ShawneeDispatch.com

To the Editor:

It appears that the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce is attempting to pressure the state legislators into increasing our taxes for schools. They have resigned from the State Chamber in protest. The State Chamber has recommended holding the line on taxes due to our difficult state economy. As a taxpayer, I wish the Shawnee Chamber would be more responsible.

After all, taxpayers in school district 512 just passed a $184 million bond issue plus interest. And the De Soto school district has several ongoing bonds for new schools because of rapid growth. It is the Shawnee Chamber which has an Economic Development Department used by our city and funded with tax dollars. This chamber group searches for corporations willing to move here and receive lower taxes through tax abatements. These collective abatements starve our schools through tax consequences.

Last month our City Council added to our burden with more abatements, for the benefit of developers who already have ground in Shawnee. No one from either school district or the chamber appeared as interested parties.

Rather than recommending multiple increases for taxpayers, as if the chamber's voice should outweigh ours in Topeka -- they might lead by paying their fair share of taxes and limiting the number of recommended abatements. Especially when our governing body has permitted the chamber and developers to have an unfair ability to control decisions in favor of corporations at our expense.

Charlotte Hargis

Shawnee