01/08/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Putnam County 911 Board Clarifies Lawsuit: Seeking Only Voter-Approved 911 Funds, Not "100%" of County Revenue
UNIONVILLE, MO – The Putnam County E911 Emergency Services Board ("The Board") is issuing this statement to correct significant inaccuracies in a recent press release distributed by the Putnam County Clerk regarding ongoing litigation over emergency service funding.
Contrary to the County’s statement, the 911 Board is not seeking "100% of all use-tax revenue" collected by the county. The Board is seeking only the specific portion of the tax that corresponds to the emergency services sales tax, which was approved by voters and is mandated by a 2025 state law to fund 911 operations.
To ensure transparency for Putnam County taxpayers and our partners in public safety, the Board provides the following facts based on the public court filings:
1. We Are Seeking Only the 911 Portion, Not the "Whole Pie"
The County Clerk’s statement incorrectly claims that the Board "now claims entitlement to 100% of all use-tax revenue." This is demonstrably false.
As detailed in our petition, Putnam County levies a total use tax of 2.500%. However, the specific tax designated for emergency services (the "Section 190.335 Use Tax") is only 1.000%. The remaining 1.5% belongs to other entities.
The Board’s lawsuit explicitly asks the court to order the distribution of "monies... from local use taxes corresponding to local sales taxes levied and collected under Section 190.335". Simply put: we are asking for 100% of the 911 share (the 1%), not 100% of the County’s total collections (the 2.5%).
2. Other Essential Services Are Not at Risk
Because the Board is only seeking the 1.000% specifically generated for emergency services, the distributions for the Ambulance District, Sheriff's Department, Hospital, and Road and Bridge are not the subject of this litigation. Those entities are funded by their own separate tax levies within the total 2.5% rate. The Board has no claim to, and no intention of pursuing, funds designated for those departments.
3. State Law Changed in 2025
This legal action was necessitated by the Missouri Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 271, effective August 28, 2025. This new law amended Section 144.757, RSMo, to mandate that any county collecting a use tax corresponding to an emergency services sales tax "shall disburse a proportional share of such local use tax to such emergency service agency".
Furthermore, the law states that these funds "shall be... distributed... as provided in the authorizing statute for the corresponding sales tax". For Putnam County, that authorizing statute is Section 190.335, which requires funds to be administered by the elected 911 Board, not the County Commission.
4. The Reality of Funding 911 Services
While the County claims the Board has not been denied funds, the reality is that the County has ceased paying the portion of use tax proceeds previously provided to the Board following the adoption of the new statute. The Board estimates a loss of approximately $9,513.07 per month in vital revenue due to this withholding.
These funds are critical for:
* Retaining qualified telecommunicators who serve as the "first" first responders.
* Updating Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems to ensure field responder safety.
* Maintaining integration with neighboring agencies for disaster redundancy.
A Call for Resolution
The Putnam County 911 Emergency Services Board regrets that litigation was necessary to enforce clear state law. We remain committed to protecting the lives and property of Putnam County residents. We urge the County Commission to simply follow the 2025 state mandate and release the specific 1% portion of the use tax dedicated to 911 services, so that we may continue to serve our community without further legal expense.
