(Editor’s Note: this story is revised to correct the tax increases proposed by USD 202 Turner and USD 203 Piper.)
Wyandotte County commissioners voted recently to exceed a revenue-neutral budget next year, reversing their decision a year ago not to impose a property tax increase on residents. Commissioners approved a “cap” of three mills, but the increase is much more than residents are being led to believe.
A three-mill increase over the current rate of 33.459 sounds like it would be about 10%, which is substantial. The real tax increase, however, would be 17%. The Truth in Taxation law, passed in 2021, requires the current mill rate to be reduced to deliver the same dollar amount of property tax with the new valuations, making the valuations revenue-neutral. The County Clerk says the revenue-neutral rate would be 31.156, so the County’s proposed rate of 36.459 would result in a 17% tax increase.
A press release from Wyandotte County indicates the City of Kansas City wants a 16% tax hike, USD 203 Piper is proposing a 13% increase, USD 202 Turner wants a 12% increase, and USD 500 is proposing a 7% increase. The City of Lake Quivira is pushing for a 45% increase…