Sedgwick County officials tell lawmakers SCR 16 16 would shift tax burden, risk public-service cuts

Sedgwick County commissioners and staff spent much of their Jan. 27 staff meeting dissecting a proposed constitutional measure known to the group as SCR 16 16 and agreeing to finalize a letter for legislators that warns of constitutional and budgetary pitfalls.

Commissioner Realty, who led the presentation, said SCR 16 16 would cap annual growth in taxable assessed value at 3% and, in the county's analysis, would produce different effective assessment rates within the same class of residential property. "While Sedgwick County strongly supports meaningful property tax reform, SCR 16 16 creates serious unintended consequences that undermine constitutional principles and shift tax burdens rather than providing broad relief," he said.

County staff described an analysis using 2024 appraisal data for roughly 162,000 residential properties. Using a revenue-neutral rate in the model, the county found the cap would redistribute tax burden: about 51% of homeowners "would…