KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Jackson County property owners who appealed their assessments are getting tax relief after years of battling dramatically increased property values.
Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota announced Thursday residents who appealed their residential assessments in 2023 and commercial assessments in 2025 are eligible to receive automatic tax credits.
The relief will extend over the next three years.
"Your updated reduction will be applied automatically," LeVota said. "You will not need to fill out new forms. Your correct evaluation will move forward as it should."
The announcement comes after thousands of Jackson County property owners experienced sticker shock from assessment increases in 2023, leading to court battles and appeals processes.
Steve Parker has been seeking property tax solutions since 2023 and is among many frustrated homeowners in the county.
WATCH Phil LeVota's Thursday news conference in the video player below:
"For most property owners, they simply want to know what the number is, what it's going to be, and what they can anticipate in the future," Parker said.
Parker said he hopes new leadership will bring clarity to the ongoing property tax issues.
"I just hope that with new leadership, that we have new direction, or at least a direction that we can count on," Parker said.
LeVota said the county has not yet determined the total cost of providing these tax credits.
"I had a meeting with the school districts Monday, 20 of them, and we had a great meeting with some superintendents, and they expressed their frustration with the whole issue, because it effects their bottom dollar," LeVota said.
Parker emphasized the need for transparency with all parties.
"Along with governments, mainly school boards, who have to put levies together, and other municipalities that need to know what they're budgeting from," Parker said.
When contacted for comment about how the tax relief might impact their revenues, three Jackson County school districts either declined to comment or said it was too soon to provide a response.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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