Attorney General Bailey Launches Tip Line for Victims of Jackson County Illegal Property Tax Assessments

Attorney General Bailey Launches Tip Line for Victims of Jackson County Illegal Property Tax Assessments

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office has launched an online form for victims of Jackson County's illegal property tax assessments. With Attorney General Bailey's trial against Jackson County scheduled in June, the tip line will allow Missourians to share more evidence with his office and join in the fight for justice.

"Missourians are already struggling to make ends meet in Joe Biden's economy. For Jackson County to take advantage of its residents on top of that is not only unlawful - it's despicable," said Attorney General Bailey. "We go to trial in just over one month. In order to rectify the situation, we need to provide the Court with a full picture of what went wrong here. Every affected victim of this scheme has a story to tell. I encourage any Jackson County resident who has been illegally taxed to reach out to my office - we want to hear from you."

In a lawsuit scheduled to go to trial on June 6^th, General Bailey asserts that Jackson County caused significant economic harm to residents when it dramatically and illegally increased property owner's assessments which resulted in undue taxes. Attorney General Bailey's lawsuit alleges that county officials violated state law when they failed to give timely and proper notice of assessments, failed to perform the required physical inspections of certain property, and handled appeals of their property assessments in an illegal and dysfunctional manner. The assessment notices were delivered after the legally mandated June 15th deadline, and required physical inspections were not performed. Article X, Section 22 of the Missouri Constitution prohibits counties from levying any tax, license or fee not authorized by law. Attorney General Bailey asserts the State has an interest in ensuring the State's tax levying and collection process is legally carried out, and that Missouri citizens are not harmed by the imposition of undue assessments and the associated tax burdens.

This tip line comes after General Bailey filed suit against Jackson County and Tyler Technologies in December 2023. His lawsuit points out that Jackson County's illegal actions resulted in an average assessed value increase of at least 30 percent across the board. Some Jackson County property owners reported increases in excess of 100 percent. "As a result, Defendants have subjected Jackson County property owners to undue taxation based on illegally increased assessment values without the opportunity to take advantage of the statutorily provided administrative remedies," the lawsuit states.

Attorney General Bailey notes that complaints from Jackson County residents continue to pour into the Attorney General's Office even after the lawsuit was originally filed last year. General Bailey said, "We're glad Jackson County residents continue to come forward to let us know how they were adversely affected by this illegal behavior. We encourage all Missourians to reach out on this issue. We will always have Missourians' backs."

General Bailey also reminds the public that though not all of the information submitted to his office may be used in the trial, much of it will be. "If you believe you've been illegally taxed and want to pursue an avenue that can lead to real justice for all affected, contact our hotline."

The link to the tip line can be found here: https://ago.mo.gov/other-resources/forms/jackson-county-property-tax-form/

The trial against Tyler Technologies, Jackson County's property appraisal contractor, was set for April 2025.