The Jefferson Review Voters Guide

Special Edition

The Jefferson Review Voters Guide is designed to help voters hear directly from the candidates seeking to represent Jefferson County. Candidate answers are published as submitted so readers can compare responses in each race.

Editor’s Note: Candidate responses are not endorsements by The Jefferson Review. Answers are provided by the candidates and are shared for voter information.

Jennifer Modray

Political Party Affiliation: Republican

Short Candidate Bio

My name is Jennifer Modray. I am 57 yrs old. I attended Fox Elementary 1st-5th grade then moved with family to St. Louis. I graduated from Kirkwood High School and got my Associates Degree in Business Administration from Meramec Community College. My husband, Mark, and I just celebrated our 35th Anniversary. We had owned a home in Arnold until we built our home in Hillsboro where we raised our family. We have three children Christa, Maxwell and Molly. We have a granddaughter Macy that we have been blessed by through marriage of Christa and Robby Lee and a grandson, Ryder, is due to arrive very soon! My children all graduated from Grandview. I have been a Jefferson County taxpaying resident for 36 years and worked for Jefferson County in the Collector's office for 19 years.

Why are you running for this office?

I am running to be the Jefferson County Collector because I am able to lead this office with my knowledge and experience. When Michelle Worth decided to retire and not run another term, I knew that I had been prepared to take her place. I care that this office holds the same integrity and responsibility to the taxpayers and the taxing districts it serves, as it has in the past.

What experience best prepares you to serve in this role?

Being the Assistant Collector I have worked very closely with the Collector observing and learning her responsibilities so I could stand in her place if she were out of the office. I have worked in the Collector's office a total of 19 years. I had started as a seasonal worker in 2007, became full-time in 2010 as an Administrative Assistant, then promoted to Office Manager and again promoted to Assistant Collector.

What is the most important issue facing Jefferson County right now?

Growth and balance are Jefferson County's biggest issues. These are issues that pull each of us to act and react. Promoting a healthy balanced way to attract business, maintain and improve infrastructure, and protect our residential communities for a county to thrive. The part that I am tuned-in to are taxes. Taxes have always been a hot topic! The taxing districts want more, the taxpayers want to pay less, our legislative branch is trying to find a solution, the executive branch is struggling to accommodate new laws while the judicial branch is yet determining what is constitutional. There are issues that will be voted on this August that could again change the future of our tax structure for all counties in Missouri. When something effects our income, investments, productivity, employment and safety, we should pay attention and get educated so we have no regrets.

What is one specific thing you would like to accomplish during your term?

Michelle Worth, Collector, has requested a software update to accommodate pre-payments for Real Estate Taxes. With this new software update we will be retraining our office staff for this updated framework and we will be promoting this new payment program with the 2026 tax bills. I will see this accomplishment through in 2027 when we are accepting these payments and applying the payments to the parcel when bills are created. The new homestead credit that has been voter approved in 2026 must be implemented for application and given on the 2028 tax bills. The Collector's office has reviewed, approved, and applied 14,000 Senior Tax Credit applications in 2025 and while we managed that, this new credit will be 8 times bigger requiring software assistance and shared responsibility with other departments. I would like to promote more public awareness regarding payment options. Currently a taxpayer can sign up for paperless billing and they will receive both an electronic and a paper bill. I would like to promote the paperless option for more taxpayers to sign up for paperless bills with text reminders so we can reduce postage expense and paper waste.

How would you describe your approach to serving taxpayers?

I will serve the taxpayers the way I myself would want to be served, with respect, timely response and fairness. Respect the taxpayer by listening what they are saying, verifying that I understand with clarity, and responding with understanding. A timely response shows respect for their time and concern. Fairness comes from following statutes, ordinances and procedure guidelines.

What experience prepares you to manage the collection of county taxes?

19 tax seasons of participation have given me many experiences to manage the collection of taxes. I have taken part in the extension of the tax bills, verifying the tax roll with Assessments and tax levies given. Testing tax bills for accuracy. I have applied both physical and electronic payments. I took part in implementing the current payment processor we use and worked out problems. I know the statutes and ordinances and how to access them. I have attended 5 years of training with the Missouri County Collector's Association and have seen how that association can support me. I have managed the staff, participated in the hiring process, reviews, and payroll approvals. I have good faith in our excellent staff. I have reconciled the bank statement. I have been trained on how to do a distribution. I have experienced or observed it all from start to finish.

How would you make the tax payment process easier for residents?

There are many ways to pay a bill. We take in-person, mailed, online, pay by text, auto-payment, drop box, and partial payments. We have bill reminders and pay by date options. We are working on pre-payments for Real Estate tax. My big concern is the mail system is getting to be a problem. We are held by statute to go by the postmark on the envelope and postmarks do not get put on when the postman receives the mail but when the St. Louis hub center does their first automated process. I want to publicize that taxpayers must ask your local post office to postmark your envelope. Electronic payments can make that easier if you have that option. The only way I could make the tax payment process easier is pay the tax for you, but seriously, that is not on option. Knowing your options are best, so go online at jeffcomo.gov and click on I WANT TO: PAY TAXES, and get familiar with how to access your account online in case you need that option.

What should residents understand about where their tax dollars go?

Residents should know that taxes collected are distributed monthly to their taxing districts. Taxing districts are public services that you can access or serve your location such as Fire, Ambulance, Police, Library, Health Department, Roads, Mental Health, Disability Resource, State, Community College and School are your main districts. The bill specifies what the funds are to be distributed to and the amount. What we can't answer is what they are used for. Please contact that district to learn more about their budgets and board meetings.

How would you handle taxpayer questions, complaints, or confusion?

I listen to what they are saying, verifying that I understand with clarity, and respond with understanding. A timely response shows respect for their time and concern. Explaining the tax process and deadlines and giving some education helps if they are unaware. We can apologize for any confusion and be patient with them. We could learn something important in the process.

What improvements would you make to customer service or technology in the collector’s office?

During our peak times the phones are ringing one after another. We usually can answer within 3 rings over that an available support staff can pull the call. We answer and listen but often need to transfer the call to another department or a specific person within the department. While we could improve that by setting up an automated call center to direct calls by problem or specific needs, I believe that our taxpayers appreciate a human interacting with them. Often we get the response, "Oh I am surprised to get a person, thank you for taking my call."

How should the office communicate deadlines and responsibilities to taxpayers?

The bill gives deadlines and has a delinquent pay schedule. We can respectfully educate them of the process and deadlines when they ask questions. We all learned the process at one time, so we need to put ourself in their place for understanding.

What is one thing you believe the office currently does well, and one thing you would improve?

The daily collection of taxes and customer service is something we do well. Our staff knows their specific job and how that effects others. They are cross-trained to do other specific jobs if an employee is scheduled off. We have an excellent staff. We could improve our Merchant License application process by making it available online. When our Clerks office started accepting their Liquor License online we found that the process change caused a ripple to our office. The statutes and ordinances are old and so is our process.

Why are you the best candidate for this office?

I am the best candidate for this office because of my 19 years experience in this office and my cross training in the office with the Collector. I also am the only option as I am running unopposed.

Voters Guide Notice: This candidate profile is not a paid advertisement. Candidate responses are published as part of The Jefferson Review Candidate Voter Guide and are presented in the candidate’s own words.

The opinions and statements expressed above are solely those of the candidate or campaign and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jefferson Review, its staff, sponsors, or partners. Publication of a candidate response does not constitute an endorsement.

Candidate responses were submitted through The Jefferson Review Candidate Voter Guide questionnaire. Responses are presented in the candidate’s own words and have not been rewritten by The Jefferson Review. Formatting may be adjusted for spacing, readability, or display.

Questionnaire Note: Candidates were invited to respond to the same questionnaire for this office. If a question was left blank, The Jefferson Review may mark that answer as “No response provided.”