HERMANN — At least one property owner is prepared to challenge the value placed on his property — and the resulting higher tax he would face — when the Gasconade County Board of Equalization (BOE) meets later this month.

By the time the BOE convenes July 20, there could be more appeals filed.

The BOE hears property owners’ appeals of the assessed values of their properties. The panel of county officials and outside experts can uphold the assessment or reduce the value placed on the property. Appeals are rare and often the BOE sessions are uneventful.

According to county officials at Thursday morning’s session of the County Commission, there will be two new members on the BOE. Citizen members Vickie Oelschlaeger, a real estate agent, and Chris Theissen, a recently retired banker, are stepping down.

In other matters taken up during the Commission session held in Owensville City Hall, Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, said he still has no specifics about coronavirus-relief funding reportedly coming to the county through the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A FEMA representative recently contacted County Clerk Lesa Lietzow in an effort to determine if Gasconade County was interested in receiving the funding, although, as noted by Lietzow, there was no specific information about the funding given at that time.

Miskel said he is still trying to learn the details of the funding program.

“The gentleman from FEMA, I’ve called him and he has not returned my phone call,” the presiding commissioner said.

Gasconade County has received $1.725 million as its share of the $2.2-trillion CARES Act funding passed by Congress and signed by the president in March. That money is to be used to reimburse local government entities for expenses incurred in the battle against the coronavirus. The requests for funding from the various agencies in the county thus far have amounted to only a small amount of the CARES Act money. The county has until Dec. 30 to make reimbursements out of the $1.725 million. All unused money must be returned to the U.S. Treasury after that date.

The county’s financial health could come into sharper focus tomorrow with the expected announcement of the sales tax reimbursement for July from the Missouri Department of Revenue. County administrators are anxious to see how sales tax revenue holds up in the second half of the year in light of the earlier lockdown and closure of businesses prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last July’s sales tax check — which should reflect sales made in June — was for $85,721, the smallest July check of the last three years. Administrators are hoping the July check will be large enough to keep the county from slipping farther behind the amount received to date a year ago. Through June, this year’s sales tax total is $13,520 below the amount received during the same period a year ago.

Even though sales tax is down, County Treasurer Mike Feagan said the mid-year checkbook review shows Gasconade County doing fairly well, compared to last year. Feagan said the balance sheet shows the county General Fund taking in $8,000 more than during the first six months of last year.