2023-12-19 04:23:00
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A report from Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick lambasting the latest Jackson County assessments surprised some Jackson County homeowners.
Laura Carey was among them. She, like so many others, have been livid about steep increases in their property tax bills.
“I expected some B.S.,” she said. “I was shocked to hear that he actually agreed.”
She’s developed a distinct distrust of authority after her home went from an assessed market value of $239,000 to more than $404,000.
Fitzpatrick released a report on his initial review of materials. He has not yet completed the audit. According to that report assessed valuations increased on about 238,000 residential properties. Approximately 200,000 of those were increases of more than 15 percent.
His criticism centered around that 200,000 because of legal requirements for that level of increase that he said were not followed. Jackson County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty later issued a statement questioning the interpretation of the state statute that Fitzpatrick used.
READ MORE: State auditor blasts Jackson County in initial review of property tax assessment
Fitzpatrick recommended that the county legislature, executive and assessor should seek remedies for taxpayers, such as capping 2023 increases at 15 percent, using the prior year’s valuations or allowing for additional appeals.
“I just think that they need to step it back and start over and do it correctly,” said Carey. “And probably put some new people in there. Because apparently who’s in there doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
Fitzpatrick does not have the authority to compel the county to do any of those things. That frustrates Carey and area realtor Stacey Johnson-Cosby. Johnson-Cosby organized multiple events over the summer to assist with the appeals process.
“It’s refreshing and great to hear the auditor validate what we’ve been thinking all along,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that they really don’t have a remedy through the process now unless the county steps up and do what they’re supposed to do by stopping this fiasco.”
If you haven’t paid your property taxes yet and you think your assessment is flawed, you can pay in protest. We have instructions on how to do that here.
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