House panel advances bill letting county budget commissions reduce levies; disabilities advocates warn of Medicaid risk

Chairman Jared Romer and members of the House Ways and Means Committee advanced House Bill 309 on Oct. 30 after accepting an amendment that lengthens the period during which a county budget commission cannot reduce a voter-approved levy.

The bill, as amended, prevents county budget commissions from lowering a levy within five years of the levy’s first vote and adds definitions the sponsor said were recommended by the governor’s property tax study committee for "unnecessary collections" and "excessive collections." The committee accepted the sponsor’s amendment by unanimous consent before hearing testimony and later voted 13-0 to favorably report the bill to the full House.

Why it matters: County boards of developmental disabilities (DD) rely heavily on local property tax levies and also provide a significant portion of the state’s Medicaid match for DD waiver services. Witnesses told the committee that reductions in locally collected property tax revenue could destabilize services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

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