Homeowners in Jackson County, Missouri attend second day of property tax trial, describing doubled and tripled property values and unsuccessful attempts to correct them.
Image Courtesy of Bueno Asis
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) – Friday was the second day for testimony in the Jackson County property tax trial.
A judge is being asked by the Missouri State Attorney General and State Tax Commission to void or roll back increases in the highly problematic 2023 assessment.
Homeowners took the stand describing outrageous new property values that doubled and even tripled. Homeowners told a judge in detail how they tried to get values corrected with little success.
“I’m very surprised it’s gotten to this point. I don’t know if it’s greed or what,” said Jackson County resident Larry Watts.
The Watts’ saw their home’s value increase from $70,000 to $204,000 under the latest assessments.
“It was quite a shock. That’s just crazy,” said Monty Watt. “Trying to deal with them was an even worse shock cause you felt you were just being whiny or you were bothering them.”
The Watts describe a broken process to work with the county to fix the problem. They paid their taxes under protest and are still waiting to finish the appeals process.
Other homeowners told a judge about being warned values could go higher if they pushed for a lower assessment. All questioned if anyone from the county actually inspected their properties. None were offered interior inspections.
County legislator testifies
Sean Smith is technically a defendant in the case. He testified about what he heard from hundreds if not thousands of homeowners and how warning bells were going off in the spring before assessments were sent out.
Smith explained his background in computer modeling and how he now believes about 1/3 of all properties in Jackson County are “dramatically off.”
Smith analyzed his own neighborhood of like homes and noted how similar homes now have a wide range of values.
He described how he took his concerns to county leadership but a troubled assessment moved forward.
Smith and other legislators passed numerous resolutions to halt the process. That never happened. Eventually legislators asked the State Auditor to step in and review the entire process.
Smith explained his background in computer modeling and how he now believes about 1/3 of all properties in Jackson County are “dramatically off.”
Smith analyzed his own neighborhood of like homes and noted how similar homes now have a wide range of values.
He described how he took his concerns to county leadership but a troubled assessment moved forward.
Smith and other legislators passed numerous resolutions to halt the process. That never happened. Eventually legislators asked the State Auditor to step in and review the entire process.
That audit remains ongoing. A preliminary report reveals the State Auditor believes state statutes were broken.
County’s response
Jackson County has argued the lawsuit is political in nature. The assessment director and others say mass appraisal is a imperfect process and mistakes can be fixed.
Gail McCann Beatty was in court today and is expected to be called as a witness.
County attorneys asked questions about remedies that could possibly be more damaging than allowing the assessment to move forward.
The Independence City Manager testified if the judge provides relief the city will have to look at cutting employees or city services.
The trial continues Monday, July 8.
For all of KCTV’s reporting on the Jackson County tax assessment trouble, click here.
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