Government Transparency

2022 Lawrence Budget: Misdirection and Runaway Spending 0
- Tax & Spending
- August 10, 2021
The current form of the City of Lawrence budget for the upcoming year could potentially lead to large deficits and more local taxes for many future fiscal years. In mid-July, Lawrence’s City Manager Craig Owens released a 2022 budget proposal which included a deficit of $7.9 million dollars between the projected expenses of $103.4 million
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Federal taxpayer bailout eclipses local payroll changes 0
- Tax & Spending
- March 29, 2021
Governments in Kansas are slated to receive roughly $3.6 billion to cover for COVID-related losses under the latest federal bailout – AKA Biden’s American Rescue Plan. (That’s in addition to the $1.25 billion collected last year.) However, county, city, and school payroll changes are not only far smaller than the COVID bailout, they don’t the
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A Kansas Budget for Economic Growth & COVID Protection 0
- Tax & Spending
- January 4, 2021
Kansas government is at a crossroads. One path leads to economic malaise, and an ever-increasing budget financed on the backs of those living paycheck to paycheck. Another path leads to a self-sustaining economy, where every tax dollar spent is knowingly tied to a public benefit. As Kansas lawmakers await and consider Governor Laura Kelly’s tax
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STAR Bonds redirect jobs, not create them 0
- Tax & Spending
- August 28, 2020
As Kansas desperately searches for ways to pull itself out of the COVID-19 depression, policymakers will undoubtedly consider economic development tools as an answer. Kansas Sales Tax Anticipation Revenue Bonds, or STAR Bonds, are some of the most notable tools at the disposal of state and local governments. However, the latest research suggests that policymakers
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County Budgets Review: Bringing Savings to Families 0
- Tax & Spending
- August 6, 2020
It is an undeniable truth that Kansas has far too much government for a state of its population and economic size. Kansas’s ranking as the 2nd highest share of local government workers per capita means too many family resources are devoted to maintaining bloated public sector budgets. Therefore, we created a tool for Kansans to
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Kansas counties and cities hike taxes amidst COVID recession 0
- Tax & Spending
- August 3, 2020
As a “thank you” to Governor Kelly’s property tax reform veto, many Kansas county and city governments announced plans to raise taxes, making it harder for Kansans to earn a living and survive the impact of COVID-19. At a time of an economic depression, one would think tax hikes on family homes and businesses as
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