Issue Position: Property Tax Reform

Issue Position

Senator Schmitt worked to fulfill his promise to fundamentally reform the property assessment process in St. Louis County with the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 5 and the subsequent Constitutional Amendment passed by voters in November, 2010. The Amendment requires the assessor in St. Louis County to be elected, rather than appointed. Senator Schmitt believes having an independent, elected assessor attacks the problem of unfair property assessments on the front end, ensuring the assessment process is more open, transparent, and--most importantly--accountable to voters. Assessors are elected in more than 100 other counties in the state, including suburban St. Charles County. The State Tax Commission and University of Missouri-St. Louis Public Policy Research Center have pointed out that St. Charles County has the highest assessment accuracy in the state. Senator Schmitt believes that St. Louis County taxpayers deserve the same level of accountability, and the voters overwhelmingly agreed with him at the polls in November 2010.

In 2010, Senator Schmitt successfully amended legislation to include a provision making it easier for local taxpayers to find information online about their reassessment and comparable properties. This amendment provides greater transparency in the property tax assessment process and puts even more power and information in the hands of the taxpayers.

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