Kansas State Senator Mike Thompson Disputes JoCo Commish Mike Kelly

It's not quite a clash of the titans but this week the former TV weatherman directed some political rumblings toward the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and their leader.

Here's the money line and a link to more . . .  

"Chairman Kelly went so far as to try to blur the lines between what is required in the state statute and what the sales tax is purported to do. His formal comments were an attempt to make you believe that ambulances would not show up at your home  if needed, or mental health would be jeopardized if the BOCC was not allowed to proceed as planned. In fact, the Attorney General and I were called "extremists" for insisting the BOCC follow the law and made it sound as if we wanted to defund public safety!  Not only is that statement inflammatory, but it's demonstrably not true . . . Rising taxes and out of control spending at the county level is making Johnson County more and more unaffordable for everyone. Seniors are being taxed out of their homes and young families are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to afford their first home. The price of groceries, energy, construction, and everything else is affected by a county commission that has never seen a new tax they couldn't vote for. It is time we start thinking critically about approving any new tax that comes down the pike....especially when the request is coming from a free spending group like the BOCC."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas State Senator Mike Thompson: "I had requested this opinion as there were concerns over the misleading nature of the ballot wording, and the legality of what the board intended to do with the money. As it turns out, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) sales tax proposal was illegal, and overstepped their authority as provided by state law."

Developing . . .