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As advance ballots go out for a special election on a hotel sales tax, some Wichita voters say they do not understand the question.
A petition drive forced a Feb. 28 public vote on a guest tax incentive for the Ambassador Hotel project at Douglas and Broadway. Since mail-in ballots have gone out to voters, the city says its received dozens of calls about the question on the ballot.
Here's how the ballot question reads:
- "Shall Charter Ordinance 216 entitled: “A charter ordinance amending and repealing Section 1 of Charter Ordinance No. 213, of the city of Wichita, Kansas, which amended and repealed Section 1 of Charter Ordinance No. 183 of the city of Wichita which amended and repealed Section 1 of Charter Ordinance No. 174 of the city of Wichita, Kansas, pertaining to the application of revenues from the transient guest tax” take effect?" Yes No
Here is what it really means:
- A "yes" vote means hotel developers will get to keep 75% of hotel guest tax revenue to put back into the project for the next 15 years. The other 25% would go to promote local tourism.
- A "no" vote means all the tax money would go to promote local tourism instead.
The city says the state constitution requires the strange wording. City attorney Gary Rebenstorf says if the question was not worded the way it is, it would not be legal.
"We have to set out the title of the charter ordinance, the number of the charter ordinance and the lengthy part in there that describes the title of the ordinance and 'shall that ordinance take effect,'" said Rebenstorf.
A petition drive collected enough signatures to force the vote on the project. The developer will have to pay for the cost of the election.
The election is February 28th. There will also be advance voting options. Call the Sedgwick County Election Office at (316)660-7101, visit their website, or visit the office at 510 N. Main, Suite 101 in the historic Sedgwick County Courthouse to learn more about the election and advance voting.