Cape County assessor encouraging online filing for personal-property tax assessments

Thousands of personal-property tax assessment lists will be arriving in Cape Girardeau County mailboxes starting today, but county Assessor Bob Adams hopes people won’t mail them back.

Instead, he is encouraging county residents to take advantage of the an electronic filing option through his office’s website.

“E-filing is quick and easy, saves tens of thousands of dollars and takes an enormous load off the staff,” Adams said.

This is the fourth year Cape Girardeau County has offered e-filing as an option for reporting personal property to the assessor’s office. During the first two years, 2017 and 2018, participation hovered just below 15%, but last year the assessor’s office aggressively promoted e-filing and increased the participation rate to nearly 27%.

“My goal is to get it up to the 40 to 50% range,” Adams said. “That will dramatically impact our budget.”

Chief deputy assessor Linda Biri said the first batch of assessment lists were mailed Thursday, but not every property owner will receive a list as they have in the past.

“This year, we’re doing something different,” she said. Anyone who has ever e-filed a residential assessment list in ’17, ’18 or ’19 is not going to get an assessment sheet. Instead, they’re going to get a postcard, which will save us postage, and the postcard will have their e-file information on it.”

Each postcard will include an account number and PIN residents can use to access their online data. Account numbers and PINs will also be included with printed assessment lists so people who receive printed lists in the mail can file online.

The e-filing option is only available for residential accounts; commercial property owners must still complete and return printed assessment lists.

The deadline for filing 2020 assessment lists, either online or by mail, is March 1.

For more information, or assistance with the e-filing process, contact the assessor’s office in Jackson or Cape Girardeau, (573) 243-2468 or (573) 334-8876.