The Assessor is charged with placing a fair market value on property as of the tax date.  The property tax in Missouri is “ad valorem” meaning the taxes are based on the property value. The Assessor has no jurisdiction or responsibility for taxing jurisdiction budgets or establishing the tax rate.            

Your tax bill is comprised of three key components.

1.         Assessment authority
2.         Taxing authorities
3.         Collection authority   

The assessment authority (Assessor’s Office) is responsible for establishing the fair market value of all property within St. Charles County as of the tax date. This assures the tax burden is distributed fairly among those responsible for payment. The taxing authority (school, city, fire districts, etc.) establishes the tax rate based on the budgetary requirements needed to appropriately fund the services provided within their jurisdiction.  The collection authority (Collector’s Office) is responsible for collecting the amount of tax assigned to each property owner.