Barton County Commissioner Barb Esfeld said budget cuts at the federal level and legislation at the state level will affect Kansas counties. She recently attended a Kansas County Commissioners Association meeting and came back with the following report, which she shared at the April 29 Barton County Commission meeting.
Commissioners who attended the state conference were reminded to keep federal cuts in mind when working on next year’s budgets.
“They cautioned us to remember that the federal government gives half of our budgeting grants,” she said. “If the federal government cuts those grants on a state level, we could be facing some pretty big cuts. (We were reminded) to be very cautious and keep in mind where all those dollars come from.”
The Kansas Legislature will conduct a study this summer on possible legislation to reduce property taxes. There were several bills related to property tax this year but they didn’t pass, Esfeld said.
“One of the big ones they’ll be looking at is eliminating sales tax exemptions that total $8.7 billion,” she said. If they are successful, the additional sales taxes collected will go toward property tax. Asked if the presenters gave examples of sales tax exemptions being considered for elimination, Esfeld said, “Churches, to Kiwanis, to Girl Scouts, you name it. Farming. Anyone who has sales tax exemption could be paying sales tax in the future, but that money could be shifted to reduce the property tax as well.”
Senate Bill 119, increasing the amount of fees retained by the county treasurer for processing motor vehicle license applications and certificate of titles, did not pass.
Other changes in state legislation that affect counties:
• The state increased registration fees from $100 to $165 on electric cars to help fund the byways.
• The three-day grace period for accepting mail-in ballots after election day will be gone in 2026.
• Senate Bill 199 allows fireworks to be sold year-round in Kansas. However, it’s still up to the counties and cities when they are shot off.
• The county’s website needs to be ADA compliant. This means the website will ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities, aligning with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Key elements include providing alternative text for images, captions for videos, and sufficient color contrast.
• The state will continue to pay to mail Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) notices for the next two years, but the form has changed. “Hopefully it will be a little bit easier to read.”
• Senate Bill 37/House Bill 2025, repealing the 3-mile extraterritorial planning and zoning authority for cities, will be studied in the interim.
• Senate Bill 10 provides property tax exemptions for several types of personal property, specifically off-road vehicles not operated on highways, motorized bicycles and electric-assisted mobility devices, trailers with a gross weight of 15,000 pounds or less used exclusively for personal purposes, and marine equipment like watercraft trailers and motors, starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Esfeld said there was also a lot of discussion about cyber security. Fortunately, Barton County Information Technology Director Dereck Hollingshead has already addressed everything the presenters went over.
“Dereck has got us covered. There were a lot of commissioners around me that were not so lucky, so a big shout out to Dereck and the good job he does for us.”
On a related note, there was discussion about Artificial Intelligence and how it can help or hinder a county.
“Dereck has this on his radar, but AI can mimic an email,” Esfeld said. She recalled an incident in 2016 when the Barton County Treasurer’s Office transferred $48,600 to a bank in Atlanta, in response to what appeared to be emailed instructions from then-County Administrator Richard Boeckman. (He did not send the emails.) “It can look just like you and sound just like you, and it can send emails from you. So AI can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing.”
