TKC Reader: Jackson County MUST Resolve Property Tax Assessment Crisis

Even on Christmas our www.TonysKansasCity.com blog community remains dedicated to the discourse and we want thank KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS for this EPIC INSIGHT into the fight over Jackson County property tax assessments. 

Even better . . . This note reveals . . . 

VOTERS AREN'T CONTENT TO LET JACKSON COUNTY ESCAPE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SKETCHY PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS!!!

And so . . .

We share impressive citizen journalism sent our way because it deserves consideration as we move forward into the new year . . .

Running On Empty: 2023 JACKSON COUNTY REASSESSMENT REVIEW

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is suing Jackson County officials for illegal taxation the day after Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick revealed county residents "were victims of a flawed and inadequate assessment process."

Bailey and Missouri’s State Tax Commission filed a 39-page, 13-count complaint against Jackson County, its legislature, Executive Frank White, Assessor Gail McCann Beatty, the Jackson County Board of Equalization and Tyler Technologies in Jackson County Circuit Court. Four counts are against Tyler Technologies, a vendor based in Plano, Texas, specializing in software and services to governments.

39-page complaint filed

"53. Of the over 275,000 residential parcels assessed, 90 percent were assessed as having increased in value and over 75 percent were assessed as having increased in value by more than 15 percent."

I just want to place the above (53) into perspective.

75 percent of 275,000 residential parcels were assessed as having increased in value more than 15 percent.  That is 206,250 residential parcels.

When the value increases 15 percent or more, it requires a new physical inspection (per MO Statute and Jackson County Code) and an optional interior inspection per homeowner request, following County notification to owner.

If we assume a team of 100 full-time property inspectors can complete a physical/interior inspection in 30 minutes minimum, it would take each individual inspector 1031.25 hours to accomplish the task.  This translates to each inspector (on a team of 100) working 129 8-hour days without breaks/lunch or allowing for travel time between properties.  Working a 40-hour full-time week (5 days per week), would take each inspector approximately 25.8 weeks to complete the required inspections.

Now, if we assume that the Jackson County Assessment Department had determined the 2023 assessed property values by at least a month before the required deadline notice (on or before June 15, 2023) to property owners…

AND 206,250 properties received increases of 15 percent or more…

AND this necessitated new physical/interior inspections for these 206,250 properties…

AND a hypothetical team of 100 full-time inspectors would require a minimum of 25.8 weeks to complete the inspections…

AND Jackson County property owners are required to pay their taxes by December 31…

THIS completely renders a taxpayers legal right to appeal the assessment process and tax value as NULL and VOID.

THIS is plain as day ILLEGAL.

Jackson County has no legitimate legal argument to justify their position of compliance.

What must happen SOONER RATHER THAN LATER?  To prevent further reputational damage to County leadership and financial damage to the taxpayers of Jackson County, the County MUST immediately enter into negotiations with the MO State Auditor, MO State Attorney General, and MO State Tax Commission to resolve the illegal 2023 reassessment process.  Jackson County property values MUST be rolled back to the prior year (2022) regardless of property owners decision to appeal or not.  The Jackson County Director of Assessment shall be made an electable position, responsible to voters, like all other counties in the state of Missouri.  Jackson County shall fully cooperate with the Attorney General and State Tax Commission to pursue financial damages from their contracted party.  Jackson County shall immediately begin preparing for a fair, equitable, and legal reassessment process in 2025.  Jackson County voters MUST decide which elected officials have ethically represented their best interests in this reassessment fiasco and who stood by motionless while taxpayers suffered.

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