Oklahoma voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to tighten the limits on how fast a property's taxable value can grow each year.

State Question 847 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to lower the caps on annual increases in fair cash value, the figure county assessors use to calculate property taxes. Every registered voter may vote on it, regardless of party.

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Vote in our reader poll below by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Results will appear on the poll at thestillwegian.news when it closes

What SQ 847 would change

Property taxes pay for public schools, technology centers, county government and other local services. The Oklahoma Constitution already caps annual growth in fair cash value at 5% for most real property and 3% for homesteads and agricultural land.

According to the ballot title, beginning with tax year 2027, SQ 847 would:

  • Lower the cap for homesteads and agricultural land from 3% to 1.75% a year.
  • Lower the cap for most other real property from 5% to 4% a year.
  • Change the senior freeze for homeowners 65 and older. Those with household income at or below their area's median would still see no increase. Those above it, who do not qualify for the freeze today, would get annual caps of 0.35% to 1.75%, depending on income.

SQ 847 does not cut current property tax bills. It limits how fast taxable values can grow. The ballot title says the measure would have a fiscal impact on the state, but the exact impact is unknown. The Oklahoma Tax Commission projected that local governments would collect $45.78 million less in the next fiscal year than they otherwise would, Oklahoma Voice reported.

The case for SQ 847

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, wrote Senate Joint Resolution 39, which placed SQ 847 on the ballot. The Senate passed it 40-8 and the House 85-9, according to official roll calls.

Hilbert said Oklahomans asked for relief from rising costs, including home insurance and interest rates, Oklahoma Voice reported. "At the end of the day, that's $45 million that's being saved to taxpayers," he said. The Senate's original version would have cut the caps further, to 3% for most property and 1% for homesteads and farmland. The House raised those to 4% and 1.75% and added the senior provisions, according to legislative records.

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau supports SQ 847, saying farmers and ranchers face property taxes that keep rising even when farm income falls, according to Oklahoma Voice.

Supporters also say the measure would give seniors who earn too much to qualify for the freeze some protection from rising valuations, according to a summary of both sides by the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

The case against SQ 847

The Oklahoma Policy Institute, which says it rarely takes positions on state questions, urges a no vote. It argues the measure is not a tax cut and that because local governments still must repay voter-approved bonds, they may raise tax rates, which could raise bills for all owners, including seniors in the freeze. It also says growth below inflation would erode local services and shift more of the burden to new homebuyers.

Education groups warn of long-term losses. The Oklahoma State School Boards Association estimated local governments would lose $457.8 million over 10 years, extrapolating from the Tax Commission's projection, and CareerTech State Director Brent Haken estimated technology centers would lose about $90 million over 10 years, Oklahoma Voice reported.

What local leaders say

Doug Major, superintendent and CEO of Meridian Technology Center, wrote in an Oct. 20 Facebook post that about 80% of technology centers' general fund revenue comes from local property taxes and that SQ 847 would hold growth below the rate of inflation. "Is a little bit of savings now really worth the long-term cost?" he wrote.

Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce wrote in an Oct. 22 Facebook post that cities and schools set tax rates high enough to cover voter-approved bond payments. "If assessed values grow more slowly, the rate goes up. You don't save anything," he wrote. He also argued it lets the Legislature limit decisions that belong to local voters.

Where area candidates stand

  • Rep. Jim Shaw, R-Chandler, HD 32: Yes.
    He voted for SJR 39, saying "Oklahomans desperately need some sort of property tax relief."
  • Andy Brown, independent from Prague, HD 32: Undecided.
    He says the measure does not lower taxes and worries it could strain funding for schools and counties if inflation outpaces revenue growth.
  • Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, HD 33: Yes.
    She voted for SJR 39 and calls SQ 847 "a modest step toward greater property-tax restraint."
  • Dr. Max E. Burchett Jr., Democrat from Guthrie, HD 33: Has yet to respond to follow up
  • Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, HD 34: No.
    She voted against SJR 39. "SQ 847 is not a tax cut, and current tax bills will not go down," she said.
  • Aaron Means, Republican from Stillwater, HD 34: No.
    At an Oct. 22 candidate forum, Means said property tax reform is needed but that one of his main reasons for opposing SQ 847 "is because it changes the freezing of the property tax increases on seniors who meet a certain threshold of income." He added, "I do not believe that we need to drag them back into the whole process."

How will you vote on SQ 847?

State Question No. 847, Legislative Referendum No. 381
ON THE BALLOT
This measure amends article 10, sections 8B and 8C of the Oklahoma Constitution. Currently, section 8B limits annual growth in fair cash value to 5% for most real property or 3% for homesteads and agricultural land. If approved, the measure would limit annual growth in fair cash value for tax year 2027 and after to 4% for most real property or 1.75% for homesteads and agricultural land. Currently, section 8C prohibits any increase in fair cash value of homestead property for persons age sixty-five (65) or older whose income does not exceed certain limits, sometimes referred to as the senior freeze. Instead of prohibiting any increase in fair cash value for these homesteads, there would be an annual limit of 1.75%. The measure eliminates the income cap on gross household income to qualify for the senior freeze. If approved, the annual limit on an increase in fair cash value would be tied to how much gross household income the homestead owner had in the preceding year. If a homeowner’s gross household income from the previous year was at or below the median income for their county or area (as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s estimated median income amount for the county or metropolitan statistical area), a homeowner’s homestead fair cash value cannot be increased. If the income amount was in excess of certain thresholds, the limit on increases in fair cash value for homesteads owned by persons age 65 or older could be 0.35% (income over 100% up to 120%); 0.7% (income over 120% up to 140%); 1.05% (income over 140% up to 160%); 1.4% (income over 160% up to 180%); or 1.75% (income over 180%). If passed, this measure would have a fiscal impact on the state, but the exact impact is unknown.
Shall the proposal be approved?
ABOUT THIS POLL
This is an unscientific snapshot of Stillwegian members, not a scientific survey of Oklahoma or Payne County voters. One vote per member. Votes are anonymous: The Stillwegian sees only the totals, never how any individual reader voted.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Results will appear here when the poll closes.
How will you vote on State Question No. 847?
FOR THE PROPOSAL - YES
AGAINST THE PROPOSAL - NO
Click an option to vote.

How to vote in the general election

Early voting runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28-30, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Payne County Expo Center in Stillwater and the Cushing Chamber of Commerce. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place at okvoterportal.okelections.gov.

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