For years, Jackson County residents have been incensed over their property taxes.
Assessments have risen rapidly in recent years. In 2023, many homes that were previously undervalued saw huge spikes of 30% on average, while some owners reported increases of 100% or more.
Since then, a series of lawsuits, assessment appeals and tax credits have attempted to provide relief for homeowners. The debacle was a factor in last year’s successful campaign to recall former Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.
In response, Jackson County voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the county charter last November that made the county assessor an elected position, rather than one appointed by the executive. Voters will choose their first elected assessor in 2028.
Now, a statewide vote could codify that change in the Missouri Constitution. Voters in the Aug. 4 election will decide on Amendment 2, which asks whether the constitution should require all charter counties, including Jackson County, to elect their assessors.
What Missouri Amendment 2 would do
The ballot measure reads as follows:
"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
- require all charter counties, including Jackson County, to provide for the election of a county assessor; and
- require assessors in all charter counties to comply with any training requirements established by general law
State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings."
A “yes” vote would force Jackson County to have an elected assessor, while a “no” vote would leave the state constitution as-is.
Either way, Jackson County will still elect its assessor moving forward.
What led to Missouri Amendment 2
Currently, Jackson County is the only charter county in Missouri not required by the constitution to elect its assessor. In 2010, Missourians voted in favor of a similar measure that required charter counties to elect their assessors, but Jackson County got a carveout under the rule drafted by then-state Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican who now serves in the U.S. Senate.
Schmitt told the Columbia Missourian at the time he didn’t target Jackson County because he represented St. Louis County.
“Personally, I think that would be a good thing, but I’ll let Jackson County deal with that,” he said.
State Rep. Carolyn Caton, a Republican who represents Blue Springs in the Missouri House, introduced the resolution that put Amendment 2 on the ballot. She says property tax concerns are “near and dear” to her heart.
“Seeing all the issues with the property taxes, people losing their homes, scared how they’re going to pay their bills and keep their houses, I feel this was a good first step towards helping the people of Jackson County,” Caton told KCUR’s Up To Date.
State Sen. Joe Nicola, a Republican who represents Grain Valley, agrees. He carried the resolution in the state Senate.
“An elected position is accountable to the people, and that's very very important in my opinion,” Nicola said.
The amendment has seen little organized opposition, and it received bipartisan support in the Missouri General Assembly. However, says KCUR senior news analyst Brian Ellison, concerns about local control and adding politics to a technical process are the ones that arise.
“Those are arguments people sometimes make, and maybe in a different political environment, or if the Jackson County assessment crisis had not happened, those people might be making those arguments. But I don't really hear many making them now,” he told KCUR’s Up To Date.
- Brian Ellison, KCUR senior news analyst
- Missouri state Rep. Carolyn Caton, R-Blue Springs
- Missouri state Sen. Joe Nicola, R-Grain Valley
