KANSAS CITY, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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A man who has called Wyandotte County home for 25 years is at risk of losing his house over unpaid property taxes while battling leukemia, and he is not alone.
His home was one of 216 properties listed in the Unified Government's most recent tax sale, as community organizers push for policy changes they say could help more families stay in their homes.
I met Fernando and community organizer Eva Garcia-Meza at a local park, where she helped translate his interview.
Fernando was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago and has been in treatment for about 11 months. As his health declined, his financial obligations mounted.
"At the same time, all of his financial obligations were piling up on each other. He didn't know what he was going to do, and that is how he got here,” Garcia-Meza said, as she translated for Fernando.
Garcia-Meza and a team of volunteers with Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) helped pay off part of Fernando's balance. His connection to his home runs deep.
"He says he loves Wyandotte,” Garcia-Meza said. “He's lived here more than half of his life, 25 years. He has raised his children here. His home is here. And he loves it here, and he doesn't want to go somewhere else.”
The Unified Government holds two tax sales a year to collect unpaid property taxes. Homes become eligible when taxes go unpaid for at least three years. Homeowners can start a payment plan with the UG if they pay half of their balance by the day before the tax sale.
Now, Fernando is eligible for a payment plan.
Community organizer Dustin Hare says the residents most likely to end up in the tax sale are elderly or disabled and can no longer work full time.
"These are usually folks that have aged out of the workforce. Their bodies can't keep up anymore. They can't go to work 40 hours a week,” Hare said.
Hare has worked with 85 families over the past five years, leading a team of 50 volunteers from KCK Neighbors Alliance and AIRR. This year, his team is working with seven families and aims to raise $70,000 to cover property tax debt. So far, they have raised about $25,000 through grassroots donations, with fiscal sponsorship from the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County.
"If these people lose their homes, I'm very concerned about what that would mean for them, especially when they have medical issues,” Hare said.
After the Oct. 14 tax sale, organizers are focused on changing the UG's tax sale charter resolution. More than a decade ago, Wyandotte County changed its policy so it applies any payment made toward property taxes to the most recent tax year first.
That means a homeowner who owes back taxes from 2017, 2023, 2024 and 2025 would need to pay roughly $8,000 toward recent years before addressing the older 2017 debt — which could be resolved for just $1,400.
Organizers want that order reversed. They have also proposed the UG create a relief fund and a dedicated position to help residents navigate existing programs.
On Sept. 29, the UG's CFO, Shelley Kneuvean, said the agency has not considered changing the ordinance at this time.
“As the collector of taxes for all taxing entities, we have a fiduciary responsibility to collect delinquent taxes to remit to all of the taxing districts.
A property is not put into the sale until the taxes are 3 years delinquent and there are many notices sent to the property owner. Also, a property owner with a parcel slated for the tax sale can redeem the property (pay taxes) to remove it from the sale up until the day before the sale, enter into a payment plan, or petition the court to remove the property from the sale. Over the years, the number of properties in the delinquent tax sale has dramatically decreased.
As a note we began with 216 in the tax sale and are down to 116 currently and expect that number to come down as more property owners enter into payment plan by 10/9. The sale is 10/14.”
Tuesday afternoon, the UG shared updated numbers:
“There are 68 parcels left in the sale: 49 houses, six commercial buildings, one multi-use property, one ag. vacant lot, and 14 vacant lots. This number will continue to go down throughout the day, as it has been a very busy day at the DRE office with people coming in as well as contacting them and me by email for options to remove properties.
In our review of service to finalize the pleadings for this sale, most of the houses left in the sale are vacant.”
Hare says he stumbled into this work but found a giant gap of need.
"There's been a lack of support for folks struggling with this issue, and that's why we've kind of stepped up and filled this space,” Hare said.
Garcia-Meza said Fernando hopes his story inspires others to keep fighting, and urged anyone in a similar situation to seek help from community organizations.
"He says he wants his message to the community to be: keep going, keep trying. We all come to this country for a better life. Even if they diagnose you with something that seems terrible, keep going. All you can do is keep pushing forward for you and your family," Garcia-Meza said.
His final message was a call to action.
"Please look for help,” Garcia-Meza said. “Please find those organizations that are there to support you through this process because they exist."
Organizers are still accepting donations here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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