The Platte County Commission set the county’s property tax rate last week after an exchange between the presiding commissioner and county auditor over the possible consequences of the rate set.
Commissioners reduced the levy from six cents per $100 assessed valuation to one cent in 2024, governing the rate for 2025 and 2026. At the Monday, Aug. 31 administrative session, commissioners approved the property tax levy for 2027 for the general fund, leaving it at one cent in a unanimous vote. The levies for Drainage District No. 1 and the Platte County Road and Bridge District were also set.
The general fund levy has gone up and down over the past 25 years, set at 12 cents in 2000 and later reduced to a penny before it was increased to six cents to cover payments on the federally-mandated emergency radio system upgrade. While that system has been paid off, Auditor Kevin Robinson warned that there is another communications system upgrade on the horizon in 2028.
He said when the law enforcement tax was proposed, it was done with the belief that the levy would remain at six cents, in part to stave off a projected budget shortfall in 2027. Additionally, subsequent significant pay increases for law enforcement to make up for years of stagnant growth in salaries were not factored into the original plan.
Robinson referred to the commission’s decision to reduce the levy back to one cent as ‘experimental’ and said the reduction in income could lead to budget shortfalls for law enforcement.
“If these projections, known expenses and a status quo budget are considered it is reasonable to conclude that the county will be facing similar conditions as the last one cent levy experiment when the commission was forced to raise the levy to fund the radio system,” Robinson said.
He also said he certified funds would be available for the upcoming radio system upgrade based upon a six-cent levy, and without that funding source the radio contract would need to be paid from the general fund instead of the law enforcement fund.
Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker took exception to Robinson calling the levy reduction ‘experimental.’
“That was a policy move,” he said, adding that it was ridiculous for Robinson to come forward with projections on the day the levy was scheduled to be set. “If you really wanted to make a point and get the levy amount correct – in your opinion, correct – wouldn’t you have made this case weeks ago?”
He said he had no idea if any of what Robinson said was true, because he had not presented the information to them before-hand. Fricker said that in the time had been in office he had yet to see budget projections from Robinson, other than the auditor’s projected budget each November.
Robinson said he had provided commissioners with a forecast in July, but Fricker countered that what Robinson had given them was “not a legitimate set of budget projections.” Robinson responded that the commissioners had not shared their plans with him, making multi-year budget projections difficult.
District Commissioner Joe Vanover then asked Robinson if he wanted to see property taxes increased. Robinson said he was simply reporting what he was seeing for the 2027 budgeting process.
The men then argued over the source of the ‘experimental’ qualifier, with Robinson stating Vanover had called the reduction as such, then Fricker said the terminology originated with Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd.
“You’re carrying Zahnd’s water today, and I’m sure he appreciates that, wherever he is,” Fricker said.