Senate Bill 3, which would have capped property taxes in Christian County at the 2024 level indefinitely for primary residences, was defeated Tuesday. That has area entities that rely on property tax revenue for their funding breathing a sigh of relief.
Andrea Swope is executive director of Christian County Links, which supports people with development disabilities and their families. Before the election she said she was concerned that, if the ballot measure passed, they wouldn’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."
CC Links was started in 1986 and is funded by property tax revenue.
Senate Bill 3, which was approved by the state legislature last summer, is facing a legal challenge claiming that it’s unconstitutional.
The question was on the ballot Tuesday in most Missouri counties. Greene County was excluded.
The property tax cap was approved in these counties: Cedar, Dade, Dallas, Howell, Laclede, Lawrence, Polk and Taney. The property tax cap failed in Webster County.
