KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City-area voters were feeling generous, including those in Jackson County, during Tuesday’s special election with a range of municipal tax questions on the ballot.
Grandview voters overwhelmingly supported three bond questions, giving the city authorization to issue $21 million in total general obligation bonds.
All three ballot questions received at least 80% of the vote and none require a tax increase.
One question asked for $6 million to expand and equip the Grandview Municipal Services Complex/Police Station; another asked for $12.4 million for streets, bridges, sidewalks and other traffic-related infrastructure priorities; and the last one requested $2.6 million for renovating and equipping city fire stations.
Grain Valley voters weren’t quite as enthusiastic about a $14-million bond issue for a new police facility, but it still passed with nearly 69% of the vote.
It was a similar story in Lee’s Summit, where roughly 57% of voters signed off on a half-cent sales tax increase for emergency services.
The money, which raises Lee’s Summit’s overall sales tax to 8.35%, will be used for equipment and personnel needs at the city’s fire and police departments.
The sales tax goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2022, and is expected to generate more than $10 million per year.
Meanwhile, Lone Jack voters — well, roughly 63% of them — once again rejected a use tax on online sales. The margin was even higher in Lake Winnebago, where nearly 85% voted down a local use tax.
But voters in Lake Annette in Cass County and Oaks in Clay County passed use-tax questions.
Belton gets money for water infrastructure
Belton voters approved $81 million in bond issues for infrastructure needs and extended a half-cent sales tax for capital improvements, but the local use tax failed at the polls once again.
Voters were fine with Question 1, a $21-million bond issue for roads and streets, and Question 2, which authorizes $60 million in general obligation bonds to replace the city’s aging water system.
That plan — which works hand-in-hand with Question 3, an elimination of the sunset on the half-cent capital improvement sales tax — includes the construction of a new water tower in northeast Belton and the replacement of decades-old cast-iron and asbestos cement pipes throughout the city.
The first two questions received more than 70% of the vote and Question 3 received more than 60%, but Question 4, which would have imposed a city sales tax on online purchases, was rejected by more than 53% of voters.
Fire districts get support
Southern Jackson County Fire Protection District voters saw two ballot questions, passing both by a roughly 10% margin.
The first authorizes a new $0.386 tax levy for fire department personnel, station maintenance and equipment upgrades.
The second provides a $0.1293 levy increase for the district’s ambulance service.
Combined, the $0.5153 tax-levy increase will cost the owner of a $250,000 home about $245 in additional annual property taxes.
Kearney voters overwhelmingly approved a 15-cent tax levy increase with more than 67% of the vote.
Voters in the Lone Jack Fire Protection District also signed off on a nearly $6.8-million bond issue for new fire stations and equipment but rejected a tax-levy increase to hire additional firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
Question 1 passed with 54% of the vote, but Question 2 failed by a five-vote margin, 285-280, in unofficial results from the Jackson County Election Board.
Voters in the Central Cass, Drexel Community and Dolan/West Dolan fire protection districts also signed off on tax-related questions.
Central Cass voters passed a 30-cent tax-levy increase for ambulance service and an EMT/paramedic program, while Drexel voters approved a 35-cent tax levy increase.
Dolan and West Dolan voters approved a $900,000 bond issue for equipment and improvements to the district’s living and storage areas.
Oaks voters extended a 31.59-cent tax levy for fire suppression as well as a 50-cent general municipal tax levy for another two years.
By a 50-1 margin, Oakwood approved a two-year extension of its 30-cent tax-levy increase for fire and ambulance services.
More Cass County tax issues
Additional tax questions results in Cass County:
- East Lynne voters approved a $480,000 bond issue “for extending and improving streets”;
- By a 4-3 margin, Lake Annette voters adopted a local use tax;
- Peculiar voters approved the annexation of some surrounding areas within Cass County;
- Water customers in Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Cass County may see rate increases after more than 88% of voters approved an $8 million bond issue for fixing pipes, increasing water-system capacity and maintaining clean drinking water standards compliance
More Platte County tax issues
Additional tax questions results in Platte County:
- Ferrelview voters split 5-5 on a local use tax, so the question failed;
- Lake Waukomis voters extended the city’s 70-cent tax levy for another four years with 91.5% of the vote. A two-thirds majority was required for passage
- Tri-County Ambulance District voters in Buchanan, Clinton and Platte counties passed a 0.08-cent tax-levy increase.
—
