Battle for elected assessors in Jackson County not over yet

LEE'S SUMMIT, Missouri (KCTV) – The property tax dispute in Jackson County continues.

An effort to let voters decide in November whether to elect the county assessor could soon be ended by a veto from the county executive. That effort involves amending the county charter, but that's not the only way to get the issue passed. Another option is to amend the state constitution.

It would also require a public vote, in this case of the entire state. Lawmakers have tried to put the bill on the ballot for several years in a row, but momentum could be stronger when the next session begins in January.

The goal of the effort is not to single out Jackson County, but rather to apply to the county the same rules that were created for other counties in 2010. At that time, lawmakers proposed a different constitutional amendment and voters passed it.

PRINT ON BOTH SIDES

Jon Patterson, Republican representative of the Lee's Summit House, says the issue is a priority for him. He is currently the majority leader in the House.

“We're in the middle of an election campaign. I'm standing at people's doors every day. I talk to them and ask them, 'What issues really concern you?' And the number one thing I hear is property taxes,” Patterson said.

The most opposition in recent years has come from Democrats, but there are some Democrats who support the move, in part because they hear painful stories from residents of the districts they serve. Democratic Rep. Kemp Strickler of Lee's Summit has heard many of them as he also campaigns for re-election.

“They're older, they're not internet savvy, they may have poor health. They can't drive to 13th and Washington and appeal,” Strickler said. “My concern was that the way things went, the way the process went, hurt the people who I think need the help the most.”

He said his own campaign had shown him the value of elected office.

“It forces you to go out and talk, but more importantly, you have to listen to the people who elected you and try to find ways to solve the problems,” Strickler said.

Jackson County Executive Frank White has expressed concern that the elected position does not have the same rigorous qualifications as a department head. Strickler and Patterson disagree.

“I think the citizens are smart enough to see which person has the qualifications and choose a qualified person, just like they do in every other county,” Patterson said.

“There are other charter counties that don't have anyone with that background, and they seem to be able to get it done,” Strickler said. “And if they don't get it done, they get voted out.”

WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Jackson County is the only county in Missouri with an appointed assessor. The city of St. Louis has an appointed position but is not associated with a county. One reason Jackson County is unique is the state constitution. Until recently, the decision to elect or appoint was up to the county.

That changed in 2010.

At that time, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment introduced by then-Senator Eric Schmitt of St. Louis that required the county assessor to be an elected office. The language that went to the vote included an exception for counties with “more than 600,000 but less than 700,000 residents.”

The Constitution does not allow counties to be named, but this was only true of Jackson County.

“That was probably the prerequisite for making the deal,” Patterson explained. “But I think now is the time to go back and make sure Jackson County has the same rights as all the other counties in the state.”

That effort to put the issue on the ballot during the 2024 session passed in the House with 116 votes in favor and 10 against, but failed to advance in the Senate. Asked what would be different in the Senate next year, Strickler said that the state senators are not campaigning. He has reason to believe there will be less opposition in the Senate in the 2025 session.

“It's not an election year,” Strickland said. “So I don't expect the Senate to be gridlocked like it has been before because people are trying to position themselves for the election.”

ANOTHER OPTION

Another possibility has been discussed. It has to do with the population formula in the exception. According to U.S. Census estimates, Jackson County's population is now over 700,000. Would that mean Jackson County would no longer be covered by the exception?

Patterson has researched this, and the general legal consensus is that the exception still applies to Jackson County because it is based on the number at the time the amendment was passed.

“I think when you talk to legal professionals, as I have, the consensus is that it still applies to Jackson County. To change it, you would have to change the constitution,” Patterson said. “You have to change the (county) charter or the constitution.”

A challenge would require a lawsuit, which could be filed by any taxpayer in the county.

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