At the most basic level, politics, policy debate and so much civic advocacy is about nothing more than taxes.
Most people don't really understand the function of local government but the answer is simple: City Hall mostly passes, collects and administers taxes.
In Kansas City, MO Mayor Sly James has raised taxes more effectively than any other elected official in the modern era. Within the downtown loop taxes have SKYROCKETED during his reign and thanks to subsidies awarded to developer cronies and the antics of the Jackson County Courthouse Across the street - Local property taxes are on the rise for any poor schlub without political connections.
But this year we've seen that rising property taxes aren't just a concern for denizens of KCMO . . .
The demise of affordable housing is a reality throughout the metro and even our neighborhoods in JoCo are feeling the pinch.
Tonight we provide the last word of the day to our pal Tracy who shares her perspective on rising taxes and the discourse surrounding this sordid topic.
Take a look:
Tracy Thomas: Just got my Joco Appraisal--my Shawnee home went up 7 1/2%.
The K-12 School boards all across Kansas are famous for whining and barking like a baby seal, about not having enough money. And of course now with Parkland shooting, the news media with no fiscal training makes it awkward to pressure them to ALSO lower their mill levies.
But if the appraisals have risen an AVERAGE of 10% or more, (2+18=20 div. by 2) -- they haven't released the arithmetic mean) taxing bodies--governments and schools, do not necessarily deserve to just capture a 10% budget increase...for doing nothing.
The real estate for residential in Joco went up in value. True. But the costs of governmental servicing of the very same homeowners should not go up. The mill levies need to roll back.
In addition, the SM Schools have gone down in quality, especially in contrast to Blue Valley schools.
So--fellow citizens, don't complain to your neighbors. Talk to someone who can make a difference. It is time for us to make some calls and send some emails.
It's said that a rising tide floats all boats . . . Until the financial waves start to sink the ship especially for the 72% of Johnson County residents who do NOT have kids in public schools or community colleges. That includes seniors, who are being priced out of their Joco homes.
############
Developing . . .
Nicely done Tracy!
ReplyDeleteThat line comparing SM schools to Blue Valley was exceptionally apt. Thank you for having the bravery to speak up on this subject.
Priced out, pushed out and driven out of homes. Seems like there is an organized move to make renters out of everyone. Property ownership is the news citizenship and most people are teetering on the brink of the abyss.
DeleteGreat post Tracy.
A great premise that doesn't go far enough. The KC star is in support of this agenda and they seek to drive anyone who wants to cut taxes out of office.
DeleteOhhhhhh Tracey Super Dave brought this up already today and said everyone should protest their appraisals.
ReplyDeleteBlogger Super Dave said...
Big box stores always protest that their county property appraisals are too high. Nothing new here. Long story short I bet the county intentionally stacks a higher appraisal and do it on purpose and then cut the figure to what it should be and the stores go ok we'll pay it and the county still gets what they wanted in the first place. Everyone should protest their property appraisals just on a matter of principle. The county is looking for more of your hard earn tax dollars to play with. To make it all look good for them they like to run out what the schools would lose to make a property owner feel guilty so they pay up minus a protest.
3/1/18, 1:08 PM
Somebody has to pay for Brownback's giveway so LLCs could operate tax free.
ReplyDeleteGreedy Old Perverts bait & switch. Drop business and high end income taxes, while raising sales and property.
School budgets were hit hard in the following the financial collapse in 2008. Then Brownback threw out the funding formula and went to block grants to cut state funding further. If you've seen a drop in school quality, that's why. Teachers have gone without raises for years.
ReplyDeleteTo make up for ongoing state shortfalls, voters in Joco overwhelmingly approved local control tax increases to make up the difference. They are still trying to catch up.
Regardless, even when appraised values increase, budgets don't automatically increase to spend any unexpected windfall. "Worst" case, a surplus would be applied to bonds issued to retire debt early.
The tax bill includes levies for community college, libraries, parks, storm drains, & general county, city and state collections. There are lots of services for adults and seniors provided by tax funds. It isn't just a school fund.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you don't have to have kids in school to gain a benefit. When you hire an adult educated in JOCO, you benefit. With high graduation / low drop out rates, the community has less crime. Quality schools make neighborhoods desirable which maintains higher property values for everyone.
We all get good value out of local govt services funded via local taxes.
Didn't everyone here get a $1,000 year end Trump tax bonus and a raise?
ReplyDeleteYour MAGA wage increases should easily cover small property tax increases.
Unless reports of all those raises were a little exaggerated. Oops.
11:06 Sounds like a typical Democrat dipshit. Just throw more of people's hard earned money at your problems. Ya, that will fix.
ReplyDelete^^^ I guess only Democrat dipshits understand how govt works. You have to pay for basic service. No such thing as a free lunch, you freeloader.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot. The Greedy Old Perverts dipshit idea of fiscal "responsibility" is BORROW and spend. Takers and complainers.
^^^^ we’re being taxed to death to pay for your freebies bitch
ReplyDeleteWhat basic services, killa shitty is falling apart
ReplyDeleteI guess we could all move to Chicago. The taxes there are reasonable and the local government is doing a great job with law enforcement and good schools.
ReplyDeleteFor now, we will just have to wait, until Politicians ramp up property taxes to the point where fiscally responsible unelected government bureaucrats solve all of our problems.
Kansas City is surely one of the luckiest cities in the world when it comes to taxes. The "Earnings Tax" (Irony is lost on our local politicians, but that doesn't keep them from spending money exactly where they think we need it.) is a great example of a cost benefit to each and every citizen.
Come on Tracy!!!
If the Feds can pay $10,000 for a toilet seat and we can all pony up $200.00 per aspirin under Obama Care, then yo could at least cut those ever larger checks to your local Mafia..., er..., government and keep it zipped lady!!!
Before long, as Progressive ideology becomes, by way of demographic change, codified into law, we will also, be able, like they do in North Korea, get to know our Military much better, when they come to our houses to forage for food.
But, I suppose you will complain about that too.
In my opinion, we should start NOW, with reeducation camps (The Entire State of California should be renamed "Cambodifornia") and when there is any disagreeable vox populi, then we could all go to Cambodifornia where we would learn to appreciate the hard work of our local Commissars.
ReplyDeleteLook at Mayor Bullhorn with his gangsta jewelry on.
These uninformed rants against the gubment boogeymen are reason enough why nursing homes shouldn't have unlimited internet access.
ReplyDeleteI agree, 7:10.
ReplyDeleteIt's said that a rising tide floats all boats...
Goddamn you're stupid, Tracy. The boats are floating already.
It's a rising tide lifts all boats.
I heard the charlie brown teacher in the comments above wha wha wha wha
ReplyDeletePresident Trump lowered your taxes. He made your 401(k)'s explode remember? You all should have more than enough to pay your damn taxes, bow shut up and MAGA dammit!
ReplyDelete@7:16, that had me chuckling.
ReplyDelete12:04, Nope. Under democrat rule, our tax money is used on anything but basic services like public safety, waterlines, sewer lines, sidewalks, and other basic infrastructure needs. If you don't believe me, I have a streetcar, convention hotel, and a multi-billion dollar airport that nobody wants to sell you. So yes, the Democrats' basic policy is "Simply Raise Taxes". SRT
ReplyDeleteWe have it all backwards in America. Here we reward folks for having these fucking kids. We give them tax deductions, nice new schools and educational facilities, sports facilities, meals, supplemental health care, a myriad of after school activities, field trips, buses for sporting events and school attendance and we then punish those who dont have kids in school by forcing them to pay for it all and raising these little bastards. Where the hell is Greenpeace? In exchange for the thousands of property tax dollars we each pay we get rotten ass kids playing in the streets, noise, kids walking across our lawns, littering, cursing in public, sexting, threatening to kill each other and engaging in illicit sex and juvenile crime. If we had any sense we would force parents to pay for their own copulation and reward single people who are a thousand times more ecological friendly and socially appropriate. We have designed a society that rewards this kind of irresponsibility and can't seem to grasp how we became a nation of entitlements.
ReplyDelete