Kansas Lawmakers Pass Property Tax Fix, Valuation Cap Fails

0:00It's March 28th. This is Kansas News today, powered by AI. Kansas lawmakers wrapped up their session Friday with a win on one property tax fix, but struck out on the big one. They passed a bill by narrow margins, Senate 22 to 18, House 63 to 59, that lets voters in county cities or school. Districts protest budgets hiking spending over last year's levels. If 10% of registered voters sign a petition, officials must roll back to the prior budget. The measure builds in some wiggle room for inflation, letting local budgets rise by the lesser of 3% or the Midwest consumer price index without triggering protest. Still, it hands real power to taxpayers tired of rising property taxes driven by appraisals, assessments, and mill levies set by local governments. Republicans cheered it as a check on runaway spending, with House Speaker Dan Hawkins calling it a game changer for putting folks in control. Critics like Senator Bill Clifford, worried it empowers a noisy minority to block even smart policies on schools or cities.

1:02A couple Senate Democrats crossed over, but House Dem stayed no. The real prize, a constitutional amendment capping year-over-year property value, jumps as single digits like 9%, fell short. Chambers couldn't muster two-thirds support amid GOP infighting over details, including dense ballot language. It would have reset values to 2024 levels starting next year. Now the bill heads Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, who might sign, veto, or let it pass quietly, though overriding her would take more votes. Lawmakers reconvene in two weeks for veto session. Their last shot this year at nailing down that valuation cap before elections heat up.