Franklin County Assessor Tom Copeland is asking for the public’s help in the face of even more funding cuts from the state of Missouri.
Copeland said this week that assessors’ offices across the state are getting a cut in per-parcel reimbursements.
For the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, the reimbursement rate was $3.41 per parcel.
Starting July 1 — the beginning of the state’s new fiscal year — that rate will decrease to $3 per parcel.
When Copeland began his term as county assessor in 2009, the reimbursement rate was $6 per parcel.
“The burden of economics is not just on households,” he said. “I’m looking for every means to save money.”
Copeland said his office will continue one idea that it first implemented last year.
Impact notices, which inform property owners about changes in their assessed valuations, will only be sent to those who have valuation increases.
In the past, the assessor’s office also sent notices to those with valuation decreases.
Only sending notices to those with increases saved Copeland’s office about $15,000 last year, he said.
Other county offices are looking at ways to cut costs as well.
The county commission is considering going paperless for its meetings.
County Clerk Debbie Door said doing so would save on both paper and staff hours.
“We kill a lot of trees here and put an awful lot of paper out on the tables,” Presiding Commissioner John Griesheimer said.
Commissioners said the county could explore a paperless option and revert back to their current system if need be.
“It’s worth exploring. We’d be remiss if we didn’t at least look at new ideas,” Griesheimer said.
Door said the paperless system would cost about $350 a month and estimated the county would save more than that monthly.
“The state is making us do more with less and that makes it harder for us to operate,” Commissioner Terry Wilson said. “We’ll meet the challenge.”
