Mike Kelly and His Merry Band of Tax and Spend Commissioners

I think I have finally made the transition from campaign mode to real life. I’m writing this from Tulsa at the 100X Classic Reining event. We have 3-year-old Quarter Horse, Waylon, participating. So, yes, it’s good to be back enjoying my family and naturally the horses.

Last Tuesday I attended the Exceeding Revenue Neutral public hearing at the Embassy Suites in Olathe. What a raucous public hearing!! The JoCo Commissioners, led by tax and spend Chairman Mike Kelly, sat through nearly 2 hours of testimony which chewed them up one side and down the other. Heartbreaking stories, angry, tired of excuses taxpayers and some with a good dose of humor were all interrupted with applause, hoots and hollers in appreciation of comments made on the mind numbing proposed $1.915 BILLION budget.

Naturally, 6 of the 7 commissioners (THE Democrats) sat stoically through their ordeal knowing full well that the decision to pass the budget had already been signed sealed and delivered. This public beating was simply to be endured so they could go back to spending our money worse than drunken sailors.

The only Republican on the BOCC, Commissioner Michael Ashcraft, showed genuine concern about the out-of-control spending. He addressed the crowd of approximately 200, then voted NO on advancing this bloated budget to a final vote scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Thursday, September 3rd at the BOCC meeting, 111 S. Cherry St., Olathe.

I have been asked about listing how I would cut the budget.  So, here are a few examples of past egregious spending:

1. Funding construction of a fire station for Panasonic, $7.5 million. This was in addition to Panasonic receiving $829 million of your tax dollars from the state and $200 million Tax Increment Finance District (TIF) of your tax dollars from De Soto.

2. The 150,000 sq ft public health building being built at 119th and Ridgeview at a cost of over $135 million or approximately $900 per sq ft.  The average construction cost on the high side is $600 per sq ft. In this deal we gave our nursing home operator $23 million to buy out basically one year of their county contract. Also, there is the cost of tearing down the existing public health/nursing home that was built in 1997.

3. Our Appraiser found efficiencies and reduced his staff by 3, the county administrator then created three new positions.

4. Each year we spend $8 million from general fund to subsidize the empty buses running around for virtue signaling.

5. In 2024 the BOCC sent $1.5 million of your tax dollars to KC2026, a Missouri non-profit which organized the World Soccer Cup.

6. CNANO, a Communist China company, in 2023 was given an Industrial Revenue Bond (IRB) with property taxes of 30 cents a sq ft and NO sales tax on construction materials. 3 years later the building is sits empty, they never moved in.

I know how frustrating it is to participate, voice your concerns and be totally ignored as prepared motions are read and passed with ONLY one NO vote. But don’t stop, keep your shoulder to the wheel, show up at these public hearings and VOTE!!!!  Your next opportunity is Tuesday, November 3rd.

When voting, remember that Chairman Mike Kelly voted YES for the $1.915 BILLION budget and you do have a choice, Karen Crnkovich, a Republican, is running against Kelly. If you live in District 5, remember Commissioner Ashcraft voted NO on the budget. Chairman Kelly can’t handle having ONE VOTE opposing his agenda, so he is funding the leftist running against Commissioner Ashcraft. The only Republican on the BOCC is being targeted by the Democrats. WOW!! How the Democrats LOVE diversity!!!!!

Correction on De Soto TIF district which the  BOCC refused to veto on August 7th. The percentage of property taxes  diverted to developer is 50% for 20 years instead of 100%.

God Bless and Keep Your Eyes on Jesus!!

Charlotte O’Hara