Why KC-area ballot measures could harm people with developmental disabilities | Opinion
Tax cuts in Missouri appear to create savings on the surface, but they frequently end up as a misleading “shell game,” shifting costs elsewhere and potentially harming those affected by these budget changes.
This is the case on the April 7th ballot in many Kansas City area counties. These ballot measures are claiming savings by putting a cap or credit on property taxes. In Johnson and Lafayette Counties they call it “Property Tax Credit Question.” In Platte, Buchanan, and Clinton Counties it is “Question” under their county heading. Those are just a few among the various other titles around Missouri.
Whatever you call it and whether or not it’s intentional, it is a confusing proposal that will reduce services for Missourians with developmental disabilities because budgets will be frozen along with those tax rates. Your local public school district, fire department, and library face the same potential defunding.
While the authors of the proposal are excited to talk about capped property tax rates, they don’t address how these measures could put people at risk, including you and your family. This affects the teachers that instruct your children, the first responders that come to your rescue, and the most vulnerable citizens in our communities.
Think about the last trip you made to the grocery store. Prices are much higher, aren’t they? Many of us get some sort of pay increase to help keep up with inflation. If these proposals pass, the agencies that provide these essential services would be capped and unable to keep up with increasing costs. Schools, fire departments, and the developmental disabilities service providers we represent will have to start cutting services or find new sources of revenue. Sales taxes would be the likely option, and those are already very high in Missouri. Did you know there are parts of Kansas City already paying higher sales tax rates than New York City? It will only get worse.
Missouri’s County Developmental Disability Boards, frequently called SB40 boards, are helping people become as independent as possible every day by assisting with things such as employment, life skills, transportation and residential supports. The people we support have developmental disabilities like Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome, and are living productive lives. Our assistance comes at a fraction of the cost of most alternatives. Passage of the confusing property tax proposal puts these services in jeopardy. If we can’t handle the increasing costs of what we do, we will eventually have to stop doing it. Many of these people will find themselves unemployed, in hospitals or in nursing homes. Others could even face homelessness or institutionalization. These are far more expensive and far less desirable options.
These confusing ballot proposals will put a lot of people at risk, and they almost certainly won’t save you money in the long run. I ask you to please vote “No” on whatever your county is calling this measure on April 7th.
Nancy Pennington is the Executive Director of the Missouri Association of County Developmental Disability Services and serves on the Advisory Leadership Team for the Institute of Human Development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is based in Kirksville.
