Key Would Work to Cut City of Ankeny Budget 10 Percent: City Council Q&A

On July 17, Ankeny residents will head to the polls to take the first step in deciding who will be the next member of the Ankeny City Council.

In an effort to help you learn more about the four candidates up for your vote in next week's primary election, Ankeny Patch asked them a few questions to gauge where they stand on specific city issues, as well as questions to help you know more about who they are.

The four candidates are , Mona Bond, Gary Key and Tom Reiland. Today, we introduce you to Gary Key.

The special election will be held Aug. 14.

GARY KEY

Age: 45

Address: 402 N.E. 21^st St.

Employer: Key Ventures (Owner) Irrigation and Backflow Testing

How long have you lived in Ankeny: 9 years

Summary of education: Bachelor's degree in engineering with an emphasis in manufacturing and an associate degree in automotive and business.

Family: Married in 1996 to Pam, a pharmacist and co-owner of Hammer Pharmacy. Two children — son, Nathan, 13, and a daughter, Hannah, 11.

What experience do you have working on councils, boards or commissions?

It is my belief I’m the only candidate who has run a business with over 100 employees, started a small business in Ankeny, and served as president of the Briarwood South homeowners association for four years.

Where do you stand on the two-percent utility franchise fee? Do you believe placing small fees on residents is a good way to generate revenue?

NO and NO. Ankeny can’t just stop the franchise fees because we have spent the funds and we don’t have a plan in place to remove the fee. Ankeny has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. We need to start reducing the fees in 2015 or 2016 by a half-percent until it’s gone. This fee brings in $800,000 to $900,000 each year. The budget needs to be reduced by the same, plus 10 percent. There are several programs the city pays into each year with very little payback to the taxpayers. By cutting two of these programs by 20 percent in the next budget year, we would reduce hundreds of thousands from the budget. Small changes and a new direction are needed for Ankeny to grow.

Are you happy with the city's current property tax rate? If not, what should it be set at and how would the additional money be spent or trimmed from the budget?

NO! Start at the top and work down. The last thing you will hear from me is “We need to cut fire and police to balance the budget.” The programs above (wants) have areas that can be reduced. Limited government leads to greater growth in the private sector, which means more revenue for the city.

What is your plan to keep taxes manageable while still promoting growth and maintaining necessary services for Ankeny residents?

Ankeny needs to stop being the biggest developer in town and start assisting and removing governmental red tape so that the private sector can take on that risk. City government's role is to maintain infrastructure and services to the public. During hard times the city needs to focus on the NEEDS first and the wants a very distance second.

If the city had a $100,000 surplus that had to be spent this year, where should it go?

10 percent into savings and the rest goes to pay off the debt. If we had no debt it would go into repairs or improvements to services and infrastructure. As long as we have debt the city needs to concentrate on the needs and not the wants. As a council member the taxpayers are my first priority. As that representative, I will be a loyal servant to their needs and tax dollars.

Explain your other top priorities (and why) should you be elected to the city council.

We need to make Ankeny very attractive to businesses that will ensure growth with little to no risk to the taxpayers. Lowering commercial property taxes will bring in additional jobs and will increase revenue for the city. With this additional revenue, personal property taxes can be reduced.

What do you think is Ankeny's biggest asset?

The people make all the difference, not the pool, number of parks, sport complex, trails, or schools, it’s just the citizens of Ankeny that make it great.