HB 1694 -- Property Taxation

Sponsor:  Zweifel

This bill changes the laws regarding property taxation.  In its
main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires tax rate roll-backs by all political subdivisions
in reassessment years and changes the way voter-approved tax
increases are applied to assessed values and the time line for
assessment and appeal of property taxes;

(2)  Requires voter-approved property tax rate increases to be
applied to a political subdivision's most recent total assessed
valuation, as certified by the State Tax Commission on or before
the date of the election.  Every political subdivision in a
reassessment year must roll-back its prior year's tax rate
regardless of whether the political subdivision was levying the
tax at its tax rate ceiling.  A political subdivision can modify
its tax rate, not to exceed its maximum authorized voter-approved
levy, through the adoption of an ordinance, resolution, or policy
statement in a non-reassessment year;

(3)  Requires assessors to notify taxpayers by February 15 of
real property assessment increases and the estimated tax
liability for the property;

(4)  Requires the assessor of St. Louis County to complete and
return the assessor's book to the county's governing body by
May 1 of every year;

(5)  Extends the requirement that certain counties and the City
of St. Louis must deduct either 1/8 of 1% or 1/4 of 1% of all ad
valorem property tax collections and deposit the amount into the
county's assessment fund from December 31, 2009, to December 31,
2015.  If the commission withholds state assessment reimbursement
funds from a county for three consecutive quarters, the extra 1/8
of 1% or 1/4 of 1% collection revenues in the county assessment
fund will be forfeited and returned by the county to the
political subdivisions within the county;

(6)  Changes the date the St. Louis County Board of Equalization
convenes from the first Monday in June to the second Monday in
May;

(7)  Requires the circuit court clerk to send the county
collector a notice when a taxpayer timely files an appeal seeking
exemption of a final decision of the local board of equalization.
The notice must contain the taxpayer's name, the case number
assigned by the court, and the parcel or locator number of the
property being appealed.  The notice to the collector must state
that the taxes in dispute are to be impounded;

(8)  Requires the commission to send the county collector a
notice of appeal when a taxpayer timely files an appeal.  The
notice must contain the taxpayer's name, the appeal number
assigned by the commission, the assessed value provided to the
local board of equalization, and the assessed value proposed by
the taxpayer, if the values are available to the commission when
the appeal is filed.  The notice must also specifically state
that the taxes in dispute are to be impounded and if the notice
is filed in an odd-numbered year, it will serve as notice to the
collector to impound taxes for the following even-numbered year
if no decision has been rendered in the appeal;

(9)  Relieves a taxpayer from the requirement of filing a
statement of protest if the taxpayer filed an appeal from a local
board of equalization to the commission or circuit court;

(10)  Changes several other provisions of law regarding the
notification of appeal of assessment and the impounding,
investment, and refund of protested tax payments; and

(11)  Repeals the requirement that the commission notify each
school district of the equivalent sales ratio for the previous
year which was adopted to determine the equalized assessed
valuation of the property and the equalized operating levy of the
school district for distributions under the old school foundation
formula.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:10 pm