The 2023 Bates County business Assessment and Personal Property list are due by the March 1st deadline. Failure to submit your personal property form will result in late penalties of 15 dollars up to 105 dollars.
Your 2023 business assessment and personal property list should be mailed to Carl Bettels, Assessor for Bates county. The deadline is March 1st to avoid penalties.
A friendly reminder from your Bates County Assessor’s Office, 103 West Dakota Street in Butler.
The Bates County Commission met with the Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson Present in the AM session. Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley had other appointments in the afternoon to attend.
9:30 Wendy McCulley brought in her tax assessment. They had purchased 80 acres from her Father-inlaw 3 years ago. On paying her real property tax it was discovered they had never received or paid the taxes on this property. They have several properties and checked to make sure the deed was correct. It was discovered the Assessor and Collector had this one property listed incorrectly. They had their name and the address wrong. So, they would have never received the notice nor would anyone know who to deliver it to as the name was wrong. They have always paid their taxes on time on their other properties. All they were asking is that the $76.00 in penalty be removed as this was not their error.
Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney made the motion to remove the penalty of 3 years for The McCulley I s due to a clerical error in name and address. Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson seconded the motion. All vote yes. Motion passed. No opposition.
9:45 County Assessor Carl Bettels in to discuss the McCulley I s tax issue and the Hospital tax resolution voted on last meeting.
10:00 County Clerk Jami Page brought in the Marijuana County Tax proposal to go over with the
Commission to be put on the ballot in April. They also discussed proposing the County have a Dispensary license. Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney made the motion to present the 3% Marijuana Sales tax proposal with the proceeds to go to general revenue, to the vote in April. Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson seconded the motion. All vote yes. Motion passed. No Opposition. Jami had also reminded the Commission that all office holders were to have their budget turned in by January 6th. She has everyone’s but the Road and Bridge budget which the commission is responsible for. She asked for it to be done today.
Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley took a call from Kent Page with Mingo Township. One board member is not wanting to run again. Without someone to replace their spot they cannot resign.
The Order #2022-01A of the County Commission of Bates County, Missouri was updated. This clarifies the clerical and custodial duties of each elected office holder and sets the guidelines for Sunshine request. Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney made the motion to accept the Order #2022-01A as updated on the custodial and clerical duties. Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson seconded. All vote yes. Motion passed. No opposition.
Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney took a call from Reno-dry about the yearly maintenance on the courthouse system.
APPROVE ATTEST
I
Property Tax / Budget
Wednesday, January 11, 2023 8:40 AM
The 4th day of January Term
The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Approve bills
Commissioners worked on the budget and looked at a few donations funds to be revised.
Brian Duffield came in with this real property tax with a property that was acquired in 2021 from a Mr. Hobbs. When recorded in the Assessor’s Office it had reverted to Mr. Hobbs and never fully brought over to Mr. Duffield. He never received any information on taxes and today was questioning the property and the taxes when the error was discovered. Northern Commissioner Ken Mooney made the motion to remove the late penalty from 2021 and 2022 due to a clerical error in the Assessor’s office. Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson seconded the motion. All voted yes and motion is passed with no opposition.
Jim Wheatley approved the assessor’s reimbursement for the last quarter of 2022.
The commission asked to speak with the County Clerk, Jami Page, regarding several issues they had. -The Commissioners are researching a new IT service provider. They set up a meeting with Inetvisions for January 30th at 1:00 p.m.
-Jim Wheatley asked Jami to speak with the Treasurer and the Assessor regarding changing software from Governmentorto another company. Jim thought the cost was around $36,000. Jami said she had heard the cost would be around a quarter of a million dollars and that the County could not afford that. -Jim asked Jami if she had heard anything about employee raises from the other Office holders. Jami stated that the Office holders budgeted for an 8.5% raise. Ken Mooney said that would not happen. Jim said they haven’t decided the amount that they were going to give. But it would be between 4% and
5.5%.
-The commissioners have been discussing the budget. They are wanting to give Children’s Mercy $8000 this year.
-Jim asked Jami if they could set up another fund for the local use tax. Jim said there is no accountability in the law enforcement fund as to what the use tax is currently being spent on. Jami stated that when the use tax was passed by the voters in 1996 it was to go into general revenue. If the commission was going to move it out of law enforcement in July, then they needed to put it into general revenue. The commission decided if they moved it then they would put the use tax in general revenue. Jami had her Deputy Clerk set up new revenue and expense line items in the general revenue fund for the use tax. -The commission advised Jami about the repairs and updates that are needed to be done at the courthouse.
-Jami asked Jim what their role was in the budget process. She said by statute they are only allowed to approve or disapprove the budget. Jim said yes that was correct. He said if there was an expense budgeted in a line item that had not been in previous years then the commission would question that. Jami said that as the Budget Officer she was the only one that could cut the budget. She could only do that if there were more expenses than revenues budgeted. Jami asked the commission what days they would be coming in extra to review the budget. Jim stated that it usually only took them one day to review the budget. The commission decided that they would come in at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 18th and the only business they would conduct that day was review the budget. Jami told them she would not put anyone on their agenda that day.
