KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Monday, property tax assessments once again dominated discussions during a Jackson County Legislature meeting.
Among the topics discussed were whether or not legislators would adopt two resolutions.
The first has to do with protections for seniors and those eligible for Social Security income and freezing their property tax assessments.
It was a bill signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson last week, but counties have to individually adopt it.
Jackson County legislators decided to hold off on making concrete plans until they can understand the bill, saying it's unclear.
They heard testimony that the bill doesn’t specify any age and those not eligible for SSI, like teachers and civil servants, couldn’t get in on the freeze.
They’re hoping the language will be fixed next legislative session.
The second proposal would get rid of the 2023 assessments altogether, throwing the county’s two year parcel-by-parcel review out, and instead use a blanket 15% tax increase from homeowner's 2019 values.
“What you are contemplating doing is going to create an enormous amount of inequity around the community,” said Gail McCann Beatty, Director of Assessment for Jackson County.
It did pass, however the legislature admitted that no one could enforce it.
“The point is we say and do something in absence of nothing,” Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said.
The inability to enforce it is something McCann Beatty also pointed out.
“I don’t believe that there is anyone that has the authority to actually enforce what the county legislature has just passed,” McCann Beatty said. “The state rules are clear that we have to reach market value. This resolution does not give the county executive the authority to do that. It doesn’t give the county legislature the authority to do that, and I think you’re probably giving people false hope and that’s unfortunate.”
Abarca said the legislature wants to the send the message that action needs to be taken.
“I think the goal here is to say that we want this to happen,” Abarca said. "So, Missouri Legislature, the Board of Equalization, Gail McCann Beatty — anyone who is listening to the people through us, should act. That’s our main goal here, we don’t want to sit on our hands and do nothing.”
What they can agree on is, appeal if you think your assessment is wrong.
“That is the only solution as of right now," Abarca said. " Everything else is advocacy promotion, trying to change things that are broken."
McCann Beatty added, “The appeals process works if you let it work, but you gotta let it work."
The assessor’s office just opened 3,000 slots, 400 of which were held for seniors.
The deadline is July 31.
—
