Source: Wichita Eagle
The Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative Wichita nonprofit organization, is hosting a community forum on the proposed job development fund, which is part of the one-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax that will be on the November ballot.
The forum will be held from 7:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 19 at Wichita State University’s Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E. 29th St. North, Room 132.
The city of Wichita is proposing a 1 percent sales tax on the November ballot that would collect an estimated $400 million over five years for a new water source, transit, street maintenance and job development.
The “nuts and bolts” of the jobs fund proposal will be discussed by Paul Allen, with Allen Gibbs and Houlik; Jeff Finkle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council; and John Tomblin, vice president for research and technology transfer at Wichita State.
Nathan Jensen, associate professor at George Washington University, will speak about the history of incentives in Kansas.
The trends of Wichita’s economy will be discussed by Jeremy Hill, director of Wichita State’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research.
Pamela Villarreal, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, a free-market focused think tank, will talk about creating a dynamic local economy.
In July, the KPI held a forum over the water issue. The organization plans another forum over the other proposed sales tax issues in the near future.
The Kansas Policy Institute does not take a particular stance on the sales tax issue, said James Franko, vice president and policy director for KPI.
The forum is free to attend, but advance registration is encouraged.
For more information or to register, call 316-634-0218 or visit www.kansaspolicy.org/events.