Legislature needs to speed up efforts on property-tax reform

There is a lot of cynicism surrounding property tax relief proposals being debated by the Legislature this session. Many in the area doubt legislators will approve any significant relief. In fact, some are launching an initiative to put before voters in the fall.

Bills are slowly making their way through the Legislature and the House approved eight bills that some call the most sweeping property-tax reform effort in state history.

Homeowner exemptions were boosted — from $50,000 to $75,000 — and state representatives voted to shift some school maintenance and operations funding from property tax revenue to the general fund.

The House also voted to:

? Close a loophole in a property-tax exemption on agricultural land;

? Create a $500,000 fund that allows low-income seniors to defer tax payments until they sell their home;

? Expand by up to $6.6 million a property-tax exemption that helps the disabled and low-income senior citizens;

? Place budget limits on cities which annex to help prevent forced annexations;

? Allow residents of many taxing districts to hold elections in which a two-thirds vote could lower taxes for the following fiscal year.

But is it enough? And are they the right moves?

Only time will tell and it's up to us to have a say. Call, write or e-mail your state legislators and tell them what you think. Demand changes if you think they're warranted and demand legislators do what we elected them to do — govern the state, and not wait and hope the issue will go away.

Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Daily Bee