Fw: Activist Judge Blocks Three-day Grace Period Repeal

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From: Rep. Pat Proctor <pat@patproctor4ks.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 3:02 PM
To: mcre13@gmail.com <mcre13@gmail.com>
Subject: Activist Judge Blocks Three-day Grace Period Repeal

 

Henry, A radical judge in Douglas County just issued a temporary injunction to block our common-sense law repealing the three-day grace period for mail-in ba

View this email in your browser Support Our Campaign Tomorrow is our most critical reporting deadline of the year, and we are still short of our goal. National Democrats are watching our public finance report closely. If we do not continue to demonstrate financial strength, they will see an opening and focus their resources on our race. With your help, we put up record-setting fundraising numbers in 2025, which helped us clear the primary field. But the real work begins now. My opponent is backed by a massive, out-of-state political action committee supported by foreign billionaires who are desperate to rewrite our election laws. And the Axis of Ballot Harvesting—the ACLU, Loud Light, and the League of Women Voters—likewise awash in foreign money, has been working overtime to beat me and engineer a Democrat takeover of Kansas elections. We have very little time left to build the resources we need to win. I need your help today. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. Click the button below to invest in our campaign. Contribute ACTIVIST JUDGE BLOCKS THREE-DAY GRACE PERIOD REPEAL An activist judge in Lawrence just issued a temporary injunction to block our common-sense law repealing the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots. This disastrous ruling reinstates a massive vulnerability in our election system after voting is already underway for the August primary. In this edition of the Proctor Election Report, I will discuss this activist court decision, the practical solutions we passed to protect your vote, and why we desperately need the Right to Vote constitutional amendment to hold these rogue judges accountable. “Republican state Rep. Pat Proctor, who is running for secretary of state and is chair of the House elections committee, said the judge’s opinion should be a basis for electing justices to the Kansas Supreme Court. “'This decision represents the worst kind of legislating from the bench – completely subverting the will of the people as expressed overwhelmingly by their elected representatives in the Legislature,' Proctor said. “'And this guy came a hair’s breath from being yet another left-wing activist Supreme Court Justice. I hope Kansans have this decision front of mind as they go to the polls to decide the fate of the Right to Vote amendment,' he said.” Brad Cooper Sunflower State Journal July 16, 2026 Learn More On Thursday morning, Douglas County District Judge Carl Folsom III handed down a poorly-reasoned order that freezes Senate Bill 4. This is the law I carried and passed to eliminate the three-day grace period for mail ballots. Because of this injunction, election officials are now being forced to revert to the flawed 2017 law. Outrageously, this decision came after mail-in ballots have already been sent out to voters! Attorney General Kris Kobach is making an emergency appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court to overturn this unprecedented ruling. He rightly noted that this decision completely upsets an election process that has already begun. I fully support his efforts to ensure that in Kansas, Election Day is actually Election Day, but I don't hold out much hope that our broken, left-wing Kansas Supreme Court will follow the Kansas Constitution and overturn this decision. As Chairman of the House Elections Committee, I fought relentlessly to pass the repeal of the three-day grace period. We successfully overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto to get Senate Bill 4 signed into law. We did this because the grace period actively harms Kansas voters. The same day that Presiden Trump issued his Executive Order on Election Integrity, which included a call for all states to make Election Day the last day they accept ballots, I led the Kansas Legislature's successful override of the Governor's veto of our repeal of the so-called "three-day grace period."  The organizations I call the "Axis of Ballot Harvesting"--the ACLU and LoudLight chief among them--claim that ending the grace period suppresses votes, but they are ignoring the facts. Under the old rules, any ballot arriving after Election Day had to have a postmark to prove it was mailed on time. But the postal service frequently fails to postmark envelopes. In the 2024 primary election alone, as many as a thousand advance ballots arrived during that three-day window without a postmark, disenfranchising lawful voters simply because a postal worker failed to stamp their envelope. The voters did everything right, but their ballots were thrown out due to a bureaucratic error out of their control.  And this problem will only be worse this year, as the US Postal Service has announced that in the future, they will not postmark ballots until they arrive at central processing facilities. By ending the grace period and requiring all ballots to be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Night, we removed the need for a postmark entirely. It is a simple fix, adopted by 32 other states, that ensures every valid, legally cast vote is actually counted. Since I began serving you as the Chairman of the House Elections Committee, I have been focused on restoring confidence in our elections by increasing transparency. And one of my biggest wins has been repealing the so-called "three-day grace period," making Election Day once again Election Day. Furthermore, accepting ballots for days after an election, as they do in California, destroys voter confidence. When vote totals keep changing for nearly a week after the polls close, it makes Kansans question the integrity of the entire process. We passed this practical solution to provide absolute transparency and timely results. Unfortunately, Judge Folsom ignored these facts and instead relied on a deeply flawed legal foundation. In his ruling, he cited a recent decision by the United States Supreme Court in Watson v. the Republican National Committee. In that case, which I believe was poorly decided, the highest court in the land upheld a similar mail-in ballot grace period in Mississippi. But even in that decision, the US Supreme Court never mandated a grace period. I warned at the time that the US Supreme Court's refusal to defend Election Day would embolden liberal state judges like Folsom. That is exactly what has happened here. Activist judges are twisting the law to push their political agendas and rewrite our election statutes from the bench. We should not be surprised by Judge Folsom's extreme ruling. He is a radical activist with a history of legislating from the bench. Just two months ago, he issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of our state's ban on gender-mutilation surgery and chemical castration of minors. “Kansas Family Voice, an advocate of the [Right to Vote judicial selection] amendment, cast a warning about Folsom, underscoring that he’s been recommended by a nine-person screening panel for a seat on the Kansas Supreme Court... “'A Douglas County judge appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly blocked the law protecting Kansas children from experimental sex-change operations,' the post said. “'Now that same judge has applied to be on the Kansas Supreme Court with no check from the people of Kansas. The solution is on your ballot: Vote yes on the constitutional amendment to return direct elections for Supreme Court justices,' the post said. “'This is how people check judicial activism,' the post said.” Brad Cooper Sunflower State Journal June 17, 2026 Learn More In that case, Folsom overturned the Help Not Harm Act by inventing a new constitutional right out of whole cloth for parents to demand medical treatments for their children, even if they are illegal. By this logic, a parent could demand heroin or marijuana for their child and the state would have no power to stop them. Folsom sided with the ACLU to strike down protections for Kansas children. This is the exact same judicial overreach we are now seeing applied to our election laws. The Axis of Ballot Harvesting, led by LoudLight and Kansas Appleseed, brought this case as well, fighting to protect their ability to subvert our elections. These groups hide behind a non-profit status to rake in millions in dark money from George Soros, foreign billionaires, and out-of-state special interests and then use it to prosecute lawfare against the people of Kansas. As the Chairman of the House Elections Committee, I am focused on restoring confidence in our elections by combating ballot harvesting. Every time we pass laws to combat ballot harvesting, a group I call the "Axis of Ballot Harvesting"--led by the Soros- and foreign-billionaire-funded ACLU and Loud Light--sues to block them. So lastyear, I carried and passed legislation to ban foreign money in our elections. I know I hit the mark, 'cause they're suing that law, too! Their partner in crime is the Elias Law Group. This is the notorious left-wing law firm that perpetrated the Russia-gate hoax on behalf of Hillary Clinton in 2017.  They're camped out here in Kansas, suing on behalf of the Axis of Ballot Harvesting to block every common-sense election safeguard we pass. They do not want you to have confidence in our elections. They want to keep our voter rolls and ballot procedures vulnerable so the only ballots that get counted are the ones that their allies harvest. This entire debacle highlights exactly why our current judicial system is fundamentally broken. Unelected activist judges like Carl Folsom are using their benches to subvert the will of the people and unravel our practical solutions. We cannot allow radical judges to dictate how Kansas runs its elections. In a recent election decision, the Kansas Supreme Court came within just a single vote of stripping the state legislature of its constitutional authority to write our state's election laws. If just one more justice had flipped, activist judges would have had the power to strike down every common-sense safeguard we've passed—from signature verification to bans on ballot harvesting. It is time for Kansans to Take Back the Court!  This is why we desperately need the Right to Vote constitutional amendment. Currently, Kansas is the only state in the country that uses a nominating commission dominated by unelected lawyers to pick our highest judges. It is a system controlled by political insiders operating behind closed doors. The Right to Vote amendment will abolish this unaccountable commission. It will finally give the citizens of Kansas the right to directly elect our Supreme Court justices. This is a common-sense safeguard that ensures our highest court reflects the values of the people of Kansas. Early voting has started. Please check your local election office for the time and location for early voting in your county. If we do not pass this now, I can almost guarantee that you will never get another opportunity in your lifetimes to fix this broken system. This is the most important question on the ballot this election season! Early voting has started. Get out and vote! As the Chairman of your House Elections Committee, I have fought relentlessly to restore confidence in our elections by increasing transparency. As your next Secretary of State, until we can take back our courts from the radical Left, I will continue that fight, defending the measures we passed against this left-wing lawfare. I produce this weekly newsletter, the Proctor Election Report, because it's important to me, as the Chairman of the House Committee on Elections and a candidate to serve you as Kansas Secretary of State, to keep you informed on the latest developments in Kansas elections. But I also want to focus on the subjects that are of interest to you. Is there a topic you would like me to discuss in a future edition? Do you have feedback or questions on the topics in this edition? Please REPLY to this email. I respond personally to every reply I receive to this newsletter. I look forward to hearing from you! Copyright © 2026 Pat Proctor for Kansas, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in by providing us with your email address. Our mailing address is: Pat Proctor for Kansas PO Box 3421 Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Any solicitation contained herein is not intended for lobbyists, political committees, or persons other than individuals. Paid for by Proctor for Kansas, Amy Cawvey, Treasurer

Dollar General’s scale comes from systematically filling gaps left by larger-format retailers in smaller communities, combined with a simple, low-cost operating model that delivers solid returns on relatively modest capital investment per store.

Dollar General (NYSE: DG) is a public company and the largest U.S. retailer by number of stores. It operates as a small-box discount chain focused on everyday essentials, primarily in rural and underserved markets.

Store Count

As of the end of fiscal 2025 (January 30, 2026), Dollar General operated 20,893 stores (including Dollar General, DG Market, DGX, and pOpshelf formats in the U.S., plus a small number of Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico).

By early May 2026 the count reached about 21,055. Texas leads with nearly 2,000 stores, followed by North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (each over 1,000 in recent tallies). Stores exist in 48 U.S. states.

The company plans roughly 450 new U.S. stores (plus about 10 in Mexico) in fiscal 2026, along with thousands of remodels (Project Renovate and Project Elevate) and a smaller number of relocations. Growth has slowed from prior years’ higher openings as the company balances expansion with remodels and selective closures. Management has estimated roughly 11,000 additional potential U.S. opportunities remain.

Approximately 80% of stores serve towns of 20,000 or fewer people. About 75% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a Dollar General.

Sales and Financial Snapshot

Fiscal 2025 net sales reached $42.7 billion, up about 5.2% year-over-year. Same-store sales rose 3.0%.

Average sales per store were roughly $2.05 million annually. Sales per square foot ran in the high $260s (around $269 in the latest full-year figures).

Product mix is heavily weighted toward consumables (roughly 80–82% of sales: food, paper, cleaning, health & beauty, etc.), with seasonal items (~10%), home products (~5%), and apparel (~3%). The typical basket is small (often around $15), supporting frequent “fill-in” trips.

Stores average about 7,500 square feet of selling space historically, with newer primary formats targeting ~8,500 square feet (some larger DG Market formats reach ~16,000 sq ft for expanded fresh/perishables). New stores target cash payback in about two years and average returns in the mid-teens (around 16–17%).

The company employs roughly 194,000 people. Market capitalization has fluctuated in the mid-$20 billions in recent 2026 trading.

Headquarters and Leadership

Home office: 100 Mission Ridge, Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37072 (Nashville area).

Founded in 1939 in Scottsville, Kentucky, as J.L. Turner and Son (a wholesale dry-goods business) by James Luther Turner and his son Cal Turner Sr. The first Dollar General store opened in 1955 under the concept that nothing cost more than a dollar. It went public in 1968, was taken private by KKR in a 2007 leveraged buyout, and returned to the public markets via IPO in 2009. Todd Vasos has been a long-serving CEO (with recent leadership transition notes in 2026 announcements).

How They Decide Where to Put Stores (and Density)

Dollar General prioritizes underserved rural and small-town markets with limited competition from big-box retailers. Key elements of the approach include:

• Demographic filters: Areas with roughly 3,000–4,000 households within a 3-mile radius; median household incomes often in the $40,000–$70,000 range (core customers skew lower-income; households under ~$30k–$40k represent a large share of business).
• Convenience and accessibility: High-traffic locations near major roads, easy vehicle/foot access, ample parking, freestanding or strong visibility sites. Preference for places where the nearest full-service grocery or big-box alternative may be several miles away.
• Competition and economics: Analysis of existing retail density, local sales potential, traffic patterns, zoning, and real-estate costs. The small-box, low-capex model works in markets too sparse for Walmart or traditional grocers. They accept some trade-area overlap/cannibalization to lock in good real estate and build density advantages.
• Data-driven process: Real estate team uses population trends, household data, competitor mapping, and site-specific due diligence. New stores are predominantly rural; the company has also expanded into select suburban and metro-edge locations over time.

They do not typically pack many stores into dense urban cores the way convenience chains might. Instead, the model is high store count through broad geographic coverage of smaller communities (one store often serves a modest trade area of a few miles). Density varies sharply by region—very high in parts of the South and Midwest, much lower in the Mountain West or California.

Other Key Points

• Formats and innovation: Traditional Dollar General stores, larger DG Market (more fresh/grocery), smaller DGX convenience-style, and pOpshelf (non-consumables focus; expansion paused for evaluation in recent periods). Ongoing investments in coolers, fresh produce (rolling out to more stores), remodels, and digital (app, delivery partnerships).
• Business model strengths: High convenience, value pricing (many $1 items plus private brands), lean operations, and resilience in lower-income/rural demand. Consumables focus provides relative stability.
• Challenges and recent context: Inventory management improvements, margin recovery efforts after earlier pressures, selective store closures in prior years (while still netting growth), and higher construction costs for new builds.
• International: Early-stage expansion into Mexico.

Dollar General’s scale comes from systematically filling gaps left by larger-format retailers in smaller communities, combined with a simple, low-cost operating model that delivers solid returns on relatively modest capital investment per store. Official sources (investor.dollargeneral.com, SEC filings such as the 10-K/annual report for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2026, and earnings releases) are the best ongoing references for the latest numbers.

Topeka JUMP is a long-running, clergy- and congregation-driven organizing effort that turns faith communities into a coordinated civic force.

 Topeka JUMP (Justice, Unity, & Ministry Project) is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and congregation-based community organizing group in Topeka/Shawnee County, Kansas. It focuses on systemic policy and funding changes to address issues affecting marginalized groups.

It is part of the DART (Direct Action and Research Training) network of similar organizations.

History and Structure

Founded in 2012 by a group of local clergy seeking to live out a biblical call to justice (drawing heavily on Micah 6:8: “What does the LORD require of you? To do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”). It started small and has grown into a coalition of roughly 30–36 faith communities.

These include a diverse mix of United Methodist churches, Baptist, Catholic, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Episcopal, non-denominational, and others (examples from past lists: Asbury Mt. Olive UMC, El Shaddai Ministries, Grace Episcopal Cathedral, University UMC, Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Southern Hills Mennonite, Temple Beth Sholom, and more). Member congregations supply the bulk of the “people power.”

The model is classic DART-style organizing:

• Congregations identify problems through listening and surveys.
• Members research solutions and build relationships with decision-makers.
• Large public assemblies pressure officials for specific, public commitments.
• Follow-up ensures accountability.

It has received awards from NAMI Kansas (2015), Living the Dream Inc. (2017), Topeka Center for Peace and Justice (2018), and Cornerstone of Topeka (2019).

Leadership and Staff

• Lead Organizer / Director: Sarah Balzer (hired around early 2023 after founder Shanae Calhoun/Elem left to start Willow Consulting). Balzer previously worked with the sister organization Justice Matters in Lawrence; she has a social work background and Mennonite ties. She has been the consistent public face in coverage through at least 2024–2025.
• Associates historically include Jason Maymon and Austin Christ (Christ was referenced as a spokesman around the April 2026 assembly).
• Co-chairs / Executive team: Rotate among clergy and lay leaders from member congregations (examples in recent years: Melodine/Melodene Byrd of El Shaddai, Christine Potter, Rev. Lorna Boden of Tecumseh UMC, Rev. Harry Christian, Rev. Curtis Odum, and others).

Exact current staffing can shift; the best source is direct contact with the organization.

Office and Contact

• Address: 3033 SW MacVicar St. (sometimes listed as Ave.), Topeka, KS 66611.
• Phone: (785) 783-3721
• Email: topeka.jump@gmail.com
• Website: topekajump.com (includes donation link and basic campaign info)

Meetings and Events

Yes, they hold regular and large-scale meetings. The structure is intentional and public-facing:

• Community Problems Assembly — Members vote on priority issues for the year (example: November 3, 2025, at El Shaddai Ministries, 920 SE Sherman Ave.).
• Rally / Solutions events — Mid-year (e.g., March 2026).
• Nehemiah Action Assembly — The signature annual event (typically April or early May). Hundreds to over 1,000 people from member congregations fill a venue (most often Washburn University’s Lee Arena at 1901 SW Mulvane St., sometimes White Concert Hall). Officials are invited, research and personal stories are presented, and specific public commitments are sought. Recent example: April 30, 2026, at Lee Arena, focused on affordable housing, homelessness, food insecurity, and violence reduction, with attendance around 1,050.
• Justice Ministry Celebration — Usually June.
• Campaign-specific steering committees and research teams meet more frequently.
• Occasional moral marches / rallies (e.g., April 19, 2026, housing march from University United Methodist Church to a Habitat for Humanity project site, with participants carrying symbolic paper keys).

Locations rotate among Washburn venues and member churches. Childcare is sometimes offered at large assemblies. Formats can adjust for health guidelines.

Current and Recent Campaigns / Impact

They pursue multi-year campaigns with measurable policy wins:

• Safe & Affordable Housing (ongoing since ~2015): Helped pass the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund ordinance (2019). Continues pushing for permanent annual public funding (target often cited as $2 million) or dedicated revenue such as a sales tax. Recent moral marches and Nehemiah commitments from city officials.
• Mental Health Crisis / Crisis Intervention: Worked for Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) beds so people in crisis go to treatment rather than jail or ER. Secured significant state funding commitments for Valeo Behavioral Health (plans for dozens of beds).
• Violence Reduction: Advocated for evidence-based Group Violence Intervention strategies; related efforts include the Community Inspired Violence Intervention Coalition (CIVIC), which received startup funding.
• Homelessness: Elevated as a major priority around 2023–2024 (including calls for low-barrier shelter options).
• Food Insecurity (newest major campaign as of late 2025/2026): Voted in by network members; announced a grocery delivery partnership model (inspired by a Dallas program) aimed at food deserts, especially central Topeka where insecurity rates are much higher.
• Past campaigns: Expanded Oxford House recovery beds, public transit pilot programs (SOTO/NETO), education supports (Communities in Schools), predatory lending reform (paused), and budget restorations for mental health services.

They emphasize data, personal testimony, and sustained pressure rather than one-off protests. Coverage appears regularly in the Topeka Capital-Journal, WIBW, and other local outlets.

Summary

Topeka JUMP is a long-running, clergy- and congregation-driven organizing effort that turns faith communities into a coordinated civic force. Its power comes from large, disciplined public assemblies that extract specific commitments from elected officials and agency leaders, followed by accountability work. The office is on SW MacVicar, the most visible “head” role is the Lead Organizer (Sarah Balzer in recent years), and the big public meetings are the annual Nehemiah Action Assemblies plus problem-identification and celebration events.

For the absolute latest on leadership, exact meeting schedules, or involvement, contact them directly via the phone, email, or website above—organizational details evolve with staff and campaign cycles.

Look (https://mcremedia.blogspot.com/2024/05/fwd-go-topeka-inquiry.html)

Look here, folks. A while back—May of 2024—I put up a post on the blog about this exact thing. Molly Howey, who was running GO Topeka at the time, sent over their list of grants, contributions, sponsorships, and scholarships from 2022 and 2023. You can still find it at mcremedia.blogspot.com if you want to see the whole thing with your own eyes. That list tells the story plain as day.

Good golly MOLLY

Sales tax money earmarked for economic development was going out the door to:

• New Mount Zion Baptist Church for community drive-thru dinners and back-to-school events
• Shampayne Lloyd Ministries for a “Victorious Woman Retreat”
• Topeka Center for Peace and Justice
• Topeka Family and Friends Juneteenth Celebration
• YWCA Northeast Kansas for scholarships and Women of Excellence dinners
• NAACP Topeka Branch for their Freedom Fund Banquet
• Oakland Garden and other community grower groups
• NOTO Arts and Entertainment District for “diversity and inclusion”
• A pet nursing hotel that won a pitch contest

Now listen close. None of those groups are evil. Most of them do work that some people care about. But they do not deserve a single dime of the half-cent sales tax that was sold to the public as economic development money. That tax is paid by every working man and woman in Shawnee County every time they buy something. It was never meant to be a community chest for churches, ministries, celebration committees, social advocacy groups, or pet hotels. Those are charitable causes. Charity starts at home—with people freely choosing to give out of their own pockets. When you force it through a sales tax and let a private group hand it out, it stops being charity and starts being a handout taken from taxpayers who never agreed to fund it.

Real economic development means jobs that put food on tables, payroll that grows the tax base, and businesses that expand and stay here. Writing checks to a women’s retreat or a Juneteenth event or a peace-and-justice center does none of that. It just feels good to the people writing the checks.

And here’s where the rubber meets the road. During the budget process—every single year when JEDO and GO Topeka decide where that money goes—common sense says if you keep allocating it to the wrong places, the public is going to suffer. Every dollar that goes to a church dinner or an arts diversity program or a ministry retreat is a dollar that is not available for real job incentives, workforce training that leads to actual paychecks, or shovel-ready sites that could bring employers to town. Over time that adds up. Fewer good jobs. More of our young people packing up and leaving. Higher pressure on the rest of the tax base. Roads and bridges and everything else that actually keeps the place running get squeezed. The public pays the price while the handouts keep flowing to groups that already have their own fundraising channels.

That’s not complicated. That’s just common sense. The money has a purpose. Stick to the purpose. Anything else is taking from the people who work for a living and giving it to causes they never voted to support. 

Full credit and thanks to This Is Topeka for the thorough reporting. Check their site for the original article and ongoing local coverage.

Lauren’s Bay Finally Moving Forward: Unpaid Taxes Lead to Auction and New Builders By Henry McClure | MCRE, LLC

In the spirit of transparency and keeping Shawnee County informed on local development news, I wanted to share a strong summary of recent reporting from This Is Topeka (thisistopeka.com). All credit goes to This Is Topeka Staff for their July 21, 2026 article: “Years of Unpaid Taxes End With Lauren’s Bay Sold to Three Builders.” I highly recommend reading the full piece for the complete details.

Key Developments at Lauren’s Bay

After years of stalled progress, unpaid taxes, and debates over special assessments, more than 100 vacant lots in the southwest Topeka subdivision (near SW 47th and Wanamaker, Auburn-Washburn School District) were sold at a Shawnee County judicial tax foreclosure auction on June 10, 2026.

The buyers include three reputable local builders:

• Diamond Homes of Topeka (formerly Dultmeier Homes) – approximately 40 lots.
• Drippé Homes – approximately 12 lots.
• Skill Pro Group – approximately 52 lots.

Builders have shared optimistic timelines with This Is Topeka, with clearing already underway and foundations potentially starting after August 1. Plans call for 10–15 homes from one builder and around six from another in the coming year, with potential for more phases.

The Backstory

As This Is Topeka explains, Lauren’s Bay was planned as an upscale neighborhood. Unusually, the city invested in full infrastructure (roads, sewers, utilities) upfront about 15 years ago— an “experiment” not typically repeated. Development lagged, leaving infrastructure in place but insufficient homes to support the costs. This led to massive accumulation of delinquent property taxes, penalties, and special assessments (reportedly exceeding $7 million at one point for properties tied to developer Jim Klausman).

Special assessments, as detailed in the article, are a mechanism to fund improvements benefiting specific properties rather than the entire tax base. When unpaid, they can trigger foreclosure.

City leaders had explored deals to forgive portions of debt in exchange for payments and commitments to build, citing housing needs. These efforts faced significant public opposition over fairness and were ultimately set aside, allowing the county foreclosure process to proceed.

Auction Strategy and Results

To promote actual development over speculation, the county grouped lots into larger packages. This approach worked, landing the properties with established builders ready to construct. While the auction generated less than $1 million against millions owed, the focus of such sales is returning land to productive use, future tax revenue, and community benefit rather than full past-due recovery.

Looking Ahead

For existing residents, this should reduce overgrown vacant areas and bring more neighbors. It represents a fresh start for the subdivision, leveraging existing infrastructure in a strong school district. As This Is Topeka notes, questions remain about accountability in the original agreements and handling of public investments, but the sale opens the door to new homes and growth.

This outcome underscores the importance of timely development, fiscal responsibility, and transparent processes in local projects—topics central to making Shawnee County a place where families want to live and build.

Full credit and thanks to This Is Topeka for the thorough reporting. Check their site for the original article and ongoing local coverage.