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Libraries, fire and ambulance districts warn property-tax reforms could cut essential local services
Summary
Library directors, fire chiefs and ambulance leaders told the committee they rely heavily on property-tax revenue and that caps or sudden assessment changes would force service cuts or create operational strain in many rural and suburban districts.
JEFFERSON CITY — Library systems, volunteer and paid fire districts and ambulance services told the Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform that the bulk of their local revenue depends on property tax levies and that any changes to tax structure, caps or assessment timing could jeopardize services.
Mid-Continent Public Library finance director Jeremy Wilmoth told the committee the Kansas City-area consolidated district receives 96% of its revenue from local property tax and that the district’s assessed valuation grew by about 8% annually over five reassessment cycles while its revenue grew about 3.6% annually. “That gap requires the library to stretch budgets and make strategic…
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