When District 2 Barton County Commissioner Barb Esfeld floated an “outside-the-box” idea on lowering county property taxes at a meeting in Topeka Tuesday, mouths were agape as it soaked in for those present. The suggestion, first proposed by Barton County Administrator Matt Patzner, involves implementing a county-wide 1% sales tax solely dedicated to offsetting the strain on the mill levy. Sales taxes are paid by everyone who spends money in the county and many consider it a more fair tax. … cities and counties are governed by different “home rule” guidelines. These cover the extent to which these units of government are allowed to govern themselves. So, it is unclear if a county can implement such a sales tax, Esfeld said. There was interest among the committee members to change home rule mandates to accommodate it. “I am the biggest proponent of county home rule you will ever find,” said County Counselor Patrick Hoffman. “What you guys are really talking about is that the Legislature needs to let counties govern themselves more than they are.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune
