The Patriots

by Staff

Panasonic has come begging to the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners for an additional $15 million in public welfare for the DeSoto battery plant project and we gave it to them yesterday on a vote of 5-2.

This ask was made because there is no property tax base to pay for fire protection and other infrastructure needs due to the TIF, so the taxpayers of JoCo are now footing the bill.  Never mind that all other fire protection in the county is paid for either by the cities or fire districts within the county, we are ALL being asked to shoulder the cost to provide protection against Panasonic's extremely flammable and toxic lithium battery production plant.  Why couldn’t Panasonic fund this cost through the $1.4 billion already promised to them?

The lesson is clear: once the trough is open, the hogs will never stop coming for more.
Please come to the BOCC meeting next Thursday, August 4th at 9:30 a.m. (111 S. Cherry, Olathe) and demand that your elected Johnson County Board of County Commissioners revisit this vote for corporate welfare (those in the majority have the right to bring the issue back for reconsideration). It's your money."

Read the Press Hype from Lynne.

by Lynne Hermansen

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday, July 13 Japan’s Panasonic Corp selected Kansas for a multimillion dollar mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers.

It is the largest economic development package of taxpayer-funded incentives that the state has offered a private business worth $829 million over 10 years.

State officials expect the new plant to provide 4,000 jobs for a median $50,000 year income and 16,500 temporary construction jobs. “A new facility of this size is transformational not only for Johnson County but also for the surrounding area and actually the entire state,” Kelly said.David Toland, Kansas Commerce Secretary, said it would make Panasonic a “Top 20” private employer for the State of Kansas [Carried on the backs of Kansas taxpayers for years to come.- ED][How many US electric cars will be sold?]

Johnson County Commissioners Shirley Allenbrand and Charlotte O’Hara, who are both running for county commision chair in the August primary, both addressed the deal at a forum at Johnson County College held that evening. O’Hara said the problem was the state is given one billion in tax incentives and DeSoto is given one billion for an incremental finance district creating two billion in industrial revenue bonds.

“It seems we have given up on the free market,”she said. “And we don’t have to. The engine of our economy is small business. It’s fool’s gold. You run thinking this is the answer. Building one step at a time—that is where the economic future is.”
Allenbrand said it was a proactive plan by the county to provide jobs for everyone everywhere, but they also needed to take a look at the roads as they are terrible in the 6th District.  “I’m excited to see it happen and see Sunflower cleaned up,”she said.

Ken Selzer, former Kansas Insurance Commissioner who is also running for county chair, said the project is going to change the complexion of Western Johnson County. “We need to think about roads and support services,”he said. “We need to be at the table earlier for conversations vital to Johnson County involving workforce and housing issues. We need to stop reacting and lead the growth spurt.”

O’Hara said a 2013 post audit performance report for the county proved why she did not support the project. “Which tools are most effective,” she said. “It is a scathing report of ineffectiveness of tax incentives. We are a trough open to big developers. The market works. Stop picking winners and losers.”

In February, Johnson County Board of Commissioners approved the City of DeSoto’s request for creating a TIF District on the property 5 to 2 with commissioners Michael Ashcraft and Charlotte O’Hara dissenting. O’Hara said at the time it was a very extensive, deep issue and the problem was asking to divert property taxes to help with clean up of the site.

“There are many, many, many issues,” she said. [Looks like the JoCo Commisars ahve dumped the old Sunflower Ammunition plant cleanup on the taxpayers as well. Ed] O’Hara had said it was the U.S. Department of Defense’s responsibility and far beyond their grasp to be prudent with the money and she had many questions. Eilert, county chair, had said he appreciated what the City of DeSoto was going through.

“This area if any area has been blighted—this is it,” he said. “Even with the U.S. Army helping to remove the toxic chemicals there is still work to be done to clean up to the standards.” [That's neither the problen of JoCo tapayers or their responsibility. - ED]

Eilert said it was a good step forward and bringing businesses in would attract revenue for the region.

Allenbrand had said she supported the creation of the TIF district as the area was in the district she serves for the county and she was excited to see something happening with the land. “There is not a property where this is needed more,” she said.

In 1942 during WWII and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the federal government uprooted 150 farms in the cities of DeSoto and Eudora region to build an ammunition plant. Construction began May, 8, 1942 and the plant became operational March 24, 1943. It would become the world’s largest smokeless operational powder plant.

2022 marks the 80th Anniversary of the Sunflower Ammunition Plant. The land has stood dormant for 30 years since 1992.
Operated by the Hercules Powder Plant it produced more than 200 million pounds of propellants and employed more than 12,000 people.

DeSoto annexed 2/3 of the land—6,000 acres November 2021 to form the TIF District for new development. DeSoto has a current approximate population 6,118 residents and sits along Highway K-10 in western Johnson County. Their annexation of 6,376 acres approximately 10 square miles is one of the biggest annexations of land for Johnson County.

Rick Walker, DeSoto City Mayor, had said taking the step of annexing the land is something the DeSoto community has wanted for years.  [ Then you pay for it yourself  Mr. Mayor. - ED]

“I’m honored to be delivering on the decades long vision of reviving the land into something more prosperous,” he said.
Walker had said the former army ammunition plant is historically and culturally tied to the City of DeSoto. “While in operation it drew people from around the country and truly made DeSoto prosper,” he said.

Sunflower Redevelopment’s managing members are Kessinger/Hunter and Co. LC of Kansas City, RESIGHT Holdings LLC of Littleton, Colorado and Midland Properties, Inc of Mission Woods.

Mike Brungardt, DeSoto city administrator, joined that commission meeting and said there was no better example of a blighted roperty.  “It is critical for productive use,” he said. “It is an enormous opportunity for a job creator and economic prosperity.”
Brungardt had said the creation of the TIF district alone doesn’t set the incentive level for each project and the planning phase was still next.
Brungardt said four project plans are initially for 1,000 acres. “We are starting to understand the property and the work needed to be done,” he said.

Ashcraft had said he had a lot of reservations about TIFs statutes for TIFs to go after properties. O’Hara had said the TIF was set at 100 percent tax finance with 80 percent of the proceeds for the cleanup operations and 20 percent to the city of DeSoto for TIF expenses.

“The federal government has an obligation to clean this up,” she said. “Why are we diverting taxes? Why are we changing the rules in the middle of the game? Where did all the money go,” she said.

Becky Fast, commissioner, had said she had been involved since the first initiative to repurpose the site in 1998. “It took federal legislation to work together and the army has worked on it for years,” she said. “They didn’t understand the depth of the chemical damage.”

Fast had said the Army temporarily halted cleanup in 2012 and the Federal government committed another $200 million.
“It’s more than any project nationwide,” she said. Brungardt said federal legislation was required in 2004 for cleanup and the current owner of the site took responsibility for the cleanup. Fast said the Kansas Department of Health and Education will require one of the parties to clean up and Brungardt said the EPA had given most of it to KDHE.

Allenbrand said DeSoto had agreed to be a team together and distribute money to schools, fire station, emergency medical services, park land and more.  “It’s important to realize not all 100 percent is going directly to the city,” she said. “The property has been sitting there before I was born and it is nice to see action.”

O’Hara said she supported the cleanup, but didn’t support the $160 million being used from the county. “We need to talk to our delegation in D.C.,” she said. “Why are we diverting from public coffers when the Public Department of Defense is responsible.”
O’Hara had said developers walked in fully knowing what was expected of them, and it was a loss of services to the community.
Ashcraft had said it was the first time they were offered a vote in affirmation of the TIF development. “I support the community in
addressing the ongoing needs of the plant,” he said. “But I’m unable to support.”

Ashcraft had said he needed to fully understand the impact on the county and the additional 3,000 acres on the county even though it was probably a justifiable use for the land.

O’Hara said they were being asked to do an agreement from 2004. “The public understands there are no repercussions on TIF districts,” she said. “The tax incentives are a huge issue.”

Ashcraft had said he was struggling with concerns that they were offering an appearance of being eager to approve without an opportunity to look at how the the TIF impacts the county, especially the 3,000 acres not annexed into DeSoto.  “I’m troubled we
are not willing to take time for understanding,” he said.

Janee Hanzlick, commissioner, said she wanted thank DeSoto City Administrator Brungardt. “It’s been such an issue for the county for years,” she said. “It’s been a huge barrier for economic development. How many years of property and sales tax being generated.”

Brungardt said the property had been taxed as largely vacant or agricultural.  “It hasn’t been a lot,” he said.
Hanzlick said very little had been generated by the property. [Cry me a river. ED}

“DeSoto and the County has the opportunity to promote economic development and generate more income,” she said. “It’s going to take some investment and initial money to be reinvested.” [But don't think to use the people's money. We have more than enough idiots in Washington with Biden and company. - ED]
Fast said the U.S. Army had kept the property as a whole, they should celebrate the work before them and wanted to know about the vision of the park land.

Jeff Meyers, commissioner, had said he had been involved with other TIF projects with extremely positive results and felt the same effect would occur for DeSoto and the county as a whole with the Sunflower Plant plan.

O’Hara said the new plan didn’t adhere to the 2004 plan and would change Western Johnson County substantially.
“Instead of residential we will have massive Industrial,” she said. “This blue print going forward of warehouses will set the theme for Western Johnson County.”