PLATTE CITY, Mo. — The three-person Platte County Commission voted Monday to not implement a 1/4-cent sales tax for children’s services.
The vote comes after Platte County voters passed the tax last month with 56% of the vote.
KSHB 41’s Charlie Keegan was at Monday morning’s commission meeting, where commissioners expressed concerns the tax would last forever and have little oversight.
Commissioners in @PlatteCountyMO voted NOT to levy a children services tax. 56% of voters gave the commission authority to administer the 1/4-cent sales tax.
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) December 16, 2024
The 3-person commission argued this tax would last forever and had little oversight. @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/XcjlQdfPfk
The tax would have funded youth mental health services in the county.
The debate over whether to implement the tax intensified last week as it became clear commissioners were considering options.
Platte County Commissioner Joe Vanover told KSHB 41’s Marlon Martinez last week he believed the ballot language gave commissioners the final say.
Synergy Services was part of the coalition that worked to generate support for the measure. Dennis Meier, who serves as executive director of Synergy Services, said news that the commission was considering not implementing the tax made him feel like “votes don’t count.”
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University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor Allen Rostron previously told KSHB 41 he believed the ballot language indicated implementing the tax was “optional rather than mandatory.”
“The way it's worded, I mean, on its face, I think it probably sounds like the county was supposed to have discretion over this,” Rostron said
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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