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Commerce committee clears concurrent resolution to allow Wyandotte County port authority
Summary
The Senate Commerce Committee voted to recommend SCR 16-06, a concurrent resolution authorizing creation of a port authority in Wyandotte County. Staff said state statute requires legislative approval and that a port authority's board is appointed, not elected; property tax levies would still require voter approval.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted to recommend favorably for passage Senate Concurrent Resolution 16-06, a measure that would permit creation of a port authority in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas.
Committee staff told members that state statute requires legislative approval by concurrent resolution to create a port authority and that the resolution does not require a separate vote of the people. The reviser cited statute 12-3402, subsection (a), and said the law also provides that the port authority's board members are appointed by the governing body of the city or county.
Why it matters: A port authority can exercise a range of economic-development functions in a locality, and statute provides a path for cities or counties to create one only after the Legislature approves a concurrent resolution. Depending on local action, the authority could involve taxing actions that would require voter approval before a property tax levy.
Committee discussion and context A committee member who spoke in favor noted Leavenworth County's port authority, created in 1969, as an example and said the authority had generated jobs and new property valuation since its creation. Committee members asked how many port authorities exist statewide; staff did not have a definitive count and suggested the research department could supply additional information.
Legal and fiscal notes The reviser told the committee that under the cited statute a port authority "shall not transact any business or exercise any powers until the passage of a concurrent resolution by the legislature." The staff also said the statute gives the city or county the ability to levy a property tax but that such a levy would require approval by a majority of the electors in that jurisdiction before a tax could be imposed.
Outcome and next steps The committee recommended SCR 16-06 favorably for passage and placed it on the consent agenda; members also approved recommending passage without the consent agenda in a separate motion. The resolution will proceed through the legislative process for potential final approval.
Additional detail Committee members discussed prior attempts and local examples where port authorities were proposed but not implemented; one senator recalled a past proposal tied to development of the Legends area and said that local circumstances sometimes remove the need for a port authority.
