By STAN UNRUH
Post News Network Analysis
Shoppers compare prices on everything. We look carefully at the price of gas, clothes and food compared to what others pay.
Have you ever compared what you pay on property taxes? It might surprise you to learn that the taxes you pay vary, dramatically in some cases, across the state of Kansas.
Some believe the property tax in their community is absolutely the highest in the state. Residents in Hays might tell you this.
“I think that perception in Hays does exist,” said Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty. “What other taxing entities (school, county) do also play a role in perception. The city of Hays property tax is consistently the lowest for any city outside of Johnson County.”
Property tax dollars pay for the streets, fire and law enforcement protection and many things we probably take for granted.
What you pay in property tax is based on a variety of things based on the location of your home.
Mill levy rates are a part of the equation that determines what you pay in property tax. The mill levy is the determined by dividing the dollars necessary for services in the area you live by the assessed property value. Additional dollars are also added for public schools. This year it is approximately $47. The amount of the 2014 mil levy will be set later in the year.
In a survey of county tax appraisers — using a base home price of $125,000 in the city listed and the 2013 mill levy — this is the approximate property tax:
- Barton: Great Bend $2,401
- Ellis: Hays $1,600
- Rush: La Crosse $3,212
- Saline: Salina $1,953
- Dickinson: Abilene $1,973
- Geary: Junction City $2,100
- Reno: Hutchinson $2,502
- Riley: Manhattan $1,936
Sales tax plays a significant role in Hays.
“The tax in Hays is lower because the city’s operations or its general fund rely on sales tax, rather than property tax,” said Mayor Henry Schwaller.
The reliance upon sales tax was approved by voters approximately 10 years ago and cut homeowners property taxes substantially.
The remaining property tax (25 mills) is used for specific funds, such as bond payments, police/fire equipment, Hays Regional Airport and library.