Homeowners want to know if property tax relief campaigns were public service or lip service

Dear Legislature: You should recognize us. We’re in the store when you shop. We wave as you drive by. We live in your neighborhood. Our name is Owner-Occupied Taxpayer. We’re in over 400,000 households statewide. Those of us over the age 65 make up 65,000 of those households.
We’ve seen assessed property valuations soar the past few years, and the increased property taxes that followed. It’s difficult enough for hardworking, double-income families. Those of us who are retired, elderly and living on fixed incomes have an even harder time. Paying the increase in property taxes means sacrificing planned repairs or purchases. That’s not at all helpful for the local economy, nor for sales tax receipts, is it?
How’d we reach this point? Several reasons probably: COVID complications, supply shortages, and the state’s “Freedom Works Here” campaign, which attracted out-of-state residents who bid up the price of homes.
We can point to astronomical increases in the housing market as a driving factor. When someone purchases property, they are determining the value of THAT property. Apparently they are also determining the value of OUR property. Sound fair to you?
The 2024 Legislature had a measure introduced, Senate Bill 167, that would have reset assessed property valuations back to 2020 levels. It would have imposed an assessment limit capping future increases to 3% per year. Property purchased after 2020 would have been assessed at the purchase price.
Sound helpful? During Senate Taxation Committee hearings, several people voiced opposition. All these people were paid lobbyists employed by special interest groups. The few people testifying in favor were actual owner-occupied property taxpayers. On Jan. 31, 2024, the bill passed the committee by a vote of 4-3.
Senate leadership brought it to a floor vote the next day before supporters could arrive. It failed in the Senate by a vote of 20-11.
The 2024 Legislature failed to grant meaningful relief from the skyrocketing increases in assessed property valuations affecting owner-occupied property taxpayers. That failure indicated how little they cared about the problem or about owner-occupied taxpayers.
That failure, that indifference, that lack of regard led to the group Tax Relief for Property Owners. This is a newly formed grassroots group of voluntary owner-occupied property taxpayers. From a handful of members in late November, this group now numbers over 550 members statewide. This group has a very simple goal: obtaining timely and meaningful legislative relief measures for owner-occupied property taxpayers. The group wants to work with legislators to achieve this goal.
Tax Relief for Property Owners thinks the Legislature should consider:
- Resetting assessed property valuations back to the 2021 level.
- Imposing an assessment limit capping future increases at 5% per year.
- Assessing purchases of owner-occupied property after 2021 for the full purchase price.
- Dictating that improvements to properties would increase the assessed value only by the cost of the improvements.
- Increasing the eligibility limits (income and valuation) for elderly and disabled homeowners applying for tax exemption programs.
This year, we have a new Legislature.
We heard these legislators campaign about property tax relief. We supported them. We voted for them. Now we want to know: Was that “public service” we heard, or was it just “lip service”?
