The Kentucky Senate easily approved legislation to extend the time to gather signatures for local property tax recalls in Lexington and Louisville. A tax implemented by the Fayette County School Board prompted the legislation.
The House measure lengthens the deadline from 45 to 50 days and allows for electronic signatures. Winchester Senator Ralph Alvarado pulled an amendment which sought to extend change to the entire state. “There probably was will within our Senate to do it, but with the time left in the session, they didn’t want to thwart a bill that had a good chance and the House would have accepted. So, everybody opted to go ahead with how the House sent it to us and then if you want to make changes in the future, we can. There are a lot of people statewide who want to have it apply to their county as well,” said Alvarado.
Lexington Senator Reggie Thomas voted no. He said the Fayette School Board is using the tax revenues to make schools safer. He believed the tax increase was appropriate, adding quote, “you can’t put a dollar on the value of human life.”
“To have a bill that would extend the time that you can repeal a tax for school safety, I just find unconscionable. That’s why I voted against House Bill 49. I think it’s bad law,” argued Thomas.
Alvarado meanwhile says if sufficient signatures are gathered, it then puts the tax question before voters. Alvarado says the bill if enacted into law, would only pertain to future tax challenges.
