State, local leaders debate tax program

County leaders want the state to reinstate the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction. The program was introduced to help local governments during difficult times, but the state has withheld funding for the past 20 years.
Allen County commissioners Bruce Symes, left, and David Lee at a meeting in April 2023. Register file photo
by Sarah Haney
Published: January 4, 2024
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County leaders want the state to reinstate the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction. The program was introduced to help local governments during difficult times, but the state has withheld funding for the past 20 years.

Kansas, grappling with economic challenges, introduced the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction (LAVTR) in 1937 to alleviate the burdens on local governments during the Great Depression. For the last 20 years, the state has withheld that funding.

Today, a measure to reinstate the funding is gaining traction.

During the economic turmoil of the 1930s, the state faced a dire situation, with Kansas being hit especially hard by the Dust Bowl. LAVTR was conceived to stabilize and reduce local property taxes by channeling surplus state sales tax revenue to struggling counties. 

Sarah Haney

Sarah joined the Register in November 2023. With 13 years of experience in journalism, she is a 2009 graduate of Cottey College, in Nevada, Mo with a degree in English. Upon graduating, she began her career in journalism at her hometown paper in 2010. Over the next 13 years (and a brief hiatus to Fayetteville, Ark.), she worked her way up to the position of editor and enjoyed the connections she built within her community. Sarah is a member of Rotary Club International and the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She enjoys reading, listening to her vinyl records, and spending time with family and friends.

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