The Property Tax Shell Game Exposed

Well, my November 20th Facebook post on property tax bills hitting our mailboxes created quite the flurry of comments.  BUT first a bit of information.  You may pay your property taxes under protest which gives you the right to appeal the value, if you didn’t appeal the value earlier this year.

Back to the comments on my Facebook post. The wild swings in individual property tax increases from a high of over 19% from a comment on my feed yesterday to (according to Nextdoor) receiving a decrease, proves beyond a doubt that our current valuation/appraisal system is broken, if anyone needed more documentation.

So what to do? Vote out any local elected official who voted to increase spending, which obviously is the majority of ALL local elected officials. And then, let’s consider a system where we establish a baseline of value, example 2025. Going forward all new properties coming onto the tax rolls would be valued in line with baseline value. No more annual reappraisals, dramatically cutting costs across our entire state.

The taxing entities would be free to increase spending…BUT they could no longer hide behind the county appraiser. That would force them to take responsibility by increasing the mill levy for ALL to see the true culprit of our ever-increasing property taxes.

Every 10 years have a general reappraisal for the baseline value, roll back the mill levy to zero sum revenue/property tax increase. Oh, I can hear the local elected officials howling with anger!! How dare anyone intrude into their game of hide the culprit of the property tax increases!

This would also DRAMATICALLY cut costs for our State Board of Tax Appeals. Currently the backlog of appeals according to AI: The Kansas State Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) is experiencing a significant backlog of appeals due to increased filings and staff shortages. In recent testimony, it was reported that there are approximately 1,500-1,600 pending appeals involving property in Johnson County alone for tax years 2018-2024.

WOW!!! cases from 2018??? AND note “staff shortages”.  Yes, increase the staff which will cost us more!!!

So to review:

1. Create baseline of value, example 2025 value.

2. Value (appraise) all new property (or change of classification) in line with baseline.

3. Local taxing entities free to increase their spending, however, they will be forced to raise the mill levy, no more shell games of who’s the culprit!!

4. Reappraise all property every 10 years with REQUIREMENT to automatically roll back ALL mill levies to ZERO sum revenue/property tax increase from the last tax year. Locals may raise the reduced mill levy to increase their revenue, but the light will be shining on them!!!

5. Right of appeal of value remains.

Positives:

1. Dramatically cut costs with reduced staffs at county appraisers’ departments.

2. Dramatically save property owners time and money who currently have to fight annual increases in valuation.

3. Dramatically cut costs with diminished volume of appeals at the State Board of Tax appeals. They’ll be like the old Maytag repair man, extremely lonely!!

4. TRANSPARENCY– We will know who is raising our property taxes.

Is this plan constitutional under our Reclassification and Equalization Constitutional Amendment WE passed in 1986? I have asked, waiting for a response.

👉 Please contribute $100 or more today so my voice will be heard on the KSGOP debate stage in January 2026. We are halfway to our goal, we need your help to get to the finish line.

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O’Hara for Kansas
15712 Windsor St.
Overland Park, KS 66224

With gratitude,
Charlotte O’Hara
Republican for Kansas Governor, 2026