Mo. Lt. Gov. Kinder paying property tax penalty

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will pay a $42 penalty for missing a property tax bill he owed on land in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Kinder's campaign said Monday.

County property tax records show that as of July, Kinder still owed $192 of taxes on the plot of land plus $42 of penalties and interest for the 2011 tax year. In Missouri, property taxes typically are due at the end of the calendar year.

Kinder owns three properties in Cape Girardeau -- his home, a former residence that he now rents out, and a plot that has not been developed, said Kinder campaign manager Logan Thompson. He said Kinder never saw the tax bill for the vacant land because it had been sent to the address he rents to others.

"He never received it, so he never even thought about it, but he is paying it today," Thompson said Monday after The Associated Press inquired about the overdue taxes.

Kinder, who is seeking a third term as the state's No. 2 executive, is locked in a contentious Republican primary battle with state Sen. Brad Lager, of Savannah. Lager has run ads noting Kinder reimbursed the state for travel expenses after it was revealed that Kinder frequently stayed at hotels in St. Louis.

Kinder said last year that his campaign was going to rent a condominium in the St. Louis area, so that he no longer had to rack up hotel costs. His most recent state campaign finance report shows a $1,555 monthly payment to the Villas at Brentwood, which are described on the business website as "urban luxury apartments."

"When you're living in a luxury apartment in St. Louis paid for by campaign contributions, I suppose it's easy to forget about your personal finances," said Lager campaign manager Ray Bozarth.

Missouri's Aug. 7 primary election includes four Republican lieutenant governor candidates and eight Democratic challengers.