KANSAS CITY, MO. — At least one Jackson County homeowner said she filed her appeal in-person at the Jackson County Assessment Department, but it had disappeared when she logged into the county’s system days later.
“This is such a mess,” Christine Taylor-Butler, a Jackson County homeowner, said. "This is such a mess."
Taylor-Butler appealed the assessment of her home for the second time in four years after she said the assessment department got it wrong again.
“I was mad in 2019," Taylor-Butler said. "I’m angrier now."
She doesn’t think her Hyde Park home is worth the $533,000 the county assessor's office claims it's worth, an increase of nearly 40% from 2021.
“I let the house go for four years," Taylor-Butler said. "No repairs, so it needs more work now than four years ago."
KSHB 41 spoke with Jackson County Director of Assessment Gail McCann Beatty last week about the errors in the county's reassessment system.
"It is not a perfect system and that’s why I say this is a partnership between the public and the county assessment office for you to let us know when those things happen,” Beatty said.
Taylor-Butler let the county know with her appeal. After she filed it in-person, she said the assessment department printed it out for her.
If homeowners want to file an appeal online, they have to create an account on a program called SmartFile. Once they appeal, it’s automatically put into the system.
The county told the I-Team that homeowners should receive a confirmation email.
“So, I said, 'Let me go online and poof, it’s not there,'” Taylor-Butler said.
That wasn't the only thing that Taylor-Butler said went missing.
“I have an appeal and I have a BOE number and it has disappeared," Taylor-Butler said.
The I-Team reached out to the county get answers for Taylor-Butler. The county confirmed it has her appeal.
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said he’s heard about this issue from some homeowners.
“I’ve heard it from several different angles,” he said.
Abarca said the post-appeal issue adds yet another burden on homeowners.
“Unfortunately, another requirement being placed from the assessor’s office on the homeowner or the taxpayer to just be diligent in the collection and saving of all documents,” Abarca said.
If you’re filing online, Abarca recommends taking a screenshot of your appeal and keeping your records for proof.
“It’s very frustrating,” Taylor-Butler said.
The county contacted Taylor-Butler after the I-Team reached out and confirmed she could not see her appeal because she did not enter an email address.
It’s important to note that if you can’t find your appeal online, enter your parcel number without dashes and it should pop up.
The county said they resolved Taylor-Butler’s appeal over the phone on Wednesday. Taylor-Butler said they agreed upon a revised market value of $385,000.
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