County treasurer talks 2013 budget with commission

"I usually try to estimate the money coming. I try to figure a little conservative," Vernon County Collector/Treasurer Phil Couch told the Vernon County Commission Wednesday afternoon during one of a continuing series of budget hearings.

Couch told the commission that he is currently estimating that his office will be collecting a total of $383,000, with about $310,000 from the 3 percent fee the collector's office gets from tax revenue.

"It depends on when the money comes in," he said.

"The PILOT money may not come in until next year," he said.

The Missouri Depart-ment of Conservation owns about 20,000 acres in Vernon County and gives the county a payment in lieu of taxes to replace lost property tax on that property.

The county also contracts to collect taxes for Nevada as well as the city, County Clerk Tammi Beach told the commission.

"We put it on the county bill so it gets paid. They can't renew their car tags without paying their taxes," Beach said.

Nevada pays the county about $23,000 for those services.

Couch said that in addition to Nevada, the county contracts with six other cities in Vernon County for tax collection services.

He told the commissioners that his expense for part time help is increasing since the auditor decided he can no longer have someone from the clerk's office take care of collecting tax payments on the ground floor of the courthouse. That change will increase the cost for part time employees to about $1,500, from $891 in 2012.

Couch told the commission that he is estimating $1,500 for advertising tax sales in 2013.

"But I think it will be higher. We used to send out notices to people and they would come in to pay it. That is no longer true," he said.

Because of the money he handles Couch says that he is bonded for $750,000, for a cost of $2,175. However, he only needs that high of a bond for the months of November, December and January. The remainder of the year his bond drops to $100,000.