Tax Time.

[Sarah]

West Elk maxed out the LOB and what do you know your taxes went up.   I bet they stay up as long as the LOB is maxed out.  Why do you think I have been trying to get the anti-school faction to listen about passing the bond issue.  If you don't lower the LOB your taxes will stay high forever.  It is never been to me about closing one school or both.  It has been about saving money to lower taxes and keep students educated. 

Because one person posting on a forum has not seen any improvements in Howard then therefore there has not been any.  Blighted properties with critters, pests, rodents and pigeons are removed from the community and this is not a positive thing.   

Elk county does not provide water.  They don't build water treatment plants.  They don't tax you on water lines that are not even built yet.  They don't have the skill level or the financing to handle such tasks.  We don't have a budget for water.  We do have a water district or two in the county.  We are trying to get financing for RWD 2. We are trying to build good sound water lines in the north half of the county.  We have presented this to members of the state water board and USDA for funding.  One agency says we are too poor to afford to pay the bill once the water system is built.  The other says we are too rich for it to fund it.  I really don't think this will have an impact on your tax burden.  Ever.  Your wallet will suffer.  New water comes at a hefty price.  About $8 a thousand gallons.

I heard a rumor that they're taking bids for running the water lines to the north half of the county.  Is that true?  Or is it still a no-go?

[PrehistoricRez]

USD 282 OTHER rose the most.  The other rises were Howard City,  Grace Lawn Cem., and Watershed 47.-Wilma

You say that, but yet...

What improvements in Howard?  Where?  I am not seeing any around here.

Thats my point.

ADP, let ME be perfectly clear.  Yes, I want water, CLEAN water that can pass inspection.  Yes, I want decent road conditions.  You know, the things that the county already collects taxes for, but has yet to provide.
It is not that I want lower taxes (but that would be nice) but now I have to pay HIGHER taxes for services that weren't delivered in the first place.  What the hell?? Did someone at the courthouse say "The water sucks, the roads suck, how can we fix this...hey I know, lets raise taxes!! Even though the majority of citizens don't have a lot of money, many of which are doing all they can just to get by, and we have 11% unemployment...that would be a great idea!"

Oh, and as far a being entitled, You're damn right I am.  I have paid my taxes and held up my end of the bargin. They have not.

I am pretty sure the USD Other is the LOB portion of the budget.  It was necessary to raise it to the maximum levy to be able to maintain school services at the level they were with the reduction in student population.  On the subject of the county taxes, have you reviewed the county budget? 

You dont have a voice here anymore jerry, lose the account....runaway your good at it

[PrehistoricRez]

DAMN,my property taxes went up $40, im pissed, well ok, not really too bad, last year they went up $300, wait til next year and the year after and the year after, all you people that voted no on the bond issue.  I cant wait til you complain about the higher taxes then, because instead of you taxes going up $50-$100 for your house, now its possible they go up $100 to $200.

[srkruzich]

  Your wallet will suffer.  New water comes at a hefty price.  About $8 a thousand gallons.

It costs that much for you to haul water by the time you figure in gas unless you can afford a 2 or 3000 gallon tank, and those don't come cheap either.

[Wilma]

Sarah, look at your tax statement.  Under Assessments it says Class.  That tells you how your property is classified.  Mine is RES URB which is short for residential urban.  I don't know what all the different classifications are, but while we were living in Sedgwick County we paid lower taxes than our neighbors because we were classified as RES AG, short for residential agricultural.  We were classified that way because we farmed part of our 9 acres.  After the tornado destroyed all our harvest equipment, we quit planting.  The appraiser told us then that if we didn't get something agricultural back on the place that he would have to change us to RES RUR or something like that, which our neighbors were and we would have to pay higher taxes on it.  We didn't get it back to agricultural because my husband was too sick to do anything about it so we paid higher taxes.  Perhaps your classification has something to do with it.

Another thing is like PEP said, the value of your land may have jumped.  I don't know what farmland is worth now, but I do know that it took a good jump after we bought that half section north of you.  By the time I sold it it had doubled in value.  But by all means, talk to the appraiser about it and get your questions answered.  I would like to hear about it when you do.

Personally I envy you living out there.  I wanted to build on that half section, but Janet didn't want us out in the country where the emergency services couldn't find us.  She used to go on the runs out that way just to be sure that the ambulance got there as fast as possible.

[Sarah]

Sarah, look at your tax statement.  Under Assessments it says Class.  That tells you how your property is classified.  Mine is RES URB which is short for residential urban.  I don't know what all the different classifications are, but while we were living in Sedgwick County we paid lower taxes than our neighbors because we were classified as RES AG, short for residential agricultural.  We were classified that way because we farmed part of our 9 acres.  After the tornado destroyed all our harvest equipment, we quit planting.  The appraiser told us then that if we didn't get something agricultural back on the place that he would have to change us to RES RUR or something like that, which our neighbors were and we would have to pay higher taxes on it.  We didn't get it back to agricultural because my husband was too sick to do anything about it so we paid higher taxes.  Perhaps your classification has something to do with it.

Another thing is like PEP said, the value of your land may have jumped.  I don't know what farmland is worth now, but I do know that it took a good jump after we bought that half section north of you.  By the time I sold it it had doubled in value.  But by all means, talk to the appraiser about it and get your questions answered.  I would like to hear about it when you do.

Personally I envy you living out there.  I wanted to build on that half section, but Janet didn't want us out in the country where the emergency services couldn't find us.  She used to go on the runs out that way just to be sure that the ambulance got there as fast as possible.

Ours is classified AG RURAL and FARM RURAL

[jerry wagner]

USD 282 OTHER rose the most.  The other rises were Howard City,  Grace Lawn Cem., and Watershed 47.-Wilma

You say that, but yet...

What improvements in Howard?  Where?  I am not seeing any around here.

Thats my point.

ADP, let ME be perfectly clear.  Yes, I want water, CLEAN water that can pass inspection.  Yes, I want decent road conditions.  You know, the things that the county already collects taxes for, but has yet to provide.
It is not that I want lower taxes (but that would be nice) but now I have to pay HIGHER taxes for services that weren't delivered in the first place.  What the hell?? Did someone at the courthouse say "The water sucks, the roads suck, how can we fix this...hey I know, lets raise taxes!! Even though the majority of citizens don't have a lot of money, many of which are doing all they can just to get by, and we have 11% unemployment...that would be a great idea!"

Oh, and as far a being entitled, You're damn right I am.  I have paid my taxes and held up my end of the bargin. They have not.

I am pretty sure the USD Other is the LOB portion of the budget.  It was necessary to raise it to the maximum levy to be able to maintain school services at the level they were with the reduction in student population.  On the subject of the county taxes, have you reviewed the county budget? 

You dont have a voice here anymore jerry, lose the account....runaway your good at it

I have a voice as long as I have an account, as many other people do not live in the Elk County any more and have an account.  I love running away, if I am moving to something better..... too bad you only seem to be able to gripe (sometimes incomprehensibly).  At least I don't hide under a rock with a name nobody can figure out, are you still in Elk County?

[pepelect]

I heard a rumor that they're taking bids for running the water lines to the north half of the county.  Is that true?  Or is it still a no-go?

Rumors are just that.   You can't let bids on a project until it is funded.  You have to have a budget approved before you can ask a contractor to stay with in that budget.  The water district received a CDBG(community development block  grant).  The feds(USDA Rural Development) have not released funding for the rest of the first phase of pipeline development.  They want assurances from the customers of the new district that they will pay for the water at the proposed rate.  The will be more information about a public meeting and you will get information in the mail if you are one of the proposed water customers and have agreed to get a meter.

[pepelect]

Which is interesting since the housing market is the lowest it's been and houses are worth half what they were.  So in that respect, property tax should be going down, yes? 

No.  Housing market in urban California really has no bearing on structures in Elk County.  Just because houses in Detoit are valued as half their pre-bubble break value doesn't mean yours has lost half its value compared to the rest of the similar structures in Kansas.