SPONSOR: Caton
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Elections by a vote of 10 to 2. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Administrative by a vote of 9 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HJRs 23 & 3.
Currently, all charters of charter counties are required to provide for the election of a county assessor, except for the charter of Jackson County.
Upon voter approval, this constitutional amendment requires the Jackson County assessor to be elected as well.
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that widespread dissatisfaction with Jackson County's assessment department is eroding public trust in the government. Public confidence in the assessment process would increase if the assessor were accountable to voters.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Caton; Arnie Dienoff; Robert D. Murphy; Sean Smith; and Teresa McBride.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that these issues are not occurring in St. Louis City so the City would like to be removed from the provisions of the resolution. As a city not within a county, St. Louis City's municipal departments are divided between city and county responsibilities. Making the City assessor an elected position could create some uncertainty for employee contracts and benefit plans.
Testifying in person against the bill was City Of St. Louis.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.