Mad at your Jackson County tax assessment? Guess what KC mayor, other leaders must pay

Misery loves company. There’s plenty of miserable company to be found in Jackson County of late as homeowners — their eyes bugging, anger flaring — open envelopes to reveal hefty tax assessment spikes that purport to reflect the rising market values of their homes.

There might be some mild comfort knowing that the pain is shared by the people who spend your tax dollars. As the following list shows, culled from Jackson County tax records, county and Kansas City public officials are expected to pay like everyone else.

Mayor Quinton Lucas?

His home value was raised 63.7% over the 2021 valuation. Records show that the mayor paid $4,700 in property taxes in 2022 on his Coleman Highlands home, given a market value by the county of $301,000. The new county assessment says his house is now worth $492,970.

Zillow places the value at $535,000, but the online real estate site frequently puts higher valuations on Kansas City area properties than do local counties.

In Lee’s Summit, Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. and his wife, Teresa, saw the value of their home rise to $382,000, a 7% increase from when it was last assessed in 2021. The jump may seem small, but White’s taxes had already risen due to the 2019 reassessment cycle. The tax bill on his house last year was $5,744, up 21% since 2018.

White also owns several properties in the Kansas City neighborhood where he grew up. The value of one house on Olive Street went from $49,000 to just more than $97,000, a 98% rise.

Many Jackson County properties have been undervalued on the tax rolls for years. The county has been trying to correct that by following state law and pegging assessed values to the prices properties would bring if put up for sale. That’s market value.

The goal is to ensure that the tax burden is more evenly shared. For some, the increase will be a lot. Others, not so much.

County legislator Manny Abarca led a hearing this week where residents voiced displeasure with their assessments.

He was sympathetic. The valuation on his house in Kansas City’s historic Northeast area nearly doubled from the $65,000 he bought it for in 2017 to $125,000 this year. Zillow estimates it’s worth $183,000. Abarca paid $1,016 in real estate taxes last year.

After that hearing, Gail McCann Beatty, the county’s director of assessment, explained that state law requires her to set values for tax purposes as close as possible to market value.

It’s done based on visiting each parcel and computer modeling that factors in the condition of each house and the sales of comparable properties in the neighborhood. Owners are free to appeal the values set if they think there’s been an error, or if they believe their house would sell for less than the valuation.

The valuation of Beatty’s home increased more than 40%, close to Zillow’s estimate. Her tax bill was $4,314 in 2022.

Among other county legislators:

▪ DaRon McGee, chairman of the Jackson County legislature, saw the valuation of the address he lists on his campaign finance reports go up 49.5%, from $101,000 to $151,000. It is owned by his grandmother, he said. Her tax bill was $1,900 last year.

▪ Legislator Jeanie Lauer’s house in Blue Springs fell in value by 2.3%, from $233,000 in 2021 to $227,640. Zillow says the four bedroom house is worth $343,000. She paid $4,008 in property taxes.

▪ Legislator Sean Smith’s home in Lee’s Summit went up $2,000 in valuation, or one-third of 1%, to $575,000, but the price is close to the value Zillow estimates that it is worth. His tax bill in 2022 was $8,789.

Eight of Kansas City’s 12 council members live in Jackson County. Their valuations rose at least 20%, and one more than doubled.

▪ Kevin McManus: Up 20%. The mayor pro tem’s property on Summit Street was valued at $342,000 last year. The tax bill was $5,843. The new market value was set by the county at $412,520. He is leaving office representing the 6th District at the end of next month after eight years due to term limits.

▪ Brandon Ellington: Up 158%. Ellington lost his reelection bid and will leave office representing the 3rd District when the new council is seated Aug. 1. Tax records show he owns a property on Chestnut Avenue that last year was valued by the county at $21,000. He paid $666 in taxes. It’s been revalued at $54,200.

▪ Lee Barnes Jr.: Up 20%. He owns several properties, records show. The value of his residence on Michigan Avenue is now $138,470, according to assessment records, up from $115,000. He paid $1,970 in property taxes on it last year, in addition to more than $5,000 on other properties. Barnes’ second term representing the 5th District at large is expiring.

▪ Katheryn Shields: Up 26%. Shields’ house on Walnut Street in 2022 was said to be worth $250,000, with a tax bill of $4,240. It’s now valued at $315,000. Shields was term limited and is leaving her seat representing the 4th District at large.

▪ Eric Bunch: Up 56%. The 4th District councilman paid $3,137 in taxes on his Wyandotte Street property valued last year at $185,000. It’s been revalued at $289,420.

▪ Ryana Parks-Shaw: Up 43%. Parks-Shaw, 5th District, paid $4,400 in taxes on an East 76th Street house valued last year at $278,000. The property value this year was set by the county at $397,080.

▪ Andrea Bough: Up 63%. Bough, who represents the 6th District at large, paid $5,548 in taxes on her Romanelli Gardens property valued last year at $355,000. The new value is $580,000.

▪ Melissa Robinson: Up 81%. Robinson, 3rd District, last year paid just short of $1,800 in taxes on her house valued at $115,000. The county’s new valuation: $208,000.

Robinson will not be challenging it.

“No,” she said, “because my reassessed valuation is probably correct.”

Feel like disputing your assessment numbers? Thousands are. Some are finding satisfaction through the informal appeals process. Others are filing formal appeals with the Jackson County Board of Equalization. The last day to do that is July 10.