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Sheriff urges county to place state assessment question on April ballot amid legal uncertainty
Summary
The sheriff informed commissioners that a recent state assessment bill may be challenged in court and advised the county to place a local ballot question in April (rather than a special election) if it chooses to limit assessment growth to the higher of CPI or 5%; commissioners were told the county must qualify ballot language by April.
The St. Francois County sheriff briefed commissioners about a recently passed state bill on property assessments and said counties that want to restrict assessment growth will likely need to put a question on the ballot.
The sheriff said lawmakers passed an assessment bill during a special session and that the bill is likely to be litigated. He said counties that want to restrict assessments—described in the meeting as choosing the higher of the consumer price index (CPI) or a 5% cap—must put language on the ballot by April. The sheriff advised commissioners against holding a special election because the county would bear the full cost and instead recommended qualifying the measure for the regular April election when municipal elections occur.
The sheriff described the bill as internally inconsistent because some senators cut deals that let different counties use different counting methods; he said the differences could make the law subject to legal challenge. He encouraged commissioners to monitor the final ballot wording and not to hold a separate special election for the measure.
Commissioners asked for updates and the sheriff said he would keep the commission informed as the state provides final wording.
Ending: The sheriff asked staff to be prepared to place a ballot question if the commission chooses to proceed; commissioners will consider final wording and costs when it is available.
