HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After tabling any decision on how the ¼ cent sales tax would be distributed if it is approved by a vote this fall, the Hutchinson City Council took more than an hour and three votes to
finally come to an agreement on how the money would be divided.
The tax, which has been in place since 1994 and extended by a public vote overwhelmingly three more times, came under scrutiny by the council as it wrestled with a very tight budget. Both council members Steve Decant and Dave Inskeep wanted to shift some of the allotment away from the Cosmosphere and Strataca and put it into the budget by means of property tax relief.
As the matter came before the council, Mayor John Daveline made a motion to leave the allocation as it is, with 47 percent to streets, 33 percent to the Cosmosphere, 15 percent to property tax relief and five percent to Strataca. Daveline warned that taking anything away from the two museums would send a negative message to the public, as would any divide among the council. He also noted that the museums were something unique to the world and that taking them for granted would be a mistake.
But council member Decant countered by saying that it would be irresponsible for the council not to consider other alternatives and that he questioned putting the museums on such a high pedestal that they could not be touched in these tough budget times for the city.
At the first vote, both Daveline and council member Nancy Soldner voted to keep things as they are. Both Decant and Inskeep voted “no” on the motion. With council member Jade Piros De Carvalho abstaining, the vote ended in a tie. At that time Inskeep voted to take four percent of the allocation from the Cosmosphere and give it to property tax relief. The vote was again split with Daveline and Soldner voting “no.” After more discussion, both Decant and Inskeep conceded and voted “yes” on keeping the allotment as is.
The matter must still win approval by a vote of the public this fall. Approval would extend the tax to the end of March 2024.