The Missouri state auditor is investigating St. Louis County's property tax appeals process after whistleblowers raised concerns that the system may be unfair to homeowners and potentially violate county ordinances.
State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced Monday that his office has launched a probe into the St. Louis County Board of Equalization, the entity responsible for responding to property tax appeals.
The county created a second Board of Equalization in 2021 with the goal of speeding up the process. Fitzpatrick is looking into if assignments to one board versus the other affect how likely taxpayers would be to win their cases.
In a statement, Fitzpatrick said whistleblowers questioned whether one board resolves appeals in favor of taxpayers at a significantly higher rate than the other.
"The appeals process exists to protect property owners from unfair and excessive assessed valuations, and it is important that this process complies with county code and state law, and is fair to taxpayers," Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
St. Louis County assesses property every two years. Owners can challenge their property's assessed value if they believe it is inaccurate. Because assessed values help determine property tax bills, an appeal can have a significant financial impact on homeowners and other property owners.
Fitzpatrick's office is requesting records by Nov. 6 that show how many appeals each board receives, what types of cases are assigned to each board, how those assignments are made and the outcomes of the appeals. If county officials do not cooperate, state law allows the auditor to issue subpoenas to obtain documents relative to the investigation.
Individuals who want to provide confidential information to investigators can call the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, email the auditor's office at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or visit www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.
The St. Louis County executive's office, which appoints members of the Board of Equalization, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the investigation.
Earlier this year, Fitzpatrick released an audit of the appeals process in Jackson County, finding it unfairly disadvantaged taxpayers. A proposed settlement announced in July would return up to $250 million to property owners in Jackson County. The deal must still undergo judicial review and will likely face challenges from Kansas City-area school districts, which say the payments would significantly hurt their budget.
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