WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — When Mary Coffman and her husband moved to Overland Park from Oklahoma City in 2014, they found a comparable home — and expected their property taxes to be about the same, too.
They were wrong.
The retirees went from paying around $2,600 a year in Oklahoma to $3,200 in Kansas. Six years after their move, Coffman said they’re handing over $5,600 a year, more than double their Oklahoma tax bill.
Coffman said they’re lucky enough that they’re not dependent on Social Security. But they still have to watch their spending and have even talked about returning to Oklahoma.
“I think a lot of retirees look at that. Can I afford staying in Kansas?” Coffman told The Wichita Eagle.
Homeowners across the state are increasingly worried about their property taxes. Collections have risen by more than $1 billion over the past decade. Kansans now pay more than $5 billion in property taxes each year — the 18th highest burden among states, according to a 2019 analysis by WalletHub. Oklahoma ranked 49th.
The taxes fuel city and county governments across the state, as well as public schools.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican lawmakers are pushing separate plans that offer a small amount of relief for taxpayers or slow down rising bills. But they fall short of an overhaul that would dramatically shrink tax bills.
Kelly’s plan could give the owner of a $150,000 Sedgwick County home $30.90 in annual relief while a working group develops recommendations for future changes. Republicans would restrict increases by requiring cities and counties to vote on collecting additional property tax dollars.
Kelly has embraced an incremental approach, envisioning a multi-year tax reform process. A council she created to recommend changes won’t issue its final report until the end of 2020, setting up additional debates in 2021.
The governor wants to take a first step this year by reactivating a property tax relief program dormant since 2003. Her budget would provide about $54 million to local governments in hopes of reducing their reliance on property taxes.
“As funding for schools, cities and counties was cut over the last decade, local units of government were left with few options to make ends meet. Increasing property taxes was one of them,” Kelly said in her State of the State address in January. “This left local communities frustrated, and put a desperate strain on working Kansans and Kansans living on fixed incomes — especially our seniors. They need relief, and we can give it to them in 2020.”
Meanwhile, Republicans are promising to improve property tax transparency. Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican who chairs the Senate Tax Committee, said GOP lawmakers plan legislation that would require local governments to vote if they want to collect more property tax dollars than last year.
The change would prevent cities and counties from collecting more simply by increasing property valuations. Tyson contends most property taxpayers aren’t as concerned about the valuation or mill levy as they are about the bottom line amount they pay.
“By changing the process, this will require transparency in property tax increases and keep the public informed of proposed property tax changes before an increase occurs,” Tyson said in a statement.