Jackson County to roll back commercial property tax values in last-minute review
Commercial property owners in Jackson County may see a last-minute reduction in their 2025 assessments after some were outraged by steep increases they received this year.
On Monday, the Jackson County Legislature passed a resolution urging Interim County Executive Phil LeVota to take another look at commercial properties that saw their assessed values increase by more than 15% this year, and to retroactively assign a revised 2025 value.
Some, but not all, properties with assessed values that went up more than 15% will be reviewed and potentially reduced, even though schools and other taxing bodies have already set their levy rates for 2025.
The resolution is based on a section of the Jackson County charter that empowers the county executive to “correct errors in assessment and tax records.” It was introduced collaboratively by five of the nine legislators – DaRon McGee, Donna Peyton, Manuel Abarca IV, Venessa Huskey and Sean Smith – and passed 8-0, with Jalen Anderson absent.
After intervention from the Missouri State Tax Commission, the county capped all increases to residential property valuations at 15% this year, but no similar limits were set for businesses. Speaking with members of the media Friday, LeVota said this new review process is intended as a “safeguard” with an impact comparable to that of a commercial value cap.
“It creates predictability, encourages long term investment here in Jackson County,” LeVota said Friday. “It gives people a fighting chance to plan for the future.”
LeVota said Friday that county leaders have also been in touch with the State Tax Commission and its legal counsel regarding the planned review of commercial values.
“The Board of Equalization is well within their rights to do this, and we plan to cooperate with them, with the State Tax Commission, with the authority of the county executive and the authority of the legislature to make sure that this is absolutely airtight from a legal standpoint,” LeVota said.
According to the county legislature, the assessed values of commercial properties increased by an average of about 24% in 2025 compared to the last assessment cycle in 2023.
Intervening to reduce some commercial properties’ assessed values is the first significant legal action taken by LeVota, who was named interim county executive last week and will hold the seat for about 14 months. LeVota has said that residents can expect future actions related to property taxes.
“I’m taking direct action to provide tax relief,” LeVota said. “This won’t be the first time we act.”
Tax bills will be sent out to Jackson County homeowners and business owners on Nov. 15. LeVota said that those whose commercial properties are marked for assessment revision will not receive a bill, but will instead receive a letter indicating that their property valuation is under review.
Commercial property owners do not need to apply in order to be considered for the value review process as described by LeVota. Commercial properties that were valued under $5 million in 2023 will be eligible for consideration.
The process is expected to take several weeks and will take a significant effort by assessment department staff, LeVota said.
“We’re so late in the game to do it,” LeVota said. “...There’s some speedbumps in the procedure of what we’re doing. If people will hang on, we’ll get it fixed.”
The review will not impact the senior tax freeze program, which thousands of Jackson County residents 62 and older have utilized to freeze their residential property taxes at their 2024 or 2025 rates.
Legislator Donna Peyton said she supported the valuation review plan as an incentive to keep businesses in Jackson County. Over the past few months, several small business owners and manufacturers have said publicly that they would consider relocating their operations to another county - or across state lines to Kansas - in the face of high commercial tax bills.
However, Peyton also advised LeVota to communicate directly with taxing jurisdictions - including school districts and other bodies that have already set their levy rates for the year based on initial assessment values - who will lose funding if some commercial taxes are rolled back or delayed.
“I know that we want to communicate and keep them in the loop as much as possible,” Peyton said.
LeVota agreed that the proposed commercial valuation review would “have some ramifications” for taxing bodies. He said, however, that he feels some business owners who received high valuations are likely to be delinquent on their taxes without the shift.
“If we can’t get these tax bills down, they’re not going to pay them,” LeVota said. “So I think these agencies are going to want to get the bills paid and the taxes in, rather than having someone get their property increased… and not pay it.”
