Council holds public hearings and approves first readings on proposed 2025 property tax rates

The Kirkwood City Council recessed into separate public hearings Sept. 4 to receive the legally required notices and public comment on proposed 2025 property tax rates for the city and for the Kirkwood Municipal Library, then approved the two ordinances on first reading.

City staff (presenter identified as Mary) said St. Louis County reappraised property in 2025, a reassessment year, and that residential assessed value increased 19 percent while commercial assessed value rose about 12 percent. Staff described the rate-calculation process and emphasized that proposed rates are preliminary “before board of equalization” and could change. For the city, staff reported a proposed residential rate of 40.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, a proposed commercial rate of 50.4 cents and a proposed personal property rate of 72 cents per $100. Staff estimated that the proposed city rates would yield roughly $509,112 in additional revenue (about 8 percent) and about $30,924 (19 percent) for the Kirkwood Special Business District, compared with last year’s levies.

At the municipal library public hearing, staff reported the library district’s boundaries differ from the city’s and provided separate figures: proposed residential rate 18.9 cents per $100, commercial 24.2 cents and personal property 35.5 cents. Staff said those proposed library rates would yield an approximate revenue increase of $126,323 (about 4.5 percent). Library staff explained that part of the library rate funds debt service and that a temporary debt-related portion of the rate will drop off in 2032 or 2033 when that debt matures.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about how senior assessment caps and board-of-equalization adjustments affect the revenue estimates. Staff repeated that the numbers are preliminary and come from county valuation data, and that the board of equalization process may change individual assessed values and overall totals.

Because state advertising and public-notice timing is tight after county valuations are issued, the council conducted the public hearings and the required first readings on the same evening; staff said second readings will be scheduled after board of equalization adjustments and before the statutory deadline for adoption.

Both ordinances — one fixing the city tax levy and one fixing the municipal library levy — passed first reading. The council will consider second reading and final adoption at a later meeting after the county’s equalization process is complete.