KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Throughout Wyandotte County, tax burdens are being felt by property owners, homeowners, businesses, you name it.
It's been that way for quite some time.
Even after the Unified Government of Wyandotte County unanimously agreed at their June 26 meeting to remain "revenue neutral" or not raise property taxes, residents showed up Thursday evening to make sure commissioners know how tax increases have already impacted their quality of life.
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Public comments mostly surrounding the issue lasted for at least an hour and a half.
"I hear of a lot of people paying $5,000, $6,000, $12,000 — it's a strain on the people who are poor and middle class," a resident said at the meeting. "We have a lot of bills now bigger than they ever were before; the poor people have to tighten the belt."
A woman who owns a house more than a century-old got emotional describing how she is in the same situation.
"I go to bed at night worrying how to pay your damn taxes, I don’t understand," she said.
Responding to her frustrations, another resident shared his disappointment that she might not be able to keep her home.
"Our taxes are what our house payments used to be," he said.
KSHB 41 has shared the tax pains for years.
"There are studies that have shown property taxes since consolidation in 1997 have increased well over 230%," said Tyrone Garner, KCK Mayor and CEO of Wyandotte County's Unified Government.
A significant portion of Wyandotte County is made up of working class families and seniors.
"Wyandotte County is still one of the poorest counties in the state of Kansas," Garner said. "We're upwards anywhere between 16-19% poverty rate depending on the year."
The mayor's had conversations with many people who feel taxed out of their homes.
Some people have shared with him and KSHB 41 the primary reason they're moving away is because of tax increases.
"The concern I have as mayor is we are starting to lose population," he said.
The decision not to raise taxes this year was a sacrifice, according to the mayor.
The direct impact is still being worked out by county staff.
It's widely known that Wyandotte County has struggled with a mountain of debt over the years.
"Our county admin looked and said 44% of parts of our budget just go toward the debt," he said. "When you look at Wyandotte County being over $1 billion in debt, it's a lot of challenges. I've inherited this."
There is a history of decision-making, the mayor referenced, that has a ripple effect on the government's financial standing.
While he is supportive of "good development," the mayor thinks they need a better approach.
"We can't continue to 'give the farm away' to a lot of big corporates; we know have the money," Garner said. "A lot of the businesses that were here and asked to be here aren’t paying their fair share of property taxes. When you build a facility that causes valuations in our county to go up our residents end up carrying that cost."
It's not certain what remaining revenue neutral will mean for Wyandotte County in 2025 and beyond.
Several commissioners, according to the mayor, have met with the county's CFO and budget director to figure out a budget that will still be able to provide services and staffing without a harmful impact.
The commission did pass a budget with a property tax increase in 2023 so residents will see that reflected in their bills this year.
Property taxes won't go up for Wyandotte County in 2025 but could they go down in the near future? Mayor Garner said they are not at that point yet due to the county's financial challenges.
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