Jackson County business owners strategize as property value appeal deadline looms
As Jackson County continues to issue revised property tax assessments to some residents, many business owners are staring down high values on commercial properties — and preparing to file appeals.
About 60 business owners, real estate professionals and former county employees gathered Thursday night at a Westport event space to discuss the tax value appeals process and share strategies for arguing for a lowered value.
Jackson County executive Frank White and assessor Gail McCann Beatty announced in April that value increases on residential property would be capped at 15% in 2025. However, similar protections do not exist for commercial properties this year, Jackson County legislator Sean Smith said.
Additionally, when residential property values are appealed, the county must prove that their assessed value is accurate. However, Smith pointed out, when commercial property values are appealed, the burden of proof lies with the owner — forcing business owners to find their own strong evidence of how they think their property should be valued.
“As commercial property owners, you have very little in the way of rights,” Smith said.
Some business owners in attendance said that the latest valuations on their properties were 20 times higher than during the last tax cycle. Others have told The Star that they’re facing increases ranging from 600% to 1100% in their 2025 valuations.
The event was co-led by Smith and Kansas City Realtor Stacey Johnson-Cosby, who is also president of the Kansas City Regional Housing Alliance. While leading a presentation about the appeal process, Smith took the opportunity to encourage attendees to sign an ongoing petition to recall county executive Frank White.
The recall effort has been underway for several months, and as of Thursday evening organizers are about 240 signatures short of the 42,900 necessary to put a recall vote to Jackson County voters this summer. Recall campaign volunteers manned a table at the back of the room as attendees filtered in from a Thursday evening thunderstorm, shaking out wet hair and umbrellas.
Smith also told attendees that the legislature’s Finance and Audit Committee will introduce a resolution Monday to instill a similar 15% cap on commercial property valuations for the current tax cycle.
“I’m not sure that we can pass it, and I’m not sure that it’s even lawful if we do pass it, but it would cap commercial increases at no more than 15% based on your prior assessment,” Smith said.
How to appeal
Forestine Beasley, who chaired the Jackson County Board of Equalization until January, said Thursday that most home and business owners planning to appeal their valuations this year are expected to be first-time applicants.
“Many times, we know that this is the first time you’ve had to do this,” Beasley said Thursday. “You’re upset, you’re nervous, you don’t know how to practice.”
Jackson County recently launched a Public Property Access Portal online that gives home and business owners access to their 2023 and 2025 valuations.
Finding errors in the information that the assessor’s office used to value a commercial property can be the fastest way to advocate for a lower assessment, Jason Ormiston, a residential appraiser with Todd Appraisal in Kansas City, said Thursday.
The website indicates that commercial values in 2025 were calculated based on how much it would take to physically replace them, or how much profit they can be expected to generate.
However, the site is still under construction and does not currently include accurate information about comparable sale values for most commercial properties.
Ormiston encouraged property owners to check the square footage listed for their property on the database. He also encouraged owners to check the amenities listed, as internal features including ventilation and sprinklers can have an impact on valuation.
If an element involved in property valuation is marked incorrectly, Ormiston recommends presenting the assessor’s office with photos or physical evidence such as service calls, bids, bills of sale or even city-issued tickets requiring building upgrades.
Smith also recommended that owners thinking about appealing their valuation file a request with the county under the Missouri Sunshine Law, to ask for all available information about their property and how it was appraised.
“If you’ve been overvalued, you’re really having to stick up for yourself,” Smith said.
Commercial property owners have until July 14 to appeal the assessed property values they were given by the county. One appeal can be filed per parcel.
Appeals are filed online through the county here, and appellants should get a confirmation email after filing, Beasley said. Once received, appellants will be invited to meet with a member of the assessor’s office in an “informal setting” in person at 1300 Washington St.
If appellants have found that inaccurate information was used in valuing their property, they will be able to present their data during this meeting, Beasley said. Otherwise, they will likely have to proceed to a meeting with an assessor and a Board of Equalizations officer.
“The idea is sort of like a mediation,” Beasley said. “The BOE officers will try to find an accommodation that everybody agrees to.”
The first BOE meeting could end in a signed acknowledgement of a new property value — called a stipulation — or could lead to a formal meeting over the phone where a BOE officer re-assigns a property value from scratch, likely based on the property’s market value.
“For me, the process feels like it’s in court,” Johnson-Cosby said. “Like going into court, pleading your case, making your case before a judge.”
Beasley said that a decision from the BOE could override the market value previously assigned by the assessor’s office. However, she warned, there’s a chance that property owners could receive a higher number from the BOE — with limited recourse.
“We are neutral. We do not report to assessment,” Beasley said. “We can leave your market value the same, we can decrease it or we can increase it.”
During a formal BOE meeting, appellants will be asked to upload relevant documents three days in advance proving that their property should be valued lower. These include proof of discrimination, data from vendors on the cost of needed building repairs, or proof of lower values among comparable properties. The latter can be secured from a commercial appraiser, though often at cost.
All of Thursday’s speakers recommended entering the appeals process with an even tone.
“Don’t be confrontational,” Ormiston said. “Be friendly. Let them be comfortable with you. Take notes.”
“Just to emphasize one more time,” Beasley added to scattered laughs, “you cannot use the reason, ‘My taxes are too high, that’s why I’m filing.’”
