KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers issues in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Send Rachel a story idea.
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Among the multiple announcements that came out of Thursday’s Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, 2025 budget presentation was the removal of the PILOT fee from KC Board of Public Utilities bills.
This meeting, which took place Aug. 1, was the result of what the county administrator called an accelerated budget process, considering the commission unanimously voted in June not to exceed revenue neutral.
This meant the administrator and his office had less time than normal to come up with a budget to present to commissioners, which included multiple tax cuts and a breakdown of the county and city's debt imbalances.
At the end of the meeting, County Administrator David Johnston announced a proposal to no longer charge residents for PILOT, which stands for payment in lieu of taxes.
The Unified Government owns BPU, but because the utility is tax-exempt, this fee makes up for the property taxes it doesn’t collect.
PILOT adds an additional 11.9%to a resident’s total utility bill, but as of Oct. 1, that’ll no longer be the case.
“The consumer will not pay,” Johnston said Thursday as he addressed the commission. “They shouldn’t have been paying it all this time, so we’re going to follow the law.”
He cited the county’s failure to adhere to properly collect PILOT according to a county ordinance, something he said he learned while preparing the 2025 budget.
“It became evident that the way we’re collecting our PILOT is not to our ordinance,” Johnston said. “We’re supposed to be getting that money off the UG gross operating revenue, not a direct charge to the ratepayer.”
This change means residents will not be disconnected or have water or electricity shut off for not paying PILOT fees.
The news came as a shock to many in the audience, as evidenced by scattered applause and a remark from Commissioner Gayle Townsend.
“I don't know if people were in shock, but as they used to say in church, I expected a bigger ‘Amen' on no PILOT,” she said at Thursday’s meeting.
Mayor Tyrone Garner followed with words of encouragement for taxpayers.
“We heard you on PILOT,” Garner said. "Not only is there a PILOT reduction, but then also the PILOT is coming off your bill. So those individuals that suffer and are impacted the most by the PILOT being on the bill and may have gotten cut off, that will not be an issue for you any longer.”
However, he also added a warning.
“I want to make it clear, this is not a tax cut by any means, it is a pressure point on tax increases for one year,” Garner said.
It certainly was an answered prayer for Carolyn Wyatt, a lifelong Wyandotte County resident. She said she makes a point to attend nearly every commission and school board meeting she can.
“I try to go to every meeting, and I try to take somebody with me,” Wyatt said. “Plus, I email probably 100 people every time. They may not all show up, but I want them to know so they can watch from home.”
Despite being well into retirement, Wyatt stays busy.
The last time KSHB 41 spoke with her, she was advocating for Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools to become fully accredited. This time, we met at her church, Walnut Boulevard Missionary Baptist Church.
“I just felt like it was a calling for myself to get involved, stay involved,” Wyatt said about her service to youth, which spread into advocacy for senior citizens and the issues they face.
Now, her sights are set on tax relief and combating expensive fees.
“They all make a difference,” Wyatt said. “We got rid of one, but there’s another one they brought right behind it. But I think everybody’s going to be happy to know that PILOT is off.”
The budget is scheduled to be adopted Aug. 15, but Wyatt said it’ll take longer than that to combat the distrust she feels.
“Some things are hidden, and you don’t know about it, but they know about it,” Wyatt said. “And that money that we wasn’t supposed to pay, it needs to return to the citizens.”
Her faith remains steadfast nevertheless.
“I have no reason to go anywhere else; this is where I grew up,” Wyatt said. “Show up because this is about you, and if you’re coming there, they’ll try to do the right thing.”
The public hearing for the 2025 budget is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
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