MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

House Bill No. 2043

An Act concerning property taxation; relating to property tax revenues of taxing subdivisions; providing a protest petition to contest certain increases in property tax revenues; continuing reimbursements from the taxpayer notification costs fund for an additional five years; amending K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 79-2988 and 79-2989 and repealing the existing sections.

Message to the Legislature of the State of Kansas

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 residential property tax that the state levies is 20 mills for public schools. All other residential property taxes are levied at the local level.

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.

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.

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

Therefore, pursuant to Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, I hereby veto House Bill 2043.

Laura Kelly, Governor

Dated April 27, 2026.