Here’s an opportunity that pro-active citizens should seize.
The Kansas Department of Transportation will hold eight meetings across the state to discuss road projects and solicit comments about the way transportation dollars are being spent.
The closest will be in Chanute on Oct. 3.
Those who think that transportation dollars should be spent on transportation projects should attend and say so.
The last grab of KDOT dollars for non-transportation purposes was made by the Legislature, and agreed to by Gov. Sam Brownback, just a few weeks ago. Then, as I recall, about $6 million was snitched from KDOT to spend on another phase of the remodeling of the state capitol building.
That was just a drop in a bucketful of dollars lawmakers have taken from money raised through the tax on highway fuels and dedicated sales tax revenue for KDOT over the past four years.
Taking tax money Kansans, in their innocence, thought they were paying to build and maintain bridges, highways and airports and spending it as general fund money is cheating.
KDOT’s executives know it is cheating but can’t say so because they are hired by the administration and paid by the Legislature. So it will help them a lot if a bunch of voters/citizens attend these public meetings and go on record as telling the Legislature and the governor to stop using KDOT money as a slush fund they can tap for whatever purpose.
Stay tuned. The time and place will be announced when available.
— Emerson Lynn
