Atchison County commissioners agree to produce voter Q&A and outreach on proposed EMS sales tax

Atchison County commissioners on July 7 agreed to prepare a voter-facing question-and-answer sheet and step up public outreach about a proposed dedicated EMS sales tax, aiming to give residents consistent, fact-based information before they vote.

The chair proposed compiling commonly asked questions and answers after saying, “I just thought it might be good if we get our heads together and created a a q and a sheet for some of the — I mean, it seems like all the questions are pretty similar,” and suggested commissioners distribute that information at public forums.

Commissioner Campbell said the county should publish projected numbers prepared by the former finance director so voters can compare the sales-tax option with property-tax changes, and that ballot language will specify the tax is dedicated and sunsetting. “My preference is always sales tax over property tax,” Campbell said, framing the measure as a local choice about how to fund countywide EMS.

Commissioner McNable urged broad outreach and turnout, saying commissioners should encourage community discussion so the measure does not pass by a slim margin. “Let them make a choice. Encourage them to vote, because we don’t want this — I don’t want this to end up passing with just a slim majority,” McNable said.

Commissioners volunteered to make brief presentations to community groups and to provide consistent talking points and factual projections in advance of the election. No formal vote was taken on outreach materials; the commission directed staff to prepare draft Q&A and numbers for future consideration.

Next steps: staff will draft a Q&A and compile the budget projections referenced by Commissioner Campbell; commissioners said they will coordinate presentation opportunities and review materials at an upcoming meeting.