Commissioners on the Unified Government of Wyandotte County voted in August to place a question on the November 3, 2026, ballot for voters to pass a special purpose 0.25% sales tax to help support and fund health-related services across the county for the next 10 years. REACH urges Wyandotte County voters to VOTE YES ON THE HEALTH SPECIAL SALES TAX.
The Foundation supports this special funding mechanism because of the significant disinvestment in public health in Kansas over the past few decades, which has led to worsening health outcomes. Wyandotte County experiences higher rates of early deaths, low birth weights, and uninsured rates than Kansas or the United States on average. Passing this measure would provide a significant boost in support for critical services to counteract years of underfunding.
Currently, Wyandotte County invests around 12% of its annual budget on health care services in the county, a number that has been either flat or declining over recent years. This special sales tax would provide a significant boost in resources that can be directed towards providing health care for people without insurance, mental health services, and home health care for people aging in place, among other needs.
Recent federal cuts to health care and other parts of the safety net have increasingly left localities to fend for themselves to cover some of the gap. Given that this is a special purpose sales tax dedicated to funding health services in Wyandotte County, it is also subject to a renewal vote every 10 years. Because it is non-permanent and decided upon by the communities most affected by sustained and inadequate funding for local public health in Wyandotte County, REACH endorses this measure to help improve health access and outcomes.
REACH Healthcare Foundation encourages Wyandotte County residents to vote YES on the special sales tax for health services, either during advance voting currently underway or on November 3rd.
