KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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The November general election is months away, but Johnson County is starting a push to educate residents about a public safety sales tax.
A 1/4th cent sales tax will be on the ballot for renewal.
It's not a new tax. In fact, it comes up every ten years for an extension.
While it doesn't sound like a lot of money, it adds up quickly for the county's emergency services.
Johnson County and all cities within the county will split the revenue.
The county’s portion, according to its website, would fund public safety programs, including Emergency Medical/Ambulance Services (MED-ACT), the Sheriff’s Office, Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, Department of Corrections, District Courts, and the District Attorney's Office.
Johnson County projects it will collect $54 million each year.
"The only reason we’re here, the only reason we have this job to do is because of the people who depend on us," said Paul Davis, director of the Department of Emergency Services.
Johnson County Med-Act covers 911 response for 479 square miles.
Med-Act asked the county to fund nine more employees and a new call-answering system.
The agency also wants to expand body-worn cameras to all paramedics and EMTs.
"Our response time performance is 100%, meaning we arrive within 10 minutes 90% of the time," Davis said. "We haven't been meeting that mark recently."
Davis said that funding from the sales tax will help fund additional staff and help improve their current response times.
He said, "At the end of the day, we want to make sure our residents are safe and they can rest knowing we're able to provide the services they need when they call."
An example of the tax residents and visitors to Johnson County will see is a $0.01 charge for a $5 coffee.
County officials say it's needed even more now, as Med-Act's call volume has increased 67% since 2010.
Chairman Kelly said, "If we are unable to leverage additional sales tax funding for public safety, we're gonna have to make difficult decisions in reducing other services or raising property taxes, which is something no one wants us to do."
The Department of Emergency Services director said historically, the agency relied on an ad valorem property tax.
Davis said, "It really does get a bit lopsided. Public safety sales tax evens that out…not just the residents in Johnson County, but those who come to visit and come to work here."
The current public safety sales tax is set to expire in 2027.
Without the revenue stream, officials say it will be difficult to fund Med-Act's requests for additional resources to meet the community's needs.
"15-30 seconds could be a life or death difference," Chairman Kelly said. "We want to make sure that level of service continues for Johnson County. When you call 911, someone picks up in less than 15 seconds, and an ambulance is at your door in less than 10 minutes, no matter where you live."
During KSHB 41's 'Let's Talk' event in Gardner this week, a viewer wanted to know where the revenue from the sales tax goes.
KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson took that question to the county and found out the revenue collected from the sales tax goes into the general fund.
However, the funding balance and revenue are tracked separately.
The revenue can only be used for public safety.
Johnson County has a form that you can fill out if you want to share feedback.
The Board of Commissioners certified the ballot language for the tax last month:
“Shall the Board of County Commissioners of Johnson County, Kansas, adopt, renew, and impose for a period of ten (10) years a one-fourth (1/4) of one-cent countywide retailers’ sales tax in Johnson County, Kansas, commencing April 1, 2027, with proceeds from the tax to be distributed as required by law to the County and the cities in Johnson County, with the county share to be used for the purpose of financing the costs of construction, renovation, repair, maintenance, operation and personnel expenses of public safety projects, facilities, and programs, including but not limited to emergency/ambulance/911 services, Sheriff’s Office, mental health crisis intervention, emergency preparedness/disaster response, and criminal justice system?”
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