Platte County taxpayers will get a break from property tax assessments for the next two years. The county commission voted unanimously Tuesday to reduce the county’s property tax levy from .06 to .01 — one cent for every $100 of assessed value — after homeowners faced rising property values.
Scott Fricker, the county’s presiding commissioner, said they were able to reduce the levy thanks to an excess of sales tax funds in the last few years. He says Platte County has already used some of the funds to cover its general operating and capital reserve funds.
“We just have excess cash,” Fricker said. “The only way we can give money back to the taxpayers is through a decreased property tax levy. The alternative was to spend the money and grow the government. That's not what we're interested in doing here in Platte County.”
The levy decrease comes amid a rise in property values across the Kansas City metro. Missouri’s State Tax Commission recently ordered Jackson County to roll back its 2023 property tax assessment after taxes were raised by an average of 30% and more than 100% in some cases. County Executive Frank White said he plans to fight the ruling, despite many legislators applauding the decision.
In Kansas City, Kansas, officials are considering cutting two bus routes to help address a $12 million budget deficit after commissioners decided to freeze 2025 property taxes earlier this year.
Fricker doesn’t believe Platte County will face the same issues. The county estimates sales tax revenues will be $2 million over projections, which should cover any budget shortfalls.
Sales taxes fund the county’s parks and roads departments, two of its biggest spending areas. The county’s biggest expense, law enforcement, is already fully funded through another quarter-cent sales tax and money from the general fund.
“There's really no chance that we're going to have to cut services or any of that,” Fricker said. “We could have held on to the extra money and increased our reserves. But we're of the feeling that governments should not be holding on to taxpayer dollars that aren't absolutely necessary for critical operations.”
Fricker says the county would’ve lowered the property tax levy to zero, but to do that would require taxpayer approval if the county has to raise it in the future. The current tax break goes into effect next year and will affect 2025 and 2026 property taxes.
After that, Fricker says the county will reevaluate maintaining the .01 rate or raising the levy again. Voters have approved a maximum levy of .35. Platte County also opted into Missouri’s property tax freeze for senior citizens.
“This year has been a good year for providing property tax relief to Platte County property owners,” Fricker said. “We're proud of that. We think it's important because people get taxed out of their homes. People on fixed incomes, seniors, people with disabilities, working families who don't have extra money to spend on property tax increases.”
