From John Urkevich, Executive Director,
Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
We are at the point in the legislative process where each chamber of the legislature is considering bills which have been passed by the other. We try to watch for amendments that are being attached to bills.
Property Tax Reform
SB 711 is presently being considered by the House and several amendments have been added. One of the sticking points has to do with language that would allow assessors to unilaterally cause an increase in fees. The impact would tend to be less in first class counties but more in other counties. This could translate into an estimated loss in revenue of somewhere between $7,000-$30,000 depending upon the county the district is in. The impact state-wide on school districts is estimated at a loss of about $3 million. CSD will work to get this amendment removed.
Another amendment concerning land around airports has also been added. It deals with land and airports that fall under FAR 139 regulations. That document alone is over 100 pages. We are attempting to understand it and its impact on local school funding. The driving force behind this amendment appears to be a project next to Kansas City International Airport. We want to be sure that this Kansas City project doesn't negatively impact other districts which have airports within their boundaries.
Administrator Compensation Reporting
This amendment is being tacked on to a number of pieces of legislation. CSD does not feel school executive administrators should be singled out for this requirement without asking the same of all public service executive employees in the state. There was an additional amendment proposed and accepted in committee that would limit reporting to those school executives whose total compensation package exceeds $100,000. That would probably eliminate some rural administrators but would do little to affect the reporting requirement for most of our member districts' executives.
Concern with Property Tax Credit Amendment
HB 1321 (Sutherland) changes the amount allowed under the senior citizen/disabled person circuit breaker. CSD is not opposed to the original bill. However, Representative Davis has added an amendment which would disallow growth and new construction from being considered when setting your tax levy. This would have a profound effect on school districts. CSD is encouraging senators to pass this bill in its original form without Representative Davis' amendment. You may want to contact your senator and discuss the impact this amendment would have on your district.
Constitutional Amendment Being Considered
by the Senate
HJR 43 (Portwood) has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate. This resolution would -"alter the rollback requirement for the Hancock Amendment by requiring the current levy, not the maximum authorized levy, to be reduced to yield the same gross revenue for existing property as before an increase in assessed valuations, without an adjustment for changes in the general price level." a. CSD is working to see that the impact of this resolution on school districts is clearly understood by our senators. You are encouraged to contact your senator to discuss this resolution and its impact on your district.
a. This represnts language from the bill summary. The summaries are prepared by the Research Staff of the Missouri House of Representatives and are used by permission.
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