Wyandotte County residents sick of deteriorating services, effects of tax freeze
Residents want their closed bridges back. They want reliable transit, resources for their aging loved ones and well-supported first responders. They're sick of their yards flooding and want to feel like their government is investing in their futures.
They said they understand it takes a lot of work, and public investment, to make that happen on a tight budget with a relatively low tax base.
Pleas to revive diminished public services that suffered last year's decision to freeze property tax revenues came during a Thursday evening community hearing held by the Unified Government's board of commissioners. Government staff offered an overview of current expenses and revenues ahead of the nearly 40-minute public comment period.
County commissioners will need to decide this summer whether to freeze property tax revenues for a second consecutive year — fully knowing that their decision will affect both residents' bills and quality of life.
The county administrator's office said during a recent public hearing that it plans to recommend commissioners vote to approve increasing revenues. But the office said it likely will not recommend collecting the full additional $12.6 million in potential added revenue across UG levy funds. Instead, it anticipates suggesting a lesser increase.
During the Thursday public hearing, four residents issued written statements asking for new funding that would permit expansion of community health programming, relief on their Board of Public Utilities PILOT fee, property tax relief and zoning changing and assistance for aging residents. Four spoke online.
Thirteen people spoke in person during the meeting, and most asked for the government to bring back and improve those lost services, invest in infrastructure and staff support and set the Unified Government and community in a more financially healthy direction.
When a local government freezes its property tax revenues, it agrees not to collect any new revenues generated by increased property values within its taxing district. If a government has a healthy budget surplus going into the year ahead, they may not always need those additional revenues to support annual operating expenses.
However, if that governmental body is already operating on a tight budget, missing out on those revenues can drastically impact operations and necessitate budget cuts, which is what happened government-wide in Wyandotte County, especially since the cost of goods and expenses went up with inflation.
The Unified Government isn't the only group that sets tax rates or issues property tax bills in Wyandotte County. Residents pay bills to the county, local school systems, public libraries, local community college, their respective cities and the state; this varies on where those residents live in the county.
But, the Unified Government is financially responsible for a lot of the essential public services to keep a community running. They oversee road conditions, parks and environmental operations, the police department, the health department, transportation and more.
Meaning, if the Unified Government sees cuts, so do the services that often directly affect people's daily lives.
The Unified Government, before its 2024 move to go revenue neutral in 2025, often collected increased revenues from property owners. This hit taxpayers particularly hard when property valuations drastically increased in recent budget years. The median value of a residential property in Wyandotte County was $74,100 in 2017; that has since increased to $181,600.
Commissioners in 2024, who had been informed that the revenue neutral move would result in major budget cuts, decided not to accept those extra dollars in response to residents' requests for relief.
The Unified Government during a springtime budget presentation shared a breakdown of how much each taxing entity affects residents' bills.
KCK residents living in USD 500 and Turner residents living in USD 202 pay 44% of their property taxes to the Unified Government (combined city and county); 32% to the school district; 15% to Kansas City, Kansas, Community College; 7% to the library; and 1% to the state.
Bonner Springs residents living in USD 204 pay 26% of their property taxes to the city; 22% to the county; 35% to the school district; 16% to KCKCC; and 1% to the state.
Edwardsville residents living in USD 204 pay 26% to the city; 21% to the county; 34% to the school district; 15% to KCKCC; 3% to the library; and 1% to the state.
Piper residents living in USD 203 pay 21% to the city; 20% to the county; 40% to the school district; 14% to KCKCC; 3% to the library; and 1% to the state.
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