Category: Wichita city government
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The government-as-business myth
Government officials, including those in Wichita, may believe they are operating government like a business. But that can’t happen.
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At Wichita City Council, a big company asks for a forgivable loan
Johnson Controls, a very large company, asks the Wichita City Council for a small forgivable loan.
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Courtyard Hotel up again for tax breaks
The request for tax breaks by an Old Town Wichita hotel raises several questions of public policy, and illustrates the need for pay-to-play laws in Wichita.
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Wichita city council: substance and process
The Wichita City Council and city hall bureaucrats have shown that they are willing to follow the letter of the law, but following the spirit and substance of the law, especially regarding public hearings and citizen involvement, remains a challenge for the city.
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Ken-Mar TIF district, the bailouts
Circumstances surrounding the Ken-Mar shopping center in northeast Wichita illustrate how inappropriate it is for the city to serve as either entrepreneur or partner with entrepreneurs, and is another lesson in how Wichita needs pay-to-play laws.
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Wichita City Council campaign contributions and Douglas Place/Ambassador Hotel
Making contributions to candidates for political office is part of the American political process. But for the Wichita City Council, we see a troubling trend of contributions made by people who also ask the council for money.
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At Wichita City Council, facts are in dispute
Some Wichita City Council members, including Mayor Carl Brewer, criticize citizens for their use of inaccurate and misleading information. So how do the statements made by council members fare when subjected to scrutiny?
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The resolve of the Wichita City Council
Despite her assessment of the will of the people of Wichita, The Wichita Eagle’s Rhonda Holman encourages the Wichita City Council to stick to its guns and do the opposite.
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Citizen activists launch protest petition in response to Wichita City Council vote on hotel development
Despite hearing from numerous local residents speaking in opposition to the project yesterday, the Wichita City Council approved a number of public incentives for a hotel development in downtown Wichita. In response, the Wichita chapter of the grassroots group Americans for Prosperity plans to work to overturn part of the incentive package.
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In Wichita, private tax policy on the rise
In a free society with a limited government, taxation should be restricted to being a way for government to raise funds to pay for services that all people benefit from. But in the city of Wichita, private tax policy is overtaking our city.
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In Wichita, how tax increment financing can channel tax money
The flow of tax dollars Wichita city leaders have planned for Douglas Place, a proposed hotel in Wichita, creates a mechanism where taxpayer funds are routed to a politically-connected construction firm. And unlike the real world, where developers have an incentive to build economically, the city has created incentives for Douglas Place developers to spend…
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Wichita’s high tax hotels
Community improvement district, or CID, taxes are often targeted at visitors to Wichita, and harm our city’s reputation.