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John “Jack” Helin
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TAB 5
The Chieftain (Bonner Springs, KS)
July 22, 2004
Extra Tine is a Windfall for City Council, Staff
Author: Caroline Boyer
The Wyandotte County Election Commissioner has allowed the city of Bonner Springs to turn in
ballot questions six days later than previously required, giving the city a little breathing room.
The Bonner Springs City Council had included on its agenda for this Monday a preliminary
report of a community/citizen survey that was mailed to residents between July 11 and 14, as
well as resolution options for pool ballot questions for the Nov. 2 election. But with more time
before the question is due to Election Commissioner Pat Rajiha, a decision about what will be on
the ballot can be delayed.
John Helin, city manager, said the city had already given Rajiha a sample of the pool question,
so she knew how much room it would need on the ballot. With this knowledge, she told the city
she needed the final question by Aug. 10, rather than Aug. 4. "That basically gave us a little
more breathing room to get the results of the survey back rather than try to crunch this thing
through," Helin said.
Helin said the Council now has the option to schedule a special meeting to consider the survey
and approve a ballot question Aug. 2 or discuss it during its Aug. 9 meeting. Choosing language
for a ballot question will be made all the easier because city staff has already drafted four
different questions.
Based upon survey results, the Council can choose to put either the $5.3 million design or $3.4
million design for a new aquatic facility on the ballot, and the question can ask whether to fund
the project by raising property taxes or sales taxes. "We've drafted up language already, run that
by our bond counsel, and I think the attorney is looking at it right now, so they are going to have
four options to look at," Helin said.
Helin said more time before the question is due lifts some of the burden from Council members'
shoulders, since they also have the 2005 budget to consider. It also takes some of the pressure off
ETC Institute, the company conducting the survey.
Karen Falk, ETC project manager, said Monday that the company was still waiting for the
surveys to return via mail and had not begun phone surveys. ETC will begin phone surveys in
order to get 400 responses, which may not be met by mail survey response.
"They are coming in at a respectable rate, so we are happy for that," Falk said. "The more that
come in, the less calling we'll have to do." For now, when results do come in, Helin said the city
has asked ETC only to worry about analyzing results concerning the pool.
"We'll mostly concentrate on results of survey as it pertains to the pool, because that's the issue
we've gotta get through," Helin said. "I think we'll want to concentrate on looking at that, and
then maybe at a later date look at the other issues."
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