By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
For more than 20 years, the Kansas Legislature has been violating Kansas law. So says the Kansas County Commissioners Association regarding the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction (LAVTR). Statute 79-2959 was originally passed in 1965, to reduce the amount of property tax paid by Kansas residents. Though the statute has never been repealed, the state legislature last issued those refunds in 2003. Tuesday morning, the Barton County Commission voted 5-0 to approve a resolution in support of new House Bill 2508 that is currently making the rounds in the Kansas Legislature.
"At this point in time, I believe we really need to support the bill and talk to your legislators," said Commission Chair Barb Esfeld. "It's in the stages where it's time to visit with them now. As far as any property valuation relief, this bill carries more than others."
The new bill would amend K.S.A. 79-2959 and, in part, require a transfer of 3.63 percent of all sales tax collected in the state to local taxing entities. That payment would serve as a rebate on local residential property taxes.
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"How they're looking at writing the bill now is that it will show on your tax statement, your rebate," Esfeld said. "It will say 'Paid by the state of Kansas.' It's more transparent. You can actually tell they're picking up part of the tab."
Restoration of the LAVTR has support from city and county leaders across the state. Those organizations lost $1.7 billion in revenue between 2001 and 2022, and House Bill 2508 would allocate $130 million in state revenue back to local taxing entities as a property tax rebate. Esfeld said Barton County would receive more than $1 million of that allocation.
The bill was introduced into the Kansas House on Jan. 16 and referred to the Committee on Taxation on the same day. The bill is heavily favored by Democrats with just four Republicans sponsoring it. A similar bill was passed by the House in 2023 but failed to advance to a Senate vote.