How big a bite will taxes take?
Staff writer
Property tax bills being mailed this month will reveal wide disparities in taxation among county communities.
Depending on the recognized community in which you may live, you likely will owe somewhere between 1.7% and 2.7% of the appraised value of your home in property taxes.
These percentages may actually underestimate your total tax bill. A Record analysis of tax rates within Marion County communities accounted for most but not all minor taxing districts.
In the Record’s analysis, Peabody came out as the most-taxed community while unincorporated Pilsen was the least taxed.
Here, by community, is what approximate percentage of your home’s appraised value will be owed in property taxes this year:
1. Peabody 2.7%
2. Ramona 2.5%
3. Florence 2.5%
4. Marion 2.4%
5. Lehigh 2.3%
6. Lincolnville 2.2%
7. Goessel 2.1%
8. Hillsboro 2.0%
9. Durham 1.8%
10. Lost Springs 1.7%
11. Eastshore 1.6%
12. County lake 1.6%
13. Tampa 1.5%
14. Pilsen 1.2%
Commercial property pays at a rate almost 2.2 times that of residential property.
So, a business might be taxed at a rate somewhere between 2.6% of its appraised value in Pilsen and 5.8% of its appraised value in Peabody.
In actual dollars and cents, the owner of a $100,000 home in the valley portion of the City of Marion, ranked as the fourth most-taxed community in the county, would pay $2,419, while the owner of a $100,000 commercial property in the same location would pay $5,260.
For a $200,000 home or business, double the amount. For a $50,000 home or business, cut it in half.
Actual tax bills will show specific amounts based on specific valuations.
Nationwide, the typical homeowner paid property taxes equivalent to between 0.32% and 1.83% of the appraised value of owner-occupied homes in 2023, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
In Marion County, accounting for homes outside recognized communities, the average percentage of appraised value owed in taxes annually from 2018 to 2023 was 1.726%, according to foundation data.
That’s the highest effective tax rate among neighboring counties:
1. Marion County 1.726%
2. Chase County 1.694%
3. Morris County 1.564%
4. Butler County 1.462%
5. Harvey County 1.452%
6. Dickinson County 1.429%
7. McPherson County 1.401%
8. Saline County 1.328%
In other words, a $100,000 home in Saline County might be taxed at nearly $400 less each year than the same house in Marion County.
A commercial property worth $500,000 in Marion County might pay more than $4,326 more in property taxes each year than the same business in Saline County.