The Dent County commission met for its regular meetings June 27 and July 1. Plenty of discussion was heard during the July 1 meeting surrounding Senate Bill 190 and Senate Bill 756, with input provided by assessor Jamie Homeyer and collector Shannon VanKirk.
The commission will not meet Thursday due to the July 4 holiday.
Missouri Senate Bill 190, signed into law by Governor Mike Parson in 2023, aims to provide tax relief for seniors by expanding deductions for retirement and Social Security benefits. One year after they passed the original legislation, Missouri legislators have approved Senate Bill 756, a fix to a law allowing property tax freezes for seniors. Members of the House voted 139-0 in May to pass the bill. Since it has already gone through the Senate, it now goes to Parson.
Commissioners, said presiding commissioner Gary Larson, will not be acting on 190 until the correction has been signed in August.
VanKirk shared that she attended a meeting last Monday on SB 190. Like Dent County, most counties are waiting on the corrections to be passed before acting. SB 190, VanKirk continued, originally only allowed those 65 and older to apply. SB 756 allows 62 and older. SB 190 also exempted railroad workers, teachers, and others who received different types of retirement from being eligible. SB 756 does not have such exemptions.
The software program – the Senior Tax Credit System – that VanKirk must use with SB 190 and 756 has been given an estimate of costing between $16,500 and $19,500.
“That’s what it’s going to cost taxpayers, for that to be enforced,” said VanKirk on the estimate. “On top of us having an extra part-time person for applications and processing.”
The system will include the ability to add and modify senior tax credit amounts on unpaid accounts, tracking of all modifications and necessary reporting to each taxing district, the auditor, as well as all other reporting required by the county.
VanKirk said that she’s been asked why she hasn’t requested quotes from others on the program. She clarified that the program is already paid for. The estimate is for the plug-in. To get a completely new program would cost taxpayers between over $50,000 to $100,000.
VanKirk continued that the recorder’s office in St. Charles County has already been bombarded with applications and copies of deeds, a total of 36,000 applications.
“I also found out that in the assessed valuations, the blind pension is included on three cents per $100 assessed valuations, and we have to take that out because that is not a tax that can be frozen,” VanKirk explained. “We also found out that any bond that has been passed by the people for any school or any entity has to be taken out of the freeze, because the customer still has to pay that.”
The way SB 190 was written did not originally affect the assessor’s office. Homeyer stated that once an ordinance is passed, it will affect her office.
“I’m going to have to manually figure what the amount is that they’re getting a credit on,” said Homeyer. “Because every bill that’s printed is printed with a classification amount for residential, commercial, and agricultural. Unless the commission decides to just credit the entire bill.”
“She’s going to have to touch every one of those applications,” explained VanKirk.
No county has any idea of how much the bill will be affecting each entity, said VanKirk. She explained that counties will not know the exact amount until they begin receiving applications.
Commissioners invite anyone with questions or concerns regarding the bills to meet with them during a Monday or Thursday commission meeting at the courthouse. Larson promised that the commission is not ignoring the bill, it is only waiting for the corrections, adjustments and clarifications featured in SB756. The commission also intends to poll the public on interest regarding the bill.
According to commissioner Wes Mobray, state representative Ron Copeland and past presiding commissioner Darrell Skiles were on KSMO Radio with comments regarding the commission’s actions on SB190. Over the course of the show, Mobray said Copeland shared concerns that commissioners will not be polling the public on SB190, but only their friends.
“So, Ron is all about saving the senior’s taxes, and he didn’t even vote on Senate Bill 756,” claimed Mobray, “Then he asks clerk Angie (Curley) what the hospital has to do to get a tax increase on the ballot, so obviously, he doesn’t care about seniors.
“Then you’ve got Darrell Skiles that resigned after two months of his position. And then, he’s still on the radio talking about government?”
In other news:
• Road and bridge is putting out for bids on concrete. The bids will be opened 10:30 a.m., July 15.
• Deputy clerk Melissa Piatt announced bills were to be approved, and that absentees are still being accepted for the Aug. 6 primary. County Clerk Angie Curley, on July 1, announced July 10 is the last day to register to vote for the Aug. 6 primary, and absentee voting will continue until Aug. 5.
• Presiding commissioner Gary Larson reported that he attended a Zoom meeting June 27 and approved the budget for MCEC.
Road Reports June 27:
• District One Commissioner Wes Mobray said crews will be grading county roads 5100, 2440, and 5530; crews will also be hauling rock to County Road 2440.
• District Two Commissioner Gary Polk said crews will be grading county roads 4040, 4300, 2150, and 2140; crews will also be hauling rock to county roads 4040 and 2150. Crews will be patching chipseal on county roads 3220, 3240, and 3230.
Road Reports July 1:
• Mobray said crews will be grading county roads 2430, 5530, and 6370. A crew member will be assisting District 2 in putting signs up near Royal Oak on county roads 4180 and 4110. A crew member will be traveling to Springfield for oil for the chipseal.
• Polk said crews will be grading and hauling rock on County Road 2120. Crews will be cutting brush on County Road 2300. Crews will also be installing no truck signs near Royal Oak on county roads 3210, 3300, 3290, 3260, and 3280.
