Jackson County, you let us seniors down. We need relief from sky-high property taxes | Opinion
Tax relief now
The bill that recently failed in the Jackson County Legislature that would have given property tax relief to older homeowners would have been so beneficial. County Executive Frank White said, “I think everybody wants to see something happen. We just want to make sure that what we do is the best thing for everybody.”
Don’t you think that rather than voting to defeat the bill, legislators could have tabled it until they figured out the best thing to do? As a baseball player, White got three strikes before being called out. Unfortunately, seniors never even had a chance to swing the bat.
This isn’t rocket science. Elected officials are paid to figure out things like this. Don’t they feel embarrassed that the measure didn’t pass because “we do not have the staff; we do not have the technology,” in the words of Legislator Jalen Anderson?
The county needs to and must do better. Why not consider convening a group of businesspeople and technology gurus to solve the problem and make tax relief happen? We seniors are tired of taking a back seat, with the potential of having to sell our homes because we cannot afford the property taxes.
I no longer recommend Kansas City as a place to move to because of the skyrocketing property tax assessments and the inability of elected officials to think outside the box. I would happily give my time and energy to assist White and the legislators to come up with some new ideas.
- Laurie Luongo, Kansas City
Go, Manhattan
I know it’s difficult to find stories on the “good news” side. I’ve come across a couple that should be of interest to local readers.
The first: Not much has been in print about the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility laboratory in Manhattan, adjacent to the Kansas State University campus. This $1.25 billion institute built by the Department of Homeland Security and managed by the Department of Agriculture was established to protect the safety of our food supply. Its cost was about the same as the new Kansas City International Airport terminal.
The other story: The latest edition of the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges 2024 ranks K-State No. 1 for the nation’s friendliest students, and its “town-gown” relationships — how well the school gets along with the community — also get high marks. The university notes its other accolades from the survey: “No. 2 for happiest students; No. 4 for best quality of life; No. 5 for best student support and counseling services and best athletic facilities; No. 6 for their students love these colleges and best health services; No. 8 for best college dorms; and No. 9 for best career services, best campus food and college city.”
This should provide some informative reading.
- Larry P. Bilotta, Kansas City
Healthy moms
A headline on a recent front-page story in The Star told us, “Pregnant moms dying at high rates in Kansas, Missouri.” (Aug. 15) This is not news, but it continues to be a chronic and alarming problem for those in underserved areas.
My husband was privileged to work with the nationally and locally iconic OB-GYN Sam Rodgers, who stressed that the leading cause of premature births and infant mortality in the inner city was poor prenatal care and nutrition. This summer, the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center was awarded $2 million to address these issues.
In my book, “Step Up to the Plate, Kansas City!: A Feast of Local Legends and Legacies,” which debuted in October 2022, I explain my decision to donate the net proceeds of its sales to Children’s Mercy’s “Community Baby Shower” project, which strives to “educate and provide interactive learning opportunities, resources and support to new and expectant parents” to boost maternal health and eliminate infant mortality.
Contributions of any amount will make a difference to these important programs and to our future city leaders. Our inner-city babies matter.
- Mary Don Beachy, Prairie Village
