KANSAS CITY, Mo — Refunds won't be an option for Jackson County property owners who've already paid their 2023 tax bill, despite the Missouri State Tax Commission ordering the rollback of many property value assessments, at least not right now.
That's according to members of the Jackson County Legislature who addressed the commission's ruling on Thursday.
In total, Jackson County residents paid $115 million in property taxes over what was legally required, the legislators said.
Much of the money collected has already been distributed to cities, school districts, and other taxing jurisdictions.
"The reality is, this money has been passed along now to those cities and schools, who in turn have relied on that money to pay teachers, firefighters, and everybody else," Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith said at a press conference addressing the matter. "So immediate refunds are just not a realistic possibility."
Smith said only about seven percent of funding collected from tax payments is held by the county to operate county operations.
"$100 million — that's nearly an entire department; that's the park and recreation department," Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca IV said. "So there's no ready cash to flip like a light switch and turn it into a cash payment."
Asked if property owners could receive credit for future tax bills or a future check, Smith and other legislators weren't immediately able to confirm that as viable option.
Instead, legislators said they would focus on coming up with a solution for residents and correcting assessment values.
Legislators didn't immediately offer on any possible solution on Thursday.
The commission cited multiple reasons for ordering the rollbacks, arguing Jackson County violated state statutes during its 2023 assessment process.
Among the failures of the county included failing to notify many property owners that a physical inspection was required and also not providing a clear written notice of their rights to a physical inspection, the commission said.
Many notices sent to owners were not dated and didn't include the percentage change in assessed valuation, among other failures.
Jackson County Executive Frank White and County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty again slammed the commission's order, calling it "politically motivated legal maneuvers" and a "reckless order."
"It is clear that the Commission is being used as a shield for Attorney General Bailey, who is trying to escape accountability after lying and realizing he was losing the case," a statement from the county read. "This dangerous order is nothing more than the latest move in a political game, one that threatens to cause significant harm to taxpayers, school districts, cities, and essential services —impacting them to the tune of millions of dollars."
In the meantime, members of the Jackson County Legislature said they would introduce legislation on Monday to prevent the county's attorneys from using taxpayer money to fight the commission's orders.
"The reality is that we all need to focus now on getting this fixed, because if we don't, the 2024 levy rates are going to be set very soon," Smith said. "If they continue to rely on these bad numbers while a fight continues, all it's going to do is continue negative repercussions to the community."
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