After receiving legal advice regarding issues addressed during a Sept. 29 meeting in the county tax redemption process, Crawford County commissioners on Oct. 13 voted to repeal the November 2015 policy.

When Derek Thompson, a county property owner, went before the commission to receive the surplus funds from the sale of two of his properties during the 2026 tax sale due to unpaid property taxes, his wife, Christina Thompson, addressed an issue with the county’s tax redemption process.

When she tried to redeem the properties on Sept. 18, Collector Pat Schwent had already left, and she is the only one who can start the tax redemption process. Unfortunately, when Schwent called her back, she discovered that Christina Thompson was not under the limited liability company that the properties were under; only her husband was. This means that Schwent couldn’t discuss the matter with her without exposing the county to legal action.

While communicating with Derek Thompson, a date was set for him to come before the commission to receive the surplus funds.

During the meeting, Christina Thompson pointed out that they were ready to redeem the property on Sept. 18, and that they had to wait, but the interest didn’t stop accruing.

At the Oct. 13 meeting, Collector Pat Schwent mentioned that she was considering adding a small step. If a property owner wants to redeem their property, they will have the option to pay the entire amount, including any unpaid taxes, surplus funds, and additional interest and fees, on the exact day they call or come in. Owners will then have a choice: pay everything in full, or go before the commission to have their surplus funds released to them. They can then combine these funds with the amount they have to pay, the unpaid taxes and fines, to redeem their property.

Attorney Brooks Kenagy had explained that while the county was not following the black letter of the law, what they were doing was technically legal and a quicker and more efficient process for residents trying to reclaim their property.

Commissioners didn’t make a decision on the policy during the Sept. 29 meeting until they could discuss it further.

Prosecuting Attorney David Smith and Missouri Association of Counties (MAC) Attorney Travis Elliott talked about the situation, and Elliott ultimately recommended that the commission repeal the policy.

Until the state legislature comes up with more direction on the process, or state statutes become clearer, Presiding Commissioner Steve Black said they can repeal the policy, but continue operating as they have been.

District 2 Associate Commissioner Jared Boast agreed with this idea.

“I’m not telling you that we do it the best way, but we do it pretty darn good, and I think it’s pretty fair for everybody involved. However, it’s not to the letter of the law, and so I think if we repeal what we have, but we continue to do it that way, till either A, there’s a better way, or somebody says ‘thou shall do it like this,’ I think we’re fine,” Boast said. “And to be honest with you, I don’t know how many tax redemptions we’ve done…but I can tell you this: I’ve only had one of them that anybody ever questioned the process, and that was the latest one.”

A motion to repeal the November 2015 tax redemption policy was approved with a 3-0 vote.