It's time for Shawnee County appraiser and Heartland Park owner Chris Payne to compromise
Heartland Motorsports Park’s owner Chris Payne says he might close the track after Shawnee County rejected an offer he made to try to settle a property tax legal battle.
The Topeka Capital-Journal’s Tim Hrenchir reports that as of April 26, county records showed Payne’s company, Shelby Development, owed the county $2,622,996.56 in delinquent property taxes.
If Payne closes the park, the community might lose out on the events it hosts, including Country Stampede and Menards NHRA Nationals.
"When the facility goes away because it gets taxed out of business, I don't want people to say, 'I didn't know that,'" Payne said. "At least they'll know now."
This issue has been dragging on for years. Payne hasn’t paid property taxes for the track since 2016 as he disputes the county's appraisal value of the site.
He told The Capital-Journal in January 2019 that he was considering razing the site and relocating the racing facility to the Kansas City area. At the time, he owed nearly $522,000 in back taxes to the county. Attempts to settle the issue earlier this year stalled.
Hrenchir reports Shelby Development had expressed a willingness to dismiss all claims and appeals against the county if the county reduced the amount the company owes in property taxes to $877,822.95 from the $2,589,784.98 it owed as of March 10.
"I don't do this for the money," Payne told The Capital-Journal on Wednesday. "I've never taken a paycheck out of this. Never will. It doesn't render one. I write a check to work here, ironically. Every year, I've written a check. I'm fine with that."
It needs to be resolved. Heartland brings hundreds of thousands of people to Topeka each year for more than 50 events. We need that space to be viable and available to our community.
Do we think Chris Payne and Shelby Development should pay their fair share in taxes? Yes. Do we think there's room for compromise? Yes.
The next question is, how do we get there?
Heartland Park is an important part of Shawnee County. It's one of the many activities for families in the capital city. And it's one we don't want to see go away.
Surely, a fair answer can be found for all parties.
We encourage Shawnee County to go back to the table with Payne and Shelby Development and find a solution. With contracts for upcoming events on the line, we can’t be playing chicken. Let's avoid an ugly crash.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Heartland Park is important asset to Topeka area. Settle legal fight.
