§ 137.243 RSMo — Projected tax liability, assessor to provide clerk with assessment book — abstract required — political subdivisions to informally project a nonbinding tax levy, procedure

1. To determine the "projected tax liability" required by subsections 2 and 4 of section 137.180 , subsection 3 of section 137.355 , and subsection 2 of section 137.490 , the assessor, on or before March first of each odd-numbered tax year, shall provide the clerk with the assessment book which for this purpose shall contain the real estate values for that year, the prior year's state assessed values, and the prior year's personal property values. On or before March fifteenth, the clerk shall make out an abstract of the assessment book showing the aggregate amounts of different kinds of real, personal, and other tangible property and the valuations of each for each political subdivision in the county, or in the city for any city not within a county, entitled to levy ad valorem taxes on property except for municipalities maintaining their own tax or assessment books. The governing body of each political subdivision or a person designated by the governing body shall use such information to informally project a nonbinding tax levy for that year and return such projected tax levy to the clerk no later than April eighth. The clerk shall forward such information to the collector who shall then calculate and, no later than April thirtieth, provide to the assessor the projected tax liability for each real estate parcel for which the assessor intends to mail a notice of increase pursuant to sections 137.180 , 137.355 , and 137.490 .

2. Political subdivisions located at least partially within two or more counties, which are subject to divergent time requirements, shall comply with all requirements applicable to each such county and may utilize the most recent available information to satisfy such requirements.

3. Failure by an assessor to timely provide the assessment book or notice of increased assessed value, as provided in this section, may result in the state tax commission withholding all or a part of the moneys provided under section 137.720 and all state per-parcel reimbursement funds which would otherwise be made available to such assessor.

4. Failure by a political subdivision to provide the clerk with a projected tax levy in the time prescribed under this section shall result in a twenty percent reduction in such political subdivision's tax rate for the tax year, unless such failure is a direct result of a delinquency in the provision of, or failure to provide, information required by this section by the assessor or the clerk. If a political subdivision fails to provide the projected tax rate as provided in this section, the clerk shall notify the state auditor who shall, within seven days of receiving such notice, estimate a nonbinding tax levy for such political subdivision and return such to the clerk. The clerk shall notify the state auditor of any applicable reduction to a political subdivision's tax rate.

5. Any taxing district wholly within a county with a township form of government may, through a request submitted by the county clerk, request that the state auditor's office estimate a nonbinding projected tax rate based on the information provided by the county clerk. The auditor's office shall return the projected tax rate to the county clerk no later than April eighth.

6. The clerk shall deliver the abstract of the assessment book to each taxing district with a notice stating that their projected tax rates be returned to the clerk by April eighth.