HCS/SB 2 - This act modifies provisions relating to political subdivisions.PUBLISHING OF COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Sections 50.815, 50.820, 50.800, & 50.810)
This act changes the date counties shall prepare and publish their financial statements from the first Monday in March to June 30th of each year. Additionally, the county treasurer shall not pay the county commission until notice is received from the State Auditor that the county's financial statement has been published in a newspaper after the first day of July.
This act also requires second, third, and fourth class counties to produce and publish a county annual financial statement in the same manner as counties of the first classification. The financial statement shall include the name, office, and current gross annual salary of each elected or appointed county official.
The county clerk or other county officer preparing the financial statement shall provide an electronic copy of the data used to create the financial statement without charge to the newspaper requesting the data.
Finally, the newspaper publishing the financial statement shall charge and receive no more than its regular local classified advertising rate as published 30 days before the publication of the financial statement. (Sections 50.815, 50.820, 50.800, & 50.810)
These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1362 (2024), the perfected HB 2571 (2024), HS/HCS/SB 1363 (2024), truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022), SB 845 (2022), and SB 1191 (2022) and substantially similar to SB 1541 (2022) and HB 381 (2021).
COUNTY BUDGET DOCUMENTS
This act requires a county's proposed budget and all supporting schedules, exhibits, and other explanatory material, along with drafts of orders, motions, resolutions, or ordinances required to authorize proposed expenditures to be submitted to each member of the governing body by no later than seven days in advance of any vote on the budget. (Section 67.010 and 67.020)
This provision is identical to HB 749 (2025) and to a provision in HCS/SS/SB 50 (2025).
METROPOLITAN PARK AND RECREATION SALES TAX
Current law provides that fifty percent of sales tax revenues collected from the sales tax levied by the metropolitan park and recreation district shall be returned to the source county for park purposes. This act allows such funds to be used for storm water management projects in such county, as described in the act. (Section 67.1754)
This provision is identical to HCS/HB 1271 (2025) and to a provision in HB 200 (2025).
MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES
Current law requires municipalities to maintain at least three copies of the published municipal ordinances of such municipality for inspection by the public. This act reduces such number to one copy if the municipality maintains the published municipal ordinances online for free access by the public. (Section 71.948)
This provision is identical to HB 802 (2025) and to a provision in HCS/SS/SB 50 (2025) and HCS/HB 119 (2025).
COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENT PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO FILE
Under current law, any transportation development district having gross revenues of less than $5,000 in a fiscal year for which an annual financial statement was not timely filed to the State Auditor is not subject to a fine.
This act provides that any political subdivision that has gross revenues of less than $5,000 or that has not levied or collected sales or use taxes in the fiscal year for which the annual financial statement was not timely filed shall not be subject to a fine.
Additionally, if failure to timely submit the annual financial statement is the result of fraud or other illegal conduct by an employee or officer of the political subdivision, the political subdivision shall not be subject to a fine if the statement is filed within 30 days of discovery of the fraud or illegal conduct.
If the political subdivision has an outstanding balance for fines at the time it files its first annual financial statement after August 28, 2025, the Director of Revenue shall make a one-time downward adjustment to such outstanding balance in an amount that reduces the outstanding balance by no less than 90%. If the Director of Revenue determines a fine is uncollectable, the Director shall have the authority to make a one-time downward adjustment to any outstanding penalty. (Section 105.145)
These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1362 (2024), the perfected HB 2571 (2024), HS/HCS/SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022) and the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SCS/SB 724 (2022) and substantially similar to HB 441 (2021), HB 826 (2021), and to provisions in SCS/SB 527 (2021).
SHORT-TERM RENTAL CLASSIFICATIONS
This act modifies the definition of "residential property" for the purposes of the taxation of real property by providing that such definition shall include single family homes that are owned by a sole proprietor, individual, partnership, or limited liability company and leased, in whole or in part, for a term of less than thirty consecutive days.
This provision is substantially similar to SB 699 (2025) and SB 784 (2025), and to a provision in SCS/HB 1086 (2025).
MOTOR VEHICLE ASSESSMENTS
Current law requires assessors to use the trade-in value published in the October issue of the National Automobile Dealers' Association Official Used Car Guide to determine the true value of motor vehicles for the purposes of property tax assessments. This act requires the State Tax Commission to require an assessor to use such publication or the Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, or another similar publication, and requires the assessor to use the current years' October issue of such publication. The act also prohibits an assessor from assessing a motor vehicle for an amount greater than the assessment of such motor vehicle from the previous year. (Section 137.115)
This provision has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026. (Section B)
This provision is identical to HB 816 (2025) and to a provision in SCS/HB 199 (2025), and is substantially similar to SS/SCS/SB 799 (2024), HCS/HB 1690 (2024), HB 2358 (2024), SS/SCS/SB 8 (2023), and SB 493 (2023), and to a provision in SB 264 (2025), HB 2403 (2024), HCS/SS/SB 23 (2023), HCS/SS#3/SCS/SB 131 (2023), SS/SCS/SB 133 (2023), as amended, HCS/SS/SB 143 (2023), HCS/SB 247 (2023), and SCS/HCS#2/HB 713 (2023).
STATE TAX COMMISSION ORDERS
This act provides that a county shall have sixty days to comply with an order of the State Tax Commission that reduces the county's final assessed valuations. The Commission may grant one extension of thirty days, after which the county shall be deemed to be noncompliant. The Commission may direct the Director of Revenue to withhold up to one hundred percent of local sales and use tax revenues due to such noncompliant county until a determination is made by the Commission that the county has come into compliance with the Commission's order.
A noncompliant county may seek judicial review of the Commission's determination of noncompliance. If the court finds in favor of the county, the withheld moneys shall be returned to the county with interest.
Local sales and use taxes withheld by the Director of Revenue, shall be deposited into the "County Assessment Noncompliance Trust Fund", which is created by the act. (Section 138.425)
This provision is identical to HCS/HB 999 (2025) and to a provision in HB 660 (2025).
TOTALED MOTOR VEHICLE PROPERTY TAX CREDIT
This act authorizes any taxing entity to provide a property tax credit to a taxpayer to reduce the total personal property tax owed on a totaled motor vehicle. The amount of the property tax credit shall be equal to the amount of property tax owed on such vehicle, prorated for the amount of months left in the tax year.
In order to authorize a property tax credit pursuant to the act, the governing body of the taxing entity shall adopt an ordinance, as described in the act. (Section 139.035)
This provision is identical to a provision in HB 660 (2025).
PAYMENT OF PROPERTY TAXES
Current law authorizes counties, excluding township counties, to provide for the payment of property taxes on an annual, semiannual, or quarterly basis. This act repeals the exemption for township counties. (Section 139.053)
This provision is identical to HB 388 (2025).
JOSH NORBERG