Moniteau County Assessor Amanda Trimble and Moniteau County Collector Ellen Ash gave a brief but thorough rundown on the ins and outs of taxes Nov. 21 at the Republican Club meeting.
Trimble told her audience at Nic Nac Cafe her team sent out just less than 8,200 assessment sheets to county residents encompassing personal property and real estate taxes this spring. Out of that number, 7,492 were returned in a timely fashion, including 636 business assessment sheets.
A feature that was much appreciated in the assessor's and collector's offices was the use of new technology and software.
"It really made filing a lot easier for us," Trimble said. "We implemented the online system so that residents can e-file now, and about 1,800 people did e-file in the first year."
Another update in the assessor's office is the beginning of the two-year cycle of reviewing land parcels.
"There are 10,000 parcels in our county," Trimble said. "When we looked back, there were still black and white polaroids from the state assessment in the early 80s."
The hiring of two field reviewers allowed the parcel updates to take place, allowing the two to take photos of properties in Moniteau County in order to create an equal and fair assessment for taxpayers.
Trimble also mentioned a possible ballot measure taxpayers will see in Nov. 2020. The measure pushes to abolish personal property, and Trimble voiced her concerns on the matter at the meeting.
"I really think that would be very detrimental to the county and state," she said. "That money has to come from somewhere. So on average, if that were to happen, real estate would go up 25 percent so just be mindful whenever you see that."
The next Moniteau County Republican Club meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Bobbio's in Tipton.