Property Taxes Are Crushing Kansas Families – Local Leadership Must Step Up
Hey fellow Kansans,
If you own a home, run a small business, or are trying to stretch a fixed income here in Kansas, you already know the problem: property taxes are climbing higher every year, and it feels like no one in Topeka is doing anything meaningful to stop it.
This year the Kansas Legislature promised real tax relief. They talked a big game about reining in spending and giving taxpayers a break. But when the session ended, what did we get? Nothing. No meaningful reform. Just more of the same.
The real story behind the failure was ugly. Substantial infighting inside Republican ranks kept them from coming together on any unified plan. Instead of delivering the relief they promised, they left local governments holding the bag.
That means county commissioners across Kansas — including right here in Geary County — are on the front lines for property taxes. Commissioners have to set the mill rates, balance the local budget, and decide which services get funded. The goal sounds simple: stay revenue neutral. But anyone who has looked at a county budget knows how quickly things can spiral out of control if we keep doing things the same old way. If we don’t change course, taxes will keep going up, year after year.
The budgeting process will be heating up in the next few weeks as the current commissioners go through and decide all the nuances of that process. What we need are leaders with a business owner’s mindset — people who will ask the tough questions and get to the root of waste, fraud, and abuse of your tax dollars.Let me give you a real-world example happening right outside my front door.
If you’ve driven on US-77 between Junction City and Milford over the last week, you’ve seen it: the highway is being completely resurfaced all the way to the Riley County line.1 Three weeks ago that same stretch of road looked perfectly fine — no major cracks, no safety issues that jumped out at anyone. Yet now it’s been chewed up and they’re laying down fresh asphalt. It will be a beautiful, smooth ride when it’s finished, no question. But here’s what I keep asking myself: Why was this project necessary right now? Was it because federal money was available and “use it or lose it”? Was it state dollars that had to be spent before they disappeared? I honestly don’t know the full story — but what I do know is that millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on a road improvement that Geary County residents did not desperately need.
These are exactly the kinds of questions that should be asked — and more importantly, explained clearly to the people paying the bills. As a small business owner who deals with real budgets every single day, I believe commissioners have a duty to dig into these decisions, demand answers, and make sure every tax dollar is spent wisely.
Over the past month, many of you have encouraged me to consider running for Geary County Commission. I’ve told each person the same thing: if enough signatures come in to get me on the ballot, I will seriously consider it. Some folks have started gathering signatures for me, and I appreciate every one that comes in. It helps me gauge whether there’s real support for this idea.
I have not made a final decision yet. What I am doing right now is listening. Whenever I see folks around the community, I’m happy to stop and have real conversations about the issues that matter most to you — especially how property taxes and county spending are affecting your family or business.
If you’ve seen examples of county-level spending that don’t make sense — a project that feels unnecessary, money that could have been saved, or areas where the county cut spending in the wrong place and left a real need unmet — please share them with me. You can reach out directly, send me a note, or connect through www.dave4ks.com. Your real-world examples will help me better understand what’s happening on the ground.
We can’t fix Topeka’s failures from the county level, but we can make sure our local government spends your money like it’s our own — because it is.
Geary County deserves commissioners who will ask the hard questions, demand accountability, and put taxpayers first. I’m weighing whether I can be that kind of leader for our community.
Thank you for the trust so many of you have already shown. I’m grateful for your input as I think through this decision.
Let’s keep talking when our paths cross.
In service,
David Schneider