Barton County Commissioner Barb Esfeld, District 2, Tuesday morning provided a summary to her fellow commissioners on the 2025 Kansas Legislative Policy Group (KLPG) Annual Meeting, which took place last Wednesday and Thursday in Russell.
“It was an extremely good meeting, well worth my time,” she said. “It was probably among the best couple of days I’ve spent.”
Esfeld’s presentation was for information only, and the commission took no action on the review. The summary covered outcomes and details from the two-day gathering, which brought together lawmakers and policymakers to discuss matters pertinent to Kansas and set the coalition’s priorities for the 2026 legislative session that opens in January.
“It will be somewhat similar to last year,” she said of the KLPG’s legislative platform.
Esfeld said numerous tax-related issues are on the list. Changes to the property tax system and discussions on capping or limiting property valuations are among the topics on lawmakers’ radar.
Other items included:
• Water: “It’s not just the quantity, it’s the quality,” Esfeld said. Of the state’s $12 billion budget, only $20 million goes to water issues and some legislators want to increase that. She mentioned an effort to change a state water law that requires farmers to use all of their allotted or risk having their allotment reduced.
• Home rule: “The KLPG opposes any state-imposed limitation on taxation or spending, because we will see that come up this year, where they’ll be trying to put some control on counties and cities,” she said. “We don’t want the state to be able to control every penny that we try to spend because we know what’s best for our county.”
• Schools: Fifty percent of the state’s budget is tied to school funding, which legislators cannot alter due to a prior lawsuit and Kansas Supreme Court ruling. Lawmakers don’t want to cut school spending, they are just limited in what they can do. This restriction ends in 2027, at which point the budget will be re-evaluated.
• The federal “One Big, Beautiful Bill”: According to a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the bill will cost $3 trillion over the next 10 years, with $1 billion allocated to rural hospitals. The bill is expected to save the average family about $2,400 and includes limits on tip and overtime taxation.
• Taxes: Speakers noted that while there are concerns about high property taxes for seniors and businesses, a bill passed last year, House Bill 2231, exempts certain vehicles and trailers from taxation. And this was a move in the wrong direction, Esfeld said.
• Appraisers: A new bill to elect appraisers is also being considered, which the KLPG opposes.
• Sales Tax Reform: A legislator is proposing a sales tax reform to put taxation back into the hands of local governments.
• Revenue Neutral Rate: If the state were to follow its own revenue-neutral policy, its mill levy would be reduced from 20 mills to 16.45 mills and there is an effort to require this. Local governments have to follow the policy, so why shouldn’t the state, Esfeld said.
Founded in 1979 with 13-member counties, the Topeka-based KLPG is a coalition of 33 rural Kansas counties with a common interest in the preservation of the counties’ tax bases and retention of local control, she said. KLPG is a voluntary, independent, non-partisan and non-profit corporation of elected county commissioners interested in advocating responsible public policy.
KPERS
In an action item on Tuesday, the Barton County Commission adopted Resolution 2025-15 to designate Casey Hubbard, the newly hired assistant administrator/human resource director, as Barton County’s official Kansas Public Employees Retirement System Agent.
County Administrator Matt Patzner provided details on the need to update the agent following Hubbard’s hiring. Under the Kansas Public Employees Retirement Act, the designated agent is the individual through whom system transactions and communications are directed and who acts as a local contact for employees.
Resolution 2025-15 officially named Hubbard as the KPERS agent, with Patzner remaining as an additional signer to act in Hubbard’s absence.
This information was provided by the Barton County media consultant.
