By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Under a Kansas statute, property owned and primarily operated as an
airport by a municipality is exempt from property taxes.
Great Bend Municipal Airport Manager Martin Miller was notified roughly four
years ago of two hangars that the city owns at the airport that are being
charged property tax. Miller went before the Great Bend City Council to approve
property tax exempt requests for the two hangars.
"I polled a number of airports that have hangars they own and used for airport business," said Miller. "My contacts were in Salina, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Winfield and Manhattan. All of their airport-owned buildings are property tax exempt. This law came out 30 years ago."
Tony’s Aerial Spraying rents one of the hangars from Great Bend at 9030 4th
Street that is not tax exempt. Max Nichols rents the other tax-paying hangar at 545 D Street. The building and hangar at Tony’s was built in 1998 and Nichols’ was
constructed in 2000.
Barton County appraised the two buildings once they were
constructed and taxed the city, approximately $10,500, a bill the city would
receive payment from the two renters.
"All we need to show for the appeal is that we own the airport, we use it for airport purposes and show a deed that the United States government gave it to us in 1947," said Miller.
The city council approved the tax exempt request and now the application will
go before the Barton County Appraiser before the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals
makes a ruling on the tax exemption.