Jackson County tax assessor answers questions regarding troubled assessment
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A very tense meeting took place on Monday between legislators and the Jackson County tax assessor over the troubled assessment.
Gail McCann Beatty tried to explain an error revealed to the public by KCTV5 Investigates, eventually conceding to legislators that it was her fault.
We revealed that more than 500 homes across the county were given the same value, $356,270. Those properties were wildly different—from modest $120,00 homes, to $1 million, and at least two vacant lots.
We spoke to homeowners who said it was clearly a mistake. But it took weeks for the county to it it was a mistake and promise to fix it.
“It was a mistake on a calculation on a spreadsheet,” said McCann Beatty. “And so, it had nothing to do with the inspections or not getting the appropriate information. That’s why the number the exact same. It was a bad formula put into a spreadsheet.”
McCann Beatty tried to downplay the error, saying it represents a small portion of parcels in the county.
Legislators responded by pointing out that for the 500-plus homeowners affected, it was a big concern causing unnecessary stress.
McCann Beatty told legislators that she’s been aware of this formula error for a while.
That conflicts with previous statements made by county leadership where they said they didn’t think that specific number was a mistake, and that information released by KCTV5 Investigates and data expert Preston Smith was “one man’s opinion.”
KCTV5 has had a tough time getting straight answers from Jackson County.
The county finally itted to the error in a statement to KCTV5 Investigates last week, but denied the number of property owners involved.
The county’s statement included this line: “Reports of more than 500 affected properties are unsubstantiated...”
KCTV5 Investigates pushed back, and some 6 hours later, the county itted the number of affected properties was, in fact, 550 parcels.
This is just one of the concerns legislators have surrounding the assessment. A record number of property owners have appealed this year--more than 54,000.
McCann Beatty says she believes Jackson County homes are closer to their true market value than they’ve ever been and says that while there are some mistakes, her department is working on fixing them.
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