News

City looking to help with local food needs

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Many individuals and families are facing some degree of food insecurity in recent times, and the City of Liberal would like to help those in the community.

“Local food banks are facing challenges to meet the increased needs from people in the community, and to help with that, the City of Liberal is hosting a food drive drop off location at City Hall where everyone is welcome to bring non-perishable food items to support fellow residents,” Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said. “Donations will be collected through Dec. 8 and may be dropped off in the administration lobby at City Hall.”

Benefits in line? County chair says benefits are similar

EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

At the recent Seward County Commission meeting, Chairman Scott Carr reviewed several items that have been shared by public members including the county’s lucrative benefits package when it comes to the Paid Time Off policy.

“It’s been in effect since 1997,” Carr said. “The max 512 is very comparable to other taxing entities.”

But a comparison to the City of Liberal shows the county’s benefit is much more expensive to the taxpayers than the city plan.

Commissioners sign documents without approval

EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

Documents that committed Seward County financially to grant applications have been discovered with no action from the commission to support the signatures.

Signatures appearing to be those of Seward County Chair Scott Carr appears on grant applications dated Aug. 14, 2023, March 22, 2024 and March 3, 2025 along with a document signed by what appears to be Tammy Sutherland-Abbott’s signature March 10, 2023, were obtained by Open Record Requests by local citizen Carolyn Huddleston while researching the grants that have been awarded to Seward County.

These applications are for several hundreds thousands of dollars, and many of the grants require matching fund commitments, which means the authorizations would commit local tax dollars to receive some of the grants.

Lizarraga becomes first female sergeant for sheriff’s office

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

After graduating from high school in 2012, Arline Lizarraga went on to get her associate’s degree in criminal justice in California, and in 2018, she made her way to Southwest Kansas and was hired by the Seward County Sheriff’s office.

“I started working in the jail in 2020. I was a corrections officer for 10 months, and I became a deputy for the Seward County Sheriff’s office,” she said.

Lizarraga worked for about a year and a half as a deputy before being selected for sheriff’s office’s Critical Response Team. She would later work as a training officer for about a year and a half before applying for the position of sergeant.

Now, she is the first female sergeant in the history of the Seward County Sheriff’s office.

Citizens continue to show frustration on massive tax increase

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Community members continue to question the recent double digit hike in Seward County’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

County leaders and one community member talked about the situation at the Nov. 3 commission meeting. Liberal resident Rick Madden, who had spoken at previous meetings, including the Sept. 15 Revenue Neutral Rate public hearing, said he is continuing to look for answers to questions he has had for some time.

“Your silence in not answering these questions shows me one, you’re incompetent to address the questions, or two, you’re ashamed to answer questions by diverting to a different topic of how hard it is to make these decisions when I’m a taxpayer too,” he said in the citizens comments portion of the meeting. “The more you stall, this public is learning about the misuse of public funds and who’s actually running the county.”