State Rep. Alan Bridal briefs Atchison commissioners on budget cuts, property-tax talks and local‑government caucus

Representative Alan Bridal, a state representative and former Atchison city commissioner, gave a legislative update to the Atchison City Commission, thanking commissioners for their service and summarizing this year’s session. Bridal said lawmakers reduced the state budget by about $250 million and that many reductions came from eliminating unfilled positions that had been funded in prior budgets. “We actually shrunk the budget. Really haven't lost any services,” Bridal said.

Bridal told the commission that appraisal and property‑tax reform was a prominent but unresolved issue. He said the House and Senate each passed different appraisal bills that could not be reconciled in conference committee, and “it just died.” He added lawmakers expect to prioritize appraisal policy next session and that potential solutions could include caps on the rate of appraisal increases: “I think we'll see something where appraisals are capped in some way.”

Bridal described work to improve relations between state legislators and local governments by forming a local‑government caucus made up of lawmakers with municipal, county or township experience. He said roughly 35 of the 165 legislators have served in local government and that the caucus — formed with leadership permission and with League of Kansas Municipalities involvement — aims to improve mutual understanding and reduce one‑size‑fits‑all legislation that may not fit every city.

Vice Mayor Wilcox and other commissioners thanked Bridal and asked about property‑tax impacts on Atchison. Bridal said the state recently eliminated a 1.5‑mill state property tax and that remaining property‑tax levies are set by local taxing entities such as cities, school districts and fire districts. He recommended continued coordination between state and local officials as lawmakers consider appraisal reforms. “It’s a matter of…how we can work together instead of having a disagreement sometimes,” Bridal said.

Bridal distributed a Legislative Research Department summary and invited commissioners to contact him with district questions. He also encouraged commissioners to request deeper dives on particular bills by contacting his office.

Why it matters: Changes at the state level — from budget cuts to appraisal rules — affect local revenues and service priorities in cities such as Atchison. The new local‑government caucus could influence state lawmaking that touches municipal authority and funding.

Representatives quoted in this article spoke at the city commission meeting and are listed below.