June 09 Quarterly Report

Summer is here and we are almost midway through 2009. Without looking at a calendar we can always tell when summer is approaching because we begin to have inquiries about the annual Land Tax Sale. The annual sale is held the fourth Monday of August in every county in the state as mandated by Missouri State Statutes; the fourth Monday this year falls on August 24th and that will be the date of the 2009 Land Tax Sale. Last year, we used the new tax sale software and were extremely pleased with the results; it provides greater efficiency in service and sale documentation for our records and tax sale participants. The first published list of properties will appear in the Daily Guide beginning July 17th and updated lists will run the next three Fridays. The web site, www.pulaskicollector.com, also provides a link to the daily updated list until the sale date.

In light of current national news, we have had many inquiries concerning the sale of “foreclosed” properties. The purpose of the Land Tax Sale is to pay delinquent real estate taxes only and has nothing to do with the delinquency of mortgage payments and the sale of property due to nonpayment of mortgages. Neither does the collector’s office have information from banks, mortgage companies, nor attorneys representing financial entities concerning the dates and locations of the sale of foreclosed properties. That information is published in the legal sections of local newspapers but is not provided to us.

Retired Military and Personal Property Tax

Although we addressed this issue in an article last year, it is worthy of repetition.
If you are retiring from military service and continue living in Pulaski County, this paragraph provides you with valuable information. Every county in Missouri collects personal property tax on vehicles, trailers, boats, motorcycles, ATV’s, and/or livestock every year; this tax is separate from real estate tax or sales tax paid on a recently purchased vehicle. If your home of record is Missouri, you are accustomed to filling out the assessment form you receive in January and return by March. The assessor must have this form in his office (even if the property has not changed) to ensure that you will receive the statement that follows in November. If your home of record was another state, unless you notify the assessor, you will not be in our system and will not receive an assessment form or statement. Failure to receive a statement does not exempt you from tax responsibility, late fees, and/or penalties that may be incurred. In order to prevent late fees and penalties, you must notify the assessor’s office to let them know your current address and, depending on the date of your retirement, any personal property you owned on January 1 of the tax year. The statements are mailed the first week in November of the tax year and may be paid without penalty by December 31 of the same year.

All military personnel who own real estate in Pulaski County must pay county real estate taxes every year regardless of the home of record. This statement should arrive with your personal property tax statement unless your county real estate taxes are paid by an escrow account through your mortgage company; personal property taxes are not paid by your escrow account. We advise you to call our office in mid to late December to see if your real estate taxes have been paid, especially if you purchased a home, refinanced your existing home or your mortgage company sold your loan after September 2009. Penalties are incurred after December 31 of each tax year on both real estate and personal property taxes. If you no longer own a piece of real estate and you receive a statement for it, please contact our office to let us know of the change. We need to get the statement to the proper owner of the property so they may avoid late fees and penalties.

It is our desire to keep you informed and aware of tax procedures, laws and updates in our county and state. If you have questions at any time, do not hesitate to call us at 774-4711. Any questions or concerns regarding the assessed value of your land or personal property should be directed to the assessor’s office, 774-4717.

I hope you enjoy memorable times with your family and friends this summer.