KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A recent order from the
The State Tax Commission limits the extent to which Jackson County property assessments can rise.
. Jackson County stated it would comply with the directive just as assessment letters were being sent out.
Brian Stephens stated that the county did not adhere to the directive regarding his evaluation. Meanwhile, other property owners are calculating and realizing that Jackson County assigned the highest possible assessments.
Based on the regulation permitting two consecutive 15% compound hikes, Jackson County can increase property valuations from 2022 to 2025 by approximately 32%. Over this same timeframe, Stephens observed his condominium’s assessed market value surge by 153%.
Stephens resides in a one-bedroom condominium located downtown within the Union Carbide building. The space spans approximately 1,000 square feet. Between 2022 and 2023, his property experienced a modest rise in its appraised market value, going up from $232,000 to $255,900, unlike numerous Jackson County residents whose home values may have fluctuated differently during this period.
During the weekend, he received his annual evaluation.
“I was stunned when it jumped from $255,000 to $588,000,” Stephens exclaimed.
That represents a 132% increase from the previous evaluation, which he claims is far too high for him to sell the condominium at this price. In contrast, one of his neighbors experienced an increase of only 15% in their property assessment.
“No wishful thinking here. If it were worthwhile, I’d sell it without hesitation. Not happening though,” he stated.
The most recent directive from the State Tax Commission states that for 2022, values cannot rise by more than 15% across each of the two evaluation phases. This communication details the regulations but allows exemptions solely for newly constructed properties.
“This is a condominium, so we didn’t undertake any significant demolition work this year,” Stephens noted.
Although Stephens’ case might stand out as unusual, those tracking property assessments have observed something they interpret as potentially becoming a pattern when they locate their 2022 figures, which were missing from the assessment notices. Denise Scott mentions that Jackson County assigned her the highest possible valuation within the guidelines of the order.
“I crunched the numbers and it turned out to be an increase of 15 percent from 2022 to 2023, followed by another 15 percent rise up to 2025. In total, this amounts to a cumulative decrease of around 30%,” Scott explained.
Despite this, they live in an unrenovated 1960s house.
“Things have really piled up, and I realize I need to take action. But how can we expect others to face maximum requirements when they haven’t even started working?” Scott stated.
Scott was employed at an assessment office in a nearby county.
“I understand exactly how everything functions. Being part of that sector, I’m aware of how smoothly it can operate. Seeing how inadequately this is managed frustrates me,” Scott stated.
Stephens contested his evaluation on Monday due to an almost $5,000 rise in his projected yearly property taxes, which were adjusted from $3,902 to $8,833 according to the recent appraisal.
The deadline for filing those appeals is July 14. As Legislator Sean Smith noted earlier, you retain the right to appeal even if your assessed value complies with the state order, provided you feel the county’s evaluated market value is not correct.
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