Taxes in kansas (Kansas City, Shawnee, Long Island: low crime, houses, to buy)

[mom3]

What is all the talk about the taxes! What are special taxes?

[capone]

You are going to love kansas, it is not a cheap state to live in. Only big business gets tax breaks and non for the property owner.
Specials are when a new subdivision goes in, and the county defers the cost of putting in water and sewer lines.
In my opinion much more than actual cost. they are making big bucks on this little scam.
Then when you pay say 125k for your home, there are an extra tax on top of your property tax called a special, they run from ten years to 20 years and are from 15 thousand to 25 thousand, an avrage special runs 1500 a year on top of your property tax. then you get hit with a POA or property association due. This buys you nothing as far as I can see, some subs have a play yard for kids or a bike path, but usualy they are more than the avarage 240 a year for these extras. I have seen taxes and dues go as high as 6 k a year.
Sibble the gov. is now talking about giving business a break on personal proproperty or as some call it a fryer tax because of the food fryer type equipment. and adding on to peoples property tax.
If it were not for there being big business in wichita no one would live there. the small towns are DOA.
My wife had a good job in wichita with 3 weeks of vacation and we turned it down to move to arkansas for half the money and one week. But we just could not get around living in wichita or kansas for that matter.
As a salesman told me at the chevy dealer on kalogg, "The state taxes anything fun here"
The other problem is the christians, they tried to keep out sunday beer sales, they lost but are now fighting Gaming on the river, the are standing out side many business and handing out pamplets that say 21 reasons why gambling is wrong for wichita. The reasons are stupid at best, and gaming would give people something to do besides the one coffee shop on second street in old town.
The multimillion dollar west world or what ever it was went belly up in two months, the owners said it was because of the rain, Ya if you buy that I have a bridge in brooklyn you need to buy.
At least gaming would give people something to do and would bring in shows.
I have no problem with christians just the fact they keep trying to shove their views down others throats.
Any way, My opinion is keep out of kansas, Now kansas city on the missouri side is a differant story.

[mom3]

Thanks Capone! We are looking to leave Long Island, Ny. We have 3 sons and by the way things are the taxes keep going up and the houses are over 300,000 for a house that is falling down.My taxes are almost 7,000 . We have to vote for a school budget every year and the older people usually vote it down because they can't afford the taxes. When the vote gets voted down its the children that suffer all our sports and clubs get cut.

[candacecan]

You are coming from on of the highest cost places to live in the us. Right up there with parts of cal. and places like boston ect. You will find it much cheaper to live in wichita than where you are living now.
I would say stay out of wichita proper, live in andover, it is a good place and has very low crime, wichita has high crime, and no place is safe inside the city. I am not saying the streets are running wild. But just two weeks ago two cops were shot as they went to a demostic call.
Then a week before that a woman was shot outside a quick trip I think and for two hours no one called the police they just kept walking over the body and taking photos on the camera phone, and calling others to come down and have a look.
That one hit the national news.
In old town there are several churches that the bums line up each morning to get the free vouchers for beds and food ect. you will get hit up for cigarettes and money. There is not much to do in wichita, go to dunn brothers coffee or vagabonds and do the wifi, or go tothe couple of museums that they have. No jazz or blues festivals, Not much to do but grab a bible and go to church which half the population wants you to do.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by mom3

Thanks Capone! We are looking to leave Long Island, Ny. We have 3 sons and by the way things are the taxes keep going up and the houses are over 300,000 for a house that is falling down.My taxes are almost 7,000 . We have to vote for a school budget every year and the older people usually vote it down because they can't afford the taxes. When the vote gets voted down its the children that suffer all our sports and clubs get cut.

Don't buy what the guy above is selling. He obviously had some sort of bad experience.

In the shwanee\lawrence area property taxes will be about 1.25-1.75% of your home value (you can check this for yourself at realator.com)
Mine are around 4k a year on a 300k house (3700sq. feet plus another 1700 in finished basement to put it in perspective to DC)

State income taxes etc are a little higher...something like 3.25% for the first 35k or so and then 6.25% after that. There is no city tax unless you work on the missouri side.

There is a website that ranks total (state, sales, property etc.) tax burden by state and KS falls in the middle.
CNNMoney.com: Taxes by state 2005, by rate

Again, the public schools etc. around here are excellent. My kids class sizes are about 20 which should tell you pretty much everything.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by capone

You are going to love kansas, it is not a cheap state to live in. Only big business gets tax breaks and non for the property owner.
Specials are when a new subdivision goes in, and the county defers the cost of putting in water and sewer lines.
In my opinion much more than actual cost. they are making big bucks on this little scam.
Then when you pay say 125k for your home, there are an extra tax on top of your property tax called a special, they run from ten years to 20 years and are from 15 thousand to 25 thousand, an avrage special runs 1500 a year on top of your property tax. then you get hit with a POA or property association due. This buys you nothing as far as I can see, some subs have a play yard for kids or a bike path, but usualy they are more than the avarage 240 a year for these extras. I have seen taxes and dues go as high as 6 k a year.
Sibble the gov. is now talking about giving business a break on personal proproperty or as some call it a fryer tax because of the food fryer type equipment. and adding on to peoples property tax.
If it were not for there being big business in wichita no one would live there. the small towns are DOA.
My wife had a good job in wichita with 3 weeks of vacation and we turned it down to move to arkansas for half the money and one week. But we just could not get around living in wichita or kansas for that matter.
As a salesman told me at the chevy dealer on kalogg, "The state taxes anything fun here"
The other problem is the christians, they tried to keep out sunday beer sales, they lost but are now fighting Gaming on the river, the are standing out side many business and handing out pamplets that say 21 reasons why gambling is wrong for wichita. The reasons are stupid at best, and gaming would give people something to do besides the one coffee shop on second street in old town.
The multimillion dollar west world or what ever it was went belly up in two months, the owners said it was because of the rain, Ya if you buy that I have a bridge in brooklyn you need to buy.
At least gaming would give people something to do and would bring in shows.
I have no problem with christians just the fact they keep trying to shove their views down others throats.
Any way, My opinion is keep out of kansas, Now kansas city on the missouri side is a differant story.

I live in Kansas and have 4 casinos I can go to within 35minutes drive.
Also, Missouri has about twice the murder rate.
Missouri does have slightly lower taxes, but you will pay the difference in the damage their roads do to your car. :-)

[junker]

The roads in Mo are fine, no differant than kansas, I will tell you what will kill you, the crime in wichita, and the drivers, they drive like idiots in wichita. also you can not even compare arkansas and Missouri to kansas, Ka is flat, and boring. Nothing to do, and nothing to see. High crime and bad smells. If you got to the north east of wichita, or eldorado, the smell is like a giant pile of baby poop.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by junker

The roads in Mo are fine, no differant than kansas, I will tell you what will kill you, the crime in wichita, and the drivers, they drive like idiots in wichita. also you can not even compare arkansas and Missouri to kansas, Ka is flat, and boring. Nothing to do, and nothing to see. High crime and bad smells. If you got to the north east of wichita, or eldorado, the smell is like a giant pile of baby poop.

Shrug, never been to Witchita, what you say might be true. I'm just pointing out actual statistics to someone interested in moving from out of state. If you have something factual to add then do so.

State violent crime rankings...AR and MO are 15, 16 and KS is 24...(lower is bad)

Per capita Income? KS is 28, MO is 29 and AR is....49. (Higher is bad)

As for things to do...well, the person in question is talking about moving to Shawnee...not Witchita so basically has full access to all of Kansas City for entertainment.