Resident urges county to push back on Kansas Rural Water Association amicus brief over bill 2433

A public commenter told Geary County commissioners that the Kansas Rural Water Association filed an amicus brief in the state Supreme Court and is taking a position that, in the commenter’s view, does not reflect all counties.

The commenter said the association appeared to "be assuming that every county in Kansas supports Hayes," and asked the commission to consider contacting the Kansas Rural Water Association to clarify that counties do not need a single uniform stance. The comment referenced the recent passage of bill 2433 and said some counties are uncomfortable with the association’s intervention in ongoing litigation.

Why it matters: The comment framed the issue as one of local representation and process. The speaker said the association’s brief could effectively speak for counties without their approval, and urged commissioners to make county officials aware of the association’s action and of potential implications from bill 2433.

The speaker acknowledged uncertainty about legal effects, noting comments from a chief engineer at a Senate hearing who said he thought the bill might not affect the Supreme Court case but did not make a definitive statement. The commenter said she did not want a "big kerfuffle" but wanted commissioners and counties to be aware and, if appropriate, to notify the association that counties need not adopt a single position.

No commissioner made a formal motion in response on the record in the provided transcript excerpt, and the commission did not take a recorded vote or issue a directive during the excerpt.

What the commenter urged: contact or notice to the Kansas Rural Water Association and clarity that the association should not presume it speaks for every county on the litigation, and increased county awareness about implications of bill 2433.

Next steps: The transcript does not show commissioners taking a formal vote or issuing follow-up assignments during the excerpt.