One thing that infuriates voters is a proposed tax that appears to be applied unfairly, with average-income people paying their share and wealthy people getting a break.
A story in today’s Kansas City Star raises that specter in regard to the owners of condominiums at the Walnuts, 5049 Wornall, one of the most prestigious addresses in the city.
It seems that if voters within the proposed, expanded streetcar district approve establishment of the district, condo owners at the Walnuts would be getting a pass, while nearby owners of much-lower-priced residences would see their property tax bills go up.
The vast majority of condos in the Walnuts, built in 1929, go for $1 million and up, while most houses in the area probably sell in the range of $150,000 to $300,000.
But somehow, as The Star’s Lynn Horsley reported today, when the property-tax district lines were drawn, the Walnuts was conveniently omitted.
Let me walk you through the geography here…
The expanded streetcar line would end at 51st and Brookside. The Walnuts sits just off 51st Street between Wyandotte, a lightly traveled street, and Wornall, obviously a major thoroughfare.
Going from east to west, the property-tax district would go up the 51st Street hill and across Main but then would screech to a halt at little old Wyandotte, a block shy of Wornall.
By any kind of logic, Wornall would seem to be the natural breaking point, not only because Wornall is such a major corridor but also because, west of Wornall on 51st, you run into Loose Park and Pembroke Hill School.
…So, what could have prompted the planners to exclude a rich lode like the Walnuts, where condo residents could easily afford whatever property-tax hike is involved. (And, by the way, if I hear of a Walnuts condo owner whining, “But I’m on a fixed income,” I’m going to personally root them out and egg their unit, if I can sneak past the damn doorman.)
But back to the question of “how did this happen?”
Horsley said some people had suggested that the Walnuts complex was left out of the assessment zone because influential people, such as former mayor Kay Barnes, live there.
Well, now, that’s interesting…It’s also worth noting that Barnes got remarried a couple of years ago to Tom Van Dyke, an attorney with the highly regarded Bryan Cave firm.
Kay’s a gracious lady and was a great mayor, and Tom seems to be a nice guy. I like them both and see them at Country Club Christian Church, where they are members and I’m a regular attendee. (I also make an annual monetary pledge, for the record.)
David Johnson, one of the two men who drew the lines for the property-tax district, told Horsley the boundaries had “absolutely nothing to do with where Kay Barnes lives.”
“I didn’t even know where she lived,” he said. “I thought she still lived in Briarcliff.”
Well, maybe it wasn’t just Barnes’ address that made a difference with Johnson and attorney Doug Stone, the other man involved in drawing the lines. The Walnuts has more than 100 units, with a lot of very rich and influential residents. I can see where a few well-placed calls from those people or on their behalf could have prompted Johnson and Stone to place the pencil on Wyandotte instead of Wornall.
The Walnuts
Johnson told Horsley his and Stone’s main objective was to include properties within walking distance of the streetcar line. Horsley apparently didn’t press Johnson on this, but is he suggesting the people living in the Walnuts aren’t within walking distance of 51st and Brookside?
Hell, from Brookside to Wyandotte it’s five blocks! To Wornall, it’s six!
…Unfortunately, Horsley’s story might have appeared too late to make a significant difference. Mail-in ballots that were sent to people living within the expanded streetcar district — which is larger than the special property-tax district — are due Aug. 1. The ballots went out a month ago, and many of the 5,700 people eligible to vote may well have sent them back by now.
Even if voters approve the expanded district, more elections would be required to actually impose the higher property taxes, as well as a higher sales tax within the district. Horsely told me today it’s possible the property-tax lines could be adjusted before everything is finalized, but I gathered that was unlikely.
Too bad. I’d hate to see Kay and Tom and all those other rich folks at the Walnuts get away without paying the higher property tax that would help support the expansion.
As Jackie Chiles, the hilarious attorney on “Seinfeld” would say: “It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous.”
You said, it Jackie…
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Why does the Star’s map omit the most important element in the discussion – the “1/3 mile region” surrounding the proposed line. To create their own map, the Star had to use the 16th Circuit Court map – the Star even references it! We ask “By what criteria did Johnson and Stone draw the boundaries? Let’s also ask “By what criteria has the Star chosen – and omitted – key pieces of evidence?
Don’t worry, Mike, The Star isn’t in cahoots on this. They don’t operate like that — I guarantee it.
In a story about the controversy regarding the boundary line, the logical progression would be to show the proposed streetcar path, the 1/3-mile boundary surrounding the line, and the proposed boundary line. The Star didn’t do this, despite copying from a map that included the theoretical 1/3-mile line! As it’s unlikely this was an oversight, I’d simply like to know what their motivation was to distort evidence.
It’s not a trial, Mike! Objection overruled.
It IS a trial! The Star is suppose to be reporting “facts”, yet they’ve excluded the most important piece of the puzzle, despite being given that piece! I’d ask for a little latitude, your honor, to explore motivation. To use your own words, “How did this happen?”
“It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous.” You said, it Jackie…
RE: “Mail-in ballots that were sent to people living within the expanded streetcar district — which is larger than the special property-tax district — are due Aug. 1.”
Does anyone know of a link to a map depicting each or, preferably, both of these “districts” on the same map?
I had heard that two large developments, less than 2 blks from Main St. had been carved-out, much like the Walnuts. The boundary map indicated they were inside the “district,” but now I realize there are “2” districts and only one is for taxation.
Like so many who follow local politics, I am weary of being played by self-seeking, so-called civic leaders.
Residents at the Walnuts should be ashamed.
I’ve got a message in to Lynn to try to find a site where people can see the lines for the special property tax district.
The Kansas City Streetcar website — kcstreetcar.org — has a map of the expanded district — the entire district, throughout which a higher sales tax would be levied — but I can’t blow that map up large enough to be able to read the street names.
Such maps should be easy to find and easy to read. It does make you feel like it’s a shell game.
If it walks like a duck and it quacks…
Thanks for your help, Jimmy, and this great piece of journalism!
With Lynn Horsley’s help, I found the page with the good map, which is on the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance site.
Here’s the link…
Click to access streetcar-detail-map.pdf
You should be able to zoom in by clicking on the “plus” symbol.
The green section is the existing special property-tax district for the downtown streetcar line.
The gold section is the proposed special property-tax district for the proposed extension.
The white is the complete streetcar district, inside which all businesses would collect an additional sales tax.
(To get to the map page, go to the Regional Transit Alliance’s home page — http://www.kcrta.org — then click on “streetcar TDD ballots”; then go to the word “boundary” on the next page; then go to the words “special assessments” and “click here” on the next page; and with any luck, you should be there.)
Rake that muck…
Thanks for this map!!
Another interesting and obvious carve out — a section of Central Hyde Park within the 1/3-mile distance from the streetcar.
Oddly, a local architect cum developer whose firm had a $3mil contract from the city to promote the streetcar in 2012, lives in the carved out area.
Hm-m-m.