KCTV5 Investigates: How does Jackson County tax the rich?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - An alert KCTV5 viewer decided to fact-check Jackson County regarding property assessments for the rich.

What happened with their tax assessments? It turned out that several mansions actually dropped in value.

The former home of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes dropped in assessed value from $1.8 million down to $1.4 million. The home recently sold for close to $3 million.

That prompted KCTV5 Investigates to review the neighborhood. Jackson County’s own parcel viewer reveals many neighbors saw their values drop. One property had a 26% decrease for whatever reason.

The neighborhood along Ward Parkway was nowhere near the 30% average increase in value. The homes averaged a 4.2% increase because many mansions either remained the same or dropped in assessed value.

“It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense that you see homes in general drop in value because most homes have increased in value over the year,” said relator Curtis Jay.

KCTV5 Investigates also looked at high-end homes that either recently sold or are currently for sale.

ALSO READ: Final reminders as Jackson County property assessment appeal deadline approaches

A $4 million mansion recently sold. Jackson County valued it at $2.4 million last year. This year, the value somehow dropped to $2.2 million.

An estate listed for $10 million is valued at $2.9 million. It had a 1% increase from the last full assessment.

Some high-end properties did appear to be closer to market value- but the increases appeared random inside neighborhoods reflecting what average homeowners have been saying- there doesn’t appear to be a clear methodology to assessment values.

KCTV5 reached out to the assessment department asking for information on residential properties worth more than a million dollars. We wanted to know the average increase. A public information officer wrote, “there’s no data at this time regarding the subset of homes.”

About 43,800 property owners are challenging their assessments. That’s about 14.6% of Jackson County.

It’s a stark comparison to other metro counties which haven’t had the same outcry from their residents. Around 4% of Johnson County property owners are appealing. It’s 4.5% in Wyandotte County and less than 1% in Platte County.

For more KCTV5 Investigates stories, click here.

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