What you need to know: Jackson County Question One (Senior Services)

By Ben McCarthy

KC Shepherd’s Center Executive Director Janet Baker says the organization is getting more calls this year from area seniors with requests for services like Meals on Wheels that they simply cannot accommodate.

“We have to say “no” to more people because we’re out of money,” Baker said. “That keeps me up at night.”

Now going into her sixth year as Executive Director, Baker says Shepherd’s Center and other local organizations focused on providing such services to Kansas City’s senior population are increasingly being asked to compete for a smaller slice of what she calls the “philanthropic pie.”

“Only about 1% of local charitable giving is earmarked for services dedicated to our seniors, who also happen to be the fastest growing segment of the local population, and homeless population, too,” Baker said. “There isn’t a population more underserved or in need here.”

These economic realities faced by local organizations like Shepherd’s Center, became the impetus for an effort Baker helped spearhead almost two years ago, and will culminate with November’s ballot initiative for Question One.

Question One asks Jackson County voters to accept another hike in property taxes, with promises of generating new funding to benefit area seniors, through a broad-based goal of helping them to continue living independently. Proponents of Question One say the raise in property taxes is meager, and will amount to $10-50 a year for most residents.

Question One asks taxpayers to approve payment of 5 cents per $100 of assessed value of both real and personal property.

For a Jackson County resident with the average home price of $250,000, they will receive an assessed value of $47,500 (typically 19% of market value for residential property). The homeowners would then have to pay a levy of $23.75.

A taxpayer with a more modest home valued around $100,000 would expect to pay about $9.50 annually, while their $10,000-valued automobile would result in another $1.67 annually in new, additional personal property taxes.

Across Missouri, 55 other counties already have a similar “senior levy” in place to help provide essential services to their senior population. All funds secured through the new senior levy would be designated for Jackson County residents, sixty years and older. Projections suggest that it could generate $8-10M annually to support services for seniors.

Passage of Question One would result in the creation of an independent, county-appointed Senior Levy Board, which would then discern how to award funds (similarly to charitable grants) to established community groups, like Shepherd’s Center. Baker says they currently provide support services for 3,500 seniors, as they work toward helping them to continue living independently.

In August, the county legislature unanimously supported the Seniors Count ballot initiative, co-sponsored by First District Legislator Jalen Anderson and Second District Legislator Donna Peyton. Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr., celebrated alongside them at the ceremonial signing, saying it reaffirmed the County’s commitment to ensuring that every senior in Jackson County can: “stay in the home they love, with the support they need.”

The new taxes would go into effect in 2026 at the earliest (with funds being distributed 18 months after passage), and be allocated only to pre-existing organizations in the area that support Jackson County seniors. Baker says their coalition of about 50 local organizations are working to support the measure’s passage, and have identified four areas of service that funds would be directed toward.

“The four highest areas of need for seniors right now are meal delivery, transportation (for medical purposes), in-home service support, and caregiver support,” Baker said. “Most of these people are low income and might not be able to cook for themselves any longer so we just need to get them some assistance to make sure they’re eating.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 15% of Jackson County’s population is 65 or older. By 2030, older adults are projected to represent nearly 20% of the population. The older population in Jackson County is expected to reach 230,000, compared to 2010’s population of 135,918.

Baker says state statutes required her Seniors Count coalition to pursue this path of funding, which would ultimately lead to another raise in property taxes. She says she understands that voters have been feeling the effects of recent property tax increases, but sees this as the only means of creating a sustainable funding source for seniors.

“Our philanthropic foundations have chosen to reprioritize their grants elsewhere and don’t include older adults,” Baker said. “Our seniors are telling us: ‘we’re the ones who’ve been paying property taxes longer than anyone else – do we count, too’?”