Cape County assessor pleased with growing number of e-filings

More people are filing their personal property assessment lists online than ever before in Cape Girardeau County.

And that makes County Assessor Bob Adams smile.

“We couldn’t be happier,” he said Monday when he reported an online filing percentage of nearly 44.3% during the first four months of 2021. That number will likely increase a few percentage points as late filings are submitted throughout the rest of the year.

“We are at the goal we hoped for,” Adams said.

As of Monday, 13,264 filings had been received through the online portal set up through the assessor’s office website with 13,060 of those submitted by the end of April. That’s about 1,000 more than in all of 2020 and more than 4,300 more than were filed online in 2019.

This is the fifth year the assessor’s office has offered an online filing option for county residents. Two years ago, just under 25% of the county’s assessment forms were filed online. In 2020, the percentage increased to almost 32%.

“I think it’s inevitable we will go above 50%,” Adams said, and estimated compared to last year, the county will save between $15,000 and $20,000 in postage and handling expenses thanks to the growing number of e-filings.

Adams said he thinks a media push, along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, helped boost the number of online filings this year.

“COVID came along and forced people to stay home, so some of them probably said, ‘I may as well try this,’” he said.

Looking for more business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.