Lenexa might offer its first property tax rebate program in 2024 targeted specifically toward lower income homeowners.
The discussion, which is still in its early stages, is part of the city’s annual budget renewal process.
The Lenexa City Council and city staff briefly mulled the idea last week during a meeting about next year’s draft budget but, so far, no action has been taken on a potential rebate program.
If it ultimately adopts the plan, Lenexa will be following in the footsteps of other cities in Johnson County that have built similar programs that aim to reduce the tax burden on qualifying residents at a time of skyrocketing home values and jumps in property taxes that follow.
The Johnson County government is considering its own program as well for 2024, aimed specifically at older community members and veterans.
$100K could go toward Lenexa’s tax rebate program
- City Manager Beccy Yocham told the council last Tuesday that would be enough money for roughly 100 residents to get tax rebates through the program.
- She expects 100 to 150 applications in the rebate program’s inaugural year.
- Residents could get a full property tax rebate on the city’s share of their taxes, up to $1,000.
- Under the 2024 budget proposed, the average property tax bill owed to the city of Lenexa on a home within the city’s limits would be just shy of $1,400. (Homeowners would still owe other portions of their taxes to other local jurisdictions, including the county and school districts.)
Only some Lenexa residents would qualify for tax rebates
- The program, if adopted, would only be available for homes that are occupied by the owner.
- The home would need to be valued at or below the city’s average appraisal from the year prior, which was $439,697 in 2023.
- Additionally, the income for the household would need to be at or below the very low income standard set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For a four-person household, that is $48,400.
- Yocham said more criteria could be added and different types of priorities could be set, as well.
Lenexa’s next steps:
- A decision on the matter has not been made yet.
- However, during the short discussion at the budget meeting last week, councilmembers seemed open to the proposal, and no one voiced opposition to pursuing it further.
- Yocham promised future discussion on the matter down the line.
- Lenexa is on track to adopt its budget later this summer.
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