The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

 

Published August 12, 2015

Voters say no to tax increases

By Dale Johnson
CAMDEN COUNTY – “Hey, lake area residents. Would you like to pay more taxes?”

NO!

That was the basic question and very vocal answer on three separate proposed tax increases in last week’s election.

The Osage Beach Fire Protection District had one of the tax increases on the ballot for voters to approve or deny.

“Shall the Board of Directors for the Osage Beach Fire Protection District be authorized to levy an additional tax of not more than fifteen cents on the one hundred dollars assessed valuation to provide funds for the support of the district?”

Voters in the district voted 227 (56.33 percent) against the tax increase and 176 (43.67 percent) for the increase, defeating the measure.

The Southwest Camden County Fire Protection District was also seeking to raise taxes for their use.

“Shall the Board of Directors of the Southwest Camden County Fire Protection District be authorized to levy an additional tax of not more than 30 cents on the one hundred dollars assessed valuation to provide funds for the support of the district?”

That proposed tax increase also went down in flames with 153 (84.07 percent) against and only 29 (15.93 percent) in favor.

The third tax increase was being proposed by the Stoutland R-II School District.

“Shall Board of Education of the Stoutland R-II School District, Missouri, be authorized to eliminate fully the Proposition C Sales Tax Rollback in its operating levy under Section 164.013 R.S.Mo., as amended, in order to provide funds to meet the operating fund needs of the District? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating levy of the School District is estimated to increase from $2.75, currently, to $3.4326 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation for the 2015 Tax Year and that same rate can be applied to the assessed valuation for each year thereafter.”

Since the Stoutland school district takes care of part of Laclede County, along with Camden, voters in each county made the decision on the tax increase, and the final outcome was a narrow defeat for the increase.

In Camden County:
Yes: 104 (42.98 percent)
No: 138 (57.02 percent)

In Laclede County:
Yes: 138 (49.82 percent)
No: 139 (50.18 percent)

The only other issue on the ballot was the dissolving of the Village of Climax Springs (see story page 3).

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