RAYTOWN BOARD OF ALDERMEN

Takes First Step to Approve a Resolution
calling for a Roll Back of Property Tax

BY PAUL LIVIUS

At last Tuesday night's Business Meeting the Raytown Board of Aldermen took the first step to become the sixth Jackson County governing body to voice its opposition to a re-assessment process that has gone out of control.

Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters asked fellow Board members to move forward with a document similar to one approved by five governmental bodies asking for Jackson County to roll-back property tax increases to a 2022 level with an allowance for a 15% increase in property taxes. The rollback would eliminate recent increases set by the Jackson County's Assessor's office.

Ward 2 Alderwoman Loretha Hayden said, "Something needs to be done". She liked the fact the Board was addressing the problem. In her opinion the company the County hired to make the Assessments had made a lot of mistakes. She told the Board, "The vendor should go back and fix those mistakes."

During discussion a number of Board members expressed the opinion that the sample language was too long and verbose. 

Ward 4 Alderwoman Theresa Garza suggested Raytown use a version approved by the City of Blue Springs. All of the sample resolutions provided by Walters to the Board contained the language asking for a rollback to 2022 property valuations. 

Alderman Garza offered a motion to switch to the Blue Springs Version. Alderman Greg Walters gave the second.

The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the motion. The Resolution was forwarded to the City Attorney's office to make the necessary changes creating a Raytown Resolution. The final draft will be voted on at the September 5, 2023 meeting of the Board.

 2022 PROPERTY VALUE = $59,000
2023 PROPERTY VALUE = $356,000
Raytown house 50-320-08-13-00-0-00-000

A former member of the Jackson County Board of Equalization, Preston Smith, addressed the Board during the meeting.

He told the Aldermen the Jackson County assessment was unfair and inaccurate.

Raytown homeowners lead the County with the largest percentage of  increases in property taxes.

Mr. Smith distributed a photo of a Raytown home. The house had 832 square feet of living space. No garage, no out buildings. In 2022 the home was assessed at $59,000. The 2023 Assessment of the property came back at $356,000.

Alderman Greg Walters shared the following comment received from a contributor to the Raytown Report's Comment Page. 

"We are seniors (77&76) own our home and like living here. Last year our house was valued at $130K and taxes were $2200. The new 2023 value came in at $258K. We went through the appeal process and the Taylor Tech guy, grudgingly, said our house is worth $220K. Many things wrong with the numbers they used. Such as year of construction, square footage and overall condition, etc. So, we either accept that and a $1600 tax increase, or go before the BOE later this year.

I pointed out to the man that our neighbor up the street with a very similar home but a larger lot and newer garage, was appraised at $148K. He right off said, very flippantly, "Would I feel better if he raised my neighbor's value up to $250K?" Then he said that the other valuations cannot be used to argue my case.

So now, we will probably test the waters and see if our house will, indeed, sell for $220K. Or maybe not."

Raytown joins a growing number of Jackson County governmental bodies calling for a rollback of the tax increases to the 2022 level. Those governmental bodies include:

• Raytown
• Independence
• Blue Springs 
• Lee's Summit
• Grain Valley
• Jackson County Legislature

RED AND ORANGE AREAS WILL INCREASE 75% TO 100% (OR MORE) IN PROPERTY VALUE.

How High are Property Taxes
Expected to Increase?

The map shown above tells the story. Use the legend on the top left hand corner of the map to find out the average percentage of the increase for your property. The map is color coded. If your property is designated in either of the two red zones, your property tax is in the highest two categories for increases.

The map was provided to the Raytown Report by Preston Smith. Mr. Smith is a data analyst. He consults private and governmental bodies, private businesses, cities, school districts, etc., for a living.

Mr. Smith was recently interviewed by KCTV 5.

“It’s just pathetic. It’s really, truly pathetic what they’ve done. And, what they’ve done to the people in Jackson County. I mean, that is the pain that they’ve caused,” said Smith.

If 36.7% is the actual average increase, it means Jackson County homeowners faced one of the largest hikes of any metro community in the United States. It would outpace Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and L.A. County.

Smith says that, while the increases are clearly large, they are also all over the place.

“There’s no consistency. It’s a pattern that is completely random. You have no way of tracking where anything happens. You have a 100% increase or 200% increase at one house. The next house, it could go down just as much,” said Smith.”

State Auditor’s Office informs Jackson County of Whistleblower Complaints

BY GREG WALTERS

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has received  multiple complaints from Jackson County residents about the property assessment process.

Fitzpatrick's letter reads. "The individuals have asked their identity to remain protected as allowed under Section 29.221.1, RSMO." 

The State Auditor's Office also released the following, "over 54,000 appeals have been filed in Jackson County."

"Among the information requested includes a copy of the contract with Tyler Technologies for the 2023 assessments and information about all payments made to Tyler Technologies, including dates, check number and amounts from Oct. 1, 2020 through the present."

To read the entire letter from the State Auditor use the following link:
STATE AUDITOR LETTER TO JACKSON COUNTY

The letter comes after over 54,000 Jackson County property owners have appealed their assessments in 2023. The previous record of appeals was in 2019 when approximately 30,000 taxpayers appealed their property tax increases.

The information requested includes a copy of the contract with Tyler Technologies for the 2023 assessments and information about all payments made to Tyler Technologies, including dates, check number and amounts from Oct. 1, 2020 through the present.

Five governmental bodies in Jackson County have requested the Jackson County Legislature to work with Jackson County Executive Frank White to roll back property taxes increases to the level they were in 2022.

Those five governmental bodies that have approved the resolution include:

Jackson County Legislature
City of Lee's Summit
City of Independence
City of Grain Valley
City of Blue Springs

If the Raytown Board of Aldermen approves the Resolution, Raytown would become the sixth governmental body to endorse rolling back property tax increases to the 2022 level.

The Board of Aldermen of the City of Raytown is scheduled to hold a discussion item on a resolution similar to that approved by Lee's Summit and Blue Springs at its next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 15, 2023.

BY GREG WALTERS

Jackson County Property
Tax Increases Challenged
on Many Fronts

One duty of an elected official is to speak on behalf of their constituents. I take that responsibility very seriously.

Most home owners are aware that the Jackson County Assessor’s Office has raised property tax values to historic highs. These property tax values will lead to increased property taxes for those living in Raytown.

Those who rent are facing increases in their monthly rental fees as well. Apartment complex managers are facing increases in the value of their properties. Some have already increased rents in anticipation of higher taxes due at the end of 2023.

Reports of apartment rents being increased $100 to $300 per month are not uncommon.

The Jackson County Legislature has let their opposition to the increased taxes known. In a unanimous vote of those present (one member was absent)  the Legislature has endorsed keeping property tax assessments from 2022 the same as in 2023.

Three area municipalities have joined the effort endorsing the lowering of property tax assessments to the 2022 levels.

The City of Independence has gone one step further by exploring the possibility of joining a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of all owners in Jackson County who as of June 15^th, 2023 did not receive proper notice of an increase in the valuation of their property.

The following list if of those local cities that have joined the effort to reduce the assessed value on homes and businesses to 2022 levels:

• City of Independence, Missouri
• City of Blue Springs, Missouri
• City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri
• City of Grain Valley, Missouri

According to records released by Jackson County, homeowners in the City of Raytown received the largest increase in property tax compared to other municipalities. Homeowners in the Raytown School District (half of which is in Raytown) also received the highest rate amongst School Districts.

It is my hope the City of Raytown will join the growing list of City and County leaders who believe the mistakes made in this year’s assessment’s are not acceptable.

What the Resolution says . . .

The resolution to be discussed is very similar to resolution(s) passed in Blue Springs and Lee's Summit. Both of those resolutions passed unanimously. As did the resolutions in Independence and Grain Valley. All members of the Jackson County Legislature (one member was absent) voted in favor of the resolution.

Following is the language of the Raytown Resolution.

A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE CONCERN OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RAYTOWN MISSOURI TO THE REASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY AND THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN VALUES OF PROPERTY IN THE CITY AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNTY LEGISLATURE UTILIZE CERTAIN AUTHORITY PROVIDED BY THE JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI CHARTER TO MAINTAIN THE 2022 VALUATIONS FOR THE 2023 TAX YEAR.

WHEREAS, every person owning or holding real property or tangible personal property on January 1st of any calendar year shall be liable for taxes, with exemptions for certain properties, such as those for charitable, educational and religious purposes, and;

WHEREAS, assessment is the process of placing value on property for the purpose of property taxation, and;

WHEREAS, all taxable real and personal property within the City is assessed annually by the county assessors, and;

WHEREAS, reassessment is an update of all real property assessments in the County, conducted by the County Assessment Department to equalize values among taxpayers and to adjust values to current market conditions, and;

WHEREAS, Missouri Law requires all real property to be reassessed every 2 years in odd- numbered years, including 2023, and; 

WHEREAS, Raytown property owners and residents have expressed shock and outrage at the large increases in property values during this reassessment process, and;

WHEREAS, there has been an overall 39% average increase in assessed valuation in Jackson County, and; 

WHEREAS, media reports have indicated that more than 44,000 property tax assessment appeals have been filed, and; 

WHEREAS, pursuant to RSMo 67.110, each political subdivision located, at least partially, within a county with a charter form of government or within a city not within a county shall fix its ad valorem property tax rates as provided in this section not later than October 1st, and;

WHEREAS, the appeals process may have a detrimental impact on the City's ability to meet the October 1st deadline mandated by the Missouri Constitution, and; 

WHEREAS, Article III, Section 6, Subsection 9 of the Jackson County Charter states that "The County Executive, in addition to other powers and duties provided in this charter, shall have the power to: ... (9) Correct errors in assessment and tax records.", and; 

WHEREAS, Article II, Section 16 of the Jackson County Charter states that "The County Legislature shall have the power, pursuant to and in conformity with the constitution, and without limiting the generality of the powers vested in the County Legislature by this Charter, to: Provide for the assessment, levy, equalization, and collection of all taxes now or hereafter authorized by the constitution or by law and prescribe a method or system to facilitate the assessment, calculation, extension and collection of taxes including the design of the books and forms and the purchase and installation of necessary devices.", and;

WHEREAS, the County Executive and Jackson County Legislature should take steps to mitigate the immediate harm to large numbers of Raytown and other Jackson County. property owners and residents.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RAYTOWN MISSOURI, as follows:

SECTION 1. That the Board of Aldermen hereby expresses its concern related to the extraordinary impact of the recent reassessment conducted by the Jackson County, Missouri Assessor.

SECTION 2. That given the enormous volume of appeals, the pending deadline for all cities in the county to establish tax rates, and the extraordinary impact to the public the Raytown Board of Aldermen of the City of Raytown, Missouri hereby requests that the County Executive and County Legislature utilize the authority cited above to hold in abeyance the most recent assessed valuations and instead utilize the valuations from the previous year.

SECTION 3. That any and all resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are repealed to the extent of such conflict only.

SECTION 4. That this resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after the date of its passage and adoption, and approval by the Mayor.