George Shines Wharton, a lifelong Garden City resident, used the town‑hall public‑comment period to criticize local government priorities and urge the commission to refocus on services that support working families.

Wharton recounted the city’s development history and said earlier cooperation between city government and residents helped Garden City grow. “We had a town that was proud everywhere,” he said, and contrasted that past with what he described as present decline in services and civic upkeep.

He criticized the city’s dependence on sales tax revenue from large retail developments, saying the focus on attracting sales tax hurt working residents: “But what happened with the sales tax? It became cocaine, heroin to the city. The city became addicted to the sales tax.”

Wharton said that growth tied to large retailers had left the city less attentive to essential services, schools and affordable housing. He also raised concerns that building codes and fees had become onerous, limiting the ability of middle‑income people to maintain property or for developers to build housing without expensive incentives. “You give them money so they can meet your codes, but you're not giving that money to the working people,” he said.

Wharton said the local hospital’s finances looked precarious: “It's on life support. The truth of the matter is you don't know whether your hospital is gonna be open tomorrow or not because it's such bad financial shape.” He urged commissioners to work with residents to preserve opportunities to “live the American dream” and said the city risked becoming a place that can’t recruit doctors, nurses or teachers.

Wharton asked for more timely responses from city staff on permitting and inspections. He described an unresolved building‑safety question about a 60,000‑square‑foot structure that had been pending for two years. He said he sought support rather than punitive enforcement: “When my generation built this city ... you sat down and you worked out the problems. The attitude in this city today is very simple. We have the power; citizens don't.”

The commission did not take action on Wharton’s comments during the town‑hall meeting; his remarks were part of the public‑comment period. The presentation that followed — by Finney County Chairman Jerry Schultz — addressed the county’s planned referendum on financing a new law‑enforcement center and jail.

Wharton closed by urging commissioners to prioritize equitable opportunities for residents in development and code enforcement. “When you got hooked on sales tax, you became an addict, and you absolutely forgot the working people,” he said.

No formal response or policy change was recorded during the meeting; commissioners heard the comment as part of the public‑comment agenda item.