Platte County voters approve cap on annual property tax increases for homeowners
Platte County voters overwhelmingly approved a controversial ballot measure intended to cap how much property taxes can increase each year for homeowners during Tuesday’s election.
The Homestead Property Tax Credit Program, which is currently being challenged in the courts, passed with 79% of people voting for it, according to unofficial results reported by the Platte County Board of Elections Tuesday night.
The Homestead Property Tax Credit Program will limit qualifying residential property tax bills from increasing by more than 5% annually, making yearly tax bills a bit more predictable and preventing what County Commission Joe Vanover described as “massive spikes” to property taxes.
The relief will come through a new program Missouri lawmakers created and passed last year as part of the state law offering incentives for new professional sports stadiums. Qualifying counties could ask residents to vote on capping annual property tax increases.
A 5% annual cap is proposed in 75 counties, including Platte. Another 22 counties will have an opportunity to vote for no year-to-year property tax increases. The remaining 17 counties, including Jackson and Clay counties, and the city of St. Louis, were excluded from the program.
Several counties and school districts in Missouri have sued over the law that established the relief program, claiming it “destabilizes local funding, threaten(s) essential services and undermines the will of the local voter.”
The lawsuit claims that Missouri lawmakers used no rational basis to categorize which counties qualified for a 5% cap, a freeze or neither.
“It was simply the whim of individual legislators,” the lawsuit states.
In light of the lawsuit, county commissioners have said they haven’t gone into much detail regarding implementation, but Vanover said they will immediately begin work after receiving voter approval.
“As long as voters approve it on Tuesday and it doesn’t get struck down, and the legislature and Governor don’t change it, we’re pushing ahead on implementing it,” Vanover told The Star last week.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 9:01 PM.
