MARIES COUNTY — OutKast Sports Club in Belle was delinquent for its facility’s 2025 property taxes, according to Dana Simmons, the county assessor, during the May 11 morning commission meeting. However, co-founder Amanda Butler said in the afternoon that the taxes and interest were paid in full, but she was unsure of the receipt’s date.

County Collector Beth Wulff confirmed on May 12 that the taxes were paid Monday afternoon.

Wulff said earlier in the day that the original balance owed was $1,051.61, and the past due amount was $1,272.04 because of the interest that accrues on delinquent taxes. OutKast Sports Club is tax-exempt from federal and state taxes but the facility is not exempt from county property taxes. Butler said that business is working on acquiring tax-exempt status with the county.

While a 501(c)(3) organization is exempt from federal taxes, that does not automatically exempt the organization from county property taxes. Simmons used OutKast Sports Club as an example during the commission meeting.

Simmons believed the organization assumed they were tax-exempt. Even after reaching out, she couldn’t get a hold of them.

“I’ve sent them applications for exempt status, and they’ve never sent them back. So I don’t know what to do with them,” she said.

However, Butler said that their accountant is dealing with the paperwork, and she was unaware of the county requirement.

“We were exempt federally and state and didn’t realize we also needed the Maries County exemption as well,” Butler said.

According to the sports complex website, the club has a “state-of-the-art facility” to support youth sports as students train and compete. Founded by Joey and Amanda Butler alongside Jeremy and Tiffany Vandegriffe, the club started with a baseball team in 2019 and now has multiple baseball and softball teams.

The sports club received $4 million in 2023 to build the complex from the Missouri General Revenue Fund, authorized by House Bill 20 for a nonprofit organization to construct a youth sports facility that “teaches discipline and teamwork.” To qualify, the county must have had 8,000 to 8,900 residents with a county seat with fewer than 300 to 600 residents.

If a tax bill becomes delinquent, then the unpaid balance accrues interest every month. The collector must then start the proceedings to sell the property within three years after the delinquency.