Governor warms to proposal to raise taxes

? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has opened the door to a tax increase, saying the state needs more revenue to fund education.

State Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, said Friday such a position was long past due from the governor.

“There has to be an increase in revenues or the governor and Legislature will have to agree to eliminate programs on a wholesale basis,” he said.

Sebelius refused to consider a tax increase during her first session as governor and signed a budget relying on accelerated tax collections, cuts in funding to cities, counties and highways, bookkeeping changes and flat spending.

“It was patently dishonest,” Sloan said, adding the reductions in revenue sharing to local governments probably would lead to local tax increases. That will be the case in Lawrence and Douglas County.

Despite her no-tax stance during the session, Sebelius told the editorial board of The Kansas City Star earlier this week a tax increase probably would be on the table.

“It’s my responsibility at this point to step up to the plate and outline where we want to be in the next three years. And that’s what I’m going to do, and it definitely will require some additional resources we don’t have now,” she said.

Asked to elaborate, she said, “We’re probably talking about needing to look at some tax increases.”

State Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he was pleased to hear about Sebelius’ stand on the issue.

“I think that the governor is interested in taking a strong stance on education,” he said.

Davis was part of a group of freshman lawmakers last session who unsuccessfully pushed for a tax increase. “I thought that last session was the time to do it, but the governor seems to think that the time is right, so I certainly welcome it,” he said.

Sebelius also has said she would propose changes to the method of allocating funds to public schools.

The current formula, developed in 1992, is being challenged as discriminatory to minority and disadvantaged students because funding enhancements are greater in mostly white districts.

Funding public schools makes up one half of the state budget.