At this week’s Clay County Commission Business Session, Clay County Commissioners voted to let citizens decide whether the county surtax on commercial property should be reduced.

Under the proposal, Clay County citizens can vote on whether to reduce the commercial property surtax from $1.59 for every $100 of assessed valuation to $1.44 for every $100 of assessed valuation. If voters approve, the reduced surtax rate on commercial property would take effect July 1st of 2023.

The Clay County commercial surtax is used to provide funding to school districts, cities, and other jurisdictions for public services, infrastructure and public safety, among other uses.

When the issue was discussed in April, the ordinance language described reducing the commercial surtax incrementally over the next five years to $0.80 per $100 assessed valuation in 2027.

The Commission faced opposition when the measure was placed on their meeting agenda. Several leaders from Clay County municipalities and school districts rushed to the work session to explain how drastically reducing the business surtax would negatively affect their operating budgets.

The ballot language for the latest version of this issue doesn’t appear to include a gradual reduction over the next five years. Proposition A is worded as a one-time only reduction from $1.59 per $100 assessed value to $1.44 per $100 assessed valuation, and would go into effect on July 1, 2023.

This measure will appear on the November 8 election for Clay County citizens to reject or approve.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story