Voters in 97 of the state’s 114 counties will decide on a property tax cap during the April 7 Municipal Election. It’s the result of Missouri Senate Bill 3, which was approved during a special session last year, and it has some people concerned.
In some counties, property tax increases on primary residences would continue to be allowed but would be limited to 5% each time. In others, like Christian County, the cap would be 0%, so no increases would be allowed, and the property tax would be set back to the 2024 rate.
Ozark Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lori Davis said there would be a cut in funds for the district and that salaries and benefits make up the vast majority of their budget — around 80-85%.
Greene County will not decide on property tax caps, and Davis said that would impact the district’s ability to stay competitive.
"So, while we will be struggling to give raises, to really look at our budget, which we should all the time," said Davis, "we should be very cognizant of what we're doing, it's just not going to be same as what Greene County could potentially do."
She said if Senate Bill 3 is approved next week in Christian County, it will impact teacher retention and recruitment.
Davis talked with KSMU last week ahead of a panel discussion hosted by the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri on the issue, which she was part of. She was joined by other nonprofit representatives on the panel, including Nixa Fire Protection District Chief Lloyd Walles and Andrea Swope, executive director of Christian County Links, which supports individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Those two organizations also rely on property taxes.
Walles said, while he isn’t yet sure how the fire district will be impacted if the measure passes, he worries it could impact their ability to retain personnel.
"We are a service industry, and in order to provide service to the community we have to have personnel," he said, "so, any impacts to the funding would either go on our personnel side of the budget or our operating expenses, which are already very, very tight."
CC Links was started in 1986 by a group of parents and is funded by property tax revenue. Swope worries that, if the cap passes next week, they won’t be able to keep up with demand.
"People come to our area for the services that we can provide," she said. "And, yes, those numbers will continue to grow on our property tax dollars, but if you stagnate a whole huge section of those property tax dollars, we will not be able to continue to provide the services that are needed at the rate that we've been able to up to this point."
Panelists said their entities’ funding is already being impacted by the Hancock Amendment. For instance, Walles said they were at a one-time high of $0.75 per $100 assessed value. Through the Hancock Amendment, they’re currently rolled back to $.6030. Swope said, when CC Links was started in 1986, the tax levy was set at $.10 per $100 assessed value, and they’re now rolled back to $.0743.
Senate Bill 3 is currently facing a legal challenge, which claims that it’s unconstitutional.
The ballot language is different from county to county, and the issue has different names:
- Cedar County: Question A
- Dade County: Question
- Dallas County: Question
- Howell County: Proposition 2
- Lawrence County: Question
- Polk County: Polk County Tax Question
- Webster County: Question 1
Voters will go to the polls for the General Municipal Election on April 7. You can view a sample Christian County ballot here.
