Despite record-breaking temperatures, an overflow crowd of frustrated taxpayers crammed into the Shawnee County Commission chambers recently to voice concerns about rising property taxes driven largely by growing home values. … It’s a scene playing out across the state as local governments hold public hearings on their budgets required by state law. Local budgets continue to rise and some taxpayers are frustrated as their property taxes increase and they feel their voices aren’t being heard. The interest shows that legislative action in recent years didn’t resolve concerns over rising property taxes. Lawmakers, local officials, and taxpayers alike are gearing up for action in the next legislative session. But local government officials are pushing back against the concerns, saying the budget growth is needed to simply provide the same services. “Inflation hurts the county as well as individuals,” said Bill Riphahn, chairman of the Shawnee County Commission. “We are consumers. We buy trucks. We buy asphalt. We buy all sorts of things. What hurts the general consumer hurts us as well.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
