News

United Way Bash to provide early Halloween fun

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Halloween is just around the corner, and trick-or-treating fun will soon be taking place around the area.

Oct. 24, Seward County United Way is providing its own fun for the holiday with its annual Halloween Bash, and Director Patricia Fierro said while past events have been more about trick-or-treating, this year’s is more like a carnival.

“The reason we’re doing this is we want to be able to have family engagement, giving our families something to do,” she said. “That is also another reason why we changed it to a Friday. There’s not many options here in Liberal of activities or things we can do with our children.”

Citizens file complaints with BOTA

L&T staff report

Two complaints have been filed with the Board of Tax Appeals following Seward County’s recent passage of a 13-plus mill increase which exceeded Revenue Neutral Rate.

L&T Publisher Earl Watt filed a similar complaint to the one he filed with the Seward County Clerk’s office.

“After discussing how the process was handled by Seward County, I discussed the issue with Senator Caryn Tyson, who was the chief architect of the Revenue Neutral law,” Watt said. “She advised a complaint should be filed with BOTA who determines whether or not there were violations of the process.”

Kings cut ribbon on King Luxe Photography studio

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Those looking for a photographer who can take formal studio photos now have just that with the new King Luxe Photography studio at 112 W. 2nd Street.

As owner Julie King tells it, photography has been a long-time hobby of hers.

Health Dept. to provide nursing services to Seward County Jail

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

While much of Monday’s Seward County Commission meeting was focused on the ongoing battle over the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the Seward County Health Department was featured in a few agenda items of its own.

The first item concerned allocations for the local Women Infants and Children (WIC) program provided through the health department.

“The WIC budget year starts Oct. 1 and runs until Sept. 30,” SCHD Administrator Brie Greeson said. “The state is doing something a little different this year. There have been lots of changes in WIC. They typically give us a tentative allocation when they actually get the money from the federal dollars. They give us that, and then we bring the contract. We’re doing it a little bit different than how we previously did it.”

County continues budget battle

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

As opinions continue to swirl regarding the Sept. 15 public hearing that saw a narrow 3-2 vote to pass a budget that contained a 13-plus increase in the mill levy, one Seward County commissioner sought to relook at the budget to see if further cuts could be made at Monday’s meeting.

“I just want to open up for discussion based on the public reaction in the last two weeks, is there room to amend the 2026 budget, which we are still able to do at this time?” Commissioner Todd Stanton said. “There’s additional information we’re all aware of at this point. Is it something we’re willing to discuss?”

Stanton said reaction to the budget from the public has been extraordinarily negative, and he believes county leaders now know about more options available to them.