County attorney warns 156 BOTA small‑claims protests remain after revenue‑neutral settlement

County counsel Forrest Rhodes told the Seward County Board of Commissioners that, while two formal tax complaints had been settled and taxpayers were issued refunds or credits after the county reverted to a revenue‑neutral rate, 156 small‑claims protests remain pending at the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA). Rhodes said the protests correspond to parcels where taxpayers paid under protest and then pursued small‑claims actions.

Rhodes described repeated requests to the treasurer’s office for the protest forms and respondent details he needs "in order to represent the county's interests in these matters." He said he had sought an internal report and copies of the three‑page protest forms but had not yet received them, limiting the county's ability to prepare for hearings. Rhodes told commissioners BOTA offered to set a joint status conference by Zoom to encourage protesters to withdraw or confirm their intent; he noted BOTA would not dismiss matters solely for nonresponse and that direct contact (phone or email) may reduce the number of contested hearings.

"We were able BOTA notified us on April 21 that we had 156 left that needed to be set for hearing," Rhodes said, summarizing the office's current posture. Commissioners directed staff to use phone contact lists provided by BOTA and to return with updates; Rhodes said he hoped to confer with the treasurer’s counsel and obtain the documents this week so the county can prepare defenses for matters that proceed to hearing.