Window on the West
by Mary Rupert
Let’s face it – 2016 might be a more expensive year than 2015, for many of us.
I had a phone call earlier this week from a woman who lives in Wyandotte County who was very worried about high property taxes and other taxes, and who wanted to do something about it. She was trying to live on a fixed income. Her idea was to cut government waste.
I was told that this year, there was no raise for people who live on fixed incomes and are receiving Social Security payments.
But there will be increased costs, we know, from several areas, including Board of Public Utilities’ bills that are increasing to reflect the more expensive pollution equipment at the local power plant required by the federal government. Other costs, such as the price of gasoline, could stay somewhat low this year, experts are saying.
There are some national and world economic forces that are having an effect on our budgets. I am never confident that our costs will decrease – if one government program cuts our taxes, another will probably increase it, or economic forces will require us to come up with more. Personally, I think of myself as the opposite of a tea-partier, with a belief that usually there are good reasons for government expenditures. Every now and then, I’ll notice a few examples of bad government spending decisions, however.
Sure, I support higher wages for jobs that currently don’t pay a living wage, and I support an increase in Social Security payments to those on fixed incomes. But until we get there, maybe we’re forced to go back to our humble roots.
What to do? There’s really not much an individual can do to change the overall picture. Some people, such as a pastor who gave the invocation at the Unified Government Commission meeting last night, are praying for tax relief, and that’s as good a solution as any.
The Rev. Artrell Harris of Roswell Church of Christ included a divine request for tax relief at the invocation for the UG meeting, praying “That you will continue to bless Kansas City, Kan., and Wyandotte County. We thank you for all the industry you’re sending our way, Lord, we thank you for all the new development you’re sending our way and send us more, Lord, for we need to expand. Hopefully Lord, when we expand, Lord, selfishly speaking, Lord, maybe our property taxes will go down, just a little bit, Lord, just help us Lord, we’re just praying now, because we know if we ask anything, you’re able to do it.”
It’s good for elected officials to be reminded every now and then that the decisions they make affect the lives of everyday people.
There is a chance that the UG’s portion of the property tax could decline a little this coming year or in 2017, if an expected windfall from the sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds at The Legends maturing takes place. At that point, some sales taxes collected from purchases at The Legends will stop going to the Legends project and will go to the UG. We’re hearing some cautions from UG officials, however, that the state’s property tax lid actually is a disincentive to lowering property taxes, because if they are lowered because of a windfall one year, the next year they cannot be raised if needed.
Some people this year, who are able to do so, may seek a second job or a part-time income, such as mowing lawns, babysitting or running errands for people. Some may seek a better-paying primary income. Some may move to a lower cost home; others may take in a relative who could pay rent.
We all know what to do to cut costs – first, see if you can trim some of your discretionary spending, such as cutting items you don’t really need, entertainment or dining out. Some will cut out their daily coffee expense, or start brown-bagging their lunch at work. Some will shop around more for better prices on items they need. Some people will be like their grandparents and will plant a vegetable garden in their back yards or in containers on their porch this year and reduce their food expenditures. Another smart thing many of our grandparents did was to spend what money they had with people who were in small businesses in their own community. That way the profits often remained in the community, where they were spent again, helping the local economy.
Some people will choose to trim their gift expenditures in the coming year. While I continued to buy gifts this past holiday season, I also enjoy occasionally making a gift as a hobby, taking a cue from the way our grandparents lived. In my case, it’s not to save money, but because I enjoy the feeling of making a gift, of doing something different such as a craft project, walking around, or reading a book after several hours of looking at a computer screen. This year, with little time for making gifts, I embroidered an initial on a few handkerchiefs and gave them as inexpensive little gifts to some family members.
This is a fairly inexpensive, personalized gift. If you are making the item for yourself, you may recycle old fabrics you already have at home, but if you are making it for a gift, it’s better to use new fabrics. Another time-honored traditional gift made by some of our grandparents, especially in the Depression era, was to embroider a picture of flowers or a message on a cloth napkin, tea towel or pillow case. While I’m not completely convinced that using cloth instead of paper products will save you money, it might be worth a try for some households.
When woodworking was more widely taught, people would make small household gifts from wood. I would recommend to those who are thinking of trimming their gift budget this year to get started now on their favorite hobby. Others may find the same savings from compiling a budget and looking at where their dollars are going to find out where they can save.
I’ll have to admit that I don’t always practice what I preach when it comes to budgeting, but in a new year, there is always hope for the future.
To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].