Dear Editor,
When I moved back from Denver in 2017 to raise my family in the same small agricultural town in Reno County where I was raised, as excited as I was, I knew it came with some trade offs. For one, I braced myself for the fact that I would be lucky to find a job earning even a quarter of what I was earning in the city. I also knew that my school-aged children were going to have a limited amount of classes, sports, and other activities from which to choose. The good news was, at the time, that even though there was a ceiling on what I could earn annually, I could feel secure in knowing that I could afford to outright own my property and retire here eventually on a fixed income. That was more than 6 years ago. That was before I realized that Reno County Appraisers were going to make me rethink my future, and probably have other property owners in small Reno County towns rethinking theirs, as well.
I don’t know how, for example, properties from our town (pop. 583) and Hutchinson (pop. 40,202) all got put into the same category, when the only thing they have in common is they’re all in Reno County. My small town doesn’t have a hospital or clinic, it doesn’t have a grocery store, a hardware store, an auto parts store, a liquor store, or even a stoplight. We essentially do not have an economy. We have to drive 30 minutes one way to get to any of those things in Hutchinson. We do not have job opportunities aside from those occasionally offered by the nursing home and the 1A school district, and even if we did, we presently don’t have any daycare options. There isn’t a highway going through our town to make it convenient to go anywhere. It’s an acquired taste. People of means do not relocate or buy property here. There are three reasons people live in/move to this town: because it’s cheap for those living below the poverty line, it’s a good place to hide if you’re a criminal (there are no police), or because they’re sentimental like I am and want to live where they were raised. I’m not complaining. I love it here and I love our residents, but our town is threatened now because of the way the county appraisers are lumping our properties together with properties located in places of greater population, amenities, and economy.
Since purchasing my home at approximately the Reno County tax appraiser’s valuation of my home in 2017, my property value has risen 169% in those 6 years. Sure I made some small improvements but not anywhere near that degree. I’ve bought and sold real estate in three different states. I understand how it works and that property values will increase, but I moved home expecting to pay annual property taxes for the rest of my life at a steadily increasing amount, not a 169% jump in 6 years. My income certainly didn’t jump that much. This leaves my family’s future in this town uncertain.
To top that off, our school district has been desperately trying to pass a bond that would repair the school’s leaking roofs and windows and bring our gym up to today’s standards. It didn’t pass last year by a small margin, but we are trying again after shaving the total requested dollar amount down significantly. However, since receiving their new property valuations from Reno County last week, town members who were preparing to vote in favor of the bond are now rethinking if it’s financially feasible for them. The closing of our school would be detrimental to our town’s survival, and we all understand that, but many townspeople’s hands are now tied upon seeing their new valuation. Without the repairs and upgrades to our school, I cannot envision we will have a school in another 20 years, and that’s being optimistic. Even raising their taxes by just $15 a month is a huge deal for most of our residents. What Reno County is doing to small towns and their citizens is impeding their ability to survive.
It is not fair to lump our small town properties with those in Hutchinson or other towns with larger populations and economies. That is comparing apples to gold plated oranges. By law, taxes must be fair and equitable, and that comparison is neither. The 2021 census reported that a whopping 19.1% of my town’s families live in poverty, whereas 8.3% of Hutchinson families live in poverty. None of the comps Reno County used to justify raising my property value last year were from my own area, but two of the comps were from Willowbrook, an upscale suburb of Hutchinson. Per the 2021 census, 0.0% of Willowbrook families live in poverty, and they have an average income of more than two and a half times that of families in my town. How does this comparison make sense? Last year, after Reno County failed to compromise with me, we landed in Topeka where a judge heard my case and awarded a compromise that was greatly in my favor. This year, after another momentous jump in “value,” I have no choice but to appeal again. I believe in paying my fair share of taxes, but they need to be based in reality and not inflated property values. That’s the point of this letter. I would like to encourage anyone who feels that their property has been unfairly valued, to double check the comps or methods their county used to derive their valuation, and appeal it until you are satisfied. You have 30 days from the date the notice was mailed to you to let them know you are appealing it. It is easy and free to do, even when you have to appeal above the county. The county appraiser’s website allows you to look up properties that you feel are actually realistically comparable to yours. Arm yourself with data and go argue your case. Fight for yourself and for your community, because if we don’t, no one else will. – S. Mizell
