KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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A Jackson County Circuit Court judge ruled Monday that the Missouri State Tax Commission was within its authority to order a rollback of certain property tax increases in the 2023 assessment process in Jackson County.
In August 2024, the commission ordered Jackson County to roll back any property assessments that increased by more than 15% in the 2023 assessment cycle.
Less than a week later, Jackson County leaders pushed back on the commission's order. In an Aug. 17, 2024, news conference, County Counselor Bryan Covinsky told reporters he did not believe the commission's order was enforceable and the county did not intend to follow the order.
As part of their pushback, county leaders challenged the commission's order by filing a civil suit in September that named "all Jackson County taxpayers who had open appeals of the 2023 assessment pending before the State Tax Commission on Aug. 6, 2024," as respondents.
RELATED | Jackson County says its lawsuit is 'protect the rights of taxpayers,' but homeowners are puzzled
Judge Jacqueline Cook took testimony in the suit during a trial in January.
Cook released a 38-page judgment Monday afternoon.
Cook repeatedly concluded that the State's Tax Commission had acted within its authority in reviewing Jackson County's 2023 assessment process and its order to roll back certain assessments in excess of 15%.
Tuesday afternoon, Jackson County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty said Cook's ruling had "caused confusion and concern."
"Our mission remains what it has always been: to ensure every property is assessed fairly, based on real market data, and in accordance with the law," McCann Beatty said. "That commitment has not changed."
The county's statement references another of Cook's rulings in the assessment battle the county had previously interpreted as meaning the commission's order was unenforceable.
"Jackson County will continue to work with the County Legislature, the State Tax Commission and local taxing jurisdictions to determine the best path forward," the county said in its statement. "We are committed to updating the public throughout this process in a clear, transparent and timely manner."
Working with the county legislature will require working with Legislative Chairman DaRon McGee. McGee released a statement Tuesday afternoon applauding the court's ruling upholding the tax commission's rollback order.
"Affirming the decision of the Missouri State Tax Commission should send a loud and resounding message to the County Executive and his Assessment Director that his property evaluation system is broken and he violated the law," McGee wrote in the statement. "I expect the administration will appeal this decision; it's time for the County Executive to do the right thing and follow the law."
Earlier Tuesday, fellow Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca called on McGee to call a special meeting for the legislature to evaluate its next steps following the judge's ruling.
Those next steps remain unclear.
While Cook's ruling Tuesday upheld the tax commission's order, it did not offer any guidance on how the county could fix the problem, especially as the county embarks on the 2025 property assessment cycle.
The county said as much in its statement Tuesday afternoon.
"Even if the County were in agreement with the order, unwinding the 2023 assessments would have significant and unequal consequences," the county said. "Revisiting assessments now could cause some residents, particularly those in neighborhoods that haven't appreciated as rapidly, to pay more in taxes than the actual market value of their homes would justify."
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