Jimmy Platt, County Treasurer (retiring), Kacie Robey, County Treasurer (elect), Jami Page, County Clerk, and Carl Bettels, County Assessor were all present to talk about Senate Bill 190-756. Passed but not currently signed into law.
Jimmy Platt started with everyone agrees that having tax relief for seniors is a good thing. How to best accomplish implementation of this bill that will be simple and clear to understand is the current project. Cass County started it last year. Being a reassessment year (odd years) making the numbers mostly the same. Currently, valuations are set, and the tax levies are calculated from those numbers and totals generated to the subdivisions (i.e. schools, townships etc.) with the levies. Subdivisions use those numbers to form their budgets. Careful consideration needs to be given on where and how to “freeze” an individual’s valuation.
Jimmy Platt’s ideas of 2 ways.
1. If done after valuations are input then a separate tax book, in the collector’s office, would need to be formed for those valuations to be changed for the numbers to be corrected for proper totals. Both books would have to be balanced to each other and then balanced with the county.
2. If at the time of input the “frozen” valuation was input this would simplify the process and negate the need for a second tax book.
However, this still creates issues from year to year as tax levies go up and down. At times they are defeated.
People also do not understand that Township Tax Levies are renewed every 4 years they see it on the ballot and think it is a new tax when it is just renewing the tax they already pay. In some cases, those levies get voted down and people “frozen” in those years would never pay for those taxes.
There will be extra expense to the county in the implementation. Several offices will possibly need extra employees. There will be software costs as well as many other costs that will arise.
The Commission are the ones to put an ordinance in place. It is also their responsibility to review every application and approve. The implementation will be decided amongst the offices.
Hancock Amendment in 1980 which states that the state cannot mandate to any subdivision that has a levy without funding it. Which is why they passed it down to the county. Giving 3 Commissioners the responsibility. Will this stand to the courts? Some counties, as in Henry, choose to only use the levy they control. However, the concern over subdivisions brings lawsuits for the differences in what they would have received to what they did receive after the credit was given.
Jimmy Platt’s office had a zoom meeting with Boone County and has a handout from that meeting.
Commissioner Wheatley stated last weekend he went through both senate bill 190 and 756. There are several references to statues 137.1050 and 137.73 which mirrors the Bills with no definition. No definition to the homestead?, Acreage? Jimmy states the commission has the responsibility to define what those are according to what the lawyer for Boone County said.
These tax cuts will not look the same county to county. Rural to Cities. They are just not the same. Township Counties will be different as well as some people live in one Township but are under different school districts.
Commissioner Wheatley stated they have been checking with other counties on how they are considering this process. He again stated how the state leaders do not care. They passed this on to the counties, knowing it would be a difficult thing to accomplish on their own. First-Class counties will have an easy time with this by falling back on their sales taxes. We are a Third-Class County without that kind of revenue. Our personal and property taxes are our only revenue. Depleting those will bankrupt the 3rd class counties. The Levies people have voted to pay will be lessened by the credit given. Schools and Townships will be taking a loss. Our schools are different as well. We must see how the Hancock Amendment applies.
Jami Page stated we are of course going to do what is needed to get this accomplished. Each office holder will need defined responsibilities to the ordinance.
Jimmy Platt has already spoken to and given the software people the go ahead to get started on this as this will take some time. It will be $8,000.00 for the preliminary work on the software. He is expecting 6 to 8 thousand people to apply yearly.
Commissioner Wheatley stated they must have a plan in place by August 28th.
Road and Bridge supervisor Bill Stephan came in to update and discuss the need for a mini trac-hoe for the county. The one they have is on its last track. The commission has received 2 quotes. They tried for 3 but Caterpillars’ will not work. The 2 quotes were not the same. Ken got the one from Murphy to add the angled blade on and amend the quote. Heritage for a 2024 John Deere 30-p $55,280.00. Murphy for a 2024 John Deere 30-p $56,975.00. Ken made the motion to accept the quote from Heritage for $55,280.00. Trent seconded the motion. All voted yes. Motion carried. Trent stated he ran the new road groomer along a road in Rich Hill and it did well and is still holding good.
August 12, 2024 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
The Commission and County Clerk, Jami Page, had a long discussion regarding the Senior Tax Credit (Senate Bill 190 & 756). They discussed how to equitably serve all seniors over the age of 62 in Bates County but city and rural areas. They discussed the valuation assessment freeze and what levies it would affect. According to the Hancock Amendment only the county’s tax levy can be frozen. The other tax levies the citizens have voted on. Only the citizens can change those by another vote. There is no specific definition of a homestead in the statutes or on Senate Bill 190 & 756. The Commission is defining it as the taxpayer’s residence. This does not include any acreage or outbuildings on the property.
Trent made the motion to define a homestead as the taxpayer’s residence only. Ken seconded the motion. All voted yes. Motion passed. No opposition.
The Commission is still working on how to implement the Senior Tax Credit. They want to have this done before January 1, 2025, due to 2025 being a re-assessment year.
August 14, 2024 he Bates County Commission met with Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present. Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley was out attending the Kaysinger Basin TAC Meeting in Clinton. Jim came in after lunch. Ken did not return. Approved Bills.
Jim brought back news from the TAC meeting at Kaysinger Basin. MoDOT will be rebuilding a bridge in each county on the roads the state maintains. They are requesting that Butler start a submission for a TAP project for the sidewalk along Fort Scott Street at the main commerce traffic. Adrian was encouraged to resubmit the one they had for sidewalks from Casey’s to the Ball Fields along 18 hwy. There are 2 different funding sources to submit these to, Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee (MMTAC), when one of these is denied they gain more points for the next opportunity for funding.
Jim and Trent had several more conversations on the SB190 & SB756 Senior Tax Credit. Noting that SB756 is still not passed into law and there are rumors that another bill is in the works with corrections. County Clerk Jami Page joined the conversation as well. There are so many things to consider when putting together this ordinance. Statues and Amendments to consider which may lead to further complications when implemented. Freezing the Assessed Valuation and the ramifications to each levy that has been voted on by the people. Freezing a levy and the legalities this would lead to. The cost of implementing the Tax Credit to the county will be considerable. The credit to the seniors does not appear to be that great. Most cases less than $10.00.
Work In Progress
Policy Regarding Indigent Cremations given 8/25/2023
Policy Regarding Computer, E-Mail, Devices and Social Media given 2/14/2024
Bid for Hallway lights given 2/14/2024
Telephone Contracts 3/11/2024
Township Contracts not completed Cornland Special.
Township Contracts not received New Home.
August 19, 2024 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Jim attended the Missouri Association of Commissioners meetings at Camdenton on the Lake last Thursday August 15, 2024. He is on the Agricultural Committee, they focused on the taxation of Solar Fields. Who to pay and how much? Prorated? List as Commercial or agriculture? He also sat in on the Policing, Law enforcement and Mental Health Committee meeting. The current chair has asked him to continue to attend due to his background in policing. They are working on ways to give Caregivers of Public Administrator Clients to deal with and be ready for aggressiveness.
Dennis Jacobs, EMA, states the wind turbines that currently have flashing red lights on constantly will be changing to a radar equipped switch that will only turn on when flying craft hits the certain assigned airspace. This will prevent the red-flashing-light pollution in the countryside night sky. He also mentioned the SEMA conference, Resiliency Summit, August 26th. The FEMA Region 7 administrator will be attending.
The Commissioners have been looking into more road maintenance equipment. Specifically ditch making and maintaining equipment.
They also are working on a Lone Oak and Rattlesnake Hill area township meeting. Information needs to be discussed on the necessary road changes and what needs to happen to make this work.
