Advocates ask county to release affordable housing funding study; commissioners warn state tax-credit cuts could reduce local housing production

Roz Thorpe, co-chair of the Good Faith Network’s affordable housing team, told the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 20, 2025, that the group has formally requested release of a county report researching sustainable funding sources for an affordable housing trust fund that the board commissioned on Oct. 26, 2023.

"It's time to produce the report," Thorpe said, reading from an open letter signed by hundreds that asked the board for immediate release of the sustainable funding sources report. She said the report is essential for informed policy decisions and urged full support for the built-for-zero Kansas initiative as a path toward functional zero homelessness by 2029.

Thorpe noted the board directed staff to research funding sources 483 days earlier and asked when the report would be available.

Commissioners in the meeting discussed housing needs and legislative developments affecting funding. County legislative analyst Erin Wynn told the board that House Bill 2119, which would eliminate the Kansas affordable housing tax credit, was recommended favorably in committee and was expected to move toward passage. Wynn said projects already awarded credits would be grandfathered, but she and commissioners warned that removing the credit would reduce 2024-level production: the Kansas Housing Association estimated that 2,600 units came online in 2024 using the tax credit and that elimination could reduce that number dramatically.

"Taking away tools to allow partners to address that is going to create a scarcity mindset," Chairman Mike Kelly said, urging legislators to preserve incentives. Commissioner Melanie (first name not specified in the record) said Johnson County faces rising homelessness and that more than 40% of residents actively experiencing homelessness are employed; she described housing as the long-term solution.

Public commenters also raised local concerns about property taxes and the pace of county action. Charlotte O'Hara said the county should "stop raising property taxes," and other speakers urged the board to produce the requested housing trust fund report.

The board did not vote on any housing measure at the Feb. 20 meeting; the discussion combined public comment, calls for transparency on the county-commissioned report, and concern about state-level changes to housing finance tools that commissioners said could limit local housing supply if passed.