KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan has extensively covered this topic in Cass County. If you have a story you'd like to share, don't hesitate to reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Cass County voters approved a property tax freeze in a landslide vote on Tuesday, with 80% of the 11,000 voters approving the measure.
KSHB 41 News has continued to report on the potential impacts this would have on local school districts.
"It presents another challenge for us," Dr. Mike Slagle, superintendent of the Raymore-Peculiar School District, said in a follow-up interview. "We are going to approach it with strategy and implementation of however we need to do it."
Slagle estimates $6.5 million will affect the district in the next budget cycle.
"That’s about 6% of our budget. So that’s a large chunk of our operating budget, it would fund things like teacher salaries, things in the classroom, transportation, all of that comes from our operational budget," he said.
In a report last month, Slagle told KSHB 41 that about 65% of the school's budget is funded by property taxes.
Last summer, Missouri lawmakers called a special session to fund a stadium deal for the Chiefs and the Royals through Senate Bill 3.
The legislation, aside from considering funding mechanisms for stadium projects, offers property tax reform to eligible counties.
Cass County is considered a 0% county under the Senate Bill 3.
Residents can qualify for a property tax freeze as long as they are the lawful owners of a home on a parcel of land and are the ones responsible for paying a property tax bill.
Cass County Collector of Revenue Chris Molendorp told KSHB 41 Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa last week that approximately 29,000 homesteads can be eligible for the freeze.
The freeze would not apply to agriculture, commercial, or industrial properties.
Moldendorp said he intends to freeze property tax bills to the 2024 tax year immediately following certification of the election results, per the legislation's guidelines.
"We feel that a freeze right now is appropriate in an uncertain economy. That is something that if we can control a freeze there, that is something we at least know for sure," Cass County voter Willie Showen said on Tuesday.
Most voters Gamboa spoke with on Tuesday all shared the same sentiment when it comes to their approval of the measure — to put more money back in their wallets.
"I feel like the pros and cons are pretty clear," Nora Hill explained. "I have to pay more if it goes up, but I also get to experience the benefits. But then also, property taxes have been going up a lot, so it was tricky."
Hill said she voted for the freeze because she's worried about the economy as a whole and wanted some extra breathing room in her budget.
"I believe that taxes are valuable for taking care of the community as a whole, but at the same time, I want to make sure that I am personally being fiscally responsible," she said.
Being fiscally responsible is what Slagle intends to be as the district waits for a clearer picture of the long-term impact.
The Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
"Senate Bill 3 is working its way through the court system. So, we are cautiously optimistic that it is not a constitutional law," Slagle said. "So, we are waiting for that to happen, and if that doesn’t happen, we will regroup and figure out where our board wants to go with strategy in the future."
The property tax reforms' parent legislation, Senate Bill 3, remains tied up in a lawsuit filed by multiple taxing districts in a Cole County, Missouri, court.
The lawsuit was filed back in September, and in January, a Cole County judge denied a motion that attempted to block property tax cap questions from appearing on April ballots while the lawsuit is still being decided.
Ninety-seven of Missouri's 114 counties were required to put it on the ballot.
Seventeen counties were excluded — including the largest metropolitan areas, such as Jackson, St. Louis and Greene counties.
The exclusions are unconstitutional and unfair, the lawsuit claims.
The judge's ruling back in January did not address the constitutionality of the legislation. Still, it allowed the case to move forward to a full trial, allowing the April elections to proceed.
The trial is expected to begin later this year.
Platte County voted in favor of a property tax cap, while voters in Johnson County, Missouri, also voted to freeze its taxes.
Slagle said he is waiting out the court litigation and will submit one budget for the upcoming year.
"A short-term solution will be reserve spending, but that’s not a long-term fix. We will look to other solutions," he said.
Provisions to Senate Bill 3 would force taxing districts to ask voters to approve an increase, rather than obtain a blanket increase year-over-year.
For voters, this was a selling point, adding more accountability to the system.
"It is something I can control right now. If we need additional services later on, if we need to vote to raise taxes to build another fire department or the police officers need some other equipment, we can put it on a ballot and vote at that time," Willie Showen said. "When they need it at that time has been explained."
Slagle said accountability and transparency are key pillars in how his district operates.
"Accountability and transparency are great things," he said. "I trust our Ray-Pec community to do the right thing when things like this are thrown at us, and this community values its schools, values its community, and will do the right thing."
He went on to add that he's advising Ray-Pec staff not to hit the panic button and let the courts work it out.
"Don’t lose your head about this. We are going to manage this in the best possible way," Slagle added.
If the courts determine Senate Bill 3 is unconstitutional, it would overturn the freeze.
But for Cass County residents, saving that money now is important.
We’ve got two kids graduating, and every dollar and every penny counts," Showen added. "If we can save a little bit right now, it’s going to help those we’re trying to help on into the future."
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