L&T Publisher Earl Watt
When Thomas Payne wrote “Common Sense,” a pamphlet that helped encourage the American Revolution, he added a line that I believe is very appropriate for our current situation.
He wrote, “We have it in our power to start the world over again.”
Trusting the people over the government was a relatively new concept to the colonists who had been loyal royal subjects for generations.
But when taxes became unbearable, and the people had no say in their government, they revolted, and they did restart the world with a government that would be held to account to the people.
Kansas has a long way to go to protect that rebirth of freedom. When an excessive tax was passed without following the proper protocols, and by completely ignoring the people, many stepped up to challenge whether such an action could take place without the ability to hold those who ignored the public accountable.
The short answer is there is no mechanism to protect the people for overtaxation.
But the people will rise up and look for any other way to hold elected officials accountable.
Our leadership in the Kansas Legislature have no choice but to provide a constitutional amendment that never allows this to happen again.
Proposals vary on rates, but there is discussion about putting an amendment on the 2026 ballot that limits property valuation increases as well as government spending increases at the local level.
This must happen.
Whatever differences exist between the House and Senate need to be addressed. We, the people demand it.
There is no wrong answer here. These limitations are imperative, and the ability of the people to petition or require votes for additional tax increases must be part of the solution.
The public pressure, and the approval of the petition to recall Tammy Sutherland-Abbott, led to the resignations of at least two of the commissioners who approved the record-setting tax increase that was proposed by administration, and the other commissioner, Presephoni Fuller, happened to announce her resignation the same night.
Just as it was for the colonists 250 years ago, we also have the opportunity to start our world over again.
I want to thank the candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to become a county commissioner.
It’s a volatile time. The new commission will have to address whether or not they want to defend the unpopular tax increase against not only the two complaints already scheduled for a hearing with the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals, but they also have almost 1,000 tax filings under protest of an illegal levy. Will they continue to defend the massive tax increase or agree with the community and voluntarily accept a Revenue Neutral ruling and allow the massive tax increase to be repealed?
The inherit the responsibility of curbing the spending which includes, according to auditor Dustin Ormiston an “exorbitant” benefits package.
They will have to deal with the final ruling on the Arkalon Energy case and negotiate a pay back for the pending refund. While the amount is yet to be known, the previous majority refused to discuss a pay back plan with the ethanol plant who publicly stated they would not expect a single payment once the court reaches a decision.
They will have to deal with the depleted reserve funds that took multiple years to build up to $7 million only to have the Taxing Trio blow the wad in three years. If the current budget is not adjusted, the reserves will be down to $80,000 by the end of 2026 according to a study by the Kansas Policy Institute.
This is a massive undertaking, the likes of which I cannot ever remember being left for three newcomers to have to bear such a heavy burden so quickly.
But there is no time to waste, and there is no traditional learning curve period. What needs to be done can’t wait for a year. The county needs to be rebuilt immediately, and the three new commissioners will have to get their sea legs on Day 1.
The longer it takes to address these issues, the harder it will be to enact necessary change.
But this is also an opportunity to start with a clean slate.
Whatever baggage there is does not belong to them unless they opt to not address the immediate needs. Then it is simply business as usual and nothing of consequence will change.
But if they hit the ground running, the county can have a new birth and a new attitude. It can become a better partner with the other entities.
Public trust has been damaged, and it won’t be restored by continuing down the same road.
Two weeks ago I believed 2026 would be a contentious, disappointing year filled with battles as the public was locked out of participation with the county.
Now I feel a new sense of optimism, a belief that 2026 can actually be a year of progress.
There are some tough decisions to be made, for sure, but once that bar is cleared, the hope of a fresh start will remove the veil of apathy and distrust, and the county can begin to not only heal but to build anew.
What direction will we take? Will we make these changes only to stay the course? Or will we head in a bold new direction with new leaders willing to listen to and engage with the public?
There is no better example of how to turn a corner than to look at the recent history of the City of Liberal. When trust was lost, new commissioners made changes, and that has led to a partnership between local government and the people with a relationship in the best condition it has ever been in my lifetime.
The template is there.
The same can happen for Seward County. All it takes is a commission willing to do what is necessary so the people can trust the county again.
