AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag has been quoted in numerous Kansas media outlets this first month of the legislative session. Here’s what he had to say to Wichita blogger Bob Weeks, author of Voice for Liberty in Wichita, and Johnson County blogger Ben Hodge, with RedCounty.com.

From Voice for Liberty in Wichita:

A Few Questions for AFP’s Derrick Sontag
January 25th, 2009

I and a few others met with Americans For Prosperity’s Kansas state director Derrick Sontag on Friday. Following are a few of the questions I asked, and Derrick’s answers.

Q. Last year AFP had a model budget. Did that have anything to do with the relatively low increase in spending — compared to previous years — in last year’s budget? And does AFP plan to introduce a model budget this year?

“Yes. I think AFP in general had a lot to do with that. AFP had a direct impact. We’re probably on the next-to-last draft on a model budget for this year. We’ll bring it out next month in time for the legislature to use it for the 2010 budget.”

Q. Proposition K — the effort to reform property tax appraisals in Kansas: Who will be the opposition to this?

“Local units of government. When you think about it, it’s been a nice hidden tax increase for years. They can just rely on the appraisal system to do their dirty work. We stress that it doesn’t take away the local’s right or authority to raise property tax rates. But, they won’t like this, because they wont have the appraisal system to lean on. So they’ll have to ask for an increase in the mill levy. They’re going to fight it, but it will be tough for them to justify it. Citizens will ask “why are you fighting this? You still have the right to raise tax rates.’”

Read more at www.wichitaliberty.org.

From RedCounty.com:

Q&A with Americans for Prosperity
Posted by: Benjamin Hodge | 01/30/2009 6:00 AM

I asked the following series of questions to Derrick Sontag with the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity. I hope you find them informative and interesting.

1. For readers who are unfamiliar with Americans for Prosperity, can you provide some background information?

Americans for Prosperity is an organization that promotes free markets, limited government and lower taxes. We lobby for lower taxes, increased government transparency, and responsible government spending.

The Kansas chapter of AFP started in 2004 as one of the first state chapters. Aside from our national office in Washington, D.C., there are AFP chapters organized in 22 states. There are more than 300,000 members nationwide, with more than 30,000 here in Kansas.

1. What do you consider some of AFP's successes?

In Kansas, AFP started to help fight a billion-dollar tax increase proposed by the governor. We were successful in stopping that tax increase and have had numerous other legislative successes. We have fought for more government transparency, and assisted with the creation of the nation's first state transparency database, KanView.

In the last legislative session, we helped legislators limit the growth of our state's budget to less than five percent, and we successfully fought efforts to impose a carbon tax and emissions cap on our Kansas businesses.

Read more at www.redcounty.com/johnson.