§ 137.750 RSMo — Assessment and equalization maintenance plan, payment of portion of expenses by state, amount, procedure — qualified costs and expenses

1. If a county has an assessment maintenance plan approved pursuant to section 137.115 , a portion of all the costs and expenses of the assessor of each county and each city not within a county, incurred for the current quarter in performing all duties necessary to assess and maintain equalized assessed valuations of real property, making real and personal property assessments and preparing abstracts of assessment lists, shall be reimbursed by the state. The state shall reimburse up to sixty percent of all the current and past unreported quarterly costs and expenses of the assessor of each county and each city not within a county based on compliance with the state tax commission approved assessment and equalization maintenance plan. The state shall reimburse each eligible county a minimum of three dollars per parcel for up to twenty thousand parcels, but no further reimbursements shall be made until the county has expended at least two-thirds of that amount of money for assessment maintenance from its assessment fund. The annual state reimbursement to any county pursuant to this section in 2000 shall not exceed seven dollars per parcel of real property in the county and each year thereafter such maximum amount may be increased by up to three percent, but the amount reimbursed by the state shall not exceed sixty percent of the actual costs and expenses incurred, except that counties entitled to only the three-dollar per parcel minimum shall receive one-fourth of the state's contribution each quarter.

2. The governing body of each county and city not within a county which seeks or will seek reimbursement under any provision of this section or section 137.720 shall establish a fund to be known as the "Assessment Fund", to be used solely as a depository for funds received by the county or city pursuant to this section and sections 137.037 and 137.720 , from the general revenue fund of the county or other sources for the purpose of funding the costs and expenses incurred in implementing an assessment and equalization maintenance plan approved under section 137.115 and for assessing real and personal property.

3. All counties and cities not within a county seeking state funds under this section shall submit a certified copy of their costs and expenses to the commissioner of the office of administration not later than the thirtieth day of the quarter immediately following the quarter for which such state funds are sought. The commissioner of the office of administration shall, in such form as may be prescribed by rule, certify that the county requests for reimbursement are consistent with the assessment and equalization maintenance plan approved by the state tax commission as provided in section 137.115 , and shall pay the state's share out of funds appropriated for that purpose quarterly to each eligible county and city to reimburse such county or city for reimbursable costs and expenses incurred in the previous calendar quarter.

4. (1) The following costs and expenses shall not qualify for state reimbursement or reimbursement from tax moneys withheld from political subdivisions:

(a) Premiums for property and casualty insurance and liability insurance;

(b) Depreciation, interest, building and ground maintenance, fuel and utility costs, and other indirect expenses which can be classified as the overhead expenses of the assessor's office;

(c) Purchases of motor vehicles;

(2) Costs and expenses which shall qualify for state reimbursement, but only if identified in the county maintenance plan and subsequently specifically approved by the state tax commission, shall include:

(a) Salaries and benefits of data processing and legal personnel not directly employed by the assessor;

(b) Costs and expenses for computer software, hardware, and maintenance;

(c) Costs and expenses of any additional office space made necessary in order to carry out the county's maintenance plan;

(d) Costs of leased equipment;

(e) Costs of aerial photography.