Residents of Loch Lloyd,
Please take time to review this email and the attached documents. As most of you know, the Village Trustees are dealing with a number of issues and projects that are important to the future of community. A primary issue is how to pay for the costs of operating the Village of Loch Lloyd. Historically, the expenses have been low and revenue from building permits has covered the costs. With increases in general operating costs, the impact of requested changes to available land in and around the Village, and revenue from new building permits ending as the Village becomes built out, a new revenue source is needed to cover these costs.
Attached are four Ordinances, three of which will be subject to your vote at the Tuesday April 2, 2024 elections. One of the Ordinances requiring your vote proposes a 1% Sales Tax on qualifying items sold within the Village. The primary item subject to this sales tax will be Country Club dues and sales at the Club. Thus, dues and sales paid by non-residents of Loch Lloyd will help support the operations within Loch Lloyd. Residents of Loch Lloyd who are not Club Members will be minimally impacted by the sales tax if it passes. Note, amounts paid for utilities, homes association dues and similar expenses are not subject to the sales tax.
A second ordinance requiring your vote proposes a 1% Use Tax on purchases you make on items you buy online. The combination of a Use and a Sales tax is anticipated to cover the ongoing costs required to fund the ongoing activities associated with the Village. It is not possible to utilize the Use Tax if the Sales tax does not pass as a matter of Missouri law.
To give you perspective on the proposed Sales tax rates, the current sales tax rate for Loch Lloyd purchases is 5.875%. The proposal makes this tax 6.875%. The sales taxes in communities around Loch Lloyd are 10.1% for Belton, 10.1% for Overland Park, 9.49% for Martin City and 8.35% for Drexel. The proposed 1% tax increase is the most allowed by law for general use. The Village and the Trustees have the discretion to reduce that tax at a later date if it is determined that the collected revenues exceed required uses.
The third Ordinance is the authorization to hold the election for new Trustees. This election occurs each year so there is nothing new about this Ordinance. This Ordinance does not require a vote. There will be two Trustee positions open for election, which are currently held by Wayne Little and Tony Lafata.
Finally, the fourth Ordinance requiring your vote is to update a prior Ordinance that expires every six (6) years stating that if same number of Trustees running for the same number of open positions, no formal election needs to be held at the election site. This Ordinance is used to reduce costs of an election if there are the same number of candidates for open positions. Candidates who desire to run for the open positions should obtain an application from the Village Clerk.
You will be asked to vote for or against the three Ordinances discussed above so we hope all of our residents will let their voices be heard. If you have any questions about any of the Ordinances or the reasons behind the proposed Ordinances, please contact any of your current Trustees. There will also be a Frequently Asked Questions and Answers document published by the Village Tax Committee that will give you additional information about the proposed taxes and the use of the proceeds.
Randy Schultz, Chairman
Village of Loch Lloyd Board of Trustees
Click on a link below to review the ordinaces
Bill-2023-11-21-1
Bill-2023-11-21-2
Bill-2023-11-21-3
Bill-2023-11-21-4