Riley County commissioners and local state legislators met Thursday for their 2017 Legislative Luncheon.
Commissioners used the luncheon to communicate the county’s legislative priorities when the state legislature reconvenes in January.
“We have a very fortunate relationship between our elected state officials and the county commissioners,” Rep. Tom Phillips of Manhattan said after the luncheon. “We work very well and our lines of communication are wide open, and I think we’re all committed to do what’s best for Riley County and Manhattan.”
Phillips was joined by Sen. Tom Hawk and Rep. Sydney Carlin — both of Manhattan — and Rep. Ron Highland of Wamego and Rep. Susie Swanson of Clay Center.
Commissioners presented three issues of concern to the county.
The first was support for an amendment made to the state constitution to strengthen home rule for counties, the second supported immunity for county and city government entities when it comes to potential lawsuits against employees who participate in the concealed carry of firearms outside government buildings and, finally, commissioners issued support for a strengthened mechanism to collect delinquent real property taxes and to deny vehicle registration to applicants owing those taxes.
Carlin said she understood the county’s arguments. When it came to the possibility of introducing a constitutional amendment to provide home rule protection for counties in the same way cities are, Carlin said the request is one that would take a careful approach.
“I’m very reluctant to do constitutional amendments,” she said. “But I think in this case, the way the state has pushed down problems to the county, I think the counties need to have the ability to respond to that.”
All local legislators agreed with concerns about liability to counties and cities if a public employee is out in the field with a concealed carry firearm. The current state law protects government entities if there’s a firearm accident or incident if it happens in a public building the employee works at, but there is no language in the law addressing public employees — such as water or gas meter recorders — outside the building they work in.
Finally, legislators were attentive to county concerns about delinquent property taxes, where commissioners would like to see the same rules apply with real property taxes as they do with personal property taxes.
Commissioners told local state leaders that some real property taxpayers cheat the system by paying enough delinquent taxes to avoid county tax foreclosure sales, only for those properties to return to the foreclosure docket in the future.
The county would like to deny vehicle registration to those delinquent taxpayers in the same way it can for delinquent personal taxpayers.
The county’s proposal would have little focus on homeowners and would carry over exemptions that keep residents facing financial hardships in their homes. Commissioners say the priority is more zeroed in on commercial entities that are delinquent for real property taxes.
Hawk told commissioners he supported the county’s argument but also cautioned against possibilities that would allow businesses to reorganize company vehicles to a newly-created shell corporation that could evade vehicle registration denials.
Phillips said after the meeting fairness is the key.
“We need to hold accountable those taxpayers that are purposefully delaying their taxes and putting that burden back on all of us — that’s not fair and that’s not right,” he said. “It’s about finding a balance.”
