COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
OVERSIGHT DIVISION
FISCAL NOTE
L.R. No.:3869S.01I Bill No.:SJR 46 Subject:County Officers; Counties; County Government Type:Original Date:January 25, 2022Bill Summary:This proposal requires all county assessors to be elected.
FISCAL SUMMARY
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON GENERAL REVENUE FUNDFUND AFFECTEDFY 2023FY 2024FY 2025
General Revenue*
$0 or (More than
$7,000,000)$0$0
Total Estimated Net
Effect on General
Revenue
$0 or (More than
$7,000,000)$0$0
*The potential fiscal impact of “(More than $7,000,000)” would be realized only if a special
election were called by the Governor to submit this joint resolution to voters.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON OTHER STATE FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2023FY 2024FY 2025Total Estimated Net
Effect on Other State
Funds $0$0$0
Numbers within parentheses: () indicate costs or losses. L.R. No. 3869S.01I
Bill No. SJR 46
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January 25, 2022
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ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FEDERAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2023FY 2024FY 2025Total Estimated Net
Effect on All Federal
Funds $0$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE)FUND AFFECTEDFY 2023FY 2024FY 2025Total Estimated Net
Effect on FTE 000
☒ Estimated Net Effect (expenditures or reduced revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any
of the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
☐ Estimated Net Effect (savings or increased revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any of
the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON LOCAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2023FY 2024FY 2025Local Government$0*$0$0 or (Unknown)
Costs net to $0 if L.R. No. 3869S.01I
Bill No. SJR 46
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January 25, 2022
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FISCAL ANALYSIS
ASSUMPTION
Officials from Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) assume, each year, a number of joint
resolutions that would refer to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment and bills that
would refer to a vote of the people the statutory issue in the legislation may be considered by the
General Assembly.
Unless a special election is called for the purpose, Joint Resolutions proposing a constitutional
amendment are submitted to a vote of the people at the next general election. Article XII section
2(b) of the Missouri Constitution authorizes the governor to order a special election for
constitutional amendments referred to the people. If a special election is called to submit a Joint
Resolution to a vote of the people, section 115.063.2 RSMo requires the state to pay the costs.
The cost of the special election has been estimated to be $7 million based on the cost of the 2020
Presidential Preference Primary.
The Secretary of State’s office is required to pay for publishing in local newspapers the full text
of each statewide ballot measure as directed by Article XII, Section 2(b) of the Missouri
Constitution and Section 116.230-116.290, RSMo. Funding for this item is adjusted each year
depending upon the election cycle. A new decision item is requested in odd numbered fiscal
years and the amount requested is dependent upon the estimated number of ballot measures that
will be approved by the General Assembly and the initiative petitions certified for the ballot. In
FY 2014, the General Assembly changed the appropriation so that it was no longer an estimated
appropriation.
For the FY22 petitions cycle, the SOS estimates publication costs at $70,000 per page. This
amount is subject to change based on number of petitions received, length of those petitions and
rates charged by newspaper publishers.
The Secretary of State’s office will continue to assume, for the purposes of this fiscal note, that it
should have the full appropriation authority it needs to meet the publishing requirements.
Because these requirements are mandatory, the SOS reserves the right to request funding to meet
the cost of the publishing requirements if the Governor and the General Assembly again change
the amount or continue to not designate it as an estimated appropriation.
Oversight has reflected, in this fiscal note, the state potentially reimbursing local political
subdivisions the cost of having this joint resolution voted on during a special election in fiscal
year 2023. This reflects the decision made by the Joint Committee on Legislative Research that
the cost of the elections should be shown in the fiscal note. The next scheduled statewide
primary election is in August 2022 and the next scheduled general election is in November 2022
(both in FY 2023). It is assumed the subject within this proposal could be on one of these ballots;
however, it could also be on a special election called for by the Governor (a different date). L.R. No. 3869S.01I
Bill No. SJR 46
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January 25, 2022
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Therefore, Oversight will reflect a potential election cost reimbursement to local political
subdivisions in FY 2023.
Officials from the Department of Revenue assume the proposal will have no fiscal impact on
their organization. Oversight does not have any information to the contrary. Therefore,
Oversight will reflect a zero impact in the fiscal note for that agency.
Officials from the Jackson County Board of Elections assume the proposal will have no fiscal
impact on their organization. Oversight does not have any information to the contrary.
Therefore, Oversight will reflect a zero impact in the fiscal note for that agency.
In response to a similar proposal, SJR 10 (2021), officials at Jackson County assumed an
unknown negative impact from this proposal. An elected assessor would add several hundred
thousand in costs. These costs include HR, Financial, and Communication staff that are provided
to elected officials and not to appointed staff.
Oversight notes the provisions of this proposal are subject to a vote of the people. In the event
the proposal does not pass, the provisions would not be implemented and the fiscal impact would
be $0. If the proposal is approved, then the provisions could result in additional costs to Jackson
County. Therefore, for fiscal note purposes, Oversight will range the cost for Jackson County as
$0 or (Unknown).
FISCAL IMPACT – State GovernmentFY 2023
(10 Mo.)
FY 2024FY 2025GENERAL REVENUETransfer Out - SOS - reimbursement of
local election authority election costs if
a special election is called by the
Governor
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
GENERAL REVENUE
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)
$0$0
*The potential fiscal impact of “(More than $7,000,000)” would be realized only if a special
election were called by the Governor to submit this joint resolution to voters. L.R. No. 3869S.01I
Bill No. SJR 46
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January 25, 2022
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FISCAL IMPACT – Local GovernmentFY 2023
(10 Mo.)
FY 2024FY 2025LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS
Costs – Jackson County - potential
staffing costs for an elected assessor
$0$0$0 or
(Unknown)
Transfer In - Local Election
Authorities - reimbursement of election
costs by the State for a special election
$0 or More
than
$7,000,000
$0$0
Costs - Local Election Authorities -
cost of a special election if called for by
the Governor
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS$0$0
$0 or
(Unknown)
FISCAL IMPACT – Small Business
No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.
FISCAL DESCRIPTION
Currently, assessors of all charter counties except for Jackson County are required to be elected
officers. This proposed Constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, removes this
exception for Jackson County.
This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not
require additional capital improvements or rental space. L.R. No. 3869S.01I
Bill No. SJR 46
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January 25, 2022
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Office of the Secretary of State
Department of Revenue
Jackson County Board of Elections
Jackson County
Julie MorffRoss StropeDirectorAssistant DirectorJanuary 25, 2022January 25, 2022