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Camden County to hold marijuana-tax spending pending Missouri DOR guidance as auditor reports revenue shortfall risk
Summary
Treasurer Kendra Hicks told commissioners the county has received roughly $800,000 in marijuana tax receipts but lacks Department of Revenue direction; the commission agreed to pause spending. Auditor Jimmy Laughlin reported county budget-to-revenue is down about 4% and confirmed a tax-led shortfall question from the sheriff.
Treasurer Kendra Hicks told the Camden County Commission on March 3, 2026, that the county had received roughly $800,000 in marijuana tax receipts but had not yet received an order from the Missouri Department of Revenue specifying how the funds should be handled. "She has already made a phone call to DOR and is waiting for someone to reach out to her," the minutes record. Commissioners and department leaders agreed it was prudent to hold off further spending of those receipts until the DOR provides formal direction.
Auditor Jimmy Laughlin briefed the commission on fiscal conditions, saying payroll and department expenses are generally on track but noting fluctuation in Road & Bridge and the Sheriff's Department. "Overall, the county's budget to revenue is down 4%," Laughlin said. When Sheriff Chris Edgar asked, "So, if our taxes is on pace, will we still have that $2.4 something shortfall?" Laughlin answered, "Yes." The exchange was recorded in the meeting minutes and indicates the county remains exposed to a multi-million-dollar shortfall even if tax receipts meet current pacing assumptions.
Nut graf: The chief fiscal officers advised caution: without direction from the Department of Revenue, county leaders chose not to allocate marijuana-tax receipts while also confronting a reported 4% decline in budget-to-revenue metrics and the prospect of a roughly $2.4 million shortfall. Those combined conditions shaped the commission's decision-making and its request that the treasurer seek formal guidance.
During public comment, citizen Nathan Rinne alleged commissioners had been prevented from accessing certain functions of the county's BS&A financial system at times during past budget cycles. Auditor Laughlin denied that access had been removed and said commissioners had been assigned a group with viewing privileges in the system. Commissioner James Gohagan requested that an audit report of BS&A access changes be entered into the official record; the meeting minutes show audit entries documenting user changes across 2021–2022 and specific actions such as 'Disallow Login' in an October 24, 2022 entry.
The treasurer's worksheets presented at the meeting show the county's 'Total - All Funds' ending balance as $13,674,317.21 in the distributed cash summaries. The commission noted the Treasurer's printed materials and the BS&A audit report would be appended to the official record after adjournment for staff and public review. The meeting adjourned at 10:34 a.m.
The county will await Missouri Department of Revenue guidance before committing marijuana-tax receipts to programs or capital spending and has placed the Treasurer's documents and the BS&A audit report into the record for follow-up review.
