08/28/2026
We could not be more disappointed in the way last Tuesday’s Buhler City Council meeting turned out.
What we heard from Candace Davidson was essentially that she did not trust the citizens of Buhler to vote on this issue, so she believed the answer was to use the power of her position to push the mill-levy increase through instead. That may not be how she would describe it, but that is exactly how it came across to us.
The room was standing-room-only, and we did not hear a single person speak in support of the proposal.
What makes this even more disappointing is that the city specifically held a special meeting and asked people to come forward with ideas and alternatives.
People did exactly that.
They took time out of their lives, showed up, offered suggestions, asked questions, and tried to be part of the process. Then, when it came time to make the decision, it felt like those efforts meant very little.
That is the part we find especially hard to accept.
Mike Knopp and Chuck Taylor also had another option. They did not have to second the motion. They could have allowed it to die for lack of a second, then made a more common-sense motion that better respected the concerns of the people standing in that room.
There were other options worth discussing: sales tax, online purchases delivered into Buhler, broadening the tax base, and finding ways to put unused commercial property back to work.
Instead, the easiest option was chosen: raise the mill levy and send the bill to property owners.
Ryan Brady was the one council member we saw willing to stand up for the people in that room and push back on what was happening. We appreciated that, and we want to make it clear that he is absolutely welcome at our business.
We have sat on this for three days before deciding what we wanted to say and what we wanted to do. This was not a knee-jerk reaction made in anger after the meeting.
After thinking it through, we have made a decision regarding our business.
To the council members who supported pushing this mill-levy increase through despite the overwhelming opposition in that room: we are asking you not to shop at Buhler Gas.
We are not banning anyone from the property, trespassing anyone, or looking to create a confrontation. We are simply asking you to take your business elsewhere.
And we would encourage other business owners in Buhler, especially those who own commercial property and will also feel the impact of these decisions, to think seriously about joining us.
There has to be some consequence when elected officials ask the public to participate, ask for ideas, hear those ideas, and then choose not to meaningfully consider them.
We respect disagreement. We respect people who vote differently than we would. We even respect an unpopular decision when someone has genuinely listened to all sides and believes it is the right thing to do.
What we do not respect is inviting people into the process and then making them feel like their participation never mattered.
Leadership is not proving that you have the power to make a decision.
Leadership is being willing to listen before you make it.
