‘Last option’: Date set for Jackson County property tax trial

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A judge has set a January 13 trial date to hear arguments in the 2023 Jackson County property tax assessment.

The trial centers on whether the State Tax Commission’s order is lawful. In August, the commission ordered Jackson County to fix 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 percent since the last assessment. It ordered increases be capped at 15 percent for the 2023 and 2024 assessments in most cases.

Jackson County has not complied with the order, so the state sued. The county then filed its own legal challenge,

“We believe the State Tax Commission’s order is not only misguided and dangerous, but also violates state law and constitutional standards,” said county executive Frank White at the time of the filing.

READ MORE: Court battle over Jackson County property taxes far from over

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

Jackson County has filed a motion to dismiss the class-action suit. In court Monday, the county argued this latest class action suit is identical to one that had been previously dismissed because taxpayers needed to exhaust all administrative appeals.

But attorneys in the latest suit say they’ve done that, and going to court is their last option.

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