Home buyers looking for a residence in Johnson County are finding only a month and a half supply. Homes selling for $350,000 or below have the highest demand which results in higher market values for that price range.

This strong demand means residential property values continue to rise, and most residents’ appraised values are expected to go up again in 2018. During the week of February 26, residents will receive a Notice of Appraised Value.

The Johnson County Appraiser's responsibility is to value property at fair market value — the price it would bring on an open, competitive market. Sales activity is reviewed to arrive at the value.

In August 2017, the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office formed the Residential Reappraisal Advisory Committee, composed of realtors, lenders and fee appraisers, to advise the county of current residential market trends. Last year, 95 percent of residential real estate values increased.  The areas with the greatest increase were in De Soto, Fairway, Gardner, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Shawnee and Spring Hill.

Homeowners have until March 28 to file an appeal to provide additional information, ask questions and discuss concerns. For questions, residents may contact the Appraiser’s Office at 913-715-9000.

The county appraiser’s staff makes the appraisal process transparent by publishing data used to determine home values at jocogov.org/appraiser.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, Johnson County Motor Vehicle office hours will change to 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding county designated holidays. This change applies to both the Olathe Motor Vehicle Office, located at 782 N. Ridgeview Road, and the Mission Motor Vehicle Office, located at 6000 Lamar Ave. 

Customers who have reserved their place in line using our line management system and that are present in our offices by 4 p.m. will be served that day.

The office is working to reduce overtime expenditures for Motor Vehicle staff and balance customer volume throughout the business day.

This change does not apply to the Driver License offices, which are operated by the Kansas Department of Revenue.

Information is critical when severe weather, water outages, public health emergencies or other emergency situations happen. One way you can stay informed about emergency situations unfolding in Johnson County is by creating a profile at NotifyJoCo.org. NotifyJoCo, a public notification system designed to keep our residents and businesses informed of emergencies, is a free public service made possible by a partnership of local governments and public utilities in Johnson County. 

NotifyJoCo relies on E911 phone numbers and personalized contact information registered by you or your family. Public officials strongly recommend that you log on to NotifyJoCo.org today to update your information and customize your preferences. The system allows you to designate up to five specific locations within the county that matter most to you; for instance, you might designate your place of employment, your spouse's place of employment, your child's school or day care center, or other relatives' homes. It's important even after initially registering to keep these locations updated, especially if your child starts attending school at a new building. You can also specify how you would like to receive notifications — phone call, email or text message. 

Look for the new issue of The Best Times, the county’s publication informing and supporting Johnson County’s 60+ adults. This month’s cover story is about preventing falls, the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Other articles include topics such as the Veterans Treatment Court, improved access to health and human services and preparing for severe weather season. The Best Times Magazine is a printed publication created by Johnson County Government, mailed six times per year to Johnson County residents who are 60 plus.  

The March/April 2017 issue, as well as past issues, can be viewed on The Best Times Magazine page of our website.