Fight over Jackson County property taxes ramps up
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - County lawmakers are pushing to throw out this year’s property tax valuations, the county executive is calling that illegal, and a PR firm hired by the county is clapping back at criticism with a new website aiming to root out misinformation.
All this is happening on what was supposed to be the deadline to file appeals. That deadline has been extended to July 31st. A workshop on appealing at Penn Valley Community College drew hundreds of people to the campus. It was the third of three workshops put on by Jackson County legislators Megan Marshall and DaRon McGee.
PEOPLE SEEKING ASSISTANCE
Many came specifically to meet with volunteer realtors to run comps.
“We’re hoping the realtors can give us some direction,” said Tim Steinman, who came with his wife. “We went to the meeting at Longview and the crowds were so much we couldn’t even get close to the real estate people. We’re both in our 80s and can’t do computers very well, so we’re lost.”
The workshop also included a group of volunteers in the campus computer lab assisting people with filing appeals online.
Director of Assessments Gail McCann Beatty estimated an average increase of 30%, but many people have seen much higher increases.
Jackie Powell sat down with realtor Pam Hatcher to look into the value of her south Kansas City home. Her assessed market value was set at $335,000 - an increase of $92,000 from 2021.
She found out her home might have been overvalued in 2021 too.
Hatcher found two homes of similar size within a quarter mile that sold in the past 365 days. One sold for $200,000. The other sold for $250,000. The clincher came when Hatcher looked at the interior photos. Both had been remodeled with open kitchen plans, picket tile and hardwood floors.
Powell said she hasn’t done any improvements in the home in the 20 years she has owned it. She described the look as stuck in the 80s.
“Formica countertops, not marble countertops,” Powell said.
She walked away armed with information that she has strong grounds to appeal if she snaps photos inside her house and cites the comps Hatcher found.
“I don’t mind paying taxes because I know it’s good for the community,” Powell said. “However, it has to be fair. People shouldn’t be broken down in tears worried about losing their home.”
Steinman was less pleased with the results. He lives in a more rural area near Lee’s Summit. It was hard to find any property similar to his within a quarter mile that sold within 365 days to use for comp values.
COUNTY LAWMAKERS SEEKING CHANGE
Also on Monday, the Jackson County legislature approved a resolution in of ditching the 2023 property tax valuations.
The proposal calls for instead raising assessed valuations to 15% above the amount assessed in 2019.
The legislature has no authority to change the process. Any change would have to come from the Board of Equalization, the appointed board that handles appeals.
County Executive Frank White criticized the proposal, calling it “irresponsible” and “illegal.”
“Under Missouri law, we must reassess the more than 300,000 properties in our county every two years,” he wrote in an opinion letter to the Kansas City Star. “This state-mandated process is designed to ensure that every homeowner pays a fair share of taxes based on their home’s actual value.”
The Missouri State Tax Commission, the agency that audits assessments requires that market valuations be set at no less than 90% of actual market value and no greater than 110%. For many years, the county had been undervalued.
That said, your actual tax bill should not go up as much as your market value or assessed value.
Taxes are split up by different taxing jurisdictions. Those include things like school districts, fire districts, cities and libraries.
Missouri’s Hancock Amendment limits the increase in revenues received by those taxing jurisdictions, so the levy (which is a percentage tax rate), in many cases is expected to decrease. Notices from the county estimate what the levies will be, but the final determination will be made later this year by each of the taxing jurisdictions.
The Kansas City Public Schools are an exception. They are not limited by the Hancock Amendment.
NEW WEB SITE
Monday also saw the unveiling of a new county website that not only answers questions but calls out claims made by people criticizing the process.
The Jackson County Property Assessment Facts website currently calls out the flat tax proposal as illegal and digs up documents on a homeowner who complained about her assessment at a legislature meeting. It ends with “New Fact Checks Coming Soon.”
“Unfortunately, there’s an abundance of misinformation out there regarding property assessments,” said Aaron Gilbertie in correspondence with KCTV5. “It’s important Jackson County property owners are able obtain information from reliable sources.”
Gilbertie works for PR firm Mod Ops. He said the county budgeted $160,000 for their services.
He said the assessor hired the firm to do a better job of communicating with property owners and news media at a time when internal staff are taking far too many requests to handle them on their own.
CALL TO ACTION
On Saturday, three county and state legislators will be present at what’s being described as a “Call to Action Town Hall” to hear about legislative proposals.
It begins at 2 p.m. at Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City. Registration is required via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jackson-county-tax-town-hall-welected-officials-solutions-715-2pm-tickets-669877049287?aff=oddtdtcreator
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