Missouri Revised Statutes § 262.598

*262.598. Extension districts authorized — powers and duties — tax authorized, ballot language — withdrawal, ballot language — increase in tax, ballot language. — 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean: (1) "Consolidated district", a district formed jointly by two or more councils; (2) "Council", a University of Missouri extension council authorized under section 262.563; (3) "District" or "extension district", a political subdivision formed by one or more councils; (4) "Governing body", the group of individuals who govern a district; (5) "Single-council district", a district formed by one council. 2. University of Missouri extension councils, except for any council located in a county with a charter form of government and with more than nine hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, are hereby authorized to form extension districts made up of cooperating counties for the purpose of funding extension programming. An extension district may be a single-council district or a consolidated district. A single-council district shall be formed upon a majority vote of the full council. A consolidated district shall be formed upon a majority vote of each participating council. 3. In a single-council district, the council shall serve as the district's governing body. In addition to any other powers and duties granted to the council under sections 262.550 to 262.620, the council shall also have the powers and duties provided under subsection 5 of this section. 4. In a consolidated district, the governing body of the district shall consist of at least three, but no more than five, representatives appointed by each participating council. The term of office shall be two years. Representatives may be reappointed. The governing body shall elect officers, who shall serve as officers for two years, and establish a regular meeting schedule which shall not be less than once every three months. 5. The governing body of a district shall have the following powers and duties: (1) Review the activities and annual budgets of each participating council; (2) Determine, by September first of each year, the tax rate necessary to generate sufficient revenue to fund the extension programming in the district, which includes annual funding for each participating council for the costs of personnel and the acquisition, supply, and maintenance of each council's property, work, and equipment; (3) Oversee the collection of any tax authorized under this section by ensuring the revenue is deposited into a special fund and monitoring the use of the funds to ensure they are used solely for extension programming in the district; (4) Approve payments from the special fund in which the tax revenue is deposited; and (5) Work cooperatively with each participating council to plan and facilitate the programs, equipment, and activities in the district. 6. The governing body of a district may submit a question to the voters of the district to institute a property tax levy in the county or counties that compose the district. Questions may be submitted to the voters of the district at any general municipal election. Any such proposed tax shall not exceed thirty cents per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The costs of submitting the question to the voters at the general municipal election shall be paid as provided in section 115.063. Such question shall be submitted in substantially the following form: 7. The county commission of any county in which the tax authorized under this section is levied and collected: (1) Shall be exempt from the funding requirements under section 262.597 if revenue derived from the tax authorized under this section is in excess of an amount equal to two hundred percent of the average funding received under section 262.597 for the immediately preceding three years; or (2) May reduce the current year's funding amount under section 262.597 by thirty-three percent of the amount of tax revenues derived from the tax authorized under this section which exceed the average amount of funding received under section 262.597 for the immediately preceding three years. 8. Any county that collects tax revenues authorized under this section shall transfer all attributable revenue plus monthly interest for deposit into the district's special fund. The governing body of the district shall comply with the prudent investor standard for investment fiduciaries as provided in section 105.688. 9. In any county in which a single-council district is established, and for which a tax has not been levied, the district may be dissolved in the same manner in which it was formed. 10. A county may withdraw from a consolidated district at any time by the filing of a petition with the circuit court having jurisdiction over the district. The petition shall be signed by not fewer than ten percent of those who voted in the most recent presidential election in the county seeking to withdraw that is part of a consolidated district stating that further operation of the district is contrary to the best interest of the inhabitants of the county in which the district is located and that the county seeks to withdraw from the district. The circuit court shall hear evidence on the petition. If the court finds that it is in the best interest of the inhabitants of the county in which the district is located for the county to withdraw from the district, the court shall make an order reciting the same and submit the question to the voters. The costs of submitting the question to the voters at the general municipal election shall be paid as provided in section 115.063. The question shall be submitted in substantially the following format: 11. The governing body of any district may seek voter approval to increase its current tax rate authorized under this section, provided such increase shall not cause the total tax to exceed thirty cents per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. To propose such an increase, the governing body shall submit the question to the voters at the general municipal election in the county in which the district is located. The costs of submitting the question to the voters at the general municipal election shall be paid as provided in section 115.063. The question shall be submitted in substantially the following form: (L. 2013 H.B. 542 merged with S.B. 9) Effective 8-28-13 (H.B. 542); 10-11-13 (S.B. 9) *S.B. 9 effective 10-11-13, see § 21.250. S.B. 9 was vetoed July 2, 2013. The veto was overridden on September 11, 2013.