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KC Public Library offers free assistance for Jackson County property assessment appeals

Posted at 8:34 AM, Aug 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-20 09:34:34-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — So far, the Board of Equalization has received 13,158 property assessment appeals from Jackson County property owners.

More appeals are expected to come in after the deadline was extended to September 3rd.

The North-East branch of the Kansas City Public Library is one of several places offering assistance.

This is the second week the library has offered assistance for those that need it.

"We're focused on making sure people know that we're here, where we're going to be, when we're going to be there," Kansas City Public Library Legal Government and Informations Specialist, Jenny Garmon said. "This is a free service that legal aid is providing and facilitating."

The library has teamed up with Legal Aid of Western Missouri, where experts provide their expertise for patrons who have questions about the process.

The sessions with each patron can vary.

"It can really vary, it can be half an hour with one person," Garmon said. "It can be about 15 minutes where a legal aid expert can say, 'No, you don't need to appeal, this is actually in your benefit.' But more often than not it takes about 30 minutes for a patron to come through and have all their questions answered."

Several people and organizations throughout the metro have stepped in to help offer assistance throughout the past few months.

"I love it when a community comes together," Garmon said. "Then something's wrong and we try to make it right , as right as we can. I hate to see people hurting and I'd like to be part of a solutions so for me that's the beauty of being in the library, is that we can help our community and bring them in contact with experts and also information that can help.

Here are the Kansas City Public Library times and locations where assistance will be offered:

August 20
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
KC Public Library North-East Branch at 6000 Wilson Rd.

August 21
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
KC Public Library Plaza Branch at 4801 Main St.

August 27
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
KC Public Library Waldo Branch at 201 E. 75th St.

August 29
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
KC Public Library Westport Branch at 118 Westport Rd.

You do not need to bring any forms with you, as the library will have that on hand.

It is suggested to bring your assessment with you, however legal aid is able to look it up online, if need be.