Perryville voters agree to eliminate city collector position

Thanks to the approval of the city's voters, Perryville, Missouri, will eliminate the position of city collector.

It was the only issue on the ballot Tuesday in Perry County and passed with more than 83 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the county clerk's office.

Voters approved the measure 221 to 44.

The question posed to voters was whether the city should contract with the Perry County collector to collect property taxes payable to the city, which would eliminate the position of city collector.

Longtime city collector Lori Carroll, re-elected in April 2014, informed the city this would be her last term. City documents show there have been a few discussions over the years with County Collector Rodney Richardet about his office possibly assuming the duties of the city's collector.

Perryville's code of ordinances set the collector's annual pay at 4 percent of the gross collections made, although it specifies the salary should not fall below a certain minimum nor exceed a certain maximum. The range in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 fiscal years was about $23,500 minimum and $26,500 maximum.

The city also recognized handing the responsibilities over to the county collector would provide more customer convenience because it would require visiting only one office and writing a single check for property taxes.

The 265 ballots cast amounted to a 5.34 percent turnout of the 4,958 registered voters in Perryville, according to the Perry County Clerk's Office. The verification process to certify the results will take place Friday.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Perryville, Mo.