MANY COUNTY ASSESSMENTS LISTS RETURNED, BUT SOME ARE STILL OUT

JACKSON - Cape Girardeau County Assessor Jerry Reynolds says the return of personal property assessment lists are better than average, however, there are still quite a few out.

Anyone who has not returned the list, or is unsure whether they have, needs to contact the assessor's office right away, Reynolds said.

Up until last year there was no required penalty for filing assessment lists late. But a new law requires assessors to increase the assessed valuation by 5 percent for each month the list is late, beginning in March.

"I think we have better than average returns. It is better than normal," said Reynolds. "I think the law has had an affect ... but there are still a bunch of them out there."

Reynolds explained that the lists are now being priced and entered into the computer, but it will be at least a month before his office knows who has not filed. About 25,000 lists were mailed out.

The lists are filed alphabetically, and by calling his office a taxpayer can find out whether their list was returned.

Residents of Cape Girardeau should call the assessor's office in the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex at 334-8876; residents of Jackson and the out-county area should contact the assessor's office in the county Administration Building at 243-2468.

The assessor is not required to send second notices out. Reynolds said if someone waits until December to turn in their list, the assessed value would have increased by 50 percent.

Personal property, which for most individuals is vehicles and boats, is determined by what a person owned as of Jan. 1.