Voters in Wichita are going to the polls today to decide whether to implement a 1% citywide sales tax.
Wichita’s 1% citywide tax would go on top of an existing 1% Sedgwick County sales tax. The 2% in local sales taxes, combined with the state of Kansas’ 6.5%, would make the total in Wichita 8.5% if the vote passes. The ballot wording is here.
Wichita Documenters are at six polling sites today, March 3, conducting exit surveys and asking voters to share their thoughts on the measure through open-ended questions. Here are responses and the questions they were asked after they voted. This will be updated throughout the day as Documenters file them.
Steph Watson (voted at Alvin E. Morris Administration Building)
If you voted no, which aspects did you oppose?
Steph Watson: “There was no safeguarding how money was spent and we spent money on a special election.”
Sarah Foster (voted at Alvin Morris Administration Building)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Sarah Foster: “I follow organizations here locally, Loud Light is one that I pay a lot of attention to. It just sort of lets us know what kinds of legislation is coming through and I talked to people I know in the community who were going to be impacted by the decision and that’s how I decided.”
If the sales tax question came up again in the future, what, if anything, would have to change for you to vote differently?
Sarah Foster: “I think if I felt confident local government would be fiscally responsible or invested in things that really mattered to the community I would be more will to support them with sales tax initiatives. I like to help people, but I also feel like if we can’t trust them with how they’re spending our money right now I’m less inclined to give them more.”
Matthew Alter (Voted at Westview Baptist)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Matthew Alter: “My financial situation.”
What issue motivated you the most in your voting choice and why?
Matthew Alter: “The same, my finances. The ballot looked very persuasive and it’s a little odd there seemed to be a lot of argument for it, on the ballot itself it almost persuaded me. Financial again.
If the sales tax question came up again in the future, what, if anything, would have to change for you to vote differently?
Matthew Alter: “I always will consider it, like I said I was almost persuaded this time.”
If the sales tax is approved, what questions would you still have?
Matthew Alter: “Nothing. Well, property tax relief, what does that mean? I don’t know what that means, I still have questions about that, would that be for everyone or just certain income levels, is it how much your home is worth?”
If the sales tax fails, what questions would you still have?
Matthew Alter: “No questions, because I think I want it to fail. I wouldn’t be questioning it, I would be happy about it.”
“How do you think this 1% sales tax would impact you, your family, or the Wichita community?”
Matthew Alter: “Probably not greatly for me personally. Community, the way I look at things I don’t think people really understand what we’re talking about here, you’re talking about 1% of everything in the world basically. Bill Gates could show up and buy everything here and he would have to pay 1% of everything that he spends in this town. The sales tax is high enough on the things we purchase now and I really am glad that they lowered the sales tax on food, but the sales tax on everything is still high now and I can’t afford more. We’re already paying 7.2%, and now they want to do 8.2% and that’s every fricking thing in the world, another 1% of everything, and I’m not comfortable with that, as a matter of fact I’d like to pay 1% less.
Derek Foust (Voted at Plymouth Congregational)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Derek Foust: “I voted the way I did because I think sales taxes hurt the poor in our communities more than anybody else and I didn’t think there were sufficient guardrails that were in place to ensure that money was spent on a lot of what it said it would be spent on.”
If the sales tax question came up again in the future, what, if anything, would have to change for you to vote differently?
Derek Foust: “I would probably prefer a different mechanism than a sales tax if we’re going to generate revenue, and I’d want more concrete safeguards in place to ensure that the funds are spent on homelessness and fire departments and things of that nature.”
Lillian Phares (Voted at Plymouth Congregational)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Lillian Phares: “For this certain thing, I’ve been a little frustrated with where our current tax dollars are being allocated towards and I think instead of us raising that and us citizens having to pay more, I would rather we take a look at where our current tax dollars are going towards and maybe rework our budget in a way that would better the citizens of this city.”
Bill Almy (voted at the Alvin Morris Administrative Center)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Bill Almy: “I thought it was very odd how they mixed tax cuts and I wasn’t sure who was pushing that. It didn’t seem like all those things needed to be together.
If the sales tax is approved, what questions would you still have?
Bill Almy: “Why are we trying to push or mitigate property taxes on people who don’t own property. Seems crazy to me. And I think it’s just pinching people who are having trouble already. Seems crazy. Everyone’s house prices are going wildly up and they’re becoming more wealthy on paper and they want to put a regressive tax o people and have them pay the taxes. No thanks.”
Jerry Inkelaar (voted at Westview Baptist Church)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Jerry Inkelaar: “I think we’re overtaxed already and probably the timing of it and property taxes increases at the same time. Probably not a good time to do both.”
What issue motivated you the most in your voting choice and why?
Jerry Inkelaar: “Just pay too much taxes.
“If the sales tax question came up again in the future, what, if anything, would have to change for you to vote differently?
Jerry Inkelaar: “Probably nothing.”
If the sales tax is approved, what questions would you still have?
Jerry Inkelaar: “None”
“How do you think this 1% sales tax would impact you, your family, or the Wichita community?”
Jerry Inkelaar: “It would impact my spending. More taxes takes away money from your paycheck.”
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Lillian Turner: What most influenced me is I don’t agree with the tax plan and I’m not convinced what they’re pushing for is best for the city. I feel like the way they’ve been promoting it is ill-informed and I don’t agree with it and what they want to push for. I really care about the city and I think it’s going to hurt a lot of low-income people that can’t afford another 1% tax increase even though the tax would be going toward something that’s going to benefit us and considering they haven’t give a concrete plan to some of those they have on the bill. (Lillian voted at Plymouth Congregational church)
What most influenced you to vote the way you did?
Bree Cox: “I voted yes today because I am in favor of the permanent solution for our unhoused population. I’m mostly motivated by the endowment created for the unhoused population and it would be a permanent solution for them. (voted at Plymouth Congregational Church)
If the sales tax question came up again in the future what if anything would need to change for you to vote differently?
Hugo Marquez: I would like to see some investment in public transportation, particularly the city buses. On some of these lines, there’s only one bus every hour and it’s not enough. It doesn’t operate on Sundays and it stops operating at 6, 7 in the afternoon. I would like to see some investment in that. If they ask me to raise taxes I would go for that.”(voted at Plymouth Congregational Church)
Kathy Boggs (voted at Westview Baptist Church)
What influenced you to vote the way you did today:
Kathy Boggs: “It’s coming out of everybody’s pocket and the few who don’t own homes.
What issues issue motivated you the most in your voting choice and why?
Kathy Boggs: “My real estate tax. It keeps going up. If put it in places to help everybody out with the fire and the homeless.”
If the sales tax is approved, what questions would you still have?
Kathy Boggs: “If they’d be doing what they’re supposed to be doing, like they said they would.”
If the sales tax fails, what questions would you still have?
Kathy Boggs: Why. Because it would benefit more that the people who have a house. It’s going to benefit the firemen and policemen and also help firestations and and help the community instead of just a few people.
Timothy Dodd (voted at Westview Baptist Church)
What influenced you to vote the way you did today:
“Just for the fact there was not a lot of transparency and how the sales tax is going to affect people. Moreover, I felt it was targeting people of lower income due to the sales tax nature of it. It’s not a really good reflection of how we should be spending our money here for the city budget.”
What issue motivated you the most in your voting choice and why?
“Just civic responsibility and also just for the fact that the city budget needed to have more detail to it. There just wasn’t a lot of transparency and I don’t think the sales tax is a fair tax.”
If the sales tax came up in the future what if anything if anything, would have to change for you to vote differently?
“Just a lot more detail on where this money is going to be spent that would have to be the first step but I would still be inclined to still vote no just because I don’t think the sales tax is going to be fair for lower-income Wichitans.”
If the sales tax is approved, what questions would you still have?
“Where is this money going.”
“How do you think this 1% sales tax would impact you, your family, or the Wichita community?”
We would be charged more for our goods we already spend a lot of money on so we’d be spending less money in downtown Wichita and at local businesses.