!”

There are four major cattle feeding operations in Barton County but with this “shift”, most of eastern Kansas, points south and east, traffic no longer moved to Emporia and stopped. Rather feeder/stockers, finished cattle, as well as all support commodities moved to central and western Kansas including corn, distiller’s grains, and protein semi’s. The processed meat is being shipped back to Emporia for storage and distribution thereby doubling the roadway traffic.

Additionally, several Ethanol Plants opened in central Kansas recently so the number of corn/Milo trucks hauling increased as did the wet distillers grain dispersal via roadway an the ethanol fuel being shipped via road and rail.

The facts stated above are in addition to the recent oil production explosion. Drilling rigs, and increased heavy truck travel have stressed Barton County and Central Kansas roadways where a multitude of wells and wild cat operations exist. Central Kansas appreciates the huge financial boom to this region but realizes the cost to keep industry moving safely and in a timely manner.

Another recent venture for Kansas is wind energy. Kansas certainly has wind and being able to capitalize on energy savings in renewable green energy is prudent. This too has stressed our roadways and bridges in Central Kansas where large and heavy towers are shipped in via rail service to Great Bend, transferred to trucks and shipped to points north, south, and west.

Gigantic wind farms are coming on line at a very fast pace. Roads that were most likely not designed to carry these tremendously heavy loads are breaking up faster than they can be feasibly repaired.

It’s extremely difficult to encourage visitors to come and tour Kansas’ “Wild & Wonderful” with our roadways being narrow, dangerous, and in disrepair due to the lack of funding for its transportation needs.

When considering the T-Link Committee’s recommendations for the next 10 years, please weigh carefully the facts listed. We believe it’s important also to be flexible rather than “locked-in” because like Barton County has come to know first hand, another boom of grand proportion could happen tomorrow and we should be prepared to rise to that immediate need.

Funding these projects certainly would be difficult at best and there seems to be no easy answer however, one “out of the box” idea came to mind and not knowing how all the numbers add up, I’d like to propose to you the following.

What I have named this idea is T-TAX and you can refer to it as that.

T-TAX

Points on T-TAX:
1. ¼ cent tax (?-hypothetical amount)) on all sales, state wide. Not limited by kind of sale, i.e.; food, fuel, clothing, lodging, ALL SALES.
2. Untouchable to all entities including state government except as distributed by T-LINK with stipulations listed below.
3. Never to be used for “bail outs” of private industry (railroads, airlines). Not used to “shore up” private industry.
4. Never to be filtered into the general budget.
5. Never borrowed against current or future revenues.
6. Over and above current fuel taxes and K-DOT (Kansas Department of Transportation) budgets.
7. Not used for wages, retirements, pensions, etc.
8. Taxed to all who come into state as well as all who live here so it’s fair to all.
9. Distributed only through T-Link on an as proposed, studied, proven use basis.
10. Used only for highway construction and rebuilding, widening roadways, reconstruction of new bridges, paving runways, keeping existing roadways into and out of major cities and businesses in good to excellent repair.

This week, I contacted Bill Wolf; House Republican District 112, Bob Bethell; House Republican District 113, and Gordon Self, Office of Reviser of Statutes at the State House in Topeka regarding this T-TAX. Mr. Self has access to the figures at which ¼ cent sales would raise, he’ll get back to me. He is also checking into a legal “Lock-Box” protecting these funds if indeed this idea would go further.

I look forward to talking more in depth with you on all these points in the near future.

Sincerely yours,

Robin Proffitt
Barton County Feeders, Inc.
KSU Extension Executive Board-Barton County