House Ways & Means hears proposals for assessment changes

February 19, 2002
By: Johnathan Woodward
State Capital Bureau

State legislators are looking for ways to change the way property taxes are assessed.

Johnathan Woodward has more from Jefferson City.

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Freezing assessed values for some senior citizens, limiting assessed values to a 5 percent increase per year, and moving to a 4-year assessment cycle are just some of the proposals before the House Ways and Means Committee.

State Representative John Griesheimer of Washington says whatever the changes--something needs to be done about property tax assessments:

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But lobbyists for public education say that while some changes are needed, freezes or caps in assessments would mean problems for school funding.

In Jefferson City, Johnathan Woodward.


State legislators are mulling over changes to property tax assessments.

Johnathan Woodward has more from Jefferson City.

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Capping property tax assessments to a 5 percent increase per year, and freezing assessments for low-income senior citizens are just two of the proposals before the House Ways and Means committee.

But some, like John Sharpe of the Missouri Council of School Administrators, say that those kinds of ideas could hurt school funding:

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But Sharpe also noted that some other proposals--such as making the appeals process easier for homeowners--would make assessments more fair, without hurting schools.

In Jefferson City, Johnathan Woodward.


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