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Tax commissioner outlines LHOST; county staff warn of tight timeline for November ballot
Summary
At the June 8 work session, Tax Commissioner Roger Collins explained SB 33’s Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST), saying the tax “could be up to 1 cent,” and County Manager James Shubert warned the county must advertise during the special session beginning June 17 to place it on the November ballot.
Roger Collins, Ware County Tax Commissioner, summarized SB 33 and the Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST) for the Board of Commissioners, saying “LHOST is Local Homestead Option Sales Tax” and that the additional levy "could be up to 1 cent." Collins told the board the tax would require voter approval and that revenue would first be applied to lowering homestead property taxes before any remainder was used to lower other city and county property taxes.
County Manager James Shubert told commissioners the county would need to publish a legal advertisement authorizing introduction of local legislation during the Special Session beginning June 17 if it wants the measure placed on the November ballot. Shubert said he would contact State Representative Burchett to determine whether the Special Session will extend into a second week, and cautioned that “if the special session does not go into a second week, there is not enough time to advertise” and the county would have to wait until the 2027 regular session.
The Commission did not direct staff to pursue placing LHOST on the ballot at the work session; commissioners described the notice as last-minute and asked for more information before acting. The board’s next regular meeting is the venue where these agenda items were added for formal action.
