The Wright City Board of Aldermen expects to decrease the city’s tax rate by roughly two cents per $100 of assessed value in 2025. 

Alderman Karey Owens said their proposed tax rate for 2025 will be .8426 per $100 of assessed value, a decrease from .8657 per $100 of assessed value in 2024. 

The city will hold a public hearing on the tax rate at the Aug. 28 meeting. 

Mayor Michelle Heiliger noted that while the tax rate will be discussed at that hearing, per state law after publication the board can only approve that tax rate, or vote to decrease it further. 

The decrease in the tax rate comes as property values were increased 13% across the board by the Warren County assessor this summer. 

Under the Hancock Amendment in Missouri, if a taxing entity’s revenue increases by more than 5% or the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation, whichever is lower, that entity must decrease its tax rate by a commensurate amount. 

Alderman Kim Arbuthnot said the proposed decrease was mandated by the Hancock Amendment. 

Arbuthnot said even with the decrease in the tax rate the city is still expecting an overall increase in tax revenues. 

The city’s debt service tax rate will be set at .1489 per $100 of assessed value. Debt service taxes are exempt from the Hancock Amendment. 

Owens acknowledged that even with the proposed decrease in the tax rate, some residents may still see an increase in their tax bill due to the increases in assessed valuations. 

“That doesn’t mean (the) total tax bill is going down because of assessed valuations and all that stuff. We all know how that works, but the rate’s going down, so there’s a little bit of a win in there,” said Owens. 

Alderman Ramiz Hakim also noted that while the decrease was mandated by the Hancock Amendment, there were other reasons the city was able to make the changes, and at least somewhat decrease the tax burden for its residents. 

“It’s important to note there’s two reasons we were able to do this, one of which is growth in the city, which brings in more revenue and then lowers the liability for households,” said Hakim. “Second, the successful passing of Prop R and bonding that out.”

Hakim also pointed out this would be the city’s fifth consecutive year without a tax rate increase. Aside from 2023-24 where the tax rate remained the same, the city’s tax rate has decreased each year over that time frame. 

“If you become an efficient organization, you can save money, and I think the board and our leadership, or our mayor is doing a good job at that,” said Hakim.