State lawmakers met with Riley County officials Thursday to discuss some of the county’s priorities ahead of the next legislative session.
Riley County officials favor some kind of legislation that gives counties authority to force landowners to clean up nuisance properties. County Counselor Clancy Holeman presented Senate Bill 162, a mirror of a Sedgwick County bill for assessing liens on properties that a court has determined to be in need of cleanup.
51st District State Representative Kenny Titus gave some feedback on the discussion.
66th District State Representative Syndey Carlin expressed a common sentiment on the laws regarding these properties:
Another of the concerns is Senate Concurrent Resolution 1611, which would put a 4% yearly cap on property valuations. The county does not support this. Riley County Appraiser Anna Burson explains the basic issue with a valuation cap.
Burson explains how exactly the inequality could manifest:
Over time, the lower value properties would remain properly valued, while higher value properties become farther under market value. This inequity would eventually cause the lower market house to be responsible for a smaller amount of the “pie” when it comes to taxes compared to the higher value properties.
The Riley County Commission is not in favor of SCR 1611. The next legislative session begins in Topeka on January 8.
The post Riley County outlines legislative priorities with area delegation appeared first on News Radio KMAN.
