[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6225581,"mediaKeyId","3536440-5f95cb13e3f0d64359f6cc70e2f972e7","parentId",3536440,"title","Licensed Collector outlines tax revenue breakdown, warns tornado will affect FY26 projections","audioSeconds",407,"startMs",933000,"endMs",1340000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3536440-5f95cb13e3f0d64359f6cc70e2f972e7&start=933&end=1340","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3536440-5f95cb13e3f0d64359f6cc70e2f972e7/thumbnail_933000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6225581/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Licensed-Collector-outlines-tax-revenue-breakdown-warns-tornado-will-affect-FY26-projections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225581-792a69b2a1607581796f3278828c69c5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436992&Signature=epyEHtxU4CjE36iZyWswDPFdf3idHSAGdQ2aNZWecQL~og2mvTlr5NgBGP7IJ33IVUIyx-eC72-TWcp0gTtNSa5TbqHMOeiJNSLaglhbqBkS7x5OtUQxuHunmYe44m9Gc-~fH7cXbi4IY7LgqGa76Ci6OuTuIj1Xhaq2FcEdY0RjvsGMP-xAMnfD49yYBUjiivWgbF63tG0zxMmey98~~trqYWRDKFO4poB5k7YfNTokNI~wb-vFUCpQJp-JxmrvGMauhVaWLij83H3q-2uMaa-N0F-kmrHbZaHk0sasgcwt7byr9HnRTSGnfXwJMQl2ZmCfxvlSwZSUmAWRNhSFbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Louis, MO","date","2025-05-28T07:35:03.243Z","article","Mavis Thompson, St. Louis City Licensed Collector, told the Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 27 that the office collects most of the city’s municipal, manufacturing and hotel taxes and that recent tornado damage makes FY26 revenue projections uncertain.

Thompson said the Licensed Collector’s office is a county office under Missouri statutes but is a citywide elected position in St. Louis. She said the office collects a mix of municipal, manufacturing and hotel‑motel taxes and that the total annual collections have ranged “anywhere from around $61,000,000 to $71,000,000,” figures she described as pre‑ and post‑COVID comparisons.

Thompson outlined where revenue flows: she said more than 96% of collected taxes are distributed to recipient entities and described the largest single share going to the city’s general revenue fund. “The largest beneficiary, totally distributed, was probably right at 61% of that and that was to the general revenue fund for city services,” Thompson said. She added that public schools received about 17% of distributed funds.

The Licensed Collector’s office keeps a small commission on collections (generally rounded to 3–4%), which Thompson said results in roughly $1.0 million available to operate the office. She described personnel costs as the bulk of expenditures and said the office has set its entry‑level pay to $20 an hour.

Thompson flagged short‑term rental revenue as a special case: the portion of short‑term rental fees that would be distributed is currently paused because of ongoing litigation. She also warned that tornado damage complicates outreach to affected businesses; SLDC and other partners are distributing pamphlets but Thompson questioned how destroyed businesses would receive recovery information. “You’re going out putting out pamphlets but the businesses have been destroyed,” she said.

Thompson described field work supported by a small fleet of automobiles used to check business operations and reported that the office tries to apply due process rather than punitive enforcement when businesses are out of compliance. Committee members thanked Thompson for providing tax breakdowns and said they would coordinate on business recovery efforts and forums to support affected businesses.

No committee vote on the Licensed Collector’s proposed budget was reported during the May 27 session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget and Public Employees Committee - May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Mavis Thompson, St. Louis City Licensed Collector, presented the office’s FY figures May 27, saying municipal, manufacturing and hotel taxes historically total about $61 million to $71 million and noting that short‑term rental fee distributions are paused due to litigation and that tornado damage makes some revenue projections uncertain.","taxTitle","St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Missouri","taxId",2587,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6225586,"Recorder of Deeds seeks more archive digitization, outlines tornado recovery work",145,136000,281000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3536440-5f95cb13e3f0d64359f6cc70e2f972e7&start=136&end=281","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3536440-5f95cb13e3f0d64359f6cc70e2f972e7/thumbnail_136000.jpg","/articles/6225586/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Recorder-of-Deeds-seeks-more-archive-digitization-outlines-tornado-recovery-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225586-b219439be9080ea3868f075e330fa1da/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436992&Signature=bQlOQ395CId1F9psyQb2xz0vs79Z1i1fHL1163HxxsKA7eftPyXvYFxKkUJGkvshdrU4CTAa3234Er7WbDG7GSoHCtn~oCxcjb0pcfsoaGExwlR-3JcfyOsUSFEfKB26yIsqtvqS7z8jWqxq~D-ouczZJvb1RMY8a7MigqGHVoOKhMqRoMvkCSLqGhdb0tnEeUC~ANYyvK8jGQohN70GQUCFWK3dOtok6TNp2ZQCWBLr2Wm1LjpBCSuCKDEbsuz4I7wcu63r-uFu2HZLmOyhl-cU~GQH23TaOS2e3zwgIcGubi-HJb0E40lGr6OMf16DVyBSG321zcVnh3go8fP1wg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michael Butler, St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds, told the Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 27 that his office’s FY26 priorities include digitizing older land and vital records and supporting homeowners affected by recent tornadoes.

The Recorder’s office is responsible for land records, birth and death records and archival custody for many documents dating back more than a century. Butler told the committee that about 40% of the office’s documents remain unarchived and that the office has sought American Rescue Plan Act funds to digitize older records; the ARPA request—up to $1,500,000—was not approved. “Our focus for the fiscal year 2026 is digitizing more of our archives,” Butler said.

Digitization and improved online services are framed as both a public-service and revenue strategy. Butler said the office has increased online transactions from roughly 20% to about 70% of customer business and aims for citizens to be able to access all documents without visiting City Hall. “My goal is that you no longer have to come to City Hall at all to come to our office, that you can access every single document online,” Butler said.

Butler described a recent renovation that consolidated in-person services into a single Recorder Assistance Center so staff come to customers rather than customers navigating multiple rooms. He said that operational efficiency allowed the office to reduce full‑time staffing on the general revenue side from 37 to 33 since he took office and to reduce one IT position this year, keeping the budget essentially flat while providing staff raises.

On tornado recovery, Butler said the office is proactively providing deed information to affected homeowners and partnering with InvestSTL and legal-service groups to assist residents. He said the office has adjusted some procedures to reduce the risk of deed‑transfer fraud after the storm, including requiring both parties and identification to be present for quick‑claim transfers. “We’re protecting against scammers,” Butler said.

Committee members praised the office’s customer service and modernization. Alderman Devote commended Butler for staff responsiveness and flagged that generationally held titles in North St. Louis can be “fractured” and may require extended legal assistance after the tornado. Alderman Browning and Alderman Velasquez also thanked Butler for the office’s work.

Butler invited continued coordination with other city departments and non‑profit legal partners to handle increased title work expected after the storm. There was no formal committee vote on the Recorder’s budget during the May 27 session.

The committee recessed to other business and will continue departmental budget hearings on subsequent days.","St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler told the Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 27 that the office is prioritizing digitizing historical records, expanding online customer access and assisting homeowners affected by recent tornadoes, while noting past ARPA funding requests were not approved.","actionData","errors"]

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Licensed Collector outlines tax revenue breakdown, warns tornado will affect FY26 projections

Recorder of Deeds seeks more archive digitization, outlines tornado recovery work