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Johnson County legislative partners report end-of-session wins, highlight property-tax impasse and World Cup preparedness
Summary
County legislative partners told commissioners the 2026 session yielded select wins (treasurer’s bill, housing and eviction-mediation measures) but no statewide property-tax relief; county staff also outlined local World Cup preparedness including a seven‑day local disaster declaration under KSA 48‑932 to support operations.
Chairman Mike Kelly welcomed legislative partners from Federico Durs Consulting to the May 14 Johnson County Board of Commissioners meeting for an end-of-session briefing. John Federico summarized the scale of work the firm tracked during the 2026 legislative session and said the team actively monitored dozens of bills on the county’s behalf.
Federico said county interests focused on three functions: protecting Johnson County’s interests, maintaining relationships with legislative leaders, and becoming a reliable resource to lawmakers. “There were 590 bills introduced in 2026 and 1,336 over the two‑year biennium; we tracked 833 on behalf of Johnson County,” he said.
County consultants and staff highlighted several measures that advanced or became law: Senate Bill 325 (a treasurer’s bill that enables counties to consider increasing motor‑vehicle registration fees and establishes a vehicle service modernization task force), Senate Bill 418 (the By‑Right Housing Development Act to streamline approvals for certain single‑family developments), and House Bill 2357 (changes to landlord‑tenant provisions such as no‑cost expungement and eviction‑mediation considerations). Mihailo Ilich said the county actively testified in support of some measures and will continue to follow housing and tax proposals into the 2026 interim.
On property taxes, county representatives and commissioners agreed there was no consensus at the state level. The session produced competing approaches — the Senate’s constitutional amendment to cap assessed values and the House’s petition/threshold plan (House Bill 2475) — but neither yielded enacted statewide relief. “Ultimately, after three attempts the legislation could not get through the House,” Ilich said.
Commissioners pressed consultants on specific items: the senior property‑tax relief consolidation proposed in Senate Bill 402; a proposal to revise county retailer sales‑tax apportionment (Senate Bill 33); and House Bill 2712, which sought broader county authority for retailer sales taxes. Consultants described vetoes and conference committee outcomes, and said the county will continue legislative engagement as leadership and membership change following the 2026 filing period.
Separately, Chairman Kelly announced the county will sign a local declaration of disaster emergency under KSA 48‑932 to support World Cup operational coordination, mutual aid and emergency operations. The declaration is limited to seven days unless the board extends it; Kelly said a resolution to continue the declaration will be considered May 21. The board was told the declaration is a “proactive preparedness measure, not a response to an active emergency.”
Why it matters: The briefing mapped which state proposals advanced and which stalled, and it framed the county’s near‑term priorities: sustained legislative engagement after election turnover, continued attention to property‑tax debates at the state level, and operational preparations for large events such as the World Cup.
What’s next: County staff and consultants said they will continue outreach to new and returning lawmakers after filing deadlines and will keep commissioners briefed on bills that affect county services, budgets and revenues.
