KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frustrated property owners filled the seats of the Jackson County Legislature's weekly meeting Monday afternoon.
In the fight against assessed property values, a class action lawsuit has been filed against lack of notification.
The 16-page suit claims the county did not notify some property owners of their assessments by the deadline set by state statutes — June 15.
Gail McCann Beatty, Jackson County's director of assessment, told KSHB 41 the deadline was met by a third party the county hired.
“It’s not the desire of the plaintiffs in this case simply to not have proper tax increases,” said attorney Kenneth B. McClain, who represents the property owners in the class action lawsuit. “They are simply saying if, in fact, there is a reassessment and tax increase, you have to follow the rules.”
Across the board, residents are seeking lower assessments.
“All of Kansas City needs to get together to help everybody on this,” said Pamela Bowen, who lives in south KC.
KSHB 41 asked numerous homeowners about the severity of the increase in their property value. Sharon Brown, who lives in Lee's Summit, said hers doubled.
“I feel a lot, yes I do,” Brown said. “It went up quite a bit.”
At Monday's meeting, McCann Beatty said property owners should pay less attention to the percent increase and focus their attention on whether they would be able to sell their home for the value listed on their assessment.
The county began a parcel-by-parcel assessment in 2021, which current county contractor Tyler Technologies finished in February 2023, according to McCann Beatty’s testimony Monday.
When asked about the contract with Tyler Technologies, McCann Beatty said the company is fulfilling its obligations.
“Absolutely. Given the condition our data was in when I got here, there was no way to move forward without doing the parcel-by-parcel review,” she said. “We had to have a new system.”
In 2019, McCann Beatty led the county through a tumultuous assessment year in which the assessor's office processed a total of 22,000 appeals.
As of noon Monday, Beatty said her office has processed 12,143 appeals, which equates to 4% of county parcels.
While acknowledging the challenges the county was facing heading into the 2023 assessment, McCann Beatty said she is confident 2025 will be a smoother experience.
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