The property valuation notices that recently arrived from the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office likely prompted mixed reactions from northeast Johnson County homeowners.
Increased values probably put a smile on the faces of those who plan to sell their home in the near future. But for those planning to stay in their homes a while, a furrow in the brow might have been more common: An increased home value means property taxes are going up.
And while that rise in taxes might be seen as a negative to individual property owners, it’s excellent news for local governments.
For the first time since the end of the great recession, many local municipalities are seeing an increase in total valuation of more than 4 percent, news that should take the strain off some cities that struggled to keep services intact during the depths of the downturn.
In Prairie Village, for instance, total appraised valuation in 2015 is up 4.47 percent. Commercial property in the city rose 9.65 percent in valuation. Total property valuation in the city now tops $2.5 billion.
Mission saw a similar jump, with total valuation up 4.57 percent to $919,607,340. Roeland Park’s initial valuation saw an increase of 4.23 percent, but City Administrator Aaron Otto said he expected revisions to take that number down closer to 3 percent.
Fairway valuations were up 4.68 percent. Mission Hills saw the biggest increase among the local municipalities with total valuation up 5.66 percent.
Westwood and Westwood Hills saw smaller jumps, up 1.11 and 2.27 percent respectively.