We get it - no one likes to pay property taxes, but these taxes pay for fire, police, streets, parks and many other services our residents want and need.

Simply put, the Kansas City, KS mill levy is lower than most first class cities in Kansas. We are currently rank 15 out of 26 in terms of highest rates. The mill levy for Wyandotte County is lower than 90% of 105 counties in the state of Kansas (ranked 95th out of 105). Over the past few years, the mill levy has been reduced by 6 mills.

What is a Mill Levy?

A mill levy is a property tax. It is applied to property based on its assessed value. The rate of the tax is expressed in mills and is equal to one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value. The graphic below is an example of the value of a mill for a residential and commercial property:

How do my individual taxes add up to community benefits?

One of many taxing jurisdictions

The Unified Government does collect taxes on behalf of other jurisdictions within Wyandotte County such as school districts and the Kansas City Kansas Community College which is important to keep in mind when you look at your tax bill.

PILOT stands for "Payment In Lieu of Taxes," also called a franchise fee. A franchise fee is something that private utilities such as Westar or Evergy pay to use publicly-owned land for their pipes, poles, and transmission lines. Since BPU is a municipal utility, they do not pay property taxes or franchise fees. The PILOT helps the Unified Government make up the difference in what a private utility might pay to us and goes to funding many different public services and programs.

Per Kansas State Law, a city can charge a PILOT of not less than 4% and not more than 15%. Commercial and industrial users account for approximately 60% of PILOT payments while residential customers pay about 26%. The PILOT is also a way for the Unified Government to diversify its revenues, reducing our reliance on residential property taxes.

A tax sale is public sale of properties that have delinquent taxes for three or more years for homestead, two years delinquent for vacant lot or commercial property, and one-year delinquent if it is an abandoned property. The Department of Delinquent Real Estate creates a random list of properties that are delinquent and tax sale eligible from the tax collection database.

Each sale starts with up to 750 parcels but as payments are made on taxes owed, those parcels are removed. Redemption (payment of taxes owed) can occur up to a day before the sale. Residents can set-up a payment plan to avoid a tax sale and a district court judge must approve all properties before they go to the sale. Any parcel can be removed from the tax sale by paying taxes in full; paying half of taxes owed and getting on a payment plan; setup other payment options through the District Court.

Currently, there are 202 residential properties on the list to be sold in the October auction. Is your property in a tax sale? Find out how to take action.

We offer numerous opportunities for residents to develop a payment plan to help them retain their property. We often set-up 30-month plans to help property owners cover their taxes in installments. Homeowners receive eight notices in advance of any tax sale over four years – and in the case of a tenant, both the landlord and tenant receive several notices. We offer a variety of options for people who are struggling to pay their taxes, including payment plans.

Please watch this video for more information about how the tax sales work.