Missouri Senate

Senate Substitute

COMPENSATION FOR COUNTY CORONERS (Sections 50.327, 58.095, & 58.200)

This act provides that the salary of a coroner in a noncharter county may be set as a base schedule as provided by law subject to an increase up to $14,000 upon the majority approval of the salary commission.

These provisions are identical to SCS/SB 1128 (2022) and similar to HB 2438 (2022).

Additionally, under current law, when the office of the sheriff is vacant, the county coroner is authorized to perform all the duties of the sheriff, until another sheriff is appointed.

This act provides that if the coroner becomes acting sheriff and the sheriff is no longer receiving the sheriff's salary, the coroner shall be paid, in addition to the coroner's salary, the difference between the salaries of the sheriff and coroner so that the coroner receives the equivalent of the sheriff's salary while serving as acting sheriff.

These provisions are identical to SB 1085 (2022) and HB 2175 (2022).

BASE SALARY SCHEDULES FOR THIRD CLASS COUNTIES (Section 50.327)

This act provides that the salary commission of any third class county may amend the base salary schedules as provided by law for the computation of salaries for county officials to include assessed valuation factors in excess of $300 million dollars; provided that the percentage of any adjustments shall be equal for all county officials in that county.

These provisions are identical to SB 704 (2022).

PUBLISHING OF COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Sections 50.815 & 50.820)

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.

These provisions are identical to provisions in SS/SCS/SB 725 (2022), SB 845 (2022), and SB 1191 (2022) and substantially similar to SB 1541 (2022) and HB 381 (2021).

COUNTY AUDITORS (Section 55.160)

This act provides that, upon request, a county auditor in certain counties shall have access to and the ability to audit and examine claims of every kind and character for which a county officer has a fiduciary duty.

These provisions are substantially similar to SB 889 (2022) and SB 628 (2021).

AUCTIONS FOR LAND WITH DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAXES (Sections 140.170 & 140.190)

This act allows a county collector to hold an auction of lands with delinquent property taxes through electronic media at the same time as said auction is held in-person.

These provisions are identical to SB 1144 (2022).

EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON PARK RANGER VEHICLES (Section 304.022)

This act adds vehicles operated by county park rangers to the definition of "emergency vehicle" applicable to yielding the right-of-way and the display of emergency lights.

These provisions are substantially similar to provisions in HB 1637 (2022), SB 1156 (2022), SCS/HB 2088, et al (2022), and HB 2665 (2022).

SALARIES OF COUNTY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS (Section 473.742)

Currently, if a public administrator of a second, third, or fourth class county or of the City of St. Louis elects to be placed on salary, the salary is determined by a schedule based on the average number of open letters in the two years preceding the term in which the salary is elected. This act provides that every public administrator who begins his or her term on or after January 1, 2023, shall be deemed to have elected to receive such salary. This act also provides that a letter of guardianship and a letter of conservatorship shall be counted as separate letters. Additionally, it shall be two letters if the public administrator is appointed by the court as both a guardian and a conservator to the same ward or protectee.

Furthermore, this act provides that upon majority approval by the salary commission, a public administrator may be paid according to the assessed valuation schedule set forth in the act. If the salary commission elects to pay a public administrator according to the assessed valuation schedule, the salary commission shall not elect to change at any future time to pay the public administrator according to the average number of open letters in lieu of paying them according to the assessed valuation schedule.

These provisions are identical to SB 1088 (2022) and substantially similar to HB 2450 (2022) and HB 2450 (2021) and is similar to SB 803 (2020).

MARY GRACE PRINGLE