Kansas

Kansas lawmakers campaigned on property tax relief. What did they deliver?

Published

3 weeks ago

April 21, 2025

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Kansas lawmakers campaigned on property tax relief. What did they deliver?

Kansas Republicans campaigned on property tax relief but struggled to deliver on their promises.
A modest property tax cut of 1.5 mills was passed, but many lawmakers found it insufficient.
Disagreements between House and Senate Republicans hindered more significant property tax relief efforts.

As they left Topeka for the year, Kansas lawmakers expressed disappointment that they didn’t do more to accomplish a top campaign promise: property tax relief.

Republicans especially and at least some Democrats made property tax relief a focal point of their 2024 election campaigns, and the GOP credited the message with helping secure victories and expand their supermajorities. Despite the campaign promises, lawmakers delivered little relief in 2025.

“We came here with a mandate to do something about property tax,” said Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, on the last day of session. “Not that we haven’t, here in the Senate. We’ve done our job. I really think we’ve done a very good job in trying to push that. I’m just disappointed that we end up at the end of this session with no real relief for those homeowners who are facing selling their home or paying their property tax.”

Thompson suggested that members of the House “didn’t hear the message.”

“We’re going to have to go home, we’re going to have to explain to people what we didn’t get done and why,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be a hard sell. But I’m hopeful that in 2026 we can push the ball forward.”

Republicans were unified on message, but not on plans

While Republican leadership entered the 2025 session with a unified message of property tax relief, it quickly became apparent that House and Senate leadership were not unified on how to accomplish it.

“Well, we really haven’t worked on it yet,” House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said in January when asked by The Capital-Journal whether Republicans were united on how to cut property taxes. “I can guarantee you we will have property tax relief this year, and we will have some type of a response to the increase in property values.”

“We’re unified on the end goal,” added Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, as leadership spoke with reporters following the governor’s State of the State address.

He added, “We’re still working through the details of what that looks like.”

What were the biggest ideas for property tax relief in 2025?

The most significant idea — and the most controversial — was a Republican proposal to amend the Kansas Constitution to cap the growth in appraisals.

Senate Republicans have been pushing the idea for at least a few years, which supporters argue would address the rising property valuations that result in property tax increases. In 2025, the Senate’s Republican supermajority passed a 3% cap and a 4% cap.

But it faced stiff opposition from House Republicans, including from Hawkins, who said it has “a lot of problems” and “unintended consequences.” House Republicans rejected the cap and instead proposed an averaging system, which Senate Republicans rejected.

The idea that appeared from the start to be the most likely to have bipartisan support was reducing the state mill levy. The two main proposals to accomplish that were a House GOP plan to reduce the levy used to fund schools by 1.5 mills and a Senate GOP plan to eliminate 1.5 mills used to fund state buildings.

The Senate version was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Another idea proposed later in the session was a House Republican plan to send state money to local governments as an incentive to not raise taxes, similar to a program that House Republicans pushed to eliminate last year. The new plan also incorporated a protest petition to block local tax increases and an elimination of the current revenue neutral process.

Despite negotiations during veto session, Senate Republicans were not intrigued enough by the idea to put it to a vote before leaving town.

Meanwhile, Democrats had no proposals for significant property tax relief at the start of session. Later, Senate Democrats proposed a committee to study the issue.

How much will mill levy cut save homeowners?

Lawmakers did deliver some property tax relief with Senate Bill 35, starting in 2026. That new law, which had bipartisan support and was signed by Kelly, eliminates 1.5 mills of the 21.5 total state portion of the property tax levy.

Statewide, that equates to a $81 million tax cut in fiscal year 2027. But for individual homeowners, the relief is limited.

For owners of a $100,000 home, eliminating 1.5 mills equates to an annual savings of about $17. For a $250,000 home, the savings are about $43. For a $400,000 home, the savings are $69.

What politicians say about property tax relief

“We took action in Topeka this year to eliminate the state portion of the property tax,” Hawkins said in an after-session Facebook post. “You’ll continue paying property taxes for county and city governments, schools, libraries, etc., but you’ll no longer see ‘State of Kansas’ on your bill!

“I encourage everyone to reach out to their local officials and hold them accountable for their portion of your property taxes!”

But Scott Schwab, the Republican secretary of state who is running for governor in 2026, was critical of legislative leadership.

“A year ago, following a special session to address taxation, legislative leaders vowed to focus on providing Kansans with real property tax relief,” Schwab said in a statement via his campaign. “There were campaign slogans and roadshows around the state to build support for cuts. Voters did their part, letting candidates and legislators know in no uncertain terms that property taxes were too high, valuations were rising faster than paychecks, and Kansans who had worked all their lives to have a home to call their own were being forced out.”

The resulting tax relief was “paltry,” Schwab said.

“This year, our main focus was supposed to be on reducing and/or reforming property taxes,” Rep. Brett Fairchild, R-St. John, said in an April 4 post on Facebook. “However, we were unable to pass a major property tax bill.”

The cut of 1.5 mills, he said, “isn’t a significant tax cut and isn’t a huge deal.”

“Most people in our state won’t notice the tax cut, since most local governments will likely increase property taxes by more than this state property tax cut,” Fairchild said. “However, it’s better than doing nothing at all, and I’m glad we were at least able to pass one bill through the legislature to reduce property taxes.”

Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Fairway, said that lawmakers did not pass “any meaningful property tax relief,” and he’s been hearing from constituents about it.

“The Legislature, they campaigned on that they were going to reduce our property taxes,” Corson said. “They said it at the beginning of session that they were going to reduce our property taxes. And we still don’t yet have any significant property tax relief that we can bring to our constituents.

“I continue to disagree with the continued focus on the income tax piece of our tax equation when what we both promised to our constituents — and what our constituents have shared with us that they would like to see — is robust, meaningful property tax relief.”

Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker and chair of the Senate tax committee, described the cut of 1.5 mills as “actual property tax relief.”

“They’re going to say it’s minimal, but you know what? It’s a step in the right direction,” Tyson said.

She was also critical of Democrats for not having significant ideas of their own.

“What was their idea this year? Oh, let’s propose a committee that studies property taxes,” Tyson said.

Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana and vice chair of the Senate tax committee, said he was proud of the Legislature’s work on tax cuts, especially a plan to gradually move to a flat income tax as well as the elimination of the 1.5 mills.

“I would like to see us do more — a lot more — as it relates to property taxes,” Peck said. “We’re limited at the state level. Most property taxes are assessed at the local (level). … I think we could do better when it comes to property tax reductions.”

Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, shared a similar sentiment.

“I’m very disappointed we did not do more for our constituents back home on property tax, and I hope that we seriously are able to do something next session,” she said.

Tyson said tax policy changes often take years to make it through the legislative process.

“We are not going to stop fighting for our constituents and to fix a broken property tax (system) while we continue to stop growing the beast that we keep feeding, and that is government,” Tyson said. “Income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes — Kansas has some of the highest in the nation, and we need to do what we can to reduce that.”

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Kansas

Bay FC no match for NWSL’s top team as winless streak reaches three games

Published

10 hours ago

May 12, 2025

Press Room

Bay FC no match for NWSL’s top team as winless streak reaches three games

Bay FC allowed a goal off a turnover less than three minutes into the first half and fell apart in a 4-1 loss to the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current on Sunday before an announced Mother’s Day crowd of 11,500 at CPKC Stadium.

On a goal kick, Bay FC’s Jordan Silkowitz sent a pass from the 6-yard box intended for a teammate just short of midfield. Instead, the pass went to Kansas City’s Hailie Mace, who one-touched it ahead to Bia Zaneratto. The forward then sent a left-footed shot to the bottom-right corner for a 1-0 lead in the third minute.

Kansas City peppered the Bay FC net with five shot attempts, with two on target, in the opening 15 minutes.

Midfielder Debinha added goals in the 33rd and 38th minutes to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead.

Bay FC (2-2-4) took a more offensive-minded approach after the first half and got a goal from forward Penelope Hocking in the 53rd minute. Caroline Conti took a corner kick and headed it to Hocking, who quickly turned around and scored past Kansas City keeper Lorena for her first goal of the season.

But nine minutes later, Kansas City forward Temwa Chawinga restored her team’s three-goal lead with a goal off an assist from Mace.
Bay FC had averaged just one goal per game before Sunday, and tried to open things up to help generate more offense. Instead, the result was Bay FC’s most lopsided of the season as the team fell to 11th in the 14-team NWSL with eight points, 10 points back of Kansas City.

Bay FC is the fifth-lowest scoring team in the league. Before Sunday, Kiki Pickett and Karlie Lema had two goals each, with Racheal Kundananji, Joelle Anderson and Caroline Conti each adding one.

The Current, by contrast, has outscored their eight opponents this season 18-6.

“Today we knew we were going to take a risk and play into a bigger shape,” Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya said. “The last couple of games we’ve been a bit more defensive, and we knew that this would be a difficult game. This is the mentality we’re going to have, our players enjoy playing this type of football, and we just have to be a little bit cleaner on keeping the ball.”

Bay FC will carry a three-game winless streak into Saturday’s home game against Angel City FC.

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Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco earns special honor at Rutgers

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2025

Press Room

Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco earns special honor at Rutgers

The Kansas City Chiefs players and staff are continuing to work this offseason on projects that may not be football-related. The work is focused on individual improvements and development before organized team activities are underway in the coming weeks.

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has been studying recently, as he achieved an important goal that goes well beyond football. The former Rutgers team captain returned to his alma mater to participate in the school’s graduation ceremony after finishing his degree in criminal justice. The news was posted on social media by the Rutgers Football account and has since been reposted by the Chiefs and thousands around the football world.

Pacheco was last seen working out on social media and is in great shape in preparation for next season following an injury-plagued 2024. Last season, he appeared in seven games and was limited to 83 carries for 310 yards and a touchdown. Entering his fourth season in Kansas City, the former seventh-round draft pick is eligible for a contract extension.

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Where to watch NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas today: Time, channel, free live stream

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2025

Press Room

Where to watch NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas today: Time, channel, free live stream

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Spring Race at Kansas, a.k.a. the Heart of Health Care 200, is the second big race on the schedule at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, on Saturday, May 10 (5/10/2025) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kansas Spring Race will air on FS1, and streams live on fuboTV (free trial).

Practices and qualifying air starting 2:05 p.m. ET on FS2.

What: Heart of Health Care 200, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race

When: Saturday, May 10

Where: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1

Channel finder: DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum

Streaming Service	Free Trial	Promo	Monthly Price
fuboTV	Yes	$20 off first month	$84.99
DirecTV Stream	Yes	No	$86.99
Sling	No	Half-off first month	$45.99
Hulu + Live TV	Yes	No	$82.99

What are the differences between the streaming services?

fuboTV is a live TV streaming service focused on live sports, including U.S. and international soccer, the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more. It also includes its own fubo Sports Networks with exclusive programming. It offers 212 channels starting at $64.99 (for one month, then $84.99), includes unlimited DVR, and streams on most devices. Right now you can try fuboTV free.

DirecTV Stream is comparable to FuboTV, as it provides similar channels and functionalities. Their basic package, priced at $86.99 per month with a free trial, includes just over 90 live TV channels. You can explore all of DirecTV Stream’s channel packages on their website.

Sling has different packages based on your watching preferences, starting at $23 a month for your first month, then costs $45.99. The orange and blue packages can be combined for $60.99 per month.

Hulu + Live TV features similar channels to fubo and DirecTV Stream, but also offers Disney+ and ESPN+ in their plan, which starts at $82.99 a month. For more access to shows, movies and documentaries on streaming services like Hulu and Disney+ and exclusive live sports on ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV is the ideal streaming service.

BET: $150 Bet365 Bonus Code “SYRACUSE” extended to Mother’s Day for all sports!

Here’s a recent motorsports story via The AP:

MIAMI (AP) — NASCAR asked its fans where they would prefer seeing championship weekend held, and the majority of those who responded picked Homestead-Miami Speedway.

And NASCAR listened.

The 2026 NASCAR season will end in South Florida, with stock car racing’s championship weekend returning to Homestead-Miami next year. It’ll be the first time since 2019 that the title-winners will be crowned there and will start a rotation where NASCAR will move its final weekend around various tracks.

How that’ll work in 2027 and beyond remains unclear. But in 2026, Homestead is the spot.

“I like that we move it around,” said reigning NASCAR champion Joey Logano, who won the crown last fall at Phoenix — this year’s title-deciding spot as well — and the first of his three titles at Homestead-Miami in 2018. “That was one of the things that I always thought would be a great idea if we were able to pull it off, right? The Super Bowl doesn’t stay in the same place every year. Why should our Super Bowl, our championship race, stay in same place every year?”

NASCAR made the announcement Tuesday, and it was not exactly a stunner. (“I’m sure everyone was surprised to see this coming,” Logano said, smiling.) Its three series — the truck series, the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series — will see their seasons come to a close at Homestead from Nov. 6-8, 2026.

It isn’t a permanent return, though: NASCAR said that championship weekends are going to be on a rotation “to ensure that the season’s exciting conclusion is shared amongst NASCAR’s marquee venues and key markets.” Phoenix will be part of that rotation, somehow, but NASCAR isn’t ready to say which other tracks may be involved and when all that will be announced.

“We have a lot of confidence, when we go to Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s going to deliver from a racing product perspective,” NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy said. “It’s also going to create a good amount of unpredictability for many of our fans that come to that race or tune in on TV just going to a different championship venue and having it on the line. We’re excited to see all that.”

Part of NASCAR’s commitment to Homestead-Miami, Kennedy said, includes a capital investment to “make sure it is a championship-caliber facility when we show up next year.”

NASCAR routinely makes tweaks to schedules and now will tinker again with where seasons end, but one non-negotiable appears to be the start of the season: Daytona will remain the first points race for the foreseeable future, Kennedy said.

“We ran a survey a couple years ago, and it was over 95% of our fan base wants to see their first points race be the Daytona 500,” Kennedy said. “That was a statistic that was strong enough for us to say we’re not even going to explore that for now.”

Homestead-Miami was the championship weekend site from 2002 through 2019. There are three active drivers who were crowned NASCAR champions at Homestead — Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019, Brad Keselowski in 2012 and Logano in 2018. Logano has also won the title at Phoenix in two of the last three seasons, including last year.

And all seven of Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR titles came at Homestead, which has renamed a tunnel in his honor to commemorate those championships.

“If you’re asking drivers, it’s about the track, right? The environment obviously is really cool. It’s different being in Miami. That’s a neat thing,” Logano said. “But the drivers, what we care about is the racing, right? Can we move around the racetrack, can we do different things, are the tires falling off, is that fun. To us, yeah, that’s fun.”

NASCAR decided after the 2001 season to move its truck and Cup series races to one track, in order to create a season-ending championship celebration. Homestead-Miami was the original site after that decision, and then things moved to Phoenix starting in 2020.

Kennedy said racing in early November isn’t exactly possible at all of the tracks on the NASCAR schedule, meaning that the series would prefer a warm-weather climate for its finish — something that Phoenix and Homestead-Miami provide. And Homestead-Miami’s history isn’t lost on NASCAR, either.

“Homestead has put on some of the most phenomenal finishes, especially when we had the championship there,” Kennedy said. “But even since then, and we’ve crowned so many legends and Hall of Famers over the past 15 years when we did have the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. So, competition is a part of it, variability, and I think diversity in where you’re crowning the champion was another consideration.”

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