Possible relocation from Dallas, texas (Overland Park, Kansas City: fit in, sales, leasing)

[txfootballcoach]

My family and I may be relocating to the KC area from Dallas Texas and are looking for any information that anyone can provide. I have heard about a 1% tax in addition to the regular income tax that the states charge (Texas does not have income tax) so this which will be change.

We will be leasing for the first couple years just to make sure that we like the area. Our range is the $1200-1600 a month range.

Should we look on the Kansas side or the Missouri side?

As for schools, we do have a daughter in high school with Down Syndrome so a strong school district is a must.

The new job is located on Cleveland Ave in KCMO, so the commute will also come into play.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

[pnw2016]

In KCMO, the further west of Main Street you live, the safer you'll generally be. I say that because the demographic group that accounts for the vast majority of that city's homicides tends to live east of Main - when they're not out "protesting" (looting) in Ferguson, Mo. East of Main is also where most of the city's homicides and other crimes occur.

The KCMO School District has been the subject of much criticism for many reasons. The schools east of Main have the most violence and acedemic failures, although - with bussing - it seems those problems have found their way into most of the city's schools.

I realize that commuting may become a financial issue for you - but, if you think it's worth your while, you may want to live in Johnson County, Kansas. That will get your child into much better schools and allow you to live in a much safer area - especially, if you stay south of 75th Street. In Johnson County, the area north of 75th Street is considered the "new" Wyandotte County. Wyandotte County is just north of Johnson County - and where most of the violent crime occurs on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

It was never my goal to offend anybody with the opinion I've submitted in this post. I'm simply trying to tell it like it is, from my personal perspective. And, unfortunately, the gap between "political correctness" and reality is a million miles wide. Kansas City, Missouri was my home for the first 38 years of my life (excluding 9 years military service in other areas of the country and the world).

In closing, let me say that moving out of that crime-ridden cesspool was one of the best things I ever did! It's not the same city I grew-up in...

[thewizard16]

Kansas City is a great city (it's amazing how much nicer it has gotten in the last decade) and I hope your possible move goes smoothly. The Missouri side has the extra 1% tax. I looked at KC strongly and since I was going to be working on the KS side it made more sense for me to live on the KS side to avoid the extra tax. I don't know exactly how it works when you work on the MO side and live on the KS side, maybe someone can help with that.

I really liked the Roeland Park, Mission, and Prairie Village areas if you like the kind of charming bungalow style neighborhoods. If you're looking for a little more yard, Overland Park and Olathe both had nice offerings too. On the Missouri side I haven't house shopped, so I can't be of much help on that front. Best of luck with the possible move, I found KC pretty easy to get around in, and the P&L and Plaza areas are very nice.

[AnywhereElse]

Kansas? At this point, once your daughter becomes an at adult at 21 years of age, currently there is a 5 year waiting list for services which include day, residential, personal assistant services, etc. This will probably increase because the wait time was shorter 8 years ago. KS eliminated Medicaid and replaced it with for-profit insurance and services are being cut and new services denied but if you will always be able to keep your daughter on your insurance policy and be able to handle or afford private care, KS could work. Adult Protective Services does a very poor job in KS and I find the attitudes of the Department of Aging and Disability to be deplorable. Here is a good source of info: Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City I would choose MO over KS any day. Taxes here are very high. Are you familiar with personal property taxes in KS?

[txfootballcoach]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

Kansas? At this point, once your daughter becomes an at adult at 21 years of age, currently there is a 5 year waiting list for services which include day, residential, personal assistant services, etc. This will probably increase because the wait time was shorter 8 years ago. KS eliminated Medicaid and replaced it with for-profit insurance and services are being cut and new services denied but if you will always be able to keep your daughter on your insurance policy and be able to handle or afford private care, KS could work. Adult Protective Services does a very poor job in KS and I find the attitudes of the Department of Aging and Disability to be deplorable. Here is a good source of info: Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City I would choose MO over KS any day. Taxes here are very high. Are you familiar with personal property taxes in KS?

Thanks an please fill me in on the property tax? Does MO have this tax as well?

We are seriously leaning towards the Missouri side strictly because of the Medicaid for our daughter. If we choose MO, we are thinking as North as Platte City and down to Parkville, Liberty, and NKC.

[AnywhereElse]

I have a book on relocation and tax burden TX is 44 (MO is also 33) out of 50 and KS is 22 - 50 being the least. You'll pay personal property tax on your vehicles to include RV/camper/boat. Our pop-up camper valued at about $7,000 book value was $234.00 and we will have to pay that again and the tax goes down very slowly. We drive older vehicles and have been looking at newer but between the sales tax of over 8% and personal property taxes each year, we are trying to wait until we have a contract on the house, get close to moving, get temp tag and get out! Taxes in our county on a house valued at $59,000 are about $1,100 per year and ours is one of the less expensive counties. We also pay taxes on food, the entire 8% plus with some cities/counties higher. MO has some sort of tiered food sales tax. Gasoline tax is also high in KS. It all adds up. We lived 20 miles from the border previously and many went for gas and shopping on the MO side which put a further strain on KS.

[pnw2016]

Originally Posted by txfootballcoach

Thanks an please fill me in on the property tax? Does MO have this tax as well?

We are seriously leaning towards the Missouri side strictly because of the Medicaid for our daughter. If we choose MO, we are thinking as North as Platte City and down to Parkville, Liberty, and NKC.

The cities you named are all north of the river and pretty safe, compared to south of the river. I'm not sure whether or not they have their own schools. NKC is a nice little city and it would probably be your closest location for commuting purposes from the "Northland".

[pnw2016]

AnywhereElse, how does your tax book rate Idaho and Washington State?

[AnywhereElse]

The book was published in 2010 but I am sure that you can find more current info but I doubt much has changed: Idaho: 14 and WA: 36

With the Brownback tax cuts at the state level, city/county tax rates will be increasing because someone has to fill in the gap. They either increase the tax or decrease the services. Last year was a disaster with winter and the ice and snow.

Also, Brownback is trying to get permission to put Medicare under a block grant and farm it out to "for-profits" so looking down the road........................

[pnw2016]

Thanks, AnywhereElse!