The county’s tax levy remains largely unchanged at six cents – with slight fluctuations due to changes in assessed valuation.
County attorney Bob Shaw presented the proposed county levies at the Tuesday, Sept. 8 commission administrative session.
Shaw reported the county this year faces a nearly 1 percent reduction in assessed real estate value.
The general fund property tax levy has remained at six cents per $100 assessed valuation for the past several years and includes a payment for the county’s updated emergency radio system.
The levy has also included additional calculations to re-establish the county’s tax ceiling, due to a clerical error made several years ago. In 2014, the county was forced to reset its levy ceiling at the level approved by voters in 1980 — at 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation — due to an error discovered in the Missouri Auditor’s Office. The levy was accidentally lowered to one cent in 2011.
Presiding commissioner Ron Schieber said that much of the discussions of the tax advisory committee held in late 2019 and early 2020 assumed the six cents was a flat rate, but it’s not, due to those fluctuations in assessed value. He wished to leave the levy unchanged to continue to fund the obligations outlined by the tax committee.
Schieber also said the commissioners have discussed getting rid of the property tax altogether, but understood that it would require a vote to reinstate a tax levy.
Shaw said he did not know the answer to that question and would need to investigate the possible repercussions.
The other two taxes set by the county commission are for the county road and bridge district and for drainage district No. 1. Due to negative changes in assessed valuation, the ceiling for those districts were also fractionally reduced. However, both remain unchanged at around .32 cents and seven cents, respectively.
At the Platte County CARES small business grant meeting held prior to the administrative session, commissioners approved grant funding for the following.
Fabulous Hair Extensions and Wigs, $2,960; The Upholstery Shop, $1,002; V&V Nails Spa, $7,948; Anstaett Chiropractic, $12,00; McCrackin Chiropractic, $15,144; Ash Cigars KC, $24,961; Rio Salon, $15,000.