By Allen Dinkel
Junction City Manager
During my career in city management, there is one thing that has never changed. Bottom line is everyone feels TAXES are a 5-letter dirty word. It really makes no difference if it is Federal or State Income taxes, or property or sales taxes. We all pay and yes we all complain about taxes. I always say the first time I hated taxes was when I was very young and the price of a pack of baseball cards went from 10 cents to 15 cents. I knew the price had increased, but I had not planned for the sales tax, and I did not have that penny and could not buy a pack of cards that day.
Even though we complain about taxes, we all want services that a unit of government provides. When city crews pick up limbs and branches from last week’s storm as people are hoping the City does, there is a cost. To repair the streets, that we often hear about, it takes dollars. Yes, the City gets funding for projects through the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) such as the roundabout that work will begin next week at the south end of Washington Street. Yes, it will be an inconvenience, but it needs to be replaced.
I have heard it said that the best tax is one that someone else pays and I don’t have to. I can get everything I want, but it does not cost me as others pay for it. Maybe a great idea, but it does not work that way.
Let’s look at property owners here in Junction City. We not only pay property taxes to the City, but also to the County and the School District. In the case of Geary County, about 72% of the property taxes for the County are generated from property in the City. Of course, many County services benefit everyone in the County, however some such as Road and Bridge Department costs serve mostly in the rural area. I grew up on a farm in Ellis County and I know how important those roads are to the entire county and to the total economy.
For the last 9 months or so, there has been a discussion regarding the ambulance costs, how it should be funded, and who ultimately pays the bill. In Geary County the EMS is operated by the Junction City Fire Department. As you have heard before there is an old agreement where the City pays for 1/3 of the unreimbursed costs or operating the ambulance service, and the County pays 2/3rds. Sounds good, but when you consider the Junction City tax payer pays for the 1/3 and then 72% of the 2/3rds, it breaks down to City property owners are paying about 80% of the costs and all other property owners in the County pay about 20%.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are not cheap to operate. Ambulances and equipment costs continue to rise, drug costs are higher, and yes the cost for employees increase so we can be fully staffed with high quality staff. The issue with the EMS is no one knows when the next 911 call will come in and an ambulance must head out immediately with trained staff. It has been documented a number of times that there has been instances when 2 or 3 ambulances and crews are out at one time and last year there were almost 60 times when 4 ambulances were serving the citizens of Geary County simultaneously. Is that a luxury? Not if you are the one who needs that fourth ambulance and crew. In addition, the City Fire and EMS department provides rescue services and (even though not part of the EMS), the Fire department works with the County Sheriff staff and forming a joint dive team.
Yes, I will agree with a joint service there is a discussion of when an employee is a fireman and when they are an EMT. All of the Fireman are an EMT with a number being an A-EMT and I believe there are 15 paramedics at this time. Yes, that increases the costs, but what is wrong with a high-quality service?
If the amount the county pays for this service decreases, the City share will have to increase. Costs are not going down. Yes, that will mean higher taxes to City tax payers and possibly lower taxes for everyone else. In many counties such as Riley and Dickinson, EMS is a cost paid equally by everyone in the County, and not a higher rate for those in just one City. No doubt more EMS calls are in the City of Junction City than outside, but it is all in the County. Remember 65% or so of the County population and the 72% of the property taxes are here as well. As mentioned above, all the tax payers in Geary County pay for the County roads in the county. If those costs were only paid by property taxes generated from outside the city, the taxes to those not in the city would skyrocket.
If the county established an ambulance service for everyone outside city of Junction City and split away from the city, it could easily cost nearly as much or more as they have been asked to pay now. The difference is that this cost would be paid by 28% of the tax base the County pays bills with now. Yes city tax payers may see a smaller increase, but nothing in comparison. Simply not a good deal. Also an outside service would not provide the rescue services that are included now. Of course, the other option is to just put the burden on city tax payers and less on others. The bill has to be paid, but who pays it? During city budget sessions that has been discussed. If the costs are pushed back more to the city would property taxes need to increase, or would the city cut somewhere else?
If, you want to argue that there are costs such as public transportation that the county pays now that may need to paid by the city, I could understand. However, that cost would probably need to paid by the other cities as well.
Yes, TAXES are still and always will be the dreaded 5-letter word. Cut services, cut taxes. Maybe not the best answer. It has been and always will be about balance. You pay or I pay, maybe we both should pay.