STORY AND PHOTO BY KEITH LIPPOLDT
Barton County Commissioners on Tuesday paid tribute to the late Jan Karlin.
Jenneth “Jan” Hallmark Karlin was originally hired by the Barton County Clerk’s Office in 1980 where she obtained a thorough knowledge of the Clerk’s Office and what would later become the County Information Technology Department, according to the agenda from Tuesday’s Commission meeting. Karlin was later elected to the position of Barton County Treasurer, serving from 1986 to 2007, where she “expanded upon the statutory responsibilities of the department and continued to strengthen the collaborative relationship with administrative offices and the Commission.”
Karlin passed away April 4, 2025 at the age of 77.
Commissioner Donna Zimmerman shared a few memories about Karlin, a dear friend and former coworker, including how Karlin was the first person to operate a computer in the Barton County Courthouse.
“Jan was instrumental in computerizing the County Treasurer’s Office. She brought back the annual tax sale, that hadn’t been performed in years, and implemented new procedures to collect delinquent taxes,” Zimmerman said. “Another family shared yesterday about how Jan would always look for tags that were out of state or out of county, and she made sure that if you were in Barton County, everybody was paying their fair share. Jan kept all the area bankers on their toes, running from bank to bank with paper checks for the best competitive rates.”
“Jan was a member of several organizations. She was President of the Kansas County Treasurers Association, a member of her District Treasurers Association, the Great Bend, Hoisington and Ellinwood chambers and the Rotary Club, to name a few. She was very active in her association, working on potential legislation, as well as active in her community. But there wasn’t anything Jan couldn’t do when she set her mind to it. There were very few people in her life that hadn’t received a greeting card with a personal note at some time in their life. Probably one of the things I admired most about Jan was her desire to help anyone, regardless of their stature or position and never know a stranger.
“This proposed proclamation honors her life and career with County Proclamation 20-2508 honoring the life and career of Jen Carlin.”
The Proclamation also reads, “And further, that Karlin was a champion of women within the Barton County organization and promoted professional development while being mindful of the obligation of wives and mothers in homes and in their community. And further, that Karlin continued those efforts by networking through local chambers, the Kansas County Treasurer’s office and the Kansas Association of Counties.”
Zimmerman made a final comment to the family members in attendance.
“I’d like to say I’m so thankful that you guys were able to be here today. She leaves a legacy behind. She worked so hard and made a huge impact on not only my life personally, but the county as a whole for efforts to computerize and the things that she did in that office.”
Commissioner Barb Esfeld also had kind words about Karlin.
“I wanted to say that Jan was way ahead of her time, as you guys know,” she said. “I was in Russell County then. She had actually retired when I came here to be the Appraiser. But I remember Judy Corley, the Russell County Treasurer, relying on her a lot. And when they became computerized, she was able to call Jan. And I just remember her saying what a very smart and wise lady, and she became a really good friend to her. I know that she helped a lot of people, besides just Barton county as well. So you guys have a lot to be proud of.”
Zimmerman made the motion to adopt Proclamation 20-2508 honoring the life and career of Jan Karlin and declaring April 15 as Jan Karlin Day. Esfeld made the second and the motion carried 5-0.
Here’s a brief look at what happened at Tuesday’s Barton County Commission meeting.
• Barton County Clerk Bev Schmeidler presented Batch 6 from the County Appraiser’s Office of Added / Abated / Escaped / Refunded Taxes. It consisted of 14 total records with taxes totaling $24,602.36. The majority were Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) adjustments and payments made under protest hearings for oil, personal property and real estate.
Esfeld made the motion to approve the taxes as reviewed by Schmeidler. Zimmerman seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
• Barton County Administrator Matt Patzner addressed the Commissioners on an Economic Development project at Hidden Hills Housing Development north of Claflin.
“Barton County continues to be a funding source for projects benefiting economic development of the entirety of the county,” Patzner said. “As such, the Commission today will consider prioritized funding based on project selection. This time the commission considered the purchase of needed culverts for the Hidden Hills Housing Development outside of Claflin.”
Before receiving a motion, Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson said, “I’ll probably say this until everybody is sick of hearing it. We don’t need more taxes in Barton County. We need more taxpayers in Barton County. What this economic development money is going towards is a development of 10 to 15 homes north of Claflin. There’s only two ways to lower property taxes, and that’s either cut from the budget and services provided to our citizens, or grow. I’d like to think that we’re doing both. This is an example of that.”
Commission Chair Tricia Schlessiger echoed Hutchinson’s sentiment by saying, “I agree. How many places do you build 15 new houses, or 10 to 12, whatever the number is, in one location? So it’s a great use of our economic development dollars.”
Commissioner Hutchinson made the motion to approve the purchase of $29,440.80 in culverts from the J and J Draining Products Company of Hutchinson. Zimmerman made the second and the motion carried 5-0.
• Patzner also addressed the Commissioners about the appointment of a Deputy Coroner for the County.
“Dr Patrick Stiles currently serves as the 20th Judicial District Coroner,” Patzner said. “His current term expires December 31, 2026. Ellsworth County has requested that Dr. Joshua Bahr be appointed as a Deputy Coroner. Under Kansas law, that appointment would be equal to the current term of Dr Stiles. So today we just ask you to consider appointment of Joshua Bahr as deputy coroner.”
Commissioner Duane Reif made the motion to appoint Bahr as Deputy Coroner. The motion was seconded by Esfeld and it passed 5-0.
