The Informer recently had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Governor Laura Kelly, which has been transcribed below. Some answers may be condensed for space.
Q: With the signing of the food sales tax bill, and local authority remaining, the biggest concern to Derby is the impact on STAR bonds. There has been talk of making STAR bond districts with grocery stores whole to negate that, can you speak to how you plan to do that as to not negatively impact STAR bond development?
A: We have been very careful as we were looking at totally eliminating the food sales tax. We’ve been working on that since last fall, so we did a pretty thorough study on what impact it would have on other kinds of programs; because it’s not only STAR bonds but it is also our transportation program. That transportation program is dedicated sales tax money, too. What we did in every case is modify formulas so that it could change with the new market.
Q: The focus has been so heavily on “axing the food tax,” so what do you turn your attention to next?
[Legislature] to move the start date of the initial phase of the sales tax elimination from Jan. 1, 2023, to July 1 of this year. I’m not giving up on getting relief to the Kansas families now; I know they need it now. In terms of other things, we have to get the school finance bill through. Right now, we have a budget. That’s the amount they need for K-12 education. That’s
something facing the legislature they have to get done.
In the back of my mind, what I want to get done in my second term is finally get Medicaid expansion through. There’s no way to get it done this year; they’ve made that clear. When there’s no election looming and it’s not a win from me, I’m hoping that the legislature will come around and do what they should have done years ago and expand Medicaid so that we can get access to health care to well over 150,000 Kansans but also so that we can support our rural hospitals, grow jobs in our state and hold on to our health care workers. That would be on top of my list as I move into my second term.
Q: With the Derby region continuing to push for increased Interstate access and mobility, but denied in the latest round of IKE (Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program) funding, can you speak to how you prioritize and assess those projects?
A: We’ve really changed the approach that we’re taking [to our comprehensive transportation program]. We’re much more nimble and now we’re only looking at projects two years out. Every two years we’ll evaluate those projects and then name them winners of the lottery. It will allow projects that didn’t get that time to come back again, not have to wait 10 years for another shot. This way they’ll be able to come back and try again. If the Derby project didn’t get it this time around, that doesn’t mean it won’t the next time. We’re fully expecting there will be a fair number of federal dollars coming in for infrastructure and those will be considered outside of IKE … so that may allow us to bring some new projects online.
Q: As Sedgwick County leadership pushes for a third mental health hospital to help alleviate some of the state’s mental health care issues, what is the state’s role in that and would state aid be offered to make that part of the potential solution?
A: I understand the need fully and completely for continuing care. I’m a firm believer that mental health care provided closer to home, closer to jobs, closer to family is much more effective than institutionalization hours away from the community.
We have, over the entire time that I’ve been governor, systemically increased the number of crisis beds that we have regionally in the KCK area, Manhattan, Hays, Wichita, Salina and beyond. That is a focus of ours and we are having conversations with Sedgwick County officials about the need for a facility in the south central area. I don’t know where it is in the process, but I know those conversations are going on. I’m fully aware that the highest use area for even our facilities in Osawatomie and Larned really emanate from the Sedgwick County area, south central Kansas, so we’re looking at it.
Q: Can you address the COVID funds that remain for use by the state and if those will be made available for use in the public sector?
A: There’s a number of dollars set aside in the current budget that will be coming into our communities for recovery, and then the SPARK task force continues to meet on allocation of the ARPA funding that is left in that account. After the Legislature finished, there’s not a whole lot left there but the SPARK task force is meeting and looking at where they’re going to focus those pockets – and I know that economic development and recovery is one of those buckets, along with behavioral and physical health and then some infrastructure kinds of things. I know they’re doing that; I fully expect that local businesses will be the beneficiaries of some of those funds.