The big winner from Tuesday’s municipal elections? Freezing property taxes.
The question was on the ballot in 97 Missouri counties. Voters in numerous counties across Missouri passed resolutions to freeze or limit how much property taxes can increase on personal residences. They include Cass and Platte counties in the Kansas City area, and Franklin and Jefferson counties in the St. Louis region. Numerous rural counties also passed limits on property tax increases.
Some counties, though rejected the property tax freezes, including Christian, Holt, Johnson, Monroe, Oregon, and Webster counties.
The property tax freezes approved by Missouri counties could be tossed out in court because more than 40 counties are suing over a law passed last year that allowed the freezes. The lawsuit alleges the law is unconstitutional because it treats counties unevenly.
In other races, hundreds of local governments elected mayors, councilmembers and aldermen, school board members, and voted on referendums. Roughly 1,500 school board members were on local election ballots.
In Greene County, a proposed 3% sales tax to fund a new convention center in Springfield went down in flames, while St. Louis and Kansas City voters renewed their respective 1% earnings tax. Voters in Cole County, home to the State Capitol, renewed a 0.5% sales tax to fund road and bridge maintenance.
Oregon County voters in southern Missouri passed a 3% sales tax on marijuana purchases. Voters in the cities of Alton and Thayer and the Village of Diggins also voted to create a cannabis sales tax.
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