Sponsored: Salina Needs a State Representative Who Will Fight for Water Infrastructure

By Jay Vanier, Republican Candidate for Kansas House District 71

Residents in several parts of Salina have spent too long dealing with discolored water, repeated flushing and concerns about aging water mains.

The problems reported around Dover Circle, North 10th Street, North 11th Street and Larson Street should not be dismissed as isolated inconveniences. They may be warnings of a much larger challenge facing our community.

Salina has an aging water system. Replacing deteriorating water mains will require long-term planning, significant investment and cooperation among city, state and federal leaders.

No single grant or government program will solve every problem. However, Salina should be pursuing every realistic source of outside funding available so that local residents and utility customers are not forced to carry the entire financial burden.

Two important opportunities deserve immediate attention.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the draft 2027 Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund Intended Use Plan on July 16, 2026.

The Kansas Water Office is also accepting applications for its FY 2027 State Water Infrastructure Grant Program, with applications due September 15, 2026.

These deadlines arrive before the November election. I do not currently hold state office, and I cannot direct a state agency or the City of Salina to submit an application.

What I can do now is call attention to these opportunities, contact state and local officials, ask whether Salina projects qualify and encourage the city to make full use of every available program.

If elected to represent Kansas House District 71, I will make Salina’s water infrastructure a continuing state priority.

I will work directly with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Water Office, city officials and other legislators to identify funding opportunities and help move qualified Salina projects through the state process.

A state representative cannot personally award a grant or order a city construction project. Anyone claiming otherwise is making promises the office cannot keep.

What a representative can do is advocate, ask questions, introduce and support legislation, participate in the state budget process and make sure Salina’s needs are heard in Topeka.

Salina needs a representative who will do more than talk about infrastructure after another line breaks or another neighborhood reports water problems.

We need someone willing to build partnerships, pursue funding and keep working until projects move from discussion to construction.

That is the kind of representative I intend to be.

Paid for by Jay Vanier for Kansas · Sean Robertson, Treasurer.