Fiscal Friday Post: Tax Relief Wins and Election Realities

1. Big Win for Seniors: Senior Tax Credit Update

There is great news on the property tax front for Platte County seniors. Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker just dropped an update confirming that thanks to action from the Commission (alongside Commissioners Allyson Berberich and Joe Vanover, pressure from Mike Jones for State Senate, and County Administrator Wes Minder getting the MOU signed), the rules have been changed to deliver real relief.

The County successfully pressured the school districts to return the money. In addition to a $1 million pool, Kansas City has sent a check for $67,000, with Platte R-3 and North Platte soon following. As Fricker put it: when everyone rows in the same direction, seniors get some much-needed property tax relief. This is a massive step forward for affordability in the county.

2. Update on the Homestead Act Lawsuit

Speaking of tax relief, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Judge Flock held a hearing on the lawsuit brought by Jason Maki and Jim Bosch against Platte County Collector Sheila Palmer to force her to implement the Homestead property tax relief ordinance on 2026 tax bills. Judge Flock stated he will issue his decision at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

We pray he enforces the ordinance passed by the Platte County Commission and overwhelmingly approved by voters in April, forcing the Collector to obey the law, deliver immediate tax relief to thousands of property owners this year, and bring real "affordability" to Platte County during this mid-term election. Stay tuned—we will have a full report on Wednesday following the judge's decision.

3. Election Integrity and Early Voting Realities

We are now less than two weeks from Election Day, and early no-excuse voting opened in Missouri this past Tuesday, October 20th. I expect we'll see upwards of 25% of the electorate cast ballots early.  Kansas is reporting record early voting turnouts!

My stance hasn't changed: voting should be restricted to a tight 1- to 3-day window where citizens physically go to a polling place and cast their ballot. If you have a legitimate, qualifying excuse requiring an absentee ballot, it needs to be done strictly in-person at the Board of Elections and dropped directly into a secure ballot box. No mail-in ballots. No ballot harvesting by “volunteers”.

Given the state of the USPS, your vote is far too precious to get lost, show up late, or be subjected to system vulnerabilities. Furthermore, all vote counting must be entirely public, live streamed, and open for citizens to observe. Let's gather at a local arena or stadium and watch the judges count every single vote. What is there to hide?

The Bottom Line: Now is the time we, as loyal citizens—not loyal subjects—must demand straight answers and fiscal sanity. If this Republic is to survive, complacency is not an option.

Have a great weekend, keep an eye on your tax dollars, and we'll see you at the ballot box!

Monday Memo: From Doorstep Drama to Tax Bill Realities

Good morning, Platte County!

This week, our post showing doorbell footage of campaign literature removal has now been viewed by 8,094 of you as of this morning!  WOW!  Thanks All!  And two more folks are following this blog, making 114 followers—though one is the Democrat nominee for Presiding Commissioner.  Guess she wants to keep tabs on me!

If you missed KSHB 41’s coverage interviewing Collector candidate Jim Bosch about the incident and the ongoing police report, you can watch the segment here:

👉 Watch the Channel 41 News Segment Here

While video of door-front behavior gets immediate attention, it points to a much bigger question for taxpayers: If candidates act this way on your front porch, what will they do with your wallet at the courthouse?

Let’s talk about what’s actually at stake for Platte County's bottom line this fall.

1. Property Taxes & New Tax Proposals

As property values remain a top concern across the county, the fiscal direction of the Presiding Commissioner seat and Commission bench will shape your annual tax bill:

• Tax Levy Caps vs. Resets: Proposals floating among Independent and Democratic slates lean toward restoring county property tax levies up to the full 6% mark.
• New Tax Initiatives & Mental Health Funding: Debates continue surrounding sales tax initiatives. Frankly, now that Platte County is establishing its own local management path (following its exit from the tri-county mental health structure) with dedicated property tax-backed funding coming online for mental health services, Platte County does not need competing, overlapping boards. Adding extra funding layers can easily result in unnecessary bureaucratic bloat and heavy tax burdens. 

2. The 30% Salary Increase Elephant in the Room

Earlier this cycle, county leadership approved a controversial 30% salary increase—set to take effect in January 2027 for newly elected officials, with remaining offices adjusting in January 2029.

• The Procedural Reality: Under Missouri law, the County Clerk is the official statutorily responsible for calling a Salary Commission meeting to evaluate and set elected officials' compensation.
• The Silence Across the Board: Neither candidate for County Clerk has put forward a concrete plan to impanel the Salary Commission to review or roll back these increases. While the Republican nominee noted that 30% was excessive, there has been no commitment to initiate a statutory review. Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate continues to support broader budget expansions.

Taxpayers deserve clear answers from every candidate on whether they intend to use their statutory authority to revisit these pay levels should they be elected to office.

3. The Power of an Informed Electorate

As voters navigate a crowded ballot featuring party nominees and Independent candidates who previously held party alignments, dynamic choices are emerging in key watchdog roles like Collector, Treasurer, and Auditor.

While yard signs don't vote, visibility, track records, and clear policy positions do. Whether it's standing up for homestead property tax credit implementation or maintaining strict budgetary discipline, voters shouldn't have to guess where candidates stand.

The Republican candidates for County office are: Jason Maki for Presiding Commissioner; Laura Waldon for County Auditor; Jim Bosch for County Collector, Krysten Jury for County Treasurer; Mary Calvillo for County Clerk.  The rest of the county candidates are unopposed in the General Election.  This is the link to the Platte County Board of Elections sample Ballot: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/561e88cee4b06543191f1ad2/t/6aa304205c50e57900fd5e8b/1789068320262/Election_Proof_Report_136.pdf

I urge voters to educate yourselves. Several candidates are posting their positions and updates regularly on their Facebook pages—go look them up. An informed electorate is essential to keeping our local government accountable and protecting our community!

The Bottom Line:

Don't let doorstep distractions pull your focus from the fiscal math. When you fill out your ballot, look past the political theater and ask: Who is going to keep my property taxes low, control county spending, and demand accountability from county officers?

We’ll keep tracking the numbers, reviewing the filings, and reporting the facts.

Have a great week, stay engaged, and keep an eye on your tax dollars!

Silence on the Surface, Movement Underneath

Good morning, Platte County!

While things may seem quiet on the surface as we head into the fall, there is plenty moving behind the scenes.

We can confirm that multiple active inquiries—spanning both state and federal law enforcement levels—are quietly underway regarding potential county-level public corruption, specifically centered on allegations of honest services bribery and budgetary leverage.

Because official inquiries require discretion to ensure integrity and due process, we are not naming specific individuals, candidates, or offices at this time. But the questions being asked behind closed doors are serious, and the answers will eventually have to come to light. We will let the official processes play out and report the facts as they are formally documented.

A Telling Contrast

At the same time, it is worth noting what isn’t getting traction.

Despite detailed public documentation and formal referrals regarding ballot petition harvesting practices inside local senior living and memory care facilities, there has been a remarkable lack of movement. Neither local mainstream media nor regional investigative agencies appear eager to pull on that thread or examine how those signatures were gathered from vulnerable residents.

It raises a fair question for local citizens: why do certain election integrity issues get immediate top-tier coverage, while direct, documented allegations involving our most vulnerable neighbors get met with a shrug and radio silence?

When "Minor" Acts Reveal Major Patterns

Consider this week’s doorbell video footage showing candidate Dale Brouk removing opposition literature off a resident's front door. The incident prompted a police report with Platte City Police and made regional television news as harmed candidates spoke out.

When candidates feel entitled to disregard basic property rights and campaign boundary lines on camera, it begs the question: what else gets bypassed when no one is watching?

Surely if an act of casual door-front literature theft draws official police intake and news coverage, the systemic and documented allegations surrounding memory care petition harvesting deserve that same level of urgent, serious investigation!

We’ll continue keeping our ear to the ground, verifying facts over rumors, and bringing you the truth when it’s solid.

Have a great rest of your week, stay engaged, and take care of your neighbors!

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬!

𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐤, "Independent" candidate (we are going to call the four independents "Demopendents" as they caucus and strategize with County Democrats), candidate for Presiding Commissioner is showing how arrogant, ruthless, power hungry and stupid he is. We cannot have this man leading our county! He is only for taxing us more and ruining Platte County by over development or at least not caring about regulated development.

Police reports have been filed. I filed an Ethics complaint last week on all 4 "independent" candidates for campaign finance violations. Notice the "Jim Bosch" campaign material Dale is putting in his bag. Evident in the still photo.

I have no doubt many of us will be tested by these campaigns and their supporters with intimidation and retaliation tactics.

Vote Republican in November! The cost of living in Platte County is high enough without the county government imposing more sales and property taxes! The Courthouse needs cleaned out and new leadership installed to right the ship in the right direction for the citizens, not the elected!

This act over the weekend is beyond the pale! Abhorrent and indefensible!

Let them know your outrage by casting a vote for the Republicans running for County Office! There is too much corruption now in County Government and perhaps a Municipality or two.

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲!

Good Morning Platte County! Not much to update on local politics just yet but we are actively searching for any new updates and will be notified of new details from all the investigations now going on in Platte County.

On a brighter note, USA Spaceflight program got a boost this morning with the giant SpaceX Starship actually making it into orbit! It also successfully deployed 26 more Star Link Satellites and it appears the Starship will successfully splash down near Hawaii as planned, even if only after 2 orbits instead of 6. It flew for a little over 3 hours. The Booster also operated as scheduled, splashing into the Gulf after simulating moves for a Gantry catch.

This technology of actually catching a spacecraft is wildly amazing feats. It is planned to have Flight 15 catch the Booster and perhaps capture an returning orbital spacecraft. Pure scifi come to life type of events.

Some amazing video from SpaceX this morning. They hope to perform Flight 15 launch with similar program mission on the end of October or early November but they often get delayed.

Stay tuned for updates on Platte County and the controversies swarming around. We want to avoid rumors and inform with the facts. That can be difficult. So I may not be posting more this week. I am looking forward to catching up with old high school classmates as our 50th reunion meets this next weekend. A wonderful way to usher in Fall, but I will likely have to listen to the Chiefs game on the radio driving home Sunday.

Until next time, have a great Monday and a profitable week!

 Today, September 21st, would have been my bride's would have been 67.  We miss her every day.  I wondered why I felt anxious today thinking it was some looming medical bills.  Well I realize I had not noticed what day it was today!  And that makes me sad I didn't notice from first thing this morning.  This November will mark 18 years since she was taken from us, losing her fight with a rare cancer.  Yes, I have tried to move on and been semi-successful at doing so.  But I cannot relate to all of you just how difficult that is to actually do.  So she will simply always be a part of my life, a part of our lives.

Love you Bethy!

I am sure I share the same sentiments as all of my Platte County family at the shock to hear of Eric Zahnd's passing. No one I know would have believed this would happen. I am sure many of us are taking stock of our emotions and the events of the past year or two. It does not change what has gone on in the past but it may very well shape the future.

Not only prayers for the Zahnd family but also for Platte County which we call home. Let us start the healing.