EDITOR:
This letter is in response to a letter to the editor from Platte County Recorder of Deeds Christopher Wright in the July 8 edition of The Landmark.
As I have consistently demonstrated as Platte County Auditor, when inaccurate information is presented to the public, I believe the citizens of Platte County deserve a factual and accurate explanation.
I agree with Mr. Wright on one important point: the Homestead Act will provide much-needed property tax relief. The Platte County Commission placed the measure on the April 2026 ballot, and the voters overwhelmingly approved it with 79.40% voting in favor and 20.60% opposed.
However, I disagree with the assertion that two elected officeholders are “standing in the way of finding solutions.” That statement overlooks the fact that implementation of the Homestead Act is already underway. Mr. Wright did not attend the implementation meetings where the process and timeline were discussed.
The software vendor responsible for the county’s tax system is currently developing the enrollment program, including the necessary application process and integration with the assessor’s software to identify eligible homeowners and apply the statutory limitation of the lesser of 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to qualifying property tax increases. The first year homeowners will receive this benefit is 2027.
It is also important to remember that 2026 is a non-reassessment year. Unless a property has new construction or qualifying improvements, most homeowners should expect their 2026 property taxes to be similar to those paid in 2025.
At the most recent implementation meeting, county officials—including representatives from the commission, collector, clerk, and myself as an observer—agreed on a practical strategy for implementation. Suggestions by Wright that the county should simply rely on a spreadsheet or a “straightforward mathematical formula” ignore the complexity of Missouri’s property tax system. Property tax calculations affect not only the county but every taxing jurisdiction that relies on accurate assessments and billing. Accuracy is not optional—it is essential.
Another factual error in Mr. Wright’s letter concerns the estimated number of homeowners expected to benefit from the program. The estimate discussed during implementation is approximately 25,000 eligible homeowners, not the 5,000 referenced in his letter. The Senior Tax Credit (SB 190), the initial much-needed property tax relief will provide benefit to approximately 8,000 senior residents in 2027.
Mr. Wright concluded by urging citizens to “demand” the tax relief they voted for. The citizens of Platte County absolutely deserve that relief, and they also deserve accurate information about how it is being implemented. The work is already in progress.
--Kevin Robinson
Platte County Auditor
