Overland Park’s 2026 budget will keep the city’s property tax rate flat, but it will bring in more revenue.
The new budget — valued at $498.6 million, up 6.6% or $30.8 million from 2025 — holds the property tax rate flat at 14.5 mills. However, even with a static mill levy rate, homeowners should expect to see the city portion of their property tax bills go up due to rising property valuations.
Overland Park still has the lowest property tax rate of all Johnson County cities by a wide margin, and it also boasts one of the lowest municipal tax rates in Kansas.
On Monday, the Overland Park City Council voted 12-1 to exceed the revenue neutral rate, and 12-1 to approve the full 2026 budget package and five-year capital improvement plan.
Councilmember Melissa Cheatham said she hears “often from constituents who want more investments in our city,” in specific areas like wage increases for first responders and infrastructure repairs, which all cost money.
“I think this budget does respect that balance of offering a great value for our quality of life here in Overland Park,” she said.
Councilmember Jeff Cox cast the dissenting vote on the budget, feeling it had excess spending on unnecessary things, but supported exceeding the revenue neutral rate, calling the concept “nonsensical.”
Councilmember Scott Mosher voted for the budget but against exceeding the revenue neutral rate. He said he liked what city staff had put together in the budget for next year but is generally opposed to seeing taxes go up at all for residents.
The breakdown: How will this affect your tax bill?
For 2026, Overland Park will keep the city’s property tax rate at 14.5 mills. The property tax rate, sometimes referred to as the mill levy rate, dictates how much a property owner pays in taxes to the city based on the assessed value of their property.
According to real estate statistics maintained by the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office, Overland Park’s average residential property value is $528,006, up nearly 7% from last year.
To calculate what your actual tax bill to the city will be, multiply the value of your home by .115 (the residential assessment rate). From there, take that number and divide it by 1,000. Then, multiply the result by the proposed mill levy rate of 14.5.
For the average home in Overland Park, that means about $880.45 in property taxes owed to the city in 2026.
For comparison, last year, the city’s average homeowner paid about $824.77 in property taxes to Overland Park.
Keep in mind: Your total annual property tax bill will also include rates set by other taxing authorities, including Johnson County and the school district in which you reside.
Find Overland Park’s full budget packet here.
Councilmembers implore residents to apply for tax rebate
During the hearings for the budget, multiple community members stood up to ask the city council to instead lower the mill levy rate to offset the impact of increased home valuations, which have risen pretty significantly across Johnson County over the past several years.
Councilmember Logan Heley said he feels the amount residents pay in property taxes compared to the value of the services — like street repairs, first responders, parks and recreation, animal control, etc. — the city provides is “a pretty good deal, if you ask me.”
But he and other councilmembers were sympathetic to the residents — particularly older adults on fixed incomes — who raised concerns about how tax bills are rising even if the tax rate isn’t.
Councilmembers implored these residents to apply for the city’s property tax rebate program, which will have even more funds in 2026. (Read more about the pilot program here.)
“This is a more responsible way to address rising home values without compromising the essential services we all rely on,” Heley said.
Councilmembers speak out against budget standard
Cox wasn’t the only one on the dais on Monday to voice their dissatisfaction with the revenue neutral rate budgeting standard to which the Kansas State Legislature holds local taxing jurisdictions.
State statute requires taxing bodies like Overland Park to collect the same amount of money in property taxes each year, regardless of new growth or inflation. If they exceed that amount, bodies are required to hold hearings to do so.
It is a standard lawmakers are not subject to when they build state budgets, either, a fact Mayor Curt Skoog pointed out.
Councilmember Jim Kite said he views it as “an ill-conceived process.”
“It is not living within your means; it means cutting,” he said. “The revenue neutral rate is not good governance.”
To have a revenue neutral budget for 2026, Overland Park would need to lower its mill levy to 13.9 and cut millions from its budget, which councilmembers warned could harm city services or put city employees on the chopping block.
Keep reading: Overland Park may expand this year’s property tax rebate program. See if you qualify for relief.
