The Senate leader says talks with the Republican nominee have already begun and calls a separate proposal sponsored by Sen. Shane Jett “asinine.”
OKLAHOMA CITY — Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton says Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei’s plan to eliminate homestead property taxes for seniors and veterans would receive serious consideration at the Capitol next year.
Paxton, R-Tuttle, said discussions with Mazzei have already begun.
“We’ve already sat down with him and talked to him about his plan, his roadmap, about how to accomplish that and how long it would take to accomplish that,” Paxton said in an interview with OK Politics Today.
Paxton stopped short of endorsing the proposal or committing the Senate to its details. But he called it “a very worthwhile discussion” and said the talks would begin “in earnest” if Mazzei wins the Nov. 3 general election.
Mazzei faces Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson.
Paxton’s comments indicate property-tax relief will remain prominent at the Capitol after voters decide State Question 847, a more limited proposal Paxton helped place on this year’s ballot.
Paxton also rejected a separate initiative petition sponsored by Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee. That proposal is not on the Nov. 3 ballot and has not begun collecting signatures.
A starting point on the ballot
Paxton was the principal Senate author of the resolution placing SQ 847 on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The measure would lower the maximum annual increase in the taxable value of homesteads and agricultural land from 3% to 1.75%. It also would replace the current all-or-nothing senior freeze with an income-based sliding scale.
OK Politics Today published a detailed explanation of SQ 847 on Sept. 2.
Paxton said lawmakers heard repeatedly from constituents concerned about the rising cost of owning a home, including property taxes and insurance premiums. He said legislators wanted to provide relief without suddenly reducing the money available to schools, counties and other local governments.
“This is a long-term benefit. It’s not an immediate relief,” Paxton said. “It just helps bend that curve of that increase in valuation down over time.”
Mazzei proposes going further
Mazzei’s campaign plan calls for eliminating homestead property taxes for seniors and veterans.
The plan proposes controlling county spending, changing retirement systems for employees in larger counties and ending certain property-tax exemptions for green-energy projects and data centers. Mazzei says senior exemptions and any local replacement-revenue mechanisms would go before voters during his second year in office.
Paxton said the goal deserves consideration, particularly for seniors who have spent decades paying taxes but find themselves facing rising bills on fixed incomes.
“People have worked their entire lives, they pay a lot of taxes, and then they become senior citizens on fixed incomes,” Paxton said. “They still get these property-tax bills that continue to increase.”
He said the challenge is providing relief without financially damaging schools and counties.
“When it comes to the government sending you a bill, that’s something that we can control,” Paxton said. “We just need to make sure that what we’re doing is not financially devastating to schools or counties.”
Paxton said he believes lawmakers and Mazzei could find a workable approach. “How do you thread that needle?” he said. “I’m confident we can find a way to do it.”
A separate proposal
Paxton was far less receptive to an initiative petition designated State Question 843.
The proposal would phase out property taxes over three years on most owner-occupied homes. It is awaiting an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling and has not begun collecting signatures.
Jett, who is term-limited and will leave the Senate in November, is sponsoring the initiative with Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, and former Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.
Asked whether their proposal influenced the Legislature’s decision to place SQ 847 on the ballot, Paxton said it had not.
“It wasn’t even taken into consideration,” Paxton said. “That is such a — basically an asinine proposal from Senator Jett that they’re trying to do.”
The proposed initiative estimates that property-tax collections would fall by as much as $1.2 billion annually once fully implemented. It does not specify how schools, counties and other local governments would replace the revenue.
Paxton said the result would be to move more of the cost of local government onto renters, farmers and businesses.
“It’s a very short-sighted state question concept,” he said.
A 2027 issue
Regardless of what happens with SQ 847 or the proposed initiative, Paxton said property taxes will remain on the Legislature’s agenda in 2027.
He said legislative candidates knocking on doors continue to hear about the combined cost of property taxes, insurance and homeownership.
“When you hear that much from that many constituents regarding an issue, you certainly want to take it seriously,” Paxton said. “You certainly want to see if there’s a way that, as legislators, we can help.”
