Task Force | Local Consult Coverage
KDOT unveils task force, seeks public input
Increasing costs of fuel, asphalt and other materials has sent the Kansas Department of Transportation searching for more sources of funding.
KDOT unveils task force, seeks public input
September 14, 2008
By GAYLE WEBER, Hays Daily News
gweber@dailynews.net
Increasing costs of fuel, asphalt and other materials has sent the Kansas Department of Transportation searching for more sources of funding.
KDOT hosted the second of its eight public meetings Friday in which it introduced its new task force, Kansas Transportation Leveraging Investments in Kansas, and sought input from local residents on the state's future in the industry.
KDOT presented numerous ideas to help with the projected $1.5 billion per year funding gap in state transportation projects over the next 10 years.
"I kind of like the idea of putting a sales tax on gasoline rather than the so-many cents per gallon," Ellis County Commission Chairman Dennis Pfannenstiel said. He also supports increasing registration fees for large trucks.
Pfannenstiel was one of about 75 local and state government leaders and industry leaders who attended the meeting.
Other ideas for additional funding were increasing the motor fuels tax, property taxes, all vehicle registration fees and fees for developers of building projects, which require new state infrastructure.
New revenue for state projects could come from gambling fees, new toll roads, taxing either vehicle weight or miles driven by an individual, or increasing the local match requirement for projects.
"The worst idea, I think, is to push more to the local people," Pfannenstiel said.
Don Hineman, Republican candidate for state representative in the 118th District, agreed saying that the more local funding governments have to come up with, the more property tax residents would have to pay.
"It's pretty common for the county ... to have a mill levy of over 200 mills," Hineman said of western Kansas. "Most of the folks from Johnson County and Sedgwick County just can't identify with that.
"We cannot afford to raise property taxes much more. We need other avenues of funding."
Kansas T-LINK will evaluate the responses from this month's public meetings to decide if any of the new or existing revenues can be utilized for more sources of funding.
Other concerns were raised about how western Kansas' highway and bridge projects can compete with those in urban areas like Kansas City and Wichita.
"We're possibly looking at for economically depressed areas or areas that may not grow as fast, maybe they can get some extra points," said Chris Herrick, director of planning and development with KDOT.
"Another thing we're doing is we're putting projects in funding categories, so $5 million projects compete against $5 million projects."
KDOT also is discussing setting the local match for state projects proportional to the revenue base of the community. Hineman said it would be unreasonable to base the amount local governments put forth on a project on the population base.
"We do have a low population density out here, which means we have more miles per capita," Hineman said. "On any traffic count or revenue basis, we're going to lose out."
KDOT has proposed offering incentives to local governments to close bridges which are in need of major repair or replacement. However, since farmers and local business people who would be affected by those bridge closures wouldn't be seeing the incentive money, most of those in attendance didn't support the idea.
Southeast Kansas Collaborative Meeting
More than 70 people participated in the workshop, which was held by Southeast Kansas, Inc. The organization is gathering input to help the Southeast Kansas..
Aug. 25, 2008 – Southeast Kansas Collaborative Meeting
I was thrilled with the collaborative spirit I saw and heard Monday at a regional transportation workshop in Chanute.
More than 70 people participated in the workshop, which was held by Southeast Kansas, Inc. The organization is gathering input to help the Southeast Kansas Inc. Transportation Council develop a position statement about the transportation needs of southeast Kansas.
The workshop occurred at a crucial time for those concerned about our state's transportation network. Kansas is launching a task force to craft a new strategic transportation approach. The task force, Transportation-Leveraging Investments in Kansas (T-LINK), is scheduled to hold a local consult meeting Sept. 26 in Pittsburg.
Workshop facilitator Terry Woodbury, with Kansas Communities LLC, said collaboration can seem like an unnatural act for humans. But he said government, business and other pillars of civilization can't function in isolation. "In collaboration we figure out how to do things together that we can’t do separately," he said.
Dean Mann, a T-LINK member and chair of the Southeast Kansas Inc. Transportation Council, said he was pleased that 75 people came to talk about their transportation priorities. "With everyone hearing everyone else you are able to develop a better list of priorities," he said.
Also attending were Senator Dwayne Umbarger and Representatives Richard Proehl, Shirley Palmer, and Julie Menghini.
- From Julie Lorenz, Director of Public Affairs, KDOT
Public invited to weigh in on transportation
The third in a series of statewide meetings aiming to revamp the state's transportation plans for the next decade will be Friday in Topeka.
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The third in a series of statewide meetings aiming to revamp the state's transportation plans for the next decade will be Friday in Topeka.
Members of the recently formed transportation task force and staff with the Kansas Department of Transportation will meet from 8:30 a.m. to noon and again from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 S.E. 6th St. Members of the public are invited to attend morning break-out sessions, while questions and comments will be answered during the optional afternoon session, a KDOT spokeswoman said.
The meeting is the first of eight to be conducted throughout the state in September to discuss regional and state transportation priorities.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius created the task force in August to help develop the state's next long-term transportation program. That program will determine Kansas' transportation priorities over the next 10 years, including much of the state's road, rail, trail and airport projects.
Letter from Governor Sebelius outlining T-LINK Task Force Charge
Transportation has driven the development of Kansas from its very first days. As we approach the conclusion
of the Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP)..
Transportation has driven the development of Kansas from its very first days. As we approach the conclusion
of the Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP), I want to thank you for your willingness to serve as a
member of the task force that will craft a new strategic transportation approach that positions our state for the
future. I am pleased to announce that the task force will be co-chaired by Transportation Secretary Deb
Miller and Tim Rogers, Executive Director of the Salina Airport Authority.
While we don’t know what funding options might be possible, we do know there will always be
infrastructure needs. And, we also know that transportation is key to seizing economic opportunities and
creating jobs to stimulate our economy. The task force will develop recommendations for an approach that
recognizes all forms of transportation and serves our future.
At a time of both unprecedented possibilities and emerging fiscal challenges, this work will require bold and
flexible thinking.
I ask that the task force recommendations be shaped by the following priorities:
- A commitment to keep our roads and bridges safe and in good repair
Kansans want safe transportation. I ask the task force to make recommendations to enhance the
safety of our state and local roads and bridges.Over the last 20 years, our state has made a major investment in our transportation system. Kansans
expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely and so do I. It would be wasteful to lose our investment
because we did not care for our roads and bridges. The task force should make recommendations
that protect the investment Kansans have already made.In addition to the state’s infrastructure, local transportation needs must also be addressed. Kansas
has one of the largest local road and bridge networks in the nation. While many of these roads and
bridges are critical for getting goods and crops to market, maintaining such an extensive network is
difficult particularly for those counties with declining populations. Conversely, areas that are
growing have transportation demands that have proven equally difficult to meet. The task force
should explore how to best meet the needs of preserving and improving local roads and bridges. - Forward thinking without relying on old business models
Our citizens want and need better modal options. Our project selection processes should be
transparent and collaborative in order to support regional priorities. To create the greatest benefit to
the state, our transportation investments need to align with our state’s top economic priorities. And,
moving transportation projects from concept through construction takes longer than it should.Delays are frustrating to communities and travelers and costly to our economy. The speed of project
delivery during both the development and the construction stage must be increased.Accomplishing these goals requires fresh thinking. I also ask the task force to consider how this new
transportation approach recognizes growing concerns about energy independence, climate change
and sustainability. The new approach should move Kansas towards a more diversified transportation
portfolio that includes enhancing rail and aviation assets for the Kansas economy along with
discussion on enhancing transit for Kansans. - A new approach that reflects today’s realities but also creates a framework that prepares our
state for the futureOur state is facing fiscal pressures and at the same time the cost of materials needed to build
transportation projects is increasing. The task force recommendations should reflect that reality.
However, transportation needs don’t just go away and in order for our economy to grow we must
continue to invest. The State will be best served if the task force reviews a range of transportation
investment scenarios and considers approaches that could be implemented in stages if necessary.
I recognize that financing a new transportation approach will be challenging. I ask that you examine
federal, state and local funding sources and consider the extent to which traditional funding sources
are viable and determine if creative financing tools make sense for Kansas.New and innovative funding frameworks that seek to maximize and leverage federal, state and local
funding sources should be fully explored. Concepts that should be explored include Transportation
Development Districts, Star Bond type financing structures and other models where infrastructure
costs are paid through transportation user fees. These types of models will require more local
support and commitment than typical bonding models currently used.With current fuel prices at all time highs I cannot support any increase in motor fuel taxes and ask
that the task force look to other approaches.Working Collaboratively
Our state has enjoyed twenty years of success in transportation, which has been a direct result of legislators
from both parties from all across the state working together. Accordingly, I have asked Secretary Miller to
reach out to legislative leadership from both parties and enlist their help to find the appropriate legislators to
serve as task force members.The work that lies ahead will be difficult and I appreciate your willingness to accept this responsibility. The
task force must create a vision that is mindful of our money, recognizes the needs of both rural and urban
Kansas, and uses the strength of all transportation modes. I look forward to seeing a set of recommendations
that frame a new strategic approach to our future transportation needs.Sincerely,
Governor Kathleen Sebelius
KDOT Examining Needs
Group leaders praised the large turnout at the governor's transportation task force meeting and the plethora of ideas to enhance transportation in Kansas.
The Garden City Telegram
Published 9/12/2008
ULYSSES -- More than 80 people gathered Thursday in Ulysses to pitch road projects they'd like to see happen in southwest Kansas and hear comments from members of the Transportation-Leveraging Investments in Kansas Task Force, which is developing recommendations for the next comprehensive transportation plan in Kansas.
The Ulysses meeting was the start of a series of eight consultation meetings the Kansas Department of Transportation planned to allow for regional discussion on highway and other modal needs, including rail, aviation, transit and bike/pedestrian, and then for various community members to testify about specific projects and concerns. Today's meeting was in Hays.
Meetings continue next week in Abilene, Topeka, Olathe, Hutchinson, Pittsburg and Wichita. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced in August the creation of T-LINK. In a release, she stated, "We know transportation is critical to seizing economic opportunities and creating jobs to stimulate our economy. With our state's 10-year transportation program coming to an end, now is
the time to begin planning for the future to ensure we keep our infrastructure in good shape and put our state in position for economic growth."
A regional view
Garden City and Finney County representatives have been preparing for Thursday's meeting, compiling a list of projects they feel would not only benefit the immediate area but also southwest Kansas and western Kansas as a whole.
On Tuesday, during the city commission meeting, City Manager Matt Allen said the reality of whatever transportation plan is developed is that it will fall "woefully short" of the needs that
exist. The needs are plenty, he said, with inadequate funding to meet them.
To ensure some of the area's needs are met, he said, area cities and counties are attempting to take more of a regional approach on a narrow group of transportation issues and projects they'd
like to see eventually occur.
City Commissioner Reynaldo Mesa said that if those in the area don't come together, "we're going to struggle to get our things done out here."
"It's going to be tough as a region," Commissioner Nancy Harness said. "It's going to be impossible as an individual city."
So on Thursday, Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce President Paul Joseph testified to TLINK members, reading from a list of projects he and others would like to see for the region:
running one track in each direction.
KDOT's last round of meetings
KDOT held a series of meetings in 2006 to gather input on another possible transportation plan for the state.
Garden City Mayor David Crase and City Public Works Director Sam Curran attended that meeting, as well as Thursday's meeting. Crase said KDOT representatives are listening and gathering input, "but what they do with it remains to be seen."
One thing, though, both Crase and Curran have seen come from the meetings is an effort by communities to think more on a regional scale.
"That's a good part of these meetings," Curran said.
Now, with the state still paying for the transportation plan set to end in 2009 and looking at what to include and how to fund those projects in the next plan, Crase said it'll have to be a regional effort vs. individual projects to stand a chance at being included in the plan.
On Thursday, KDOT staff also gathered input on funding options communities would like to see for the new plan. Curran said one of the last comments during the 2006 meeting was that funding is critical for the plan -- but no one wanted to discuss it at the time, he said.
That was different Thursday, with KDOT staff passing out a sheet asking for input on what funding sources -- increasing registration fees, state sales tax, state motor fuels tax, more
developer fees, etc. -- people would like to fund the next Long Range Transportation Plan.
In 2006, the top-five funding sources favored in southwest Kansas were increasing motor fuels taxes, then registration fees on vehicles, sales taxes on vehicles, tax on vehicle weight and toll
roads.
Curran would like to see a funding source that will allow the state to pay as it goes through the plan, instead of adding more debt.
Testimony
Joseph, Finney County Commissioner Cliff Mayo, Finney County Transit Director Bonnie Burgardt and City Engineer Steve Cottrell testified before the T-LINK committee Thursday.
Cottrell said that from an economic development standpoint, cities and counties are continually competing with one another for industry and other development, and KDOT has been unable to help quickly when various improvements are needed. He said he'd like to see discretionary funds included in the plan for helping communities with road and other improvements related to economic development.
There needs to be an interstate highway in southwest Kansas, Mayo told the task force. He said he's heard comments before that western Kansas contributes nothing to the state's economy. Not
true, he said, adding southwest Kansas needs four-lane highways and road infrastructure to support the feedyards, oil/gas, ethanol and other industry that helps the state's economy.
Mayo said the area's been neglected by the state as far as help with transportation.
Mayo would like to see KDOT include economic impact vs. simply population as a factor in prioritizing projects.
"We don't have a lot of people out here, but we have a lot of money," he said.
A different picture
KDOT spokeswoman Julie Lorenz spoke to the group, explaining that when the last transportation plan started in 1999, gas was about $1 a gallon, debt was less, inflation was steady, the economy was robust, and asphalt was plentiful.
It's a different picture now, she said. Taking the changes over time into account as the task force develops recommendations for a new plan, T-LINK is charged with "a commitment to keep our roads and bridges safe and in good repair;" "forward thinking without relying on old business models;" and "a new approach that reflects today's realities but also creates a framework that prepares our state for the future."
Lorenz said the task force and KDOT are attempting to include economic impact in the prioritizing of future projects.
For more information on T-LINK and comments from the statewide meetings, visit www.kansastlink.com.
Letter from Secretary Miller regarding September 11 meeting in Ulysses
Secretary Miller outlines the local consultation process, agenda and role of the T-LINK members.
Good morning –
We’re looking forward to hosting the first of the local consultation meetings next week in Ulysses and Hays on behalf of the T-Link task force – and additional local consultation meetings are scheduled across the state throughout September.
Because the T-Link local consultation meetings are somewhat different than the 1998 T-2000 process used to develop the Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP), we’ve fielded many questions about the local consultation meetings and the type of input that we’re looking for at the meetings. In order to help you, your community, and/or organization plan your participation in the local consultation meetings, below is an outline of the day’s schedule and some suggestions for the day.
First – how and why is the local consult process different than T-2000?
During T-2000, local needs for transportation were identified through testimony in front of the T-2000 task force. From that testimony and other input, the task force developed recommendations about the type and size of programs needed to continue the progress made during the 1989 Comprehensive Highway Program (CHP).
As we begin the T-Link process though we already have a lot of information about statewide needs. Through previous local consultation meetings and the development of the State’s Long Range Transportation Plan, KDOT has conducted a needs assessment and identified funding gaps. The purpose of the next set of local consultation meetings is to go back to communities to determine if any local economic issues or transportation needs have changed and to continue discussions about regional priorities.
Like T-2000 a decade ago, T-Links is relying on a grassroots approach to gathering information about local transportation needs and priorities. The difference is that instead of relying on testimony, the T-Links process has been designed to reflect our commitment to using collaborative decision-making processes and to sparking regional discussion around highway and other modal needs.
What is the agenda?
8:30-9:00 a.m. – Overview - KDOT staff will provide an overview of the T-LINK process and other background info
Suggestion: Please arrive early if you can. We’re worried that it will take a while to get everyone signed in and we’d like to start on time. No rsvp is needed.
9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Break-out groups. You will be asked to participate in one of five breakout groups: highway and local roads, transit (including passenger rail), aviation, rail freight (including shortline rail), and bike and pedestrian. In these sessions, participants will:
1. Review transportation needs. For example, for highways and airports, we’ll review proposed project lists that were developed during local consult meetings in 2006 and through the statewide aviation planning process. In all cases, we’ll also review the needs assessment developed as part of the long-range plan. We’ll ask also communities if there are projects or needs that should be added and what has changed in your community – in terms of demographics, the economy or anything else that would impact transportation needs. Examples of the handouts the KDOT will provide have been posted on the website under the Ulysses calendar date. Please keep checking the website as we’ll post the actual handouts in advance of each local consultation meeting.
2. We’ll also ask for your thoughts on regional transportation priorities.
3. Also, we’re interested in hearing your thoughts about funding for these needs – both at the state and local level.
Suggestion: Your city or county will want to send a representative for each breakout session in which you have interest.
10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Breakout groups report back
11:00 – noon. T-LINK member discussion and preview of T-LINK calculator. T-LINK members will provide their reaction to the morning’s discussion and may ask for additional input from attendees. Also, participants will learn how they can use the T-LINK calculator to create and fund their own theoretical transportation program.
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch – on your own
1:00 p.m. thru remainder of day. Availability Session – Time has been set aside in the afternoon for communities or advocacy groups that want to present information about specific projects or concerns. Please sign in for a time-slot when you arrive for the morning session. Presentations will be made in the order in which you sign in and you should plan for a 5-10 minute presentation. The exact length depends on how many communities want to present information. We want to give communities a chance to present information if they want - but there is NO requirement that you present information. KDOT staff will be available to hear the presentations and T-LINK members have been invited to stay for the afternoon session as well. We’ll have a laptop and projector available if you want to use them – but there is no expectation that a formal presentation must be given. If there isn’t time to everyone to present specific project information, we’ll figure out a way to expand the process so that everyone can be assured that they will be heard.
Suggestion: When I’ve talked with communities about the availability session, I’ve suggested that communities make sure that they talk about how a specific project fits within a regional context and about support for the project (that could be financial support or it could be community support. If you’re talking about community support, I’d be curious what sort of process you’ve used to assess community support).
What’s the role of the T-LINK members in the local consultation process?
Each T-LINK member was asked to participate in at least two local consultation meetings. And they’ve risen to the challenge with most members attending more than two meetings. Their job at these meetings is to listen to discussions within each breakout group and to raise questions. By participating in this process, members of the T-LINK task force will become more familiar with the transportation needs and concerns across the state.
Will projects be selected for funding at the local consultation meetings?
The purpose of the local consultation meetings is to develop and refine regional and statewide transportation needs and priorities in Kansas. No specific projects will be selected for funding through the local consultation or the T-LINK task force process.
I hope this information is helpful and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact any the T-LINK staff by calling (785) 296-3585. A summary of each local consultation meeting and participant reaction will be posted on the website as quickly as possible, so I encourage you to track our progress as we meet with communities.
Deb Miller
Transportation meeting attracts audience, ideas (Abilene)
Group leaders praised the large turnout at the governor's transportation task force meeting and the plethora of ideas to enhance transportation in Kansas.
Salina Journal, September 19, 2008
Tim Unruh
Group leaders praised the large turnout at the governor's transportation task force meeting and the plethora of ideas to enhance transportation in Kansas.
But suggestions for ways to pay for the enhancements were lacking at the Thursday morning meeting at Sterl Hall in Abilene.
"There are not a lot of thoughts out there about funding," said Terry Heidner, a legislative liaison for the Kansas Department of Transportation.
He helped lead a discussion on highways. There were also sessions on rail, aviation, public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian transportation.
The Abilene meeting was the third in a series of eight public gatherings on transportation. A 35-member task force, co-chaired by Time Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, said Kansas Transportation Secretary Deb Miller is putting together a multiyear transportation program for consideration by the 2009 Kansas Legislature.
The current $ billion, 10-year Transportation 2000 plan, ends in 2009.
Worries about the economy, the stock market and gas prices have task force member Sen. Greata Goodwin, D-Winfield, concerned about whether the state can handle upcoming enhancements.
When legislators were putting together the 2000 plan under then Gov. Bill Graves, Kansas didn't have the same challenges, Goodwin said. She was on the task force then, along with Rogers. That group began meeting in 1999.
"The discussion on Transportation 2000 was much easier to do. We had some money that we could be fairly certain would be there," she said.
"Right now, I don't feel we have that. The economy is something we can work through, but it is a fear of people across Kansas."
Money will be there
Rogers said funding was just as big of an issue in Transportation 2000 and he's confident the country will cycle out of its current economic woes, as it did after the late 1990s.
"Today it looks bleak, but the economy will improve. With a well-thought out program, Kansas will be able to maintain, fund and improve the system," Rogers said. Without a plan, you can't take advantage of opportunities."
He was pleased at the ideas that were bouncing around in Sterl Hall from 96 people who attended. It was the largest crowd of the three gatherings so far. The others were in Hays and Ulysses. Five more are planned.
In the sessions Thursday, folks expressed needs for specific roads and there were common complaints about truck traffic, Heidner said.
Session members were more specific about concerns with the growing number of wind farms in Kansas. As the various components are hauled to sites around the state, "they are taxing infrastructure," Heidner said.
Some were interested in bridge clearance with respect to the trucking of windmill parts.
Those long wind turbine blades are "difficult to transport," said Dennis Lauver, president and chief executive officer of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.
The switch to wind farms is an example, he said, of the state's need to revisit the transportation plan more often.
"They're thinking about every five years, with respect to the changing markets," Lauver said.
Heidner suggested that infrastructure changes would aid in economic development.
"We may be missing the boat on getting some manufacturers that build the wind turbines and towers," he said.
The suggestion that Kansas have more toll roads produced "frowning faces," Heidner said.
Other parts of the state are more open to toll roads, said Julie Lorenz, KDOT director of public affairs.
More people riding bikes
With more people battling high prices by riding bicycles and walking, Chris Hess, KDOT public involvement coordinator, said people talked about ways the state could be involved in catering to the efficient and healthy mode of transportation.
The cycling public is broken into those who race on bicycles, those who ride to school and the grocery store, and children and elderly who ride for fun, he said. He noted there has been a "big increase" in the number who ride to school and the grocery store, "and there is definitely an increase in people riding bikes."
Session members expressed strong interest in "modernization," he said, such as adding to the shoulders of roads to accommodate the pedaling public.
Lisa Koch, KDOT public transit manager, said the private and public sectors need to mesh to improve systems between big towns and small, to get people to and from appointments, work and shopping.
"There is a lot of concern about how they can afford to operate their vehicle with high gas prices," Koch said.
A public transportation system could be a factor in attracting or keeping businesses in an area, she said. There is a need for a way to take people to and from larger cities, such as Wichita, and for more passenger rail service.
To fund improvements, she said, local resources should be leveraged with federal and state funds.
"Look at other options, other than fare increases," she said.
John Maddox, KDOT's rail manager said there was a lot of talk about preserving rail lines.
"We really can't afford to get much smaller," he said. "Not all shortlines (railroads) carry a lot of traffic, but those lines need to stay in place for potential future use."
Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at tunrun@salina.com.
Secure road: Having state transportation plan vital despite current fiscal chaos
The level of uncertainty in the economy is making it difficult for members of Kansas' T-LINK Task Force to figure out how to pay for the state's next comprehensive transportation plan.
hutchnews.com
September 27, 2008
Editorial
The level of uncertainty in the economy is making it difficult for members of Kansas' T-LINK Task Force to figure out how to pay for the state's next comprehensive transportation plan.
Some legislators have talked about putting off a long-range transportation plan until a time when the economy looks a little more stable and more capable of financing the projects, which are anticipated to cost $2.9 billion a year over the next 20 years.
But having a plan in place - even if circumstances later require its alteration - is better than having no plan at all.
Many parts of the state benefited from the two previous 10-year transportation plans that were drafted one and two decades ago. Through the identification of key road and transportation projects, Kansas' leaders were able to properly plan and finance road improvements in particular.
The 10-year plans also created construction jobs and helped the economy by using tax money for public works projects.
During the current information-gathering phase, the T-LINK group also is asking for information about other transportation needs, such as air and rail traffic. That is an additional positive, because rail service in particular plays an important role in moving the state's agricultural products.
While it might now be harder to pinpoint a financing mechanism for the projects, it is important for the state to identify key future projects and develop a plan to finance them.
Then, if conditions worsen, elements of that plan could be put on hold or altered to meet the current budget conditions. Conversely, however, such a plan would allow the state's leaders to take advantage of upswings in the economy that might fill the government's coffers with cash.
The T-LINK meetings are one of the few times citizens genuinely have some input into what their government does. The state is seeking out comments from local people throughout the state in the hopes of identifying the most important transportation projects in those areas.
Continued development of this plan is important, even if the method for implementing it remains uncertain.
T-TAX
Funding projects is difficult at best and there seems to be no easy answer. One “out of the box” idea comes from Robin Proffit, Barton County Feeders, Inc. She calls it "T-TAX."
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