Mayoral candidate Adrian Shropshire claimed today in a Facebook post that the state rescinded their investigation on delinquent taxes.
Shropshire paid a personal property tax bill yesterday after being notified of delinquency. He claims additional charges were made later. The Observer has been informed that Board of Elections was informed by the state he is no longer disqualified. We are still awaiting a response from the State Department of Revenue.
However, there is a clear trail of documentation demonstrating that Shropshire has been driving around for years in a car he owns but never registered properly. On February 29, 2024, Shropshire was stopped by an officer on Chambers near Wedge Dr. and given a citation for an unregistered vehicle, a 2001 Acura. He received a summons to Dellwood Municipal Court and entered a gulity plea.
This 2001 Acura, however, has belonged to Shropshire since at least August 2021. This is verifiable through Google Streetview. The same car can also be seen in August 2022 on Google Streetview. Shropshire filed no declaration in either 2022, or 2023. During that time he also paid no property taxes on the vehicle he owned and instead paid far lower taxes on a vehicle he no longer owned, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It appears he transferred the license plate from his previous vehicle to the new car.
This car was previously noted in an earlier Observer story concerning city board members and non-payment of taxes in the story “To Pay, or Not to Pay Taxes in Ferguson.”
Concerning the new taxes, the question may be raised as to when the newer 2010 car was purchased and if it was registered timely. The Observer asks the Shropshire campaign to provide documentation of the bill of sale to assure Ferguson residents that this tax payment paid on March 3, 2026, was not properly due earlier.
Taxes bring the money the city government needs to pay for services residents receive as soon as they step outside their door: public works, streets, police, fire, recreation, and more. Is it appropriate to have a candidate who fails to pay his tax bills and declare his taxable property?