Cape County collector presents commissioners with annual settlement

Cape Girardeau County Collector Barbara Ghoulson presented her office's annual settlement and a report of unpaid taxes to county commissioners at Monday's meeting.

According to the settlement, a grand total of $83,275,783.81 was charged in personal property, real estate, utility and railroad taxes as of the close of the collector's year, which began March 1, 2020, and ended Feb. 28, 2021. Of the amount charged, $75,988,977.87 was collected and distributed.

"Everything we collect, we distribute as we get back," Ghoulson said. "We give it to somebody and these are the somebodies we give it to. We don't keep any of the money, it all goes to somebody. Every penny we collect goes back out to somebody."

Cape Girardeau County schools received the majority of distributions, $57,078,875.22. Cities in the county received $4,616,451.63 collectively, and county fire districts received $2,048,460. Other distributions of more than $1 million went to the Cape Girardeau Public Library, the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, surtax, mental health and county revenue.

In other business Monday, commissioners:

• Approved a request for quotation for a design/build consultant.
• Approved bidding for window tinting for the south side of the new courthouse.
• Approved bidding for shop materials.
• Approved a motion to allow bids for HVAC units for the highway department shed.
• Approved a request for a bank proposal for county depository services.
• Approved an agreement renewal with the county parks department.
• Approved an agreement renewal between Stanley Convergent Security Solutions and the sheriff's department.