Roads are one of the biggest concerns in Barton County, especially the blacktop roads that continue to deteriorate. Maintaining safe, reliable roads should be a top priority. Before deciding funding, I would like to see a clear breakdown of the county budget and get an understanding of where current funds are being spent. I believe we should make a priority to maintain existing roads while being responsible for the taxpayer dollars. Having spent 19 years working for the Barton County Road and Bridge department, I feel like this is somewhere my experience can help bring value to the community.

To attract and retain quality employees, the county needs competitive wages and benefits that allow people to make a living and support their families. Investing in our workforce helps reduce turnover and ensures experienced, qualified employees stay with the county. We should focus on providing equipment, training, and resources employees need to do their jobs safely and efficiently.

Education, good schools, quality jobs and affordable housing all play an important role in making Barton County and Great Bend a place where families want to live and businesses want to invest. Strong schools prepare the next generation, good-paying jobs help families thrive and affordable housing attracts and retains workers. When these areas work together they strengthen our community, encourage economic growth, and make a place people are proud to call home.

The most pressing infrastructure needs center on our county road network and bridges. Barton County maintains hundreds of lane miles of roads that serve farmers hauling grain and livestock, families traveling to work and school, and first responders. Preventive maintenance—chip sealing, overlay projects, and timely pothole repair—remains far less expensive than deferred reconstruction. Equally important is the condition of our bridges. Several aging structures, including historic limestone bridges in the northern part of the county built in the WPA era, require repair or replacement to ensure safety and reliable access. We should also continue close coordination with the Kansas Department of Transportation on high-priority state highway improvements, such as the proposed U.S. 56 expansion east of Great Bend, which would improve safety, capacity, and regional connectivity. Maximizing external funding. Aggressively pursue KDOT programs, Operational Efficiency and Growing Tax Base.

First we have to reduce regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. By streamlining permitting, zoning, and approval processes for business expansions, workforce housing and new commercial development. Second, maintain and refine performance-based economic development incentives. Tools such as Economic Development Exemptions and Industrial Revenue Bonds have proven effective when tied directly to measurable job creation and capital investment. These incentives should remain transparent, time-limited, and subject to clawback provisions if promised outcomes are not delivered. Third, address the housing shortage as a workforce issue. By changing our outlook and mindset to this issue we can see that without sufficient workforce housing we limit economic growth and infrastructure. The phrase; "You build it they will come" could not be more true.

When evaluating the effectiveness of county government, one element stands out for its consistent results and alignment with core principles of responsible governance: the Board of County Commissioners’ sustained commitment to revenue-neutral budgeting and disciplined fiscal oversight. For the past five years, Barton County has adopted budgets that remain under the state-mandated revenue-neutral rate. This approach has not only protected property taxpayers from mill levy increases but has actually contributed to a meaningful reduction in the overall mill rate—more than 12 mills lower over that period—while still directing resources toward essential services. Total ad valorem tax dollars collected have declined even as the county has maintained quality public services, invested in its workforce, and supported priorities such as road and bridge maintenance. This fiscal discipline is effective for several reasons.