Earlier this week, the Joplin City Council voted to maintain the community's property taxes and NOT increase them.
KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.
What a difference a year makes.
Last May, the Joplin City Council approved a ballot measure called ‘Proposition Public Safety’ that would have increased property taxes by one dollar for every $100,000 of assessed value.
The plan would have added 22 police officers, and three support staff and increased officer pay by $10,000.
It was estimated the proposition would raise 9 million dollars. The proposition failed in August of 2022, by a vote of 56% to 43%.
On Monday, the city council voted to freeze property taxes. Joplin Finance Director Leslie Hasse speaking Monday night.
“For a $100,000 home in the city and in the library district tax will be $79.90. This represents no change from last year. The city portion is $33.17. While the library portion is $46.73 of the total $79.90.”
Last September, officials with the city of Joplin and the union that represents its police officers agreed on average salary increases of 11.7% without the passage of Proposition Public Safety.
The agreement allowed Joplin to increase trainee starting pay from $34,000 a year to $40,000.
While offering bonuses of up to 10,000 dollars for experienced officers who transferred to Joplin.
The Joplin City Council will next meet on Tuesday, September 5.
