Elected assessor fight not over yet in Jackson County
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (KCTV) - The fight over Jackson County property taxes isn’t going away.
A push to let voters decide in November if the county assessor should be elected could soon be ended with a veto from the county executive. That effort involves changing the county charter, but it’s not the only way to force the issue. Another option is a change to the state constitution.
That would also require a public vote, in that case of the entire state. Lawmakers have tried to get it on the ballot multiple years in a row, but the momentum could be stronger when the next session begins in January.
The effort isn’t about singling out Jackson County but rather about including them in the same rules created for other counties in 2010. At that time, a different constitutional amendment was proposed by the legislature and passed by voters.
PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES
Lee’s Summit Republican State Rep. Jon Patterson calls the issue a priority for him. He is currently the House majority leader.
“We’re right in the middle of campaign season. I’m at people’s doorsteps on a daily basis. You talk with them and you ask them, ‘What are the issues really affecting you?’ And the number one thing I get is property taxes,” Patterson said.
Most of the opposition in years past has come from Democrats, but there are some Democrats who support the move, in part because they’re hearing painful stories from residents in the districts they service. Lee’s Summit Democrat State Rep. Kemp Strickler has heard plenty as he too campaigns for re-election.
“They’re older, they’re not internet savvy, they are perhaps poor health. They can’t go down to 13th and Washington and appeal,” said Strickler. “My concern was the way things played out, the way the process played out, it hurt the people that I believe need the help the most.”
He said his own campaigning has taught him the value of an elected position.
“It forces you to go out and talk, but more importantly to listen to the folks that elected you and try to find ways to solve problems,” Strickler said.
Jackson County Executive Frank White has expressed concern about the elected position not coming with the same strict qualifications he sets for the department head position. Strickler and Patterson both argue otherwise.
“I think the citizens are smart enough they could see which person has the credentials and pick someone that’s qualified, just like they do in every other county,” Patterson said.
“There are other charter counties that don’t have someone with that background, and they seem to be able to get it right,” Strickler said. “And if they don’t, they get voted out.”
WHAT’S THE CONSTITUTION GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Jackson County is the only county in Missouri with an appointed assessor. The City of St. Louis has an appointed position, but it is not part of any county. One reason Jackson County stands alone is the state constitution. Until recently, the decision to elect or appoint was up to the county.
That changed in 2010.
That’s when Missouri voters approved a change to the constitution submitted by then State Sen. Eric Schmitt from St. Louis. It required that county assessor be an elected position. The language that got to the ballot included an exception for a county with “more than 600-thousand but fewer than 700-thousand inhabitants.”
Counties can’t be named in the constitution, but that applied only to Jackson County.
“That was probably what was required to get the deal done,” explained Patterson. “But I think now it’s time to go back and make sure Jackson County has the same rights as all the other counties in the state.”
This effort to get the issue on the ballot during the 2024 session passed in the house with 116 yes votes and 10 no votes, but it stalled in the Senate. Asked how it would be different in the Senate next year, Strickler noted state senators are not campaigning. has reason to believe there will be less opposition in the Senate in the 2025 session.
“It’s not an election year,” said Strickland. “So, I don’t expect the Senate to grind to the halt that it did because of people trying to position themselves for election.
ONE MORE OPTION
There has been some talk about another option. It’s the population language in the exception. Jackson County’s population is now above 700,000 according to the U.S. Census estimates. Would that mean Jackson County no longer falls under the exception?
Patterson has looked into that, and the general legal consensus is that the exception still applies to Jackson County because it’s based on the number at the time the amendment was passed.
“I think if you talk to legal minds, as I have, I think the understanding is that it still applies to Jackson County, and change it, you would need to change the constitution,” Patterson said. “You have to change the (county) charter or change the constitution.”
A challenge would require a lawsuit. That could be filed by any taxpayer in the county.
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