Missouri bill would let counties publish condensed financial statement, move deadline to June 30

Representative Janet McGaugh (sponsor) told the House Committee on Local Government that House Bill 352 would let counties publish a condensed version of required financial statements in newspapers and shift the publication deadline from March 1 to June 30.

McGaugh said the bill preserves required accounting work by county clerks but changes how the information is published so smaller counties save on printing costs. "The condensed version of this document will most definitely include the very thing that these people want to see," she said, referring to totals and elected-official salaries.

County clerks and municipal groups testified in favor. Sherry Parks, Livingston County clerk and president of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities, told the committee the later deadline would help smaller, third-class counties that currently must meet a March 1 deadline while preparing budgets and running spring elections. Parks said the condensed version reduced a one‑time county cost roughly in half in her experience: "In my county it's $2,500 to $3,000 and it's basically about half of that" when published in condensed form.

Chad Stebbins of the Missouri Press Association testified that his organization and its member newspapers support the bill and that state statute 493.05 limits newspapers to charging regular local classified/public notice rates for such notices. Stebbins said the association worked with the sponsor on the language and that member papers agreed not to charge extra for the condensed format.

Municipal and county officials said the bill also includes a provision intended to relieve long-standing fines imposed when small subdivisions failed to file required reports on time. Supporters described instances where fines accumulated to sums that the affected entity could not pay; Pat Kelly of the Municipal League Metro St. Louis gave an example of a city with fines in excess of $100,000 after an embezzlement case and administrative lapses.

Committee members asked about the estimated statewide savings and how the Department of Revenue collects outstanding fines. McGaugh and witnesses said the fiscal note estimated statewide savings could exceed $100,000 annually and that some fines are effectively uncollectible for very small subdivisions; witnesses said DOR has been pragmatic in working with affected local governments.

Supporters emphasized transparency would be preserved. Shannon Hawk of the Missouri Association of County Auditors said the later deadline helps reconcile accrual- and cash-basis accounting differences so published numbers match final records. Several witnesses said the intent is not to hide information but to reduce redundant printing costs while keeping financial records available.

Ending: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 352 with multiple government and newspaper representatives testifying in favor; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.