Jackson County urges Missouri to freeze property assessments in 11th-hour pitch
Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota over the weekend issued an 11th-hour plea for Missouri lawmakers to freeze property assessments for two years, a remarkable, last-ditch proposal before his successor is elected.
LeVota, who recently scrapped plans to run for a full term, proposed the idea in a letter to four state senators from Jackson County, top Governor’s Office staff and the leaders of the Missouri House. The Star obtained a copy of the letter, which was dated Saturday.
“I am hoping that all of you can work in a bi-partisan manner to pass legislation that creates a residential property tax freeze for all residential parcels in Jackson County for the years 2027 and 2028 only,” LeVota wrote in the letter, expressing fear that future assessments could be unfair to taxpayers.
Assessments, which take place every two years, have upended Jackson County politics over the past several years. Fury from homeowners sparked a countywide vote to make the assessor an elected position, fueled the recall election and ouster of LeVota’s predecessor, Frank White Jr., and seeped into a slew of other issues, such as the Kansas-Missouri fight over the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
Much of that anger stemmed from a dramatic increase in property assessments in 2023. The Missouri State Auditor’s Office recently wrote in a blistering audit that the process “stacked the deck” against taxpayers. County legislators, state lawmakers and LeVota have pushed several ideas to overhaul the tax assessment process, but a property tax freeze would mark the most aggressive step yet.
However, LeVota’s plan comes less than two weeks before the end of Missouri’s annual legislative session, which closes on May 15. While property tax assessments have long roiled local politics, the plan faces an extraordinarily short window before lawmakers leave Jefferson City for the year.
House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican who received a copy of the letter, said he agreed with the sentiment of LeVota’s proposal. However, the top Republican was not optimistic about its prospects.
“Unfortunately, at this point it is highly unlikely that we would be able to pass legislation like this,” Patterson said.
LeVota, in his letter, called for unified, bipartisan support from the state senators who represent Jackson County. He pointed to the fact that Jackson County voters will elect a new county executive in November after his decision last month to exit the race for a full term.
“As we do not know who will hold the County Executive’s office in 2027, I am concerned that these assessments and this tax cycle will be (unfair) for the taxpayers,” LeVota wrote.
Under LeVota’s plan, property tax rates would freeze at the rate that taxpayers paid for the 2026 tax year until 2029.
The top executive cast the idea as a way to ensure voter confidence in the assessment process and said it would “remove any fear or instability of improper assessments or increases.” He said the idea would have support from Patterson and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.
In a follow-up phone interview, LeVota defended the late timing of his letter and said he had been “drinking through a fire hose” attempting to “fix the mess” of the county’s assessment process.
“Time is of the essence,” he said. “If we don’t get it done this week, we won’t get it done at all until next session. I don’t know who’s sitting in my chair the next session. I don’t know what relationships they would have with the legislature.”
Sen. Joe Nicola, a Grain Valley Republican who also received the letter, said he had been working on a plan to freeze assessments this session, including a bill that he eventually pulled from discussion after about 40 minutes of debate last week. He blamed Senate Democrats for the lack of movement on the issue, saying senators from Jackson County have been “unwilling to make any major improvement for taxpayers.”
“I am hopeful that my Democrat Senate colleagues will be supportive and I’m looking forward to continuing to work toward relief for Jackson County taxpayers,” Nicola said.
The two Senate Democrats from Jackson County, Sens. Patty Lewis and Barbara Washington from Kansas City, declined comment through a spokesperson on Monday.
The property tax freeze is not the first time LeVota has unveiled a high-profile proposal at the last minute. The top executive in December attempted to pitch Chiefs leaders on a slew of financial incentives to stay in Missouri just hours before the team announced a move to Kansas.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 1:17 PM.
