(The Sentinel) — Like most Democrats and some Republicans, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly claims to support property tax relief, but her veto of HB 2043 is just the latest instance in which she has sided with local government against taxpayers.

HB 2043 would have allowed taxpayers to sign a protest petition to prevent property tax increases that exceed inflation, with increases from new construction, debt payments, and expiring tax abatements and subsidies excluded from the calculation. Kelly vetoed an earlier version of the same concept in HB 2745, claiming it was too restrictive on local governments.

In her veto message, the governor blasted the leadership of the Kansas Legislature for failing to pass property tax relief with a series of blatantly false and deceptive claims:

“For the last several years, the Legislature has promised to solve the property tax issue for Kansans. This has always been a false promise. The only property tax that the state levies is 20 mills for public schools.  All other property taxes are levied at the local level.”

Dave Trabert, CEO of Kansas Policy Institute and the Sentinel, rebuts Kelly’s claims:

“It’s true that all property taxes now support schools and other local government entities, but the Legislature has the authority to roll back or restrict tax increases. If they take no action, Governor Kelly and the Legislature are aiding and abetting the increases that are driving some people out of their homes.”

Kelly also says, “Knowing that legislators were anxious to tell their constituents they had done something to alleviate their property tax burden this session, I offered a three pronged, workable approach: a one-time $250 reduction on their car tax; a permanent increase from $75k to $150K exemption from the state mill levy for schools on their home; and a $60 million fund to help counties mitigate property tax increases. Legislative leadership never allowed legislators to discuss or vote on my proposal. Instead, they ramrodded through another sure-to-fail, untenable property tax bill.”

In response, Trabert says, “Kelly waited until the last week of the session to float a proposal that is not what Kansans need and want. They want an assessment limit to protect them from unaffordable valuation increases, and they want a mill rate limit similar to HB 2745. She criticizes legislators for late-session ideas that she doesn’t like, but takes offense when they don’t rush to pass her late, ineffective proposal.”

Next, Kelly tried to blame property tax increases on former Governor Sam Brownback:

“I don’t dispute that property taxes in Kansas are too high. I have been saying that since 2012 when the disastrous “tax experiment” focused on income tax reduction that primarily benefitted those at the top. Those ill-advised cuts drastically reduced revenues coming into state coffers.  The state responded by, among other things, cutting support to local communities for vital services, leaving our counties and cities to pick up the slack.   Those additional burdens make it very difficult for our municipalities to hold the line on property taxes.”

Trabert says that amounts to a heaping pile of fertilizer.

“Giving no examples or other documentation of a claim is a sure sign of an unfounded accusation. Kelly may be referencing the 2014 elimination of the mortgage registration tax, which cost taxpayers about $45 million annually. That should be seen as a good thing for homebuyers, not a bad thing for governments. Still, a $45 million loss for county governments doesn’t explain their $605 million property tax increase since then, and it surely has no bearing on the other $1.96 billion property tax increases imposed by other local government entities since then.”

“It is time for the Legislature to partner with our city and county officials to develop a strategy to reduce the property tax burden on their constituents and return to the balanced “three-legged stool” approach to taxes—sales, income and property—that Kansas needs to thrive.”

Trabert says Kelly is free to issue that nonsensical statement, knowing that the media won’t call her on it.

“Proposing to partner with the cities, counties, and school districts created the property tax crisis with their spending decisions demonstrates Kelly’s ‘let them eat cake’ attitude toward taxpayers. There is absolutely zero research supporting her claim that an equal mix of income, sales, and property taxes creates economic prosperity for citizens. It’s actually quite the opposite, as demonstrated in our 2026 Green Book, which examines how the size and score of government impact economic growth. In short, the states that spend less, tax less, and grow more.”

Legislative leaders react to Kelly’s veto of property tax relief 

House Speaker Dan Hawkins blasted the governor’s decision:

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, courtesy of the Kansas Legislature

“This veto makes one thing clear: there was never any intention for this Governor to come to the table on property tax relief. The high cost of property taxes in Kansas has reached crisis level and HB 2043 simply gave taxpayers a voice. If local governments want to raise taxes beyond what families can keep up with, Kansans should have the right to say no.

“Instead, the Governor chose to shut that down before Kansans ever had a real chance to be heard. Constituents were calling in and a decision didn’t have to come until later this week, but Governor Kelly made the choice to stop the conversation today and crush hopes of real relief for Kansans.

“Property taxes are driving people out of their homes. Families are being squeezed, and local governments continue to grow without meaningful guardrails. We heard her concerns with the last bill and came back with a good faith, updated proposal only to have it thrown out for purely political reasons. While the Governor and her fellow Democrats shield local government spending sprees from true accountability, House Republicans will not stop fighting to deliver real, lasting property tax relief for Kansans.”

Senate Tax Committee Chair Caryn Tyson accused the governor of abandoning Kansas homeowners by vetoing property tax relief:

Sen. Caryn Tyson

“The governor’s claim of a ‘false promise’ and her vetoes of HB 2043 and HB 2044 ignore the property tax crisis facing Kansas. Her sudden support for a $150,000 exemption is contradictory after she helped negotiate the Senate’s $100,000 proposal down to $75,000. Furthermore, her ‘solution’—a one-time $250 car tax rebate—was rightly dismissed by the Senate Committee as an ineffective token.

“Her veto of HB 2044 is equally puzzling.  Denying targeted relief to active-duty military, disabled veterans, and seniors at an estimated cost of under $6 million under the guise of ‘procedure’ contradicts helping Kansans.

“The Senate has championed a 3% assessment cap that has gained growing bipartisan support in both chambers; that would allow voters to have the final say.  We have successfully enacted a $75,000 home exemption, repealed the 1.5 mill levy, provided taxpayer notices of increases above revenue neutral, and protected against valuation increases due to maintenance and repairs.  Many of us are committed to relieving this burden on families and hard-working Kansans and will continue to work on innovative solutions.

“Critics who suggest the legislature is overstepping by working on property tax reform miss the point: the state sets the fundamental parameters. Accusations of broken promises are unfounded. The focus must remain on taxpayers, not political rhetoric.”