As our state’s population ages, one of the greatest concerns is growing economic insecurity experienced by older adults. But as we know, services in many of our communities are insufficient to meet this growing need. Missouri law, however, provides counties with a tool for addressing the health, social services, transportation, meals, and other essential services to benefit older Missourians. Passed in 1990, the enabling legislation allows counties to adopt property tax levies for the creation of service funds to support adults sixty years of age or older. Called Senior Services Funds, these levies are enacted on a county-by-county basis with voter approval. The levy, which is collected along with other county or city taxes and deposited in a segregated fund, is governed by an independent board of directors, which in turn creates a budget, hires staff, and oversees grants to agencies and service providers. Services to improve the health, nutrition and quality of life for older adults can include:

• Home-delivered meals

• Senior center development

• Transportation

• Home-safety programs

• Health care assistance

• Care for seniors in their homes

To date, 55 Missouri counties have voted to pass levies, most doing so on the first ballot. In 2021, more than $17.5 million in funds were generated statewide to serve older Missourians. To be successful in passing a ballot measure, it is critical for senior advocates and service agencies to reach out to their communities with a positive message and provide clearly stated goals to the public.

By taking these steps, you will help ensure a successful passage of a levy. This primer is intended to be a resource that describes steps you can use as the foundation to pass an ordinance in your county.  Please note, additional help and technical assistance is available through MoALSO. Not only is there information for counties interested in adopting a levy, but once the levy is passed, we can assist with setting up the new fund, by providing guidance on governance structure, by laws, budgets and reporting. 

Assemble a Coalition

The first and most important step is to assemble a coalition of citizens and organizational stakeholders with a shared vision for improved senior services. A diverse coalition will show your elected officials, and the public, that a significant portion of the community supports your efforts. In most cases, a small steering committee, led by agency leaders who can devote time to the effort, will ideally drive the effort and manage a broader coalition. The steering committee will be key in making decisions about campaign strategy, budgeting, and fundraising. Its members will be the drivers behind the effort and pivotal in helping engage a broad coalition.  Coalition members should represent the broader community, including faith leaders, senior living facilities, area agencies on aging and social services agencies, all of whom will be critical in generating volunteers.  

Consider establishing a short but descriptive name such as County Partnership for Older Adults, Seniors Count or Seniors First, for example. Set regular meetings from the start, at the same time and place. At first you will probably want to hold meetings weekly in order to maintain momentum. Nonprofit leaders may be uncomfortable delving into the world of politics, so it will be up to the coalition steering committee to help educate and prepare them to be advocates. Assembling a broad and diverse coalition representing citizens across the spectrum can help to smooth the journey.

Understand the Political Landscape

The process for adopting a tax levy and creating a Senior Services Fund is spelled out in Missouri state law. The statute allows the governing body of any county (or city not within a county) to levy and collect a tax on real and personal property, upon passage of a ballot initiative. The statute also provides a framework for county election authorities to put the question to a vote, which generally requires the local county authority to pass an ordinance referring the question for a ballot. It is therefore critical to understand the process. Attend county governing body (county commission, county council or legislature) meetings. Listen to the kinds of questions officials ask and the issues they take most seriously. By understanding their general concerns, you’ll be able to craft your arguments accordingly. You will also need to learn the political landscape and understand the context in which you will be seeking voter approval to levy a new tax.

Determine your strategy

Every community is different. The mix of local elected officials may be progressive or conservative, open to new ideas or closed to any new taxes. Your locale may be rural, suburban or urban. While public officials tend to take their constituents’ interests seriously, they may not agree with your approach. As a coalition, identify who has established relationships with county officials and pitch the general concept to them. But only your group can determine how receptive your local government will be to placing the levy on the ballot. 

It will be important to find out what your seniors need. Many counties have conducted a needs assessment or survey of seniors, which can help inform your strategy. Larger counties may have the resources to hire a political consultant who can help identify strategy or even conduct a political poll. 

You will also need to agree on language for, and request the county authority place the question on, the ballot. The basic language is spelled out in the state statute: Shall [name of your county], Missouri levy a tax of five (5) cents per each one hundred (100) dollars assessed valuation for the purpose of providing services to persons sixty years of age or older?

Do your research!

Timing – identify upcoming election cycles to determine when the question might be placed on the ballot. It is likely that your county will place this question on an existing election day, which might be the November general election but could be in a Spring municipal election. Ultimately, county officials will determine when it goes before voters, but make sure to know the options. 

Data – Obtaining accurate data is critical to informing your strategy and persuading voters about the cost and benefits of a new tax. First, assemble data including population growth, age, median household income, and 2020 Census Data (see county-by-county map)

Determine the needs your Senior Services Fund will be meant to support and estimate how much could be raised by the proposed levy. The law allows counties to collect five cents for every $100 of all taxable property assessed. In a county-designated class 1, where the average home has an assessed value of $100,000, a property owner would pay $9.50 a year. The actual levy rate varies somewhat from year to year as determined by the assessor, based on the assessed annual property value in your county.

A complete list of the annual levy rate by county is attached. You can also contact the county assessor to calculate your levy. Use this number to estimate the annual revenue. Find out about neighboring counties’ senior service levies as this will be a powerful persuasion tool when talking to voters and decision-makers. The following are examples of revenues generated by levies, see the complete list here.

Formalize the Campaign Committee and Plan

Once a coalition is established and you have determined a date for the election, you will need to establish a campaign committee, campaign budget, and bank account reserved for the sole purpose of conducting campaign activities. 

The Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) spells out the steps to be taken to establish a campaign committee and how to report contributions and expenses. You will also need to identify a campaign treasurer who will oversee the finances, file reports with the MEC, and assure that your campaign complies with election laws. Training and technical assistance are available on their website: https://www.mec.mo.gov/ 

Every campaign is different but it’s best to plan for a minimum of 12 – 18 months from coalition formation to election date. At some point, the coalition may choose to hire a campaign consultant to oversee staffing and project activities, a communication plan and fundraising.

Engage the Entire Community

There is no substitute for volunteer-led community engagement leading up to--and on--election day. It is critical that the coalition, its agency leadership, board, and staff are able to commit time, volunteer resources, and money to the effort. The coalition can ensure consistent messaging by creating sharable communication materials. It will be ideal to prepare a short presentation that can be given as a program to organizations and potential allies. Many groups have regularly scheduled meetings, such as monthly brown-bag lunches, breakfasts, or membership meetings, and are often looking for programs. Presentations should make good use of audio/visual tools to keep the audience engaged. Be prepared with sign-up sheets, fact sheets, postcards, action sheets, or other materials. Sources for financial support and outreach can include individuals, businesses, senior centers, healthcare providers, hospitals, and faith-based and civic organizations.

Get support from your colleagues at MoALSO

Reach out to other counties through MoALSO. Support and technical assistance are available to counties looking to undertake a ballot initiative. MoALSO collects useful information that you can use and sample messaging. By joining you will also have access to information needed once you win – including board governance, sample contract agreements, sample by-laws etc.