Jackson County homeowner plans workshops to help others appeal home values

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The deadline for Jackson County homeowners to appeal property tax assessments is less than a month away.

Some Jackson County homeowners are experiencing sticker shock, as an increase in value is leading to a higher property tax bill for some. Options are now available to dispute those increases, but there is a deadline to do so.

July 10 is the last day to appeal property tax assessments, which isn’t a lot of time for those who say they still haven’t received their letters.

“Our backs are against the wall. We have nowhere to go.” said Joseph Jackson, a homeowner in the county and a former Board of Equalization member.

Jackson County Assessment Director Gail McCann Beatty said the average increase from the last county assessment is around 30%.

“I’ve talked to over 50 people,” Jackson said. “They are all from 75%, up to 98% increase.”

That’s one reason Jackson is teaming up with other county and community leaders, hosting three workshops to help homeowners appeal their reassessment notice.

“What we plan to do is teach people what they need to do to go down and push back against that assessment,” Jackson explained. “We’ll have real estate agents there to tell you what the value of your house may be. We will have appraisers onsite to give you information on what houses have sold. We’re going to tell people those things that they need to know. July 10 is right around the corner and they’re not going to have much time to prepare.”

County officials said they have been working to bring up assessed values to match market prices, which have increased significantly in recent years.

However, many homeowners KCTV5 spoke with say 2023 looks a lot like 2019. That’s the year lawsuits were filed, asking for assessments to be deemed unconstitutional.

“They haven’t fixed the problem at all,” Becky Wendt said. “They’re just repeating it.”

“Our survivability and livability are what is at stake,” said Jackson.

If you need help filing an appeal, you can attend one of the workshops for assistance. Below are the dates, times, and locations.

• Thursday, June 22, at 5:30 p.m. – Colonial Presbyterian Church at 9500 Wornall Road
• Saturday, June 24, at 11 a.m. – Robert Mohart Center at 3200 Wayne Ave.
• Tuesday, June 27, at 5:30 p.m. – 28 Event Space at 1300 W. 28th St.

ALSO READ: Home values now accessible online for Jackson County residents

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