By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
The Chamber in Hays hosted its March Legislative Coffee on Saturday. The event allows the public to ask questions to elected legislators in the area. Questions were submitted in advance through the Chamber website with open mic questions following.
The panel included Sen. Rick Bililnger, R-Goodland; Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra; and Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays.
While a variety of topics were covered, some of the main topics included university tenure, property tax relief efforts and the new High Plains Mental Health Center.
Tenure at Postsecondary Educational Institutions
One of the first questions addressed HB2348 which provides “that tenure at postsecondary educational institutions shall not be defined, awarded or recognized as an entitlement, right or property interest in a faculty member’s current, ongoing or future employment by an institution.”
Rahjes said the bill was a “solution looking for a problem” and that “cooler heads would prevail on this.” He also mentioned there are ongoing negotiations, so it is difficult to know what the end result will be.
Wasinger said the bill does not remove tenure.
“This has nothing to do with tenure,” Wasinger said. “You will still have tenure. It’s not stopping tenure at the colleges. It’s not doing anything like that.”
While the bill does not prevent universities from awarding tenure, it does remove tenure as a property right. This property right ensures universities must follow due process before terminating a tenured professor.
During a recent hearing on the bill, Kansas State University President Richard Linton, along with several other individuals, testified against the bill.
“Without the stability that tenure provides, we’d struggle to keep doing this essential work that gives Kansas its competitive edge,” Linton said. “It would be very difficult to retain our strong faculty and near-impossible to recruit new ones.”
However, just because the bill has been heard by the committee does not guarantee it will ever be passed out of the legislature.
“I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” Billinger said.
Property Tax
One of the big pushes in this legislature is to reduce property taxes.
Wasinger said the biggest complaint she hears from her constituents is about property taxes.
“I feel like the last two years that message is finally being seen by all of these representatives and senators and our leadership, and so we’ve been trying to do what we can to help on property tax,” Billinger said.
Rahjes agreed that property tax relief should be a priority.
“We all campaigned for re-election on property tax relief, property tax relief, property tax relief, and our leadership with both House and Senate said that’d be our No. 1 priority, first bill out,” Rahjes said.”Well, it hasn’t been. That’s been disappointing and frustrating that that should be the focus because that’s what people want. They want tax relief.”
Billinger said the Senate passed a cap on property tax evaluation increases.
SCR 1603 is a state constitutional amendment that would limit the increase in taxable real estate valuation to 3 percent annually. The bill has now been referred to the House Committee on Taxation.
Billinger also noted that last year the legislature increased the amount of home evaluations that were exempt from property tax. Before the bill, only the first $40,000 was exempt from property tax.
“We raised that to $80,000 last year, trying to help folks on the property tax,” he said.
He also said there are efforts to remove the 1.5 mills collected by the state on property taxes. That 1.5 mills is the only part of property taxes that goes to the State.
“We’re really limited in what we can do on property tax at the state level because those taxes are mostly local,” Billinger said.
High Plains Mental Health Crisis Center
High Plains Mental Health Center recently announced the construction of a Crisis Intervention Center in downtown Hays. One individual asked if there was funding available to help with the cost of the center.
“I do support it and I will do what I can to try to help get some funding for it,” Billinger said.
Billinger added that the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services may be able to provide some funding.
Rahjes said the budgets are tight.
“Unlike the feds, we can’t print money,” Rahjes said. “We have to have a balanced budget.”
Wasinger said this could be funded by programs that are no longer being utilized.
“I’m thinking that we can at least get started by finding something that’s not working within KDADS and they could start giving some funds for that,” Wasinger said.
It was the last Legislative Coffee for this year, but the Chamber plans on continuing the series next year.