Jackson County voters have overwhelmingly decided to elect their assessor, instead of leaving it to the county executive to appoint the person who values and assesses property. Residents will have their first chance to vote for an assessor during the next general election in 2028.
More than 88% of voters decided to elect the position. The move caps years of controversy over tax assessments in the county, which have risen dramatically since 2019 and reached an average increase of 30% in 2023.
DaRon McGee, chair of the Jackson County Legislature, sponsored the legislation to put the assessor question on the ballot. In a statement, he said the results “put the power where it belongs, in the hands of the people.”
“By electing our assessor, residents will finally have a direct say in how property is assessed and how their tax dollars are managed,” McGee said in a statement. “This is a victory for homeowners, renters, small businesses, and for rebuilding trust in local government.”
Tuesday's election had a relatively low turnout. Fewer than 9% of registered voters in the Kansas City portion of Jackson County, and around 15% in Eastern Jackson County, came out to vote in this election.
Tuesday’s vote follows the historic recall of County Executive Frank White Jr., who led the county during the increases in September. The county previously faced multiple lawsuits because of the assessments, and the State Tax Commission ordered it to roll back assessments to a 15% increase from 2021 property values.
Before Jackson County residents elect their first assessor, voters across the entire state will weigh in on a constitutional amendment that would also make the assessor elected. That’s on the ballot next year. Jackson County was previously the only major county in the state that appointed an assessor.
Supporters of electing the position argue that it would make the office more accountable. But Jackson County residents still have property tax woes ahead.
The county, under White, agreed to comply with the state’s order to cap assessments at 15%. Phil LeVota, who was installed as county executive after White was recalled, said he will remain in compliance with the order. He also wants to cap the 2025 commercial property assessments.
But that could result in the county undervaluing the majority of its properties, which means residents would be on the hook for steep increases when properties are reassessed in 2027 after the cap is lifted.
In an interview this summer with KCUR’s Up to Date, Gail McCann Beatty, the assessor appointed by White, called the tax commission order a “setback” and said that correcting past assessments and maintaining assessments at market value is the only way to achieve fairness and follow state tax law.
“If everyone is at market, that levy should stabilize, and I think people will actually see there’ll be a greater balance, there’ll be greater fairness, and many people, actually, will actually see some decrease in their tax,” she said on Up to Date.
Refunds on previous assessments are not likely to happen, either. That money has already been spent by taxing jurisdictions like local governments and school districts. The county is likely to issue tax credits for future property tax bills, but that still leaves less money for schools and libraries.
