Priced Out . . .
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
The
story covers the escalating cost of housing in Johnson County, Kansas.
But
that is not the part Raytown homeowners should pay much attention too. What
should be given attention can be found on page 14A under the sub-heading . . . PROPERTY TAX IMPACT.
The
Raytown Board of Aldermen has given direction to the City Administrator to
prepare legislation that would double the property tax in Raytown on Real
Estate and on Personal Property. His report and legislation enabling a public
vote on the question is due in March.
Six
Board members endorsed the plan to move forward with the tax increase. So it is
almost a sure bet that come early August, Raytown voters will have the
opportunity to vote on the tax increase.
The
story in the Kansas City Star outlines the impact of the higher cost of homes
in Johnson County. The majority of the area has seen an increase in home
value(s) from 8% to 15%.
The
PROPERTY TAX INCREASE explains the cost increase for homeowners, even if they
do not sell their home.
For
instance, a 1950’s two bedroom ranch in Prairie Village saw an increase in
value from $176,000 to $212,000. As a result of the increased value of the
home, the property tax rose $262 to $2,882 annually.
Granted,
home values in the Raytown area are not has high as Johnson County. But the
fact remains that many people in Raytown are living in the homes they can
afford.
The
doubling of the Property Tax and Personal Property Tax will have the effect in
Raytown as the increased prices in Johnson County. People will be squeezed by
the increased cost of living. Some will not be able to afford it. They will be
forced to move on.
WHERE
ARE RAYTOWN HOME VALUES HEADED?
The question was posed to Ward 3 Alderman Ryan
Myers. Myers makes his living appraising property values for people in the real
estate industry. Most of his work is in commercial property. However, he
explained that the rise in commercial property value is often mirrored by a similar
increase in residential property values.
He
told the Raytown Report property values have seen an increase in the Raytown
area. Evidence of this has already been noted by many homeowners who saw the
value of their home in Raytown increase in the last waive of Jackson County
appraised property values.
The
fact remains that even if you do not participate in the housing market price
boom . . . you will still be paying the cost in increased property tax
valuations.
Raytown
homeowners should take note of what is happening to property tax rates across
the state line. It is only a matter of time before those rates spread across
the entire metropolitan area.
Paul’s
Rant!
Some interesting topics are making the rounds at Raytown City Hall. Here are a few examples:
THE
MAYOR MAKES THE APPOINTMENT TO FILL THE WARD 5 VACANCY AND IT IS DONE.
WRONG!
The Board of Aldermen has the final say on whether or not to accept the Mayor’s
appointment. The Board of Aldermen also has the final say on all appointments
to the Park Board as well.
IF THE MAYOR’S CHOICE TO FILL THE
UNFILLED TERM IN WARD 5 IS NOT APPROVED HE CAN CALL FOR SPECIAL ELECTION NEXT
AUGUST TO FILL THE SEAT.
WRONG
AGAIN! The Mayor may call for a special election to fill a vacant seat in the August
state election, but he will not get it. In Missouri, city elections are specifically
reserved for the April ballot. If he wanted a vote to fill the vacant Ward 5
seat, he had his opportunity in early February. That window of opportunity has
closed. The April election is already set. It is too late to add any more
issues to the ballot.
THE
WARD 5 SEAT IS NOT THE ONLY VACANCY
WAITING FOR THE MAYOR’S APPOINTMENT:
CORRECT:
There is a vacancy on the Park Board and on the Board of Zoning Adjustment
(BZA). The Park Board appointment would require Board approval. The BZA
appointment does not require Board approval.
RE-BUILDING
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Good
news for the men and women in blue. Their numbers are growing. By the end of
Tuesday’s night meeting there will have been four new uniformed officers sworn
in since the budget was approved last October. You can add two civilian Detention Technicians to man the
jail at Raytown Police headquarters. It appears the Department is
rebuilding . . . and staying within the guidelines set by the
City Council.
The
down-side is that during that same period the Department was over-budget by
about 10% in payroll expenses. This was due to shortage of manpower which
resulted in overtime costs. The new hires are expected to cut down overtime costs.
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51 comments:
Once again another unhelpful article about taxation. I have to wonder if the blogowner cares more about his pocketbook or helping the City? Yes it is true that if my $100,000 home became worth a million dollars I would pay more in taxes. This is obvious and a rudimentary argument. I was rather surprised at the doubling of the rate. However, once the levy rate is approved the board gets to set it each year. It’s a range of tax levying authority. I am still waiting to here your solution on fixing the City.
ok. I get that some people are against tax increases. So, how do you propose to solve the problems. The BOA cut expenses. You went off the deep end talking about impeaching board members (not possible in Raytown, at least without a charter). So, if you don't want expenses cut or taxes raised, then what's the answer? Please enlighten us!
Same as any household budget learn to live within your means. Thanks to the PD they have done this to the city now they need to help dig us out.
I posted a couple weeks back that the proposed taxes would be easy to argue against.
The hysterical refrain of
"Just say NO to DOUBLING our taxes" is already being sounded.
Fake news at its fakest. The taxes are NOT in fact being doubled. Just the Raytown component.
But I am sure the blog's author knows that. So I wonder why he misrepresents it.
Sour grapes perhaps.
Why would you want to impeach the BOA. They are the only ones who have made any sensible changes in the last year. It would make more sense to impeach the chief of police and mayor. There refusal to accept reality is what is hurting Raytown.
Earth to 12:23 pm
The City will NEVER have the resources to fix the 100 MILLION dollar backlog of infrastructure projects without additional funds. Are you blind?
Talk about fake news! When you take a 50 cent tax and make a $1.00 tax it is doubling the tax. Now, add to that the increase of property value as Mr. Walters pointed out. It becomes more than a dollar. How many reading this post had the property tax valuation lowered last year? I will be voting NO on doubling the city's portion of the property tax.
The city cannot and does not manage the money they have today so why would we want to give them more money to waste?
Yeah, you lose a lot of credibility when you can’t use proper grammar. It’s their not there. There is for places, their is for people.
I will be voting NO also. They can't manage the money they take in now. I have to live within my budget and use my money wisely to make it through the month. The city can do the same.
8:44 Maybe the issue you commented on is a result of the school district spending to much money on sports and other activities instead of in the classrooms.
I will support no tax increase until there is a full audit showing how the city is spending the millions of dollars they collect today. These decisions should be made based on facts, not emotion and name calling.
Because I don’t like driving on bad roads. Do you?
Meanwhile, does anybody have a plan for the roads? It’s easy to be immovable and a Dr. No... if you have looked at the budget and spoken with Tom Cole, you would have an idea and a basic understanding , that there is not enough money to properly fix our streets and there will most likely never be. That’s not going to change through “thriftiness. The blogowner has no solutions for this. The naysayers have no solution for this problem.
I think the solution is a state audit to determine if the money was spent as intended. If not, insurance should make restitution and prosecute those who are responsible. Those who misspent the funds should have CYA with liability insurance.
Andy Whiteman
4:36pm gets it, who in their right mind wants to buy a home in a city with crumbling infrastructure, and basic services lacking because of insufficient tax structure funding. The conservative model or plan has got to go. We need to increase the tax rate, period, otherwise Raytown is and will become worse than some areas of Kansas City, Mo.
Hey Andy -
Are you going to pay the $30,000 to the state for the audit? No? Will the auditor be able to get back the squandered money? No, I didn't think so. Will putting the people who squandered the money in jail get it back? No, I didn't think so. What's your next suggestion?
There they go again! Spouting the ever popular lie that Raytown is revenue poor. Not so. Raytown has one of the highest sales tax rates in the area. People living in Raytonw have one of the second highest property tax rates. The problem is unfettered spending. The inability of the city counicl to say no. I see the police are already 10% over budget on payroll. Maybe the chief of police should not have told all of his officers they were all going to lose their jobs. He caused quite an exit with that one. Next time try workign with people instead of against them.
Anyone who doesn't want a state audit must be part of those that don't want the truth as it might find them in an orange jumpsuit.
I’d sure like to know where the “$100 million” backlog figure came from. Another inflated number for public works’ pet projects? A fleet of street sweepers perhaps?
To the dozen old bitter cronies on here who will vote no on the tax: you get what you pay for. Want crumbling streets and bare bones service from the city, vote no. Join the rest of us that want something better, and know that we will each have to pay a little bit to get it.
We have bare bone services now.
Look at 59th st. The city needs to sue Neal Cleavenger of Raytown Water company for not fixing the street when the water line broke. The street is getting worse. The city doesn't have the codds to do it.
Raytown has no industry, rental & section 8 houses, payday loans, and a convenience/liquor store every half mile or so. What kind of people do you think that will draw into Raytown? Low income, retired fixed income people stuck here, renters, and you name it. We don't have a codes department. I look at houses going down Gregory to Raytown road, paint falling off houses, homes kept in dis repair, junk in yards just to name a few.
Raytown would be better off if Lee's Summit or Kansas City took them over.
Bitter old cronies! Indeed! Your tax increase proposal is ridiculously high. I deserves to be voted down. I am far from being one of your old cronies, but I can assure you there are more than a dozen of out there who will send this doubling of the property tax rate down the tubes in August.
@5:37 pm. Tom Cole said it during a board meeting.
That’s the backlog of street resurfacing, sewers, sidewalks, storm drains, bridges and other needs.
Lee’s Summit wouldn’t actually touch Raytown since no part of their city actually touches Raytown. You have three options, kcmo, Independence or Jackson County.
What ever happened to the City’s plan to refinance the TIFF bonds? That was supposed to save millions of dollars and was the reason they gave to slash the police budget
7:50 pm
Gone round the barn on this “kc” or lees summit needs to take us over. Which assumes they want us....... Lees Summit does not want us. KCMO might, but that would mean all working residents would have to pay a 1% income tax. Nobody would want this but a retired person. It’s not going to happen.
I raised taxes on myself and purchased a new car.
What makes you think KCMO wants us? They have a police department playing the same political nonsense with the budget as Jim Lynch did (does). They can’t even make up their minds about the airport. They waffle more than our mayor and BOA. KCMO has more problems than we do and they certainly don’t want any more.
Who the hell wants a broke city? an incompetent Police Chief and all his buddies?? a crumpling infrastructure of roads, sidewalks, storm and sewer water??? HA!!!! Good one.
Wow you can’t be serious 4:27
Don't think we have issues in Raytown?
You need to ask why in the month of Feb we have not had any of the required board of alderman meetings.
3:36 pm
One meeting was cancelled due to lack of a quorum—members unable to make the meeting. The other meeting was cancelled due to weather. And the month of February is not over. Put the tinfoil hat away.
7:46 You really want us to believe the city is following the law.
Sorry 3:36 is right and the only ones calling names are the ones that know they are breaking the law.
7:46
Instead of calling names read the law
Sec. 2-491. - Regularly scheduled board of aldermen meetings.
The board of aldermen shall meet regularly on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the time and place established from time to time by the board. Regular meetings may be rescheduled by the majority of the board for good cause. Regular meetings will be rescheduled to the following Tuesday if the scheduled meeting falls on a national holiday or any election day.
If you really think that local elected officials are putting your safety ahead of anything else think again:
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/49927/
Makes you wonder about Raytown
For good cause-thank you. Conspiracy theorists can crawl back under their rocks
Ah yes, the same attempt at an annex discussion that pops up every 10 Year’s or so. Has never happened, will never happen. The city is not broke. They can maintain basic service. If you want nice roads though, you will have to vote yes to pay for it. Simple.
The key word is “good cause”
Weather= good cause
Lack of quorum = good cause
Again. No laws were broken.
How sickening it was to hear that the armed school resource officer stood by for four minutes while the shooter in Florida was on his rampage. Then today to hear that he was not alone. That other arriving officers just hid behind their patrol cars and took up positions.
Then I contrast that with the 13 bullets that were pumped into the local boy who was backing a van out of his driveway and was not a threat to the officer who could have just stood aside.
Makes me wonder. Do I hate cops? heck no but sometimes I think the first responder hero worship is over the top.
10:34 AM
Only good cause if true
I do believe as reported there was a quorum.
One could also believe the mayor by not filling positions is intentionally creating this issue.
Time for an audit; time for an investigation
12:52 pm
If a cop orders you to stop, and you don't, then it's your fault if you get shot.
I think that kid wanted to die by suicide by cop.
Parents--TALK TO YOUR KIDS! GET YOUR EYES OUT OF THE PHONE and onto your family. Even at the gym people are engrossed in their phones. What is so darn important you can't turn your phone off for an hour?
Does the Mayor and Board still get paid for the month? If I get cancelled for weather or lack of supplies I don’t get paid and neither should they
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