Saline County Administrator Philip Smith-Hanes provided an update on the Kansas legislative session during Tuesday's county commission meeting.
Smith-Hanes reported that the first week of the new biennium for the Kansas legislature was primarily focused on informational hearings, with limited action items.
One item of interest to counties was a hearing on a potential constitutional amendment to cap valuation increases on residential properties. The outcome of this proposal remains to be seen.
Smith-Hanes noted that Governor Laura Kelly introduced her budget on Thursday, as is customary during the first week of the session. However, this year, the legislature is also working on their own budget proposals.
The administrator informed commissioners that the legislature is considering a condensed schedule for the session. This would involve adjourning after 90 calendar days rather than the usual 90 working days, which could impact the number of items addressed during the session.
Smith-Hanes mentioned that Saline County Appraiser Sean Robertson was in Topeka testifying to the Senate tax committee on personal property exemptions on the day of the commission meeting.
The county administrator indicated that he plans to keep legislative updates as a regular agenda item during the session to keep commissioners informed of any significant developments.
