URGENT TAX ALERT
PROP RT IS A THREAT TO ST. CHARLES.
THE FISCAL RISK TO OUR SCHOOLS
Proposition RT threatens to drain essential funding from St. Charles County education. Our community relies on these services for safety and growth—Proposition RT puts it all on the line without a viable fallback plan.
The Financial Reality of Prop RT
Proposition RT threatens to drain essential funding from St. Charles County essential services. Our community relies on these services for safety and growth—Proposition RT puts it all on the line without a viable fallback plan.
Official Campaign Notice
Stop Proposition RT
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Senate Bill 3 changes how property tax is collected. For tax purposes, it freezes the value of our homes in September 2024. The result: revenue from property taxes flattens while all costs for schools, etc. continue to inflate. Flattening revenue and inflating costs create a problem that will grow worse every year. (For example, Francis Howell would lose an estimated $4 million in revenue in year one and $20 million in year five)
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On April 7th, St. Charles County will choose to either keep their property taxes functioning the same as it is today or choose to allow the rules of Senate Bill 3 to apply to the whole county going forward.
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Senate Bill 3 does not apply to St. Louis County. Recruiting and retaining teachers will be difficult with funding cuts when the jobs will be greener $$$ on the other side of the river. A similar impact can happen to libraries, EMS and Fire services.
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This is not a red thing or a blue thing. It is a green thing. We will not engage in any partisan arguing or finger pointing. We do not have the time or energy for that. We stick to one message: We support students, staff, schools, libraries and librarians, EMTs & firefighters, and our county's most vulnerable. Because we support them, we oppose Prop RT.
Essential Services at Risk
Taxes are always a hot topic when election season rolls around. It happens every cycle—some candidates repeat the same refrain: “Taxes are too high, and we need to cut them.” Let’s be honest—no one likes paying taxes. Government at every level should be a careful steward of public money, working to cut waste and ensure every dollar is used wisely. At the same time, we also have to be honest about what it costs to run government and how the services people rely on are funded.
NO REPLACEMENT REVENUE STREAM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED.
Urgent Updates
Latest Findings
O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce Opposes Prop RT
"We support thoughtful tax policy. If changes are made to property taxes, they must include a clear, sustainable funding solution to ensure continued full and equitable funding for all essential services.
Our community depends on strong, reliable funding for essential services. Schools, disability resources, libraries, and public safety agencies rely heavily on property tax revenue to serve residents every day.
Prop RT would freeze residential property taxes in St. Charles County. While that may sound appealing, this measure does not provide a reliable or sustainable alternative funding source to replace the lost revenue.
Join us in supporting our schools, libraries, disability resources, and community partners."
O’FALLON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRIES
Show-Me-Institute
"Our community depends on strong, reliable funding for essential services. Schools, disability resources, libraries, and public safety agencies rely heavily on property tax revenue to serve residents every day.
Prop RT would freeze residential property taxes in St. Charles County. While that may sound appealing, this measure does not provide a reliable or sustainable alternative funding source to replace the lost revenue.
This change would also reduce the ability of school districts to fund themselves and would make them more dependent on state aid. Consider the following: Parkway school district in St. Louis County is 89% funded by local taxes. However, Fox school district in Jefferson County is only 51% locally funded, while Wentzville school district in St. Charles is only 64% locally funded, and St. Clair school district in Franklin is just 45% locally funded. These changes would make school districts in these three counties more dependent on state aid, not less. Again, I’m aware that many voters may view that as a benefit, but it is anything but.
At the Show-Me Institute, we support low taxes, and I am well-aware of how tempting this will be to voters. But using market valuations in reassessment to set tax levels is a good system. While our property tax system needs reforms, eliminating any and all tax increases from reassessments will make Missouri more dependent on other taxes that hurt our economy far more than property taxes do. Hate them as much as you wish, but property taxes indisputably harm economic growth less than other taxes do."
DAVID STOKES