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Senate rejects proposed constitutional cap on property valuation increases after debate over school funding
Summary
Senators debated a proposed constitutional amendment to cap taxable valuations before voting 26–14 to reject it; opponents said the measure would cut school funding and fail to deliver real relief to taxpayers.
The Kansas Senate voted 26–14 to reject Senate substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 5011, a proposed constitutional amendment to cap taxable valuations, after hours of debate about whether the change would provide meaningful property-tax relief or would instead reduce funding for public schools.
The conference committee report that arrived at the floor set a 4% maximum cap on taxable valuation increases and placed the election on the ballot in August 2026. Sponsor Senator Flynn told colleagues the House accepted most Senate language and that the conference compromise included the 4% cap and the August 2026 election date.
Opponents said the amendment would not provide real relief and would instead force large shifts in state funding. "If this is what the majority party believes is true property tax relief for Kansans, why are we delaying it a year?" Senator Johnson asked, arguing the measure would cut school funding and citing fiscal estimates: "when this starts getting phased in ... you'll see money is coming out of our school funding formula at over $250,000,000 a year... over 5 years nearly $1,000,000,000 that we would have to pull out of SGF and put into our public education formula to be able to fully fund our public schools in Kansas and to meet our Gannon obligation." Those numbers were attributed on the floor to a legislative staff source cited by Senator Johnson.
Backers said the cap would provide predictability and transparency and could spur fiscal discipline at the local level. "A property tax cap introduces a vital light of transparency on decision making and budgeting within local governments," Senator Lehi said, and supporters pointed to other states with caps as evidence caps need not hinder growth.
After extended debate and multiple floor explanations of vote, the Senate recorded 26 votes in favor and 14 opposed, and the resolution failed to reach the majority needed for adoption to the ballot.
