CARTHAGE, Mo. —
Despite real estate values lowered after the Joplin tornado, Jasper County’s general property tax rate will go down this year.
County Auditor Richard Webster acknowledged that’s causing him concerns as he starts work on the 2013 county budget.
Webster said he estimates the lower tax rate will reduce county general fund revenues $363,000, calling it “a significant hit.”
And he said county officials learned Wednesday that state lawmakers made no attempt to overturn the governor’s veto of a bill aimed at reinstating a requirement that purchasers pay local sales taxes on vehicles bought out of state or in private transactions.
Citing losses in local revenues, cities and counties had urged action on the measure during the General Assembly’s veto session held this week. That will translate to a loss of about $354,000 for the county, according to an estimate made earlier by the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Officials also know county costs will grow by $224,000 next year to pay for a 2 percent cost of living increase for office-holders and workers recently approved by the Jasper County Commission.
Webster said he’s watching county revenues closely, especially since sales tax collections have dipped recently. Sales tax proceeds play into the formula used to calculate property tax. Collections were up 6.6 percent through July — when they were used for the calculation — but have dipped since.
“We’re still up from the year before, but now it’s only by 3.5 percent,” he said. “But we had $600,000 more in the bank at the end of August than we did before,” putting the county’s general fund reserve at nearly $1.4 million.
The County Commission on Tuesday set the county’s general fund property tax rate at 7.57 cents per $100 assessed valuation, down from 9.93 cents this year. The value of property in the county is down 2.2 percent, due primarily to losses from the Joplin tornado. That would have triggered a higher levy if sales tax collections were not factored in.
“The goal is for collections to be revenue-neutral,” he said. “We think the valuation will go back up as there is more new construction, and that sales tax will flatten out.”
Proceeds for the general revenue sales tax were estimated at $5.9 million for the current year and Webster said he plans to estimate collections at $6 million for the 2013 year.
The property tax approved by the commission will generate just about $1.1 million, compared with nearly $1.5 million in the current year.
The commission also approved a levy of 20.36 cents per $100 assessed valuation for properties in the county’s special road district. The rate is up slightly, from 20.33. Webster said sales tax collections do not factor into the road levy.
Tax rate
On a home valued at $100,000, the new general fund property tax will translate to a county tax of $14.38, compared with $18.86 last year.
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