CLINTON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just after 11a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.&nbsp;

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Jeep Liberty driven by a 43-year-old Columbia man was southbound on U.S. 69 five miles north of Lawson. The Jeep rear-ended a 2023 Peterbilt Trash Truck driven by a 53-year-old Excelsior Springs man who had slowed to make a left turn.

Lawson ambulance transported the Jeep driver and a 31-year-old female passenger to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; The trash truck driver was not injured.&nbsp; The occupants of the Jeep were not wearing a seat belts, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CLINTON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just after 11a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.&nbsp;The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Jeep Liberty driven by a 43-year-old Columbia man was southbound on U.S. 69 five miles north of Lawson. The Jeep rear-ended a 2023 Peterbilt Trash Truck driven by a 53-year-old Excelsior Springs man who had slowed to make a left turn.Lawson ambulance transported the Jeep driver and a 31-year-old female passenger to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; The trash truck driver was not injured.&nbsp; The occupants of the Jeep were not wearing a seat belts, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man, woman injured after Jeep rear-ends a trash truck

The St. Joseph Police Department is
nearly at full staff.

After struggling for years to fill
vacancies, the police department now has fewer than 10 vacancies.

St. Joseph Police Chief, Paul Luster,
says there has been fewer than 1o vacancies for the past six months.

“You always have attrition,” Luster tells
KFEQmmunity. “We’re always putting people through the academy which runs twice
a year. But I always say that it’s a lot easier to get stuff done and do meaningful
work when you have the staff to do it.”

Luster says the department has seven new
hires undergoing training at the Law Enforcement Academy on the Missouri
Western State University campus.

Luster says vacancies have fallen
consistently since exceeding 30 two years ago.

“I think really a result of a lot of hard
work and really rethinking how we hire,” Luster says. “It’s a team effort. We’ve
streamlined the process, but it’s something I think we talk about every day
with my team there.”

Luster says the department is pleased
with its progress, but doesn’t want to just deal in numbers.

“We really put an emphasis on a cultural
fit and a community fit,” Luster says. “Do they fit the culture we’re building and
do they fit to the community? So, we’re not just hiring to fill vacancies. We
really want to make sure we’re getting, what I call getting the right people on
the bus at the right time.”

Luster says that cultural and community
fit is ever important.

“So we want to make sure we’re confident
and comfortable with that person and their fit into policing the St. Joseph
community and fitting into our culture, the police department, before we move
forward.”

The St. Joseph Police Department is budgeted
for 138 commissioned officers.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph Police Department is
nearly at full staff.After struggling for years to fill
vacancies, the police department now has fewer than 10 vacancies.St. Joseph Police Chief, Paul Luster,
says there has been fewer than 1o vacancies for the past six months.“You always have attrition,” Luster tells
KFEQmmunity. “We’re always putting people through the academy which runs twice
a year. But I always say that it’s a lot easier to get stuff done and do meaningful
work when you have the staff to do it.”Luster says the department has seven new
hires undergoing training at the Law Enforcement Academy on the Missouri
Western State University campus.Luster says vacancies have fallen
consistently since exceeding 30 two years ago.“I think really a result of a lot of hard
work and really rethinking how we hire,” Luster says. “It’s a team effort. We’ve
streamlined the process, but it’s something I think we talk about every day
with my team there.”Luster says the department is pleased
with its progress, but doesn’t want to just deal in numbers.“We really put an emphasis on a cultural
fit and a community fit,” Luster says. “Do they fit the culture we’re building and
do they fit to the community? So, we’re not just hiring to fill vacancies. We
really want to make sure we’re getting, what I call getting the right people on
the bus at the right time.”Luster says that cultural and community
fit is ever important.“So we want to make sure we’re confident
and comfortable with that person and their fit into policing the St. Joseph
community and fitting into our culture, the police department, before we move
forward.”The St. Joseph Police Department is budgeted
for 138 commissioned officers.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

After years of struggle, St. Joseph has a nearly full police force

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Missourians react to the dropping gas prices under President Trump: &quot;Cheaper is always better!&quot; &quot;It&#39;s always good... You&#39;re looking at $60 in fuel... I think today was probably half that.&quot; &quot;You feel like you can go more places — and go on vacations.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TEZ21ORrCd">pic.twitter.com/TEZ21ORrCd</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1981078235782733873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥White House features Missourians on falling gas prices

There's still plenty of time until Christmas, but it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping during the Sugarplum Festival at the Albrecht Kemper.  

For over 40 years the art museum has welcomed in several vendors that offer unique gifts, crafts, and goods for residents to buy ahead of the holidays.  

Marketing and Communications Manager Madison McKinley says the event is a fun collaboration of local businesses and small businesses  

"Working together artists and crafters and they all come together, and they sell all their goods for the weekend,” McKinley says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “You get to come, shop in the galleries, and have food, drinks, it’s just a really festive time, gets you in the spirit for Christmas, and is a good place to get Christmas gifts.” 

Executive Director Eric Fuson says what's made the festival go for more than 40 years is it's ability to get people into the Christmas spirit 

"I know it's on the early side, early November it’s before Thanksgiving, but for anybody that loves Christmas it’s just so fun, everybody really gets into it,” Fuson explains.  “We take down every piece of artwork in the main part of the gallery upstairs and down to get ready for this, we decorate up, all the vendors that come in bring in unique gifts, there are a lot of one of a kind things you’re not going to find anywhere else.” 

Fuson says you'll find gifts during the festival that you won't be able to find anywhere else 

"You know we’ll have over 30 vendors, so there will be lots to choose from, and it is early enough that technically you’re not buying a Christmas gift if you buy something for yourself either,” Fuson says.  “It’s early enough you can still buy something without anybody saying anything.” 

The festival runs November 7th and 8th.  A preview party will be held on the 6th and tickets can be purchased for $40 dollars.  

Second Harvest will also hold a food drive during the festival collecting food for local families in need. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThere's still plenty of time until Christmas, but it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping during the Sugarplum Festival at the Albrecht Kemper. For over 40 years the art museum has welcomed in several vendors that offer unique gifts, crafts, and goods for residents to buy ahead of the holidays. Marketing and Communications Manager Madison McKinley says the event is a fun collaboration of local businesses and small businesses "Working together artists and crafters and they all come together, and they sell all their goods for the weekend,” McKinley says on the KFEQmunnity show. “You get to come, shop in the galleries, and have food, drinks, it’s just a really festive time, gets you in the spirit for Christmas, and is a good place to get Christmas gifts.” Executive Director Eric Fuson says what's made the festival go for more than 40 years is it's ability to get people into the Christmas spirit "I know it's on the early side, early November it’s before Thanksgiving, but for anybody that loves Christmas it’s just so fun, everybody really gets into it,” Fuson explains. “We take down every piece of artwork in the main part of the gallery upstairs and down to get ready for this, we decorate up, all the vendors that come in bring in unique gifts, there are a lot of one of a kind things you’re not going to find anywhere else.” Fuson says you'll find gifts during the festival that you won't be able to find anywhere else "You know we’ll have over 30 vendors, so there will be lots to choose from, and it is early enough that technically you’re not buying a Christmas gift if you buy something for yourself either,” Fuson says. “It’s early enough you can still buy something without anybody saying anything.” The festival runs November 7th and 8th. A preview party will be held on the 6th and tickets can be purchased for $40 dollars. Second Harvest will also hold a food drive during the festival collecting food for local families in need. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Christmas spirit takes over the Albrecht Kemper during annual Sugarplum Festival

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/20MbyrPOKcGjSeAAuNyOO8?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7vZ12RIzFyRKn3nBDZwQc5?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning News

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.&nbsp;- The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) announced that due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has informed state agencies that November 2025 SNAP cannot be issued at this time, according to a media release from the agency.

SNAP benefits are 100 percent federally funded through USDA-FNS. DSS has received official communication from USDA that there is not sufficient funding to issue SNAP benefits for the month of November.

“We are closely monitoring this situation, and benefits will be issued as soon as federal funds become available," said&nbsp;Jess Bax, DSS Director. "We encourage SNAP participants to look at the potential of using their October balance to stretch into November if possible given this situation."

DSS continues to work with USDA and other federal partners to monitor developments and will keep the public informed.

“We understand the uncertainty caused by the shutdown,” said&nbsp;Director Mandi Adams, Family Support Division (FSD). “FSD’s team is committed to keeping Missourians informed of any changes.”

DSS encourages Missourians who may be affected to:

"Missouri's Food Banks have worked to prepare in anticipation of increased need caused by the federal shutdown and impacts to SNAP benefits," said&nbsp;Joey Keys, Feeding Missouri Board Chair and CEO of Southeast Missouri Food Bank. "We stand ready to help neighbors as far as our resources allow. However, we cannot do this alone. Now, more than ever we need our communities to support their Food Banks."&nbsp;

FSD will continue to accept and process SNAP applications, reported changes, and mid-certifications received on or after November 1, 2025, as normal.

For updates and resources, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689674819900.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.&nbsp;- The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) announced that due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has informed state agencies that November 2025 SNAP cannot be issued at this time, according to a media release from the agency.SNAP benefits are 100 percent federally funded through USDA-FNS. DSS has received official communication from USDA that there is not sufficient funding to issue SNAP benefits for the month of November.“We are closely monitoring this situation, and benefits will be issued as soon as federal funds become available," said&nbsp;Jess Bax, DSS Director. "We encourage SNAP participants to look at the potential of using their October balance to stretch into November if possible given this situation."DSS continues to work with USDA and other federal partners to monitor developments and will keep the public informed.“We understand the uncertainty caused by the shutdown,” said&nbsp;Director Mandi Adams, Family Support Division (FSD). “FSD’s team is committed to keeping Missourians informed of any changes.”DSS encourages Missourians who may be affected to:<ul>
 <li>Review available local food resources such as&nbsp;<a href="https://feedingmissouri.org/get-help/your-fb/">food banks and pantries</a>.</li><li>Monitor DSS social media channels and&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;for the most up-to-date information.</li>
 </ul>"Missouri's Food Banks have worked to prepare in anticipation of increased need caused by the federal shutdown and impacts to SNAP benefits," said&nbsp;Joey Keys, Feeding Missouri Board Chair and CEO of Southeast Missouri Food Bank. "We stand ready to help neighbors as far as our resources allow. However, we cannot do this alone. Now, more than ever we need our communities to support their Food Banks."&nbsp;FSD will continue to accept and process SNAP applications, reported changes, and mid-certifications received on or after November 1, 2025, as normal.For updates and resources, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts</a>.###

Missouri SNAP benefits on hold for November due to government shutdown

Policy proposals will be presented to a school-funding task force in December, giving the group a year to fine tune them and present them to the governor

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The funding formula for Missouri’s public schools is poised for wide-ranging changes as work groups studying elements of the model reached the halfway point of their work at meetings on Monday.

The groups, led by the state education department’s former finance chief Kari Monsees, have convened three times each. They are scheduled to meet three additional times prior to presenting recommendations to the larger task force in December.

Proposed changes are due to Gov. Mike Kehoe by December 2026. Here is where the policy discussions are heading.&nbsp;

The funding efforts working group is primarily focused on a measure called the state adequacy target, which is intended to represent the per-pupil cost for districts to provide an adequate education.

Currently, this number is calculated by looking at the per-pupil expenditures of “performance districts,” or districts who score at least 90% of the points possible on the state’s performance review, called the Missouri School Improvement Program.

The group is not considering a dramatic shift away from this system but is instead moving toward a new way of classifying performance districts. The proposal discussed Monday would look at districts’ expenditures that score in the top 100 of the Missouri School Improvement Program.

Additionally, the calculation would be based on the districts’ enrollment numbers rather than attendance and would include extra weighting for students with disabilities, low-income students and English-language learners.

This method would be less volatile with changes to MSIP, which is on its&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/missouri-history-assessment-and-accountability" target="_blank">sixth iteration since its inception</a>&nbsp;in 1991, since the number of districts setting the average would remain steady.

During the switch from MSIP5 to MSIP6, a system deemed “more rigorous” by education officials, the number of performance districts dropped from over 200 to 23. The state adequacy target then rose from $6,375 to $7,145.

The shift added an extra $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula in fiscal year 2026. In&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">his budget request in January</a>, Kehoe excluded the $300 million, though lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/08/lawmakers-negotiating-missouri-budget-add-300m-to-public-schools-spending/">decided after tense negotiations to fully fund the formula</a>&nbsp;with the new boost.

Kehoe, in his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2025/eo14" target="_blank">executive order</a>&nbsp;creating the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, asked for the group to create a formula that would provide fiscal year 2025 funding levels — prior to the $300 million boost.

But the change discussed Monday is not a cost-saving measure. Monsees estimated the proposal would drive the target to $10,367.

“If we are going to increase this side of the equation significantly, I just want to (ask) what that means for the rest of the equation,” said Don Thalhuber, policy director for the Senate Democratic caucus who helped draft the state’s current formula in 2005. “Because we don’t have infinite money.”

A deduction in the formula is likely to balance out the adequacy target’s surge, Monsees said, pointing to a factor that subtracts local funding to lower the amount due to wealthier districts.

“The local effort is tied back to 2004’s assessed values that is very much deflated as well,” he said. “So the state adequacy target is likely to go up, but then at the same time, your local effort is going to go up.”

Missouri’s formula considers local funding as a counterbalance to state aid, meaning that wealthier districts with adequate tax revenue receive less on a per-pupil basis. Finding a way to subtract local effort as part of the formula is a “conundrum,” Monsees told the group last week.

The local effort working group pointed to problems with two main models, one based on property taxes and the other on local wealth.

“We come up with these proxies that somehow represent what the capacity of a local community is to generate funds for their school, and the state’s obviously going to try to balance that across communities. But if that representation doesn’t match the actual cash that comes in in revenue, we may not be balancing the scales as much as we would want to,” Monsees said.

The group has been critical of the current formula’s reliance on property tax revenue. And with lawmakers considering changes to the property tax system, the factor feels unsteady.

“We have got something that may not be equitable and may not be stable,” said Monsees.

He suggested the group look for two to four factors so they are not reliant on just one variable, and they adjourned their discussion Wednesday without direction otherwise.

A working group looking at the way students are counted in the formula is debating a shift to enrollment-based funding rather than basing state aid on a district’s average attendance.

Enrollment-based funding is not a new concept in Missouri. A&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/school-funding-missouri-state-board-educationbaker" target="_blank">2023 study commissioned by the State Board of Education</a>&nbsp;recommended a switch away from attendance funding, saying attendance-based models disadvantage higher poverty districts.

And in 2024, state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/12/missouri-senate-strikes-deal-to-boost-public-school-funding-in-private-school-tax-credit-bill/">passed a large education package</a>&nbsp;that included a gradual shift to funding 50% based on attendance and 50% based on enrollment by 2029.

Two other studies that the foundation formula task force has delved into&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/mo-funding-formula-alignedbellwether" target="_blank">also recommend</a>&nbsp;enrollment-based student counts.

But with state lawmakers having recently negotiated the shift to a 50/50 approach, Monsees told the group that basing the formula purely on enrollment could be “not as easy of a switch politically.”

“There is still a little bit of hesitation there to remove the financial incentive that comes with including attendance,” he said.

The group is also evaluating how different student groups pull more state money and seems likely to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/24/work-groups-contemplate-changing-missouri-schools-need-based-funding/">eliminate funding cliffs</a>&nbsp;that are written into the current formula.

Low-income students, those with special education services and English-language learners have an extra multiplier in the formula, giving their districts more money to provide services. But there is a threshold built in, assuming a base level of students with various needs. Only those with a higher percentage of students in these groups pull the extra funds currently.

The student counts working group has been pursuing a plan to eliminate the threshold.

“This idea of removing the thresholds and weighting all the students, it is certainly going to be a cost driver to the overall equation,” Monsees told the group.

The discussion Monday dug into the weights with more specificity, with the group considering a multi-tiered system for special education funding.

Monsees gave options of grouping types of disabilities into funding subcategories or creating a tiered system based on the amount of time a student spends out of the general education classroom. The group members preferred the latter.

Jordan Dickey, assistant superintendent of finance for Joplin Schools, said that kids with the same disabilities may not have the same support needs.

“Depending on what their label is, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the level of service that they need,” she said.

She recommended a much greater weight for students who receive educational time out of the general education classroom.

Kehoe’s executive order includes a charge to give districts with strong performance bonus funding. Performance incentives would be new in Missouri and are largely unprecedented, other than&nbsp;<a href="https://comptroller.tn.gov/content/dam/cot/orea/advanced-search/2025/TISAoutcomesfunding.pdf" target="_blank">a model in Tennessee</a>&nbsp;that awards schools when students reach certain targets.

The group studying performance incentives does not have a definitive plan, as of the conclusion of its third meeting last week, but is leaning toward promoting literacy and numeracy.

Mike Podgursky, a semi-retired economics professor from the University of Missouri-Columbia and affiliated scholar at the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research, suggested the group pick one or two priorities rather than giving money for “a whole bunch of things.”

“There’s a case for really focusing on early literacy,” he said. “If these kids can’t read by grades three and four, then you forget about math at grade eight and everything else.”

The group discussed incentives for literacy at the third grade level and math performance in eighth grade at length.

Members are considering building the rewards into the formula or siloing them as a separate source of funding.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761130183666.png" alt=" Kari Monsees, the state education department’s former finance chief, discusses the state’s public education funding formula during the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force meeting Sept. 9 in Jefferson City (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Kari Monsees, the state education department’s former finance chief, discusses the state’s public education funding formula during the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force meeting Sept. 9 in Jefferson City (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Policy proposals will be presented to a school-funding task force in December, giving the group a year to fine tune them and present them to the governor</h2>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The funding formula for Missouri’s public schools is poised for wide-ranging changes as work groups studying elements of the model reached the halfway point of their work at meetings on Monday.The groups, led by the state education department’s former finance chief Kari Monsees, have convened three times each. They are scheduled to meet three additional times prior to presenting recommendations to the larger task force in December.Proposed changes are due to Gov. Mike Kehoe by December 2026. Here is where the policy discussions are heading.&nbsp;<h2>Funding targets</h2>The funding efforts working group is primarily focused on a measure called the state adequacy target, which is intended to represent the per-pupil cost for districts to provide an adequate education.Currently, this number is calculated by looking at the per-pupil expenditures of “performance districts,” or districts who score at least 90% of the points possible on the state’s performance review, called the Missouri School Improvement Program.The group is not considering a dramatic shift away from this system but is instead moving toward a new way of classifying performance districts. The proposal discussed Monday would look at districts’ expenditures that score in the top 100 of the Missouri School Improvement Program.Additionally, the calculation would be based on the districts’ enrollment numbers rather than attendance and would include extra weighting for students with disabilities, low-income students and English-language learners.This method would be less volatile with changes to MSIP, which is on its&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/missouri-history-assessment-and-accountability" target="_blank">sixth iteration since its inception</a>&nbsp;in 1991, since the number of districts setting the average would remain steady.During the switch from MSIP5 to MSIP6, a system deemed “more rigorous” by education officials, the number of performance districts dropped from over 200 to 23. The state adequacy target then rose from $6,375 to $7,145.The shift added an extra $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula in fiscal year 2026. In&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">his budget request in January</a>, Kehoe excluded the $300 million, though lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/08/lawmakers-negotiating-missouri-budget-add-300m-to-public-schools-spending/">decided after tense negotiations to fully fund the formula</a>&nbsp;with the new boost.Kehoe, in his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2025/eo14" target="_blank">executive order</a>&nbsp;creating the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, asked for the group to create a formula that would provide fiscal year 2025 funding levels — prior to the $300 million boost.But the change discussed Monday is not a cost-saving measure. Monsees estimated the proposal would drive the target to $10,367.“If we are going to increase this side of the equation significantly, I just want to (ask) what that means for the rest of the equation,” said Don Thalhuber, policy director for the Senate Democratic caucus who helped draft the state’s current formula in 2005. “Because we don’t have infinite money.”A deduction in the formula is likely to balance out the adequacy target’s surge, Monsees said, pointing to a factor that subtracts local funding to lower the amount due to wealthier districts.“The local effort is tied back to 2004’s assessed values that is very much deflated as well,” he said. “So the state adequacy target is likely to go up, but then at the same time, your local effort is going to go up.”<h2>Local effort</h2>Missouri’s formula considers local funding as a counterbalance to state aid, meaning that wealthier districts with adequate tax revenue receive less on a per-pupil basis. Finding a way to subtract local effort as part of the formula is a “conundrum,” Monsees told the group last week.The local effort working group pointed to problems with two main models, one based on property taxes and the other on local wealth.“We come up with these proxies that somehow represent what the capacity of a local community is to generate funds for their school, and the state’s obviously going to try to balance that across communities. But if that representation doesn’t match the actual cash that comes in in revenue, we may not be balancing the scales as much as we would want to,” Monsees said.The group has been critical of the current formula’s reliance on property tax revenue. And with lawmakers considering changes to the property tax system, the factor feels unsteady.“We have got something that may not be equitable and may not be stable,” said Monsees.He suggested the group look for two to four factors so they are not reliant on just one variable, and they adjourned their discussion Wednesday without direction otherwise.<h2>Student counts</h2>A working group looking at the way students are counted in the formula is debating a shift to enrollment-based funding rather than basing state aid on a district’s average attendance.Enrollment-based funding is not a new concept in Missouri. A&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/school-funding-missouri-state-board-educationbaker" target="_blank">2023 study commissioned by the State Board of Education</a>&nbsp;recommended a switch away from attendance funding, saying attendance-based models disadvantage higher poverty districts.And in 2024, state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/12/missouri-senate-strikes-deal-to-boost-public-school-funding-in-private-school-tax-credit-bill/">passed a large education package</a>&nbsp;that included a gradual shift to funding 50% based on attendance and 50% based on enrollment by 2029.Two other studies that the foundation formula task force has delved into&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/mo-funding-formula-alignedbellwether" target="_blank">also recommend</a>&nbsp;enrollment-based student counts.But with state lawmakers having recently negotiated the shift to a 50/50 approach, Monsees told the group that basing the formula purely on enrollment could be “not as easy of a switch politically.”“There is still a little bit of hesitation there to remove the financial incentive that comes with including attendance,” he said.The group is also evaluating how different student groups pull more state money and seems likely to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/24/work-groups-contemplate-changing-missouri-schools-need-based-funding/">eliminate funding cliffs</a>&nbsp;that are written into the current formula.Low-income students, those with special education services and English-language learners have an extra multiplier in the formula, giving their districts more money to provide services. But there is a threshold built in, assuming a base level of students with various needs. Only those with a higher percentage of students in these groups pull the extra funds currently.The student counts working group has been pursuing a plan to eliminate the threshold.“This idea of removing the thresholds and weighting all the students, it is certainly going to be a cost driver to the overall equation,” Monsees told the group.The discussion Monday dug into the weights with more specificity, with the group considering a multi-tiered system for special education funding.Monsees gave options of grouping types of disabilities into funding subcategories or creating a tiered system based on the amount of time a student spends out of the general education classroom. The group members preferred the latter.Jordan Dickey, assistant superintendent of finance for Joplin Schools, said that kids with the same disabilities may not have the same support needs.“Depending on what their label is, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the level of service that they need,” she said.She recommended a much greater weight for students who receive educational time out of the general education classroom.<h2>Performance incentives</h2>Kehoe’s executive order includes a charge to give districts with strong performance bonus funding. Performance incentives would be new in Missouri and are largely unprecedented, other than&nbsp;<a href="https://comptroller.tn.gov/content/dam/cot/orea/advanced-search/2025/TISAoutcomesfunding.pdf" target="_blank">a model in Tennessee</a>&nbsp;that awards schools when students reach certain targets.The group studying performance incentives does not have a definitive plan, as of the conclusion of its third meeting last week, but is leaning toward promoting literacy and numeracy.Mike Podgursky, a semi-retired economics professor from the University of Missouri-Columbia and affiliated scholar at the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research, suggested the group pick one or two priorities rather than giving money for “a whole bunch of things.”“There’s a case for really focusing on early literacy,” he said. “If these kids can’t read by grades three and four, then you forget about math at grade eight and everything else.”The group discussed incentives for literacy at the third grade level and math performance in eighth grade at length.Members are considering building the rewards into the formula or siloing them as a separate source of funding.

Work groups zero in on proposed changes to Missouri school funding formula

HOLT COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Holt County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder driven by a 45-year-old Independence man was northbound on Interstate 29 three miles north of Craig.

The SUV traveled off the west side of the road, overturned and the driver was ejected.&nbsp; &nbsp;The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and&nbsp; transported to Rupp Funeral Home. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

HOLT COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Holt County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder driven by a 45-year-old Independence man was northbound on Interstate 29 three miles north of Craig.The SUV traveled off the west side of the road, overturned and the driver was ejected.&nbsp; &nbsp;The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and&nbsp; transported to Rupp Funeral Home. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man dies after ejected in SUV rollover accident

Children throughout the world who might
otherwise go without could get a shoebox for Christmas filled with toys, school
supplies, and personal care items.

Operation Christmas Child sponsored by
Samaritan’s Purse is underway in St. Joseph, preparing for national collection
week the middle of next month.

Ekaterina Haselden received one of the
shoeboxes as a resident of a Soviet Union orphanage and recently visited St.
Joseph to promote the program. Of all the gifts inside, Haselden cherished a
bar of soap, so different from how she bathed at the orphanage.

“And we were given brown lye soap that smelled
terrible,” Haselden tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post about her experience in the
orphanage. “So, that beautiful bar soap brought a lot of joy to me.”

Many area churches are participating in
Operation Christmas Child, putting together shoeboxes to be delivered to
children throughout the world.

Haselden says it was a special day when
she received the shoebox during her time in the orphanage.

“What it meant to me is that someone out
there loves me and it just made me feel loved and that somebody cared,”
Haselden says.

Haselden’s mother disappeared, never to
return, forcing her and her sister into an orphanage in the former Soviet
Union.

Haselden says the gift didn’t just
encourage her, it changed her life.

“They’re not only those shoeboxes,”
Haselden explains. “When a child receives a shoebox, they also are invited to
be a part of a 12-lessons program, which is called The Greatest Journey. So, it
goes beyond the box.”

Haselden became a Christian after
receiving the box. That day was a special day, according to Haselden.

“Each shoebox is an opportunity to touch
a child and reach them with the love of Jesus,” Haselden says.

Operation Christmas Child is underway at
many area churches. Collections will be made November 17th through
the 24th.

Samaritan’s Purse says the program began
in 1993 and has delivered shoeboxes to millions of children throughout the
world. It reports more than 232 million shoeboxes have been collected for
children in 170 counties. Samaritan’s Purse hopes to distribute 12 million shoeboxes
this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761072205275.jpeg" alt="Ekaterina Haselden/Photo courtesy of Samaritan's Purse" />
 <figcaption>Ekaterina Haselden/Photo courtesy of Samaritan's Purse</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostChildren throughout the world who might
otherwise go without could get a shoebox for Christmas filled with toys, school
supplies, and personal care items.Operation Christmas Child sponsored by
Samaritan’s Purse is underway in St. Joseph, preparing for national collection
week the middle of next month.Ekaterina Haselden received one of the
shoeboxes as a resident of a Soviet Union orphanage and recently visited St.
Joseph to promote the program. Of all the gifts inside, Haselden cherished a
bar of soap, so different from how she bathed at the orphanage.“And we were given brown lye soap that smelled
terrible,” Haselden tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post about her experience in the
orphanage. “So, that beautiful bar soap brought a lot of joy to me.”Many area churches are participating in
Operation Christmas Child, putting together shoeboxes to be delivered to
children throughout the world.Haselden says it was a special day when
she received the shoebox during her time in the orphanage.“What it meant to me is that someone out
there loves me and it just made me feel loved and that somebody cared,”
Haselden says.Haselden’s mother disappeared, never to
return, forcing her and her sister into an orphanage in the former Soviet
Union.Haselden says the gift didn’t just
encourage her, it changed her life.“They’re not only those shoeboxes,”
Haselden explains. “When a child receives a shoebox, they also are invited to
be a part of a 12-lessons program, which is called The Greatest Journey. So, it
goes beyond the box.”Haselden became a Christian after
receiving the box. That day was a special day, according to Haselden.“Each shoebox is an opportunity to touch
a child and reach them with the love of Jesus,” Haselden says.Operation Christmas Child is underway at
many area churches. Collections will be made November 17th through
the 24th.Samaritan’s Purse says the program began
in 1993 and has delivered shoeboxes to millions of children throughout the
world. It reports more than 232 million shoeboxes have been collected for
children in 170 counties. Samaritan’s Purse hopes to distribute 12 million shoeboxes
this year.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Collections for Operation Christmas Child underway in St. Joseph

Purina and River
Bluff Brewery raised nearly $21,000 for Friends of the Animal Shelter during
the Purina Raise a Pint for Pets campaign.

The campaign which
stretched over August and September raised $20,979. Purina covered the adoption
fees for the nine pets that were adopted through Friends of the Animal Shelter.
Sales of Arrowhead Red at River Bluff raised money for the St. Joseph Animal
Shelter.

“Raise a Pint for
Pets showed what this community can do when we rally around a shared purpose,” Lisa
Weil, speaking on behalf of Purina, said in a written statement released by the
company. “We’re grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate and to support
Friends of the Animal Shelter.”

“We love brewing
beer that brings people together for good,” Chris Lanman, Co-Founder and
Director of (h)Ops at River Bluff Brewing said in a written statement. “Thanks
to our guests, partners, and the shelter team for making this a win for local
pets.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761075095768.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostPurina and River
Bluff Brewery raised nearly $21,000 for Friends of the Animal Shelter during
the Purina Raise a Pint for Pets campaign.The campaign which
stretched over August and September raised $20,979. Purina covered the adoption
fees for the nine pets that were adopted through Friends of the Animal Shelter.
Sales of Arrowhead Red at River Bluff raised money for the St. Joseph Animal
Shelter.“Raise a Pint for
Pets showed what this community can do when we rally around a shared purpose,” Lisa
Weil, speaking on behalf of Purina, said in a written statement released by the
company. “We’re grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate and to support
Friends of the Animal Shelter.”“We love brewing
beer that brings people together for good,” Chris Lanman, Co-Founder and
Director of (h)Ops at River Bluff Brewing said in a written statement. “Thanks
to our guests, partners, and the shelter team for making this a win for local
pets.”You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Purina, River Bluff raises nearly $21K for Friends of the Animal Shelter

A new initiate by the city of St. Joseph aims to lower crime and improve the appearance of the College Hill Park Area.   

A community safety fair will be held on Saturday, an initiative bringing several city departments together.  

City Manager Mike Schumacher says the initiative was planned by the St. Joseph Police Department in an area with higher crime numbers.  

“So they picked a particular neighborhood, partnered with the fire department, with our very generous business community donated 100 smoke detectors, and so police will be present to help out our residents and so will fire with free smoke detectors and they will actually put them up for you,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnity show. 

Schumacher says there will also be dumpsters out during the event for people to get rid of unwanted items.  The city's public works department will be on hand to help people who may not be able to get items to the dumpsters.  

Schumacher says the city can do a lot of good when all the departments work together 

"For example, if the police department went out one day and then a couple of weeks later fire goes out to offer some of the great things they do, and then gosh  a couple weeks later codes, first of all no one wants to deal with the city multiple weekends in a row right?” Schumacher explains.  “But more importantly, when that customer is contacted at their house or they step outside, they can get a whole plethora of questions answered.” 

Schumacher says residents who have heard about the effort in that area have responded positively 

“Senior citizens that have an old refrigerator for example that’s just to heavy for them to do anything with, it really gives them all an opportunity to clean up their properties and get in compliance while also perhaps, if they need one, getting a smoke detector and finding out about different options the city offers to try to help them out,” Schumacher says. 

The event will run from noon to 4pm on Saturday.   

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA new initiate by the city of St. Joseph aims to lower crime and improve the appearance of the College Hill Park Area. A community safety fair will be held on Saturday, an initiative bringing several city departments together. City Manager Mike Schumacher says the initiative was planned by the St. Joseph Police Department in an area with higher crime numbers. “So they picked a particular neighborhood, partnered with the fire department, with our very generous business community donated 100 smoke detectors, and so police will be present to help out our residents and so will fire with free smoke detectors and they will actually put them up for you,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnity show. Schumacher says there will also be dumpsters out during the event for people to get rid of unwanted items. The city's public works department will be on hand to help people who may not be able to get items to the dumpsters. Schumacher says the city can do a lot of good when all the departments work together "For example, if the police department went out one day and then a couple of weeks later fire goes out to offer some of the great things they do, and then gosh a couple weeks later codes, first of all no one wants to deal with the city multiple weekends in a row right?” Schumacher explains. “But more importantly, when that customer is contacted at their house or they step outside, they can get a whole plethora of questions answered.” Schumacher says residents who have heard about the effort in that area have responded positively “Senior citizens that have an old refrigerator for example that’s just to heavy for them to do anything with, it really gives them all an opportunity to clean up their properties and get in compliance while also perhaps, if they need one, getting a smoke detector and finding out about different options the city offers to try to help them out,” Schumacher says. The event will run from noon to 4pm on Saturday. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

St. Joseph city leaders collaborate to clean up city this weekend

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is preparing for another year of Shop St. Joe.  

President Natalie Hawn says now that fall is here, it means the event is just around the corner, with it beginning next month. 

“So, if you know your favorite merchant that you would like them to participate in Shop St. Joe this year for your chance to win $10,000, send them to the Chamber because we will kick that program off November 12th,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity show. 

Shop St. Joseph is open to all businesses that are interested in participating. Traditional businesses participate as well as restaurants and service providers. 

The annual event that happens around the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday's gives St. Joseph residents the chance to win $10,000, just for shopping locally.  

Chamber President Natalie Hawn says it's always an exciting time to give away that much money to residents 

"Now we have the second chance prizes as well as that small business prize of $2,500, so it’s a lot of ways to win and it’s always fun,” Hawn says. 

If you own a business or know of a business you would like to see participate, contact the Chamber to register. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is preparing for another year of Shop St. Joe. President Natalie Hawn says now that fall is here, it means the event is just around the corner, with it beginning next month. “So, if you know your favorite merchant that you would like them to participate in Shop St. Joe this year for your chance to win $10,000, send them to the Chamber because we will kick that program off November 12th,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity show. Shop St. Joseph is open to all businesses that are interested in participating. Traditional businesses participate as well as restaurants and service providers. The annual event that happens around the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday's gives St. Joseph residents the chance to win $10,000, just for shopping locally. Chamber President Natalie Hawn says it's always an exciting time to give away that much money to residents "Now we have the second chance prizes as well as that small business prize of $2,500, so it’s a lot of ways to win and it’s always fun,” Hawn says. Shop St. Joseph is open to all businesses that are interested in participating. Traditional businesses participate as well as restaurants and service providers. If you own a business or know of a business you would like to see participate, contact the Chamber to register. Shop St. Joe will begin November 12th. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Joseph Chamber preparing for another year of Shop St. Joseph

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5ymcPZLYEXeO1fNwvBodXM?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1dFIG2Doyv4XNwKA5rBsjP?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Rapidly rising home values are shifting the property tax burden to residences as slow growth in other real estate diminishes the effect of rollbacks under the Hancock Amendment

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The most popular idea for controlling property tax bills, the chairman of a Missouri House committee said Monday, is to set a separate tax rate for each of four types of property subject to the annual adjustments required in the state Constitution.

Since June, the Missouri House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/25/missouri-lawmakers-could-return-to-session-this-fall-to-debate-property-taxes/">Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/28/missouri-house-committee-urged-to-silo-property-into-separate-classes-for-taxes/">holding hearings</a>&nbsp;around the state and discussing legislation it could propose to quiet outrage over rapidly rising residential tax bills. One of the most popular ideas, said the chairman, Republican state Rep. Tim Taylor of Bunceton, is to “silo” the four types of property — agricultural, commercial, personal and residential — so increases in assessed value in one subclass are not diluted by stagnant values in another.

“If one spikes and the others don’t, it’s watered down, so (the rollback) doesn’t take effect,” Taylor said during a hearing Monday to discuss possible legislation. “So the goal is to get them in their own little category.”

Support for walling off the various classes of property is coming from officials, the public and the State Tax Commission, Taylor said to reporters after the meeting.&nbsp;

“Of all things that we discussed, not only is that coming from us, but from the people, and from the tax commission itself,” Taylor said. “That, in itself, can potentially fix a lot of issues that we’re seeing across the state.”’

The special committee was created in June after lawmakers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/missouri-governor-allows-more-spending-property-tax-cap-as-he-pursues-stadium-deal/">a hastily crafted bill</a>&nbsp;to cap tax bills in 97 counties. It follows several years of public upset over rapidly increasing assessments intended to bring taxable values in line with market values.&nbsp;

The speed at which the bill was written and passed is something that Taylor said has to be fixed. In 75 counties, tax bills are not allowed to increase more than 5% per year from a base amount, or by the rate of inflation, whichever is greater. The provision, Taylor said, was supposed to be whichever in less.

In 22 others, no increase in the tax bill would be allowed.There are exceptions built in for newly voted levies and the additional value from improvements.

Many of the larger counties of the state, including Boone, Greene, Jackson, St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis, were excluded altogether from the legislation.

Taylor told the committee he intends to have a bill drafted with nearly a dozen ideas that have been raised in the hearings or come from legislation in past years. House Speaker Jon Patterson wants the bill to be ready when the next regular session opens in January, he said.

Along with walling off subclasses of property, ideas that will be in Taylor’s bill include:

Not every idea will be as popular as siloing property classes, Taylor said.

“It’s my responsibility to try to put something together,” he said. “And again, the speaker said, ‘I’d like a big, beautiful bill,’ so we’ll see what we can do.”

The committee’s ranking Democrat, state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia, also had a list of ideas she had crafted with input from other Democrats on the committee. Her list calls for homebuyers to file statements of the price of their new property — called a certificate of value — with assessors when homes change hands.

That idea did not make Taylor’s list. There are things Democrats on the committee would like to see but haven’t had a chance to discuss, Steinhoff added.

“There’s other things that we’re very interested in, but we don’t think we’ve really hashed out in committee a clear understanding of it,” she said.

The biggest portion of any property tax bill is the levy for local schools. At the same time the committee is studying property taxes, a separate commission — the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/23/missouri-governors-school-funding-task-force-assembles-slowly/">School Funding Modernization Task Force</a>&nbsp;— has been meeting to decide on how state support should supplement local tax revenue.

Part of Monday’s hearing was set aside to hear from state Sen. Rusty Black, a Chillicothe Republican who is chairing the school funding panel. He said his task force will be watching closely so its report, due in December 2026, is based on the tax base available at the time.

“The two decisions intertwine,” Black said. “Watching what comes out of here and what kind of things start to have some traction is going to be very important as the task force continues to meet, and possibly come up with a plan to give to the governor.”

The idea of siloing the types of property is growing in popularity because of the way taxes are adjusted after the biennial reassessment. Commercial and agricultural property taxes are tied to productivity and potential to produce income, while the values of homes and vehicles are tied to the price the property would bring in the market.Under the Missouri Constitution’s Hancock Amendment, when the value of property in a taxing district grows faster than inflation, rates are supposed to be reduced. But when one class of property is increasing faster than others, the effect is a smaller rollback than if the class of property had its own rate.

While the idea of siloing property classes is popular, there is little consensus among the committee’s 20 members on other changes that should be made, Taylor said.&nbsp;

“If you could get 20 people to all agree on any one thing,” Taylor said, “it would be a miracle.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761049988985.png" alt=" State Rep. Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia, right, speaks during the Monday meeting of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform. while the chairman, state Rep. Tim Taylor of Bunceton, far left, looks on (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> State Rep. Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia, right, speaks during the Monday meeting of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform. while the chairman, state Rep. Tim Taylor of Bunceton, far left, looks on (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Rapidly rising home values are shifting the property tax burden to residences as slow growth in other real estate diminishes the effect of rollbacks under the Hancock Amendment</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The most popular idea for controlling property tax bills, the chairman of a Missouri House committee said Monday, is to set a separate tax rate for each of four types of property subject to the annual adjustments required in the state Constitution.Since June, the Missouri House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/25/missouri-lawmakers-could-return-to-session-this-fall-to-debate-property-taxes/">Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/28/missouri-house-committee-urged-to-silo-property-into-separate-classes-for-taxes/">holding hearings</a>&nbsp;around the state and discussing legislation it could propose to quiet outrage over rapidly rising residential tax bills. One of the most popular ideas, said the chairman, Republican state Rep. Tim Taylor of Bunceton, is to “silo” the four types of property — agricultural, commercial, personal and residential — so increases in assessed value in one subclass are not diluted by stagnant values in another.“If one spikes and the others don’t, it’s watered down, so (the rollback) doesn’t take effect,” Taylor said during a hearing Monday to discuss possible legislation. “So the goal is to get them in their own little category.”Support for walling off the various classes of property is coming from officials, the public and the State Tax Commission, Taylor said to reporters after the meeting.&nbsp;“Of all things that we discussed, not only is that coming from us, but from the people, and from the tax commission itself,” Taylor said. “That, in itself, can potentially fix a lot of issues that we’re seeing across the state.”’The special committee was created in June after lawmakers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/missouri-governor-allows-more-spending-property-tax-cap-as-he-pursues-stadium-deal/">a hastily crafted bill</a>&nbsp;to cap tax bills in 97 counties. It follows several years of public upset over rapidly increasing assessments intended to bring taxable values in line with market values.&nbsp;The speed at which the bill was written and passed is something that Taylor said has to be fixed. In 75 counties, tax bills are not allowed to increase more than 5% per year from a base amount, or by the rate of inflation, whichever is greater. The provision, Taylor said, was supposed to be whichever in less.In 22 others, no increase in the tax bill would be allowed.There are exceptions built in for newly voted levies and the additional value from improvements.Many of the larger counties of the state, including Boone, Greene, Jackson, St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis, were excluded altogether from the legislation.Taylor told the committee he intends to have a bill drafted with nearly a dozen ideas that have been raised in the hearings or come from legislation in past years. House Speaker Jon Patterson wants the bill to be ready when the next regular session opens in January, he said.Along with walling off subclasses of property, ideas that will be in Taylor’s bill include:<ul>
 <li>Requiring all local tax elections to be on November ballots when turnout is highest.</li><li>Allowing local governments to enact additional sales taxes to replace or reduce property taxes.</li><li>Making debt levies subject to the Constitution’s rollback provisions.</li><li>Wording ballot descriptions so the impact of new or renewed tax levies is stated as the cost per $100,000 of assessed value instead of the cost per $100 of value, which is the current method.</li>
 </ul>Not every idea will be as popular as siloing property classes, Taylor said.“It’s my responsibility to try to put something together,” he said. “And again, the speaker said, ‘I’d like a big, beautiful bill,’ so we’ll see what we can do.”The committee’s ranking Democrat, state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia, also had a list of ideas she had crafted with input from other Democrats on the committee. Her list calls for homebuyers to file statements of the price of their new property — called a certificate of value — with assessors when homes change hands.That idea did not make Taylor’s list. There are things Democrats on the committee would like to see but haven’t had a chance to discuss, Steinhoff added.“There’s other things that we’re very interested in, but we don’t think we’ve really hashed out in committee a clear understanding of it,” she said.The biggest portion of any property tax bill is the levy for local schools. At the same time the committee is studying property taxes, a separate commission — the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/23/missouri-governors-school-funding-task-force-assembles-slowly/">School Funding Modernization Task Force</a>&nbsp;— has been meeting to decide on how state support should supplement local tax revenue.Part of Monday’s hearing was set aside to hear from state Sen. Rusty Black, a Chillicothe Republican who is chairing the school funding panel. He said his task force will be watching closely so its report, due in December 2026, is based on the tax base available at the time.“The two decisions intertwine,” Black said. “Watching what comes out of here and what kind of things start to have some traction is going to be very important as the task force continues to meet, and possibly come up with a plan to give to the governor.”The idea of siloing the types of property is growing in popularity because of the way taxes are adjusted after the biennial reassessment. Commercial and agricultural property taxes are tied to productivity and potential to produce income, while the values of homes and vehicles are tied to the price the property would bring in the market.Under the Missouri Constitution’s Hancock Amendment, when the value of property in a taxing district grows faster than inflation, rates are supposed to be reduced. But when one class of property is increasing faster than others, the effect is a smaller rollback than if the class of property had its own rate.While the idea of siloing property classes is popular, there is little consensus among the committee’s 20 members on other changes that should be made, Taylor said.&nbsp;“If you could get 20 people to all agree on any one thing,” Taylor said, “it would be a miracle.”

Missouri House committee eyes plan to silo property classes for taxation

WASHINGTON — The&nbsp;federal government shutdown&nbsp;is moving into its third week with&nbsp;no end in sight. Most members of the House of Representatives are finally back Washington after being out for over a month. Second District Kansas Congressman what he's doing after arriving back in the nation's capitol.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted he might call the House back into session if Senate passes bill to pay furloughed workers.&nbsp; That could happen this week.

WASHINGTON — The&nbsp;federal government shutdown&nbsp;is moving into its third week with&nbsp;no end in sight. Most members of the House of Representatives are finally back Washington after being out for over a month. Second District Kansas Congressman what he's doing after arriving back in the nation's capitol.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Day 20 of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SchumerShutdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SchumerShutdown</a>. <a href="https://t.co/iFUZTistPq">pic.twitter.com/iFUZTistPq</a>&mdash; Rep. Derek Schmidt Press (@RepDerekSchmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDerekSchmidt/status/1980295827429179669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted he might call the House back into session if Senate passes bill to pay furloughed workers.&nbsp; That could happen this week.

🎥Congressman Schmidt: Government shutdown very frustrating

Though food banks statewide said they have mostly made up shortfalls from canceled deliveries, some worry that coming changes to SNAP will leave Missourians hungrier

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/squinn/">Steph Quinn</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri has lost nearly 1.6 million pounds of food aid since May due to sudden cuts to a federal program that buys food from U.S. farmers and sends it to food banks across the country.

That’s 146,400 pounds of cheese, 433,070 pounds of canned and frozen chicken, 1.2 million eggs, 38,250 gallons of milk, 120,000 pounds of pulled pork, 115,200 pounds of sliced turkey breast, 180,000 pounds of dried plums and 114,000 pounds of frozen pork chops.

The Trump administration in&nbsp;<a href="https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/following-the-usda-food-and-farm-funding/" target="_blank">late March</a>&nbsp;slashed $500 million that had already been allocated to food aid nationwide through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP. That canceled 124 scheduled deliveries to Missouri food banks, according to data obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture by&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-food-cuts/" target="_blank">ProPublica</a>&nbsp;and shared with The Independent.

Food banks across the state said they have largely made up shortfalls from the March cuts by increasing their food purchases. But some food bank leaders worry that hunger in Missouri will increase with the implementation of changes signed into law this summer to federal assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Food banks are the safety net to the safety net,” said Leigh Anne Haun, executive director of Feeding Missouri, a coalition of the state’s six regional food banks. “When you talk about programs like SNAP…any time those start to get strained, or there’s holes in those nets, the food banks are the safety net underneath.”

They are also bracing for increased demand as the federal government shutdown wears on.&nbsp;The Missouri Department of Social Services&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it won’t be able to issue November SNAP benefits until further notice after receiving official communication from USDA that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/17/repub/snap-benefits-on-pace-to-run-out-in-two-weeks-if-shutdown-persists/">funding will run out</a>.

Gov. Mike Kehoe said Monday that although his team is reviewing options to keep the program running, there is no existing state plan that would do so, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/article_06c840da-ccda-4aa5-9a95-9fb32f114be4.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.

Meredith Knopp, president and CEO of the St. Louis Area Foodbank, said any disruption the food bank experienced due to canceled deliveries was “minimal,” and that the tornado that hit St. Louis in May and the ongoing shutdown have affected the food bank more.

“Right now it’s just about educating and informing people where they can go for help, how they can get assistance temporarily until the government reopens,” Knopp said of the shutdown.

Knopp said purchases made by the USDA later in the year made up for canceled TEFAP deliveries. On Aug. 1, the USDA announced the purchase of<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/01/secretary-rollins-announces-local-food-purchases-communities-need" target="_blank">&nbsp;$230 million</a>&nbsp;in fish, dried cranberries, beans and apples for food banks nationwide.

The canceled shipments make up a relatively small portion of what Missouri food banks distribute each year. Missouri’s food banks dispensed 132.2 million pounds of food in 2023, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://mohungeratlas.org/report.php?c=29000&amp;m=FoodInsHHSt%7CFoodInsHungHHSt%7CPdFoodDist%7CPdFoodDistCap%7CPdFoodDistCapC&amp;y=2025" target="_blank">Missouri Hunger Atlas</a>, which is published by the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security at the University of Missouri.

But Jordan Browning, director of communications for Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield, said food banks still have to fill in gaps.

The first canceled shipments – over 100 orders of 2% milk headed for 30 states – were scheduled to arrive on May 14, records show. That day, Ozarks Food Harvest and the St. Louis Area Food Bank in Bridgeton were each slated to receive orders of more than 2,000 gallons of milk, according to the records.

At first, Browning said, he&nbsp;thought the deliveries might just be delayed, which had happened in the past.

The next missed delivery date in Missouri was May 31, when all six of the state’s regional food banks were scheduled to receive shipments, according to the records.&nbsp;

“They kept getting delayed further and further,” Browning said. “Pretty much until it finally came to an actual cancellation notice, we weren’t aware that we would have to make up a shortfall.”

Much of the food was high quality protein, the items that are priciest and hardest for food banks to source, food bank administrators said.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank received all the orders staff were told to expect, according to Heather Collier, donor relations and communications manager at the Sikeston-based food bank, though some were delayed.

But Collier said shipments can be canceled before the state notifies regional food banks that they should expect a delivery.&nbsp;

“Canceled loads, if they’re fully canceled, they’re usually happening before we’re even notified,” Collier said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761041719869.png" alt="Delivery trucks wait in the parking lot of the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri in Columbia, which serves 32 counties, on Oct. 17. (Steph Quinn | Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>Delivery trucks wait in the parking lot of the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri in Columbia, which serves 32 counties, on Oct. 17. (Steph Quinn | Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Though food banks statewide said they have mostly made up shortfalls from canceled deliveries, some worry that coming changes to SNAP will leave Missourians hungrier</h2>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/squinn/">Steph Quinn</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri has lost nearly 1.6 million pounds of food aid since May due to sudden cuts to a federal program that buys food from U.S. farmers and sends it to food banks across the country.That’s 146,400 pounds of cheese, 433,070 pounds of canned and frozen chicken, 1.2 million eggs, 38,250 gallons of milk, 120,000 pounds of pulled pork, 115,200 pounds of sliced turkey breast, 180,000 pounds of dried plums and 114,000 pounds of frozen pork chops.The Trump administration in&nbsp;<a href="https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/following-the-usda-food-and-farm-funding/" target="_blank">late March</a>&nbsp;slashed $500 million that had already been allocated to food aid nationwide through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP. That canceled 124 scheduled deliveries to Missouri food banks, according to data obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture by&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-food-cuts/" target="_blank">ProPublica</a>&nbsp;and shared with The Independent.Food banks across the state said they have largely made up shortfalls from the March cuts by increasing their food purchases. But some food bank leaders worry that hunger in Missouri will increase with the implementation of changes signed into law this summer to federal assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.“Food banks are the safety net to the safety net,” said Leigh Anne Haun, executive director of Feeding Missouri, a coalition of the state’s six regional food banks. “When you talk about programs like SNAP…any time those start to get strained, or there’s holes in those nets, the food banks are the safety net underneath.”They are also bracing for increased demand as the federal government shutdown wears on.&nbsp;The Missouri Department of Social Services&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it won’t be able to issue November SNAP benefits until further notice after receiving official communication from USDA that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/17/repub/snap-benefits-on-pace-to-run-out-in-two-weeks-if-shutdown-persists/">funding will run out</a>.Gov. Mike Kehoe said Monday that although his team is reviewing options to keep the program running, there is no existing state plan that would do so, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/article_06c840da-ccda-4aa5-9a95-9fb32f114be4.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.Meredith Knopp, president and CEO of the St. Louis Area Foodbank, said any disruption the food bank experienced due to canceled deliveries was “minimal,” and that the tornado that hit St. Louis in May and the ongoing shutdown have affected the food bank more.“Right now it’s just about educating and informing people where they can go for help, how they can get assistance temporarily until the government reopens,” Knopp said of the shutdown.Knopp said purchases made by the USDA later in the year made up for canceled TEFAP deliveries. On Aug. 1, the USDA announced the purchase of<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/01/secretary-rollins-announces-local-food-purchases-communities-need" target="_blank">&nbsp;$230 million</a>&nbsp;in fish, dried cranberries, beans and apples for food banks nationwide.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761041689487.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The canceled shipments make up a relatively small portion of what Missouri food banks distribute each year. Missouri’s food banks dispensed 132.2 million pounds of food in 2023, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://mohungeratlas.org/report.php?c=29000&amp;m=FoodInsHHSt%7CFoodInsHungHHSt%7CPdFoodDist%7CPdFoodDistCap%7CPdFoodDistCapC&amp;y=2025" target="_blank">Missouri Hunger Atlas</a>, which is published by the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security at the University of Missouri.But Jordan Browning, director of communications for Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield, said food banks still have to fill in gaps.The first canceled shipments – over 100 orders of 2% milk headed for 30 states – were scheduled to arrive on May 14, records show. That day, Ozarks Food Harvest and the St. Louis Area Food Bank in Bridgeton were each slated to receive orders of more than 2,000 gallons of milk, according to the records.At first, Browning said, he&nbsp;thought the deliveries might just be delayed, which had happened in the past.The next missed delivery date in Missouri was May 31, when all six of the state’s regional food banks were scheduled to receive shipments, according to the records.&nbsp;“They kept getting delayed further and further,” Browning said. “Pretty much until it finally came to an actual cancellation notice, we weren’t aware that we would have to make up a shortfall.”Much of the food was high quality protein, the items that are priciest and hardest for food banks to source, food bank administrators said.The Southeast Missouri Food Bank received all the orders staff were told to expect, according to Heather Collier, donor relations and communications manager at the Sikeston-based food bank, though some were delayed.But Collier said shipments can be canceled before the state notifies regional food banks that they should expect a delivery.&nbsp;“Canceled loads, if they’re fully canceled, they’re usually happening before we’re even notified,” Collier said.Collier said that although the food bank weathered the March cuts relatively easily, she expects coming changes to SNAP to increase the number of Missourians who don’t qualify for federal assistance but struggle to reliably access nutritious food.The budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress in July cuts SNAP by $187 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The bill also expands SNAP work requirements to include adults ages 55-64 and parents of children over 14.&nbsp;In the Southeast Missouri Food Bank’s service area, according to Collier, 46.5% of people who are food insecure already do not qualify for SNAP.“You’re meeting the definition of food insecurity, but not meeting the qualifications to receive assistance,” Collier said. “Food banks are going to have to make that up.”Haun said community support will enable food banks to continue helping Missourians in need.“It’s so important for people to connect with their local food bank now,” Haun said. “They need not just funds to allow them to address these gaps, but other types of donations and volunteering.”Through the shutdown and any future challenges, Knopp was confident the food bank would continue to help.“It might not always be smooth sailing,” Knopp said. “It might be clunky. But we’re here, and we will be here to support anyone who needs us.”This story was updated at 3:50 p.m. to include an announcement from the Department of Social Services about SNAP benefits.