RAYTOWN, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories in Kansas City, Missouri, and stories offering solutions on crime. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
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A new state audit is raising questions about Jackson County's property assessment process, and homeowners impacted by the 2023 reassessments said they want answers and accountability.
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick called Jackson County’s 2023 property assessment process a “catastrophic failure” and gave the assessment department a “poor” rating in its final audit released Friday.
For Greg Walters, the findings hit close to home.
Walters has lived in his neighborhood for more than 40 years. He describes it as a nice community.
“This is a very solid neighborhood here," Walters said. "People take good care of their properties. Most people who come in, they don’t go anywhere because they’re nice big ranches."
But he said the county's assessment process has become a growing concern. Walters said his home's assessed value increased by $30,000.
The state audit identified problems with homeowner notifications, property inspections and the handling of assessment appeals. Walters said those findings don't surprise him.
“No, I’m not surprised they’re have been some bad people up there. One was recalled,” he said.
While Walters was able to get his property taxes rolled back down, he said the county still needs to make significant changes to how homeowners challenge their assessments.
He questions whether the appeals process gives residents a fair opportunity to dispute their property values, particularly when representatives of taxing entities are involved in the process.
“You know who sits the judgement on you? The city of Raytown, the school district, the fire district, anybody who has some of the money going to them. And that’s unfair because they get to sit in judgement and all you can do is ask, and they’re really supposed to be working for us, but it doesn’t seem like they are,” Walters said.
The audit's findings also raise questions about how Jackson County will approach its next property reassessment in 2027.
For Walters, addressing the problems starts with county leadership and the elected officials responsible for overseeing the process.
“The legislature, the elected officials, they’re the ones we elect directly, and if they choose poorly on who they have doing work for them, then they should take the blame and they should take the hit,” he said.
As the county looks toward its next reassessment, Walters said homeowners deserve a process that is transparent, fair and accountable.
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