Livengood tracking lawsuits that most powerful man in Missouri can't stop

Hard working Chad Livengood of the Springfield News-Leader has been tracking the lawsuits filed by former Rep. Tom Burcham, R-Farmington, against cities all over Missouri, including Granby and a threatened one for Joplin. You may remember, those are the lawsuits that Speaker of the House Ron Richard, R-Joplin, the self-proclaimed most powerful man in the state, failed to stop because his Majority Leader, Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, refused to allow a bill to come up for a vote.

It appears Burcham, as Farmington city attorney, advised his client that the same kind of tax he is now attacking, is perfectly legal:

A lawyer who is suing cities across southern Missouri for levying multiple taxes that he says are "illegal" was city attorney of Farmington in 2007 when that town adopted the same type of “stacked” tax he is targeting.

“When (Tom Burcham) was the city attorney in Farmington, he gave a legal opinion that they’d be able to stack their taxes and they did,” said Gary Markenson, lobbyist for the Missouri Municipal League.

Farmington voters approved an additional half-cent sales tax in 2007 to fund $9 million to construct a new ewer treatment plant and make upgrades to the city's water system, said Greg Beavers, city manager of Farmington.