Lower Taxes

Keeping taxes low in Platte County is my number one priority because low taxes foster economic growth by allowing residents and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned income, encouraging investment, job creation, and community development. By keeping taxes low, we attract new businesses, support local entrepreneurs, and ensure families can thrive without excessive financial burdens, all while maintaining essential public services.

During just my first three years in office, I participated in or led the County's efforts to:

• Implement the Senior Tax Credit Program;
• reduce the County's property tax levy from an already low 6 cents to a nearly nonexistent 1 cent;
• stop the implementation of a new 1/4 cent sales that would have generated $6M in next tax revenue for already-bloated non-profits and NGOs; and to
• negotiate a property tax increase settlement with the Missouri State Tax Commission that reduced a mandated 15% increase to a manageable 6.835% increase (3.4% per year for 2 years).

And we accomplished all this while balancing three budgets, fully funded critical reserves, and while fully funding our law enforcement agencies. 

Fully funding our law enforcement agencies in Platte County is critical to ensuring public safety, which is the foundation of a thriving community. A well-funded Sheriff’s Office, Prosecutor's Office, and Court system can effectively protect residents, prevent crime, and respond swiftly to emergencies. By prioritizing robust funding, we equip our law enforcement agencies with the resources, training, and tools needed to maintain safe neighborhoods and uphold the safety and trust of our citizens.

All three of the budgets I that helped negotiate included full funding for our law enforcement agencies. In my first year as a commissioner, we faced substantial recruiting issues in the Sheriff's Office due to low wage scales. But over the past three years, we increased starting pay for deputies to $45k, then $50k, and then $55k. And the result has been a fully staffed Sheriff's Office and a more robust law enforcement throughout the county.