The proposed data center for Warrenton and a host of tax-related issues were on the agenda for local residents during a listening tour town hall event Sunday at the Scenic Regional Library in Warrenton.

Missouri Sen. Ben Brown (R-Washington) hosted the event, which he said came from the belief that the best interactions come from one-on-one conversations with constituents.

While a question about the proposed data center didn’t come up until over two hours into Brown’s town hall, he said that the data center issue is one his office receives a lot of emails on. He said he is neither for or against data centers, but said he feels any proposed data center needs to be appropriate for the community. He said he would withhold taking a position on the proposed Warrenton data center until he gets all of the details about the project.

Brown said one of the primary issues he has heard from constituents about is the effect data centers would have on resident’s electricity rates. Brown told those in attendance that a recent Missouri Public Service Commission rate case decision involving Evergy would benefit local ratepayers as it requires Evergy to pay its own way.

“Large energy users are not going to get a break,” Brown said, adding that he didn’t see any difference between the Evergy case and the case currently involving Ameren Missouri, which would relate to any data center in Warren County.

Brown noted that the other issue he had heard from constituents was the use of water. He said his understanding is that the project slated for Warrenton would use a closed-loop system, which would be the least invasive to local water sources.

Tax issues

Brown also got into a minor debate with an audience member who said she was disappointed with Brown’s vote in the spring to repeal Missouri’s capital gains tax. She asked Brown to explain his position on taxes as she noted he is a supporter of a flat tax and a repeal of the state’s income tax.

Brown told those in attendance to look at the states that have eliminated income tax and “everyone is doing better.” He also said that people are moving to states with no income tax.

“It is beneficial to everyone, it creates more opportunity for everyone,” Brown said regarding elimination of the income tax.

Brown said Gov. Mike Kehoe was planning a tax plan announcement this week and he didn’t want to steal the governor’s thunder regarding his announcement.

One audience member then asked Brown about tax dollars going to private schools through the use of vouchers.

Brown said there are a lot of different education options, whether it is public schools, charter schools or home schooling. He said the state has a “bonkers” system for how schools are funded.

Brown said he would like to restructure the entire tax system in the state, suggesting building a new tax system from scratch. He said some work has been done to increase school funding.

“There have been efforts to increase funding to public schools,” Brown said.

In response to a question from an audience member regarding recent efforts by the Missouri State Tax Commission directing county tax assessors to raise property tax valuations, Brown said he has a bill to reform the tax commission, to put the agency “back in its box.” He said he had an issue with state bureaucrats dictating to elected county assessors how properties in their respective counties should be valued. He said his bill would put valuations at between 70 and 100 percent of market value.

I-70 accidents

Brown also fielded a series of questions regarding the recent spate of accidents along I-70 in Warren County. The senator said he has been working with local officials and MoDOT officials to try to come to some solutions on the issue, but he noted that MoDOT is a very difficult agency to deal with. He did say however that some modifications had been made along the corridor to attempt to address a number of the accidents that have occurred in the county.

Other issues

In response to another question about election security and outside funding of candidates and ballot measures, Brown spoke in some detail about Senate Bill 152, which he sponsored. SB 152 creates new provisions relating to foreign spending in state ballot measure elections. Brown’s bill gives enforcement to restrict foreign funding to the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

Brown also discussed election integrity in general. One of the issues he discussed was hand counting ballots, but he said it is only being done in one county in the state to his knowledge, Osage County, and that expanding it to other counties would be “very difficult.”