HERMANN – Gasconade County officials could have a more difficult time in keeping the 2027 operating budget in line with this year’s spending plan, thanks to a court ruling on one tax-break issue and the expected approval Tuesday, Nov. 3, by county voters of another.

Officials of Gasconade and other counties that had challenged the constitutionality of Senate Bill 3 were dismayed last week when Cole County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Limbaugh announced his ruling, saying the legislation granting property tax relief to all homeowners is legal.

On Tuesday, county voters were expected to approve Senate Bill 190, similar legislation passed by the Missouri General Assembly in 2024 that provides property tax relief to homeowners 62 and older. Proponents of SB 190 said the measure was needed as a back-up in case SB 3 was ruled unconstitutional.

SB 3, which was approved last year as part of a larger bill aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs football team from moving to Kansas, might not be finally resolved with Limbaugh’s ruling. The Missouri Association of Counties (MAC), which spearheaded the local governments’ challenge to the law, might appeal the Cole County Circuit Court’s decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Gasconade County Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, Thursday morning appeared ready to move forward after the ruling on SB 3, which he interprets as superseding SB 190.

“So SB 3 and not 190 is the law of the land,” he said during last week’s County Commission session.

Whether it’s 190 or 3, the approval of a property tax-break measure will mean less revenue for the public agencies that depend on a property tax.

“Budgets will be tight,” noted County Collector Glenda Shockley.

“You’re right. Budgets will be tight,” Schulte said.

The process of crafting the 2027 operating budget for county government begins this month with the various officeholders preparing funding requests for the various departments. Those requests will be submitted to County Clerk Lesa Lietzow’s office. As the chief budget officer, she and her staff will be matching up the departments’ requests with the projecting revenue available in the coming year.

A proposed budget will be presented by the county clerk’s Office to the county commission in December. During that month, the county administrators will be making adjustments to the spending plan. The commission is expected to give final approval to a new budget in January.

Even though the budget year begins Jan. 1, 3rd-class counties have until the end of January to approve a new budget.

In other matters, Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, said the road department is doing a good job maintaining First Creek Road about six miles southwest of Hermann and Saw Mill Road, which extends from unincorporated county into Hermann connecting with Highway 100 West across from the Gasconade County R-1 campus. Additional attention is being given to First Creek and Saw Mill roads because of the heavy volume of big-truck traffic hauling rock from quarries to the data centers’ development sites in Montgomery County.

After a brief lull in the last few weeks, the big trucks are rolling again.

“They’re still hauling a lot of rock,” Holland said.

Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville, said that he is working with property owners along Blue House Road south of Rosebud in their efforts to have the thoroughfare placed on the list of county roads to receive a chip-and-seal coating.