§ 141.770 — Annual budget — public hearing — administrative costs, how paid — fiscal year — payment of claim by land trust — performance audits permitted, when.

Missouri § 141.770

• Jurisdiction: Missouri
• Title X: TAXATION AND REVENUE
• Ch. 141: Delinquent Taxes — Certain Subdivisions

Text

1.  Each annual budget of the land trust shall be itemized as to objects and purposes of expenditure, prepared not later than October first of each year with copies delivered to the appointing authorities of such land trust under section 141.720 , and shall include therein only such appropriations as shall be deemed necessary to meet the reasonable expenses of the land trust during the forthcoming fiscal year.  That budget shall not become the required annual budget of the land trust unless and until it has been approved by the governing bodies of the appointing authorities of such land trust under section 141.720 .  If any of the governing bodies of the appointing authorities of such land trust under section 141.720 fail to notify the land trust in writing of any objections to the proposed annual budget on or before November twentieth, then such failure or failures to object shall be deemed approval.  In the event objections have been made and a budget for the fiscal year beginning January first has not been approved by the governing bodies of the appointing authorities of such land trust under section 141.720 on or before January first, then the budget for the previous fiscal year shall become the approved budget for that fiscal year.  Any unexpended funds from the preceding fiscal year shall be deducted from the amounts needed to meet the budget requirements of the forthcoming year.

2.  Copies of the budget shall be made available to the public on or before October tenth, and a public hearing shall be had thereon prior to October twentieth, in each year.  The approved and adopted budget may be amended by the trustee members only with the approval of the governing bodies of the appointing authorities of such land trust under section 141.720 .

3.  If at any time there are not sufficient funds available to pay the salaries and other expenses of such land trust and of its employees, incident to the administration of sections 141.210 to 141.810 , including any expenditures authorized by section 141.760 , funds sufficient to pay such expenses shall be advanced and paid to the land trust upon its requisition therefor, seven percent thereof by the county commission of the county in which such land trust operates, and the other ninety-three percent by all of the taxing authorities in such county that are not appointing authorities for a land bank agency under section 141.981 and all municipalities and school districts in such county that are appointing authorities for a land bank agency under section 141.981 and are appointing authorities for such land trust under section 141.720 , in proportion to the product of their respective tax levy rates and the assessed valuations of the properties then in the land trust inventory located within their respective taxing jurisdictions.  The land trust shall have power to requisition such funds in an amount not to exceed twenty-five percent of the total annual budget of the land trust from such sources for that fiscal year of the land trust for which there are not sufficient funds otherwise available to pay the salaries and other expenses of the land trust, but any amount in excess of twenty-five percent of the total annual budget in any fiscal year may be requisitioned by and paid to the land trust only if such additional sums are agreed to and approved by the county and such other taxing authorities.  All moneys so requisitioned shall be paid in a lump sum within thirty days after such requisition or the commencement of the fiscal year of the land trust for which such requisition is made, whichever is later, by the county paying seven percent thereof due from the county under this section and advancing the remaining ninety-three percent due from other taxing authorities under this section on behalf of such other taxing authorities, and such amounts so paid shall be deposited to the credit of the land trust in some bank or trust company, subject to withdrawal by warrant as herein provided.  Amounts advanced by the county on behalf of any taxing authority under this section shall be reimbursed to the county upon demand by the county or by the county withholding such amounts from distributions of tax moneys to such taxing authority.

4.  The fiscal year of the land trust shall commence on January first of each year.  Such land trust shall audit all claims for the expenditure of money, and shall, acting by the chairman or vice chairman thereof, draw warrants therefor from time to time.

5.  No warrant for the payment of any claim shall be drawn by such land trust until such claim shall have been approved by the land commissioner and shall bear the commissioner's certificate that there is a sufficient unencumbered balance in the proper appropriation and sufficient unexpended cash available for the payment thereof.  For any certification contrary thereto, such land commissioner shall be liable personally and on the commissioner's official bond for the amounts so certified, and shall thereupon be promptly removed from office by the land trustees.

6.  In addition to the annual audit provided for in section 141.760 , the land trust may be performance audited at any time by the state auditor or by the auditor of any home rule city with more than four hundred thousand inhabitants and located in more than one county that is a member of the land trust.  The cost of such audit shall be paid by the land trust, and copies shall be made available to the public within thirty days of the completion of the audit.

Legislative History

(L. 1943 p. 1029 § 42, A.L. 1945 p. 1761, A.L. 1945 p. 1926, A.L. 2002 H.B. 1634, A.L. 2012 H.B. 1659 & 1116)