Jackson County legislators propose changes ahead of 2025 property valuations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - For years, KCTV5 has covered stories of Jackson County homeowners staring at skyrocketing property valuations, leading to significantly higher property taxes. Jackson County legislators are trying to fix this issue ahead of 2025 valuations.

On Monday, February 10, several legislators discussed their hopes of passing an ordinance in the coming weeks. The ordinance would require the Jackson County assessor to roll back assessments with more than a 15% increase from 2022 to 2023.

This proposal has brought several setbacks and opposition. In January 2025, a bench trial over the 2023 Jackson County property tax assessment started despite last-minute motions and waiting for responses.

The trial centered on whether the State Tax Commission’s order was lawful. In August, the commission ordered Jackson County to adjust some assessments.

The commission determined that the county did not comply with the state law requiring inspections if the assessed value increased by more than 15% since the last assessment. It ordered increases be capped at 15% for the 2023 and 2024 assessments, in most cases.

Jackson County did not comply with the order, so the state sued. The county then filed legal challenge.

Meanwhile, attorneys representing taxpayers in a class-action lawsuit claim thousands of Jackson County property owners are still waiting to be heard in court.

Legislators have also discussed a resolution requiring photos and sale comparisons to be posted on updated assessments. Jackson County Legislator, Sean Smith said this would give homeowners much deserved transparency.

“I think transparency in this process has been lacking and the more data we can give homeowners about how we assess their property hopefully the more they either understand or correct the data as opposed to just arguing about the value,” Smith said.

Legislators hope for a ruling and vote on the ordinance within the coming weeks.

ALSO READ: Testimony in trial over 2023 Jackson County Assessment wraps

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