Some seniors, disabled Wyandotte County residents to be exempt from fee on BPU bills
Wyandotte County residents of a certain age and income, or who are disabled, will soon be able to seek exemptions from a Unified Government fee on their utility bills.
The Board of Commissioners, Wyandotte County’s governing body, on Thursday passed PILOT relief for people ages 65 or older who have an income of $37,750 or less. The exemptions for qualifying residents will start in 2024.
Ratepayers have long complained of the UG fee on their bills from the Board of Public Utilities, the publicly-owned utility that provides water and electricity to Wyandotte County.
The PILOT fee, which stands for payment in lieu of taxes, helps the Unified Government manage revenue losses from property taxes that are not collected from the BPU, since the municipal utility is tax exempt. The money is used to help fund city operations.
Residents unable to pay the PILOT fee face having their water or electricity turned off.
Most candidates running in the Nov. 7 general election for three of the six seats on the utility, known as the BPU, have vowed to work with the UG commissioners to remove the fee from bills.
During a forum last month, BPU board member Rose Mulvany Henry said PILOT relief for “some seniors” was achieved thanks to a task force put together by CEO and Mayor Tyrone Garner. But work was not done, said Mulvany Henry, a member of the task force.
“I agree with what the other panelists said though, we’ve got to separate these (UG) charges off of the BPU bill one way or another because folks are trying to manage their payments on a sometimes weekly basis,” said Mulvany Henry, who is running to regain her seat for At‐Large Position 3 against challenger CeCe Harlin.
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 2:51 PM.
