KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The leaders of a dozen Jackson County school districts sent a letter to Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota last week, saying his plan to provide tax credits to property owners would be “catastrophic for the citizens of Jackson County.”
The April 8 letter from the leaders of the school districts and the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City says that LeVota’s plan to provide tax credits to property owners as part of the 2023 property assessment cycle would lead to a total loss of nearly $200 million over the next three tax years.
LINK | Read the letter
At issue is a plan LeVota announced last December that offered automatic tax credits to residents who appealed their assessments in 2023 and commercial assessments in 2025.
When LeVota announced the plan on Dec. 4, he said he had been in discussion with school districts about his plan. LeVota said he heard from the districts about their frustration because it would affect their bottom line.
The districts continued to voice their frustration in last week’s letter.
“What you have proposed in clawing back monies that have already been disbursed and spent by taxing jurisdictions is not only catastrophic for the citizens of Jackson County, but lacks any legal support,” the districts said in the letter, adding the same applied for capping certain 2025 commercial properties. “As taxing jurisdictions, we respectfully ask that the County follow the law, follow the court orders and legal precedent, and tailor its decisions accordingly. Failing to do so will require taxing jurisdictions and the citizens of Jackson County to once again protect their rights in the courts of our State.”
The districts provided a chart of estimated losses associated with the tax credit plan.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Public School District would stand to lose about $60.4 million, with the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District the next highest at $32.2 million.
A complete list:
- KCPS: $60.4M
- Lee’s Summit: $32.2M
- Blue Springs R-4: $23.7M
- Independence #30: $19.3M
- Raytown C-2: $16.9
- Hickman Mills C-1: $10.8M
- Fort Osage R-1: $8.2M
- Grandview C-4: $7.8M
- Center School #58: $6.3M
- Grain Valley R-5: $6.1M
- Oak Grove R-6: $2.7M
- Lone Jack C-6: $1.7M
On Monday afternoon, Jackson County Legislature Chairman Manny Abarca released a statement, saying “the root of the problem is an imbalance of power between the Jackson County Executive and the Jackson County Legislature, where state law dictates all possible outcomes except true local control of taxation.”
Abarca’s statement said the legislature remained committed to working with LeVota’s office and other taxing jurisdictions across the county to keep property taxes “fair, predictable and transparent.”
“Currently, the Executive has the sole authority to resolve these matters, and thus, we will continue to find solutions that keep taxpayers in their homes without bankrupting essential services such as public schools and libraries,” Abarca said in the statement.
KSHB 41 News has reached out to LeVota’s office for a response to the district’s letter and will update this story if one is provided.
—
