New Jackson County executive pledges property tax cap
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LeVota speaks at the press conference Friday. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
New interim County Executive Phil LeVota pledged Friday to cap commercial property tax increases at 15% in an effort to ease the pain brought on by ballooning valuations.
Why it matters: Business owners with properties valued at less than $5 million can expect financial relief from property tax increases that some say would have forced them to close.
Case in point: The 2025 tax assessment increased the property value by 571% at J. Rieger & Co., owner Andy Rieger told KCTV.
- Blip Roaster owner Ian Davis, who saw a 626% tax increase, called it a "death sentence" at a press conference Friday.
Context: The commercial property assessments came after high residential hikes in 2023 were struck down in court and rolled back to 15%.
State of play: LeVota, speaking on his first full day in office, said he "identified commercial property where the assessments are not appropriate" and would take direct action, per the county charter, to correct commercial increases over 15%.
- LeVota called the apparent appreciation of some property values from 2024 to 2025 "a fiction" and said they "did not happen."
The other side: County assessor Gail McCann Beatty, who was appointed by former executive Frank White, said in a recent county-run podcast that "this isn't about raising taxes; it's about getting values right," indicating in previous interviews that properties were undervalued.
- Axios reached out to Beatty's office for comment but received no response.
Between the lines: White in a 2024 statement reported by KMBC made it an issue of funding the county budget, saying capping tax increases would cost "schools, libraries, fire districts and cities more than $100 million and disproportionately affect Black and brown communities."
- We asked LeVota on Friday whether the county is hurting for money: "We have money in the bank," he said, promising a balanced budget in the coming weeks.
Yes, but: Legislator Manuel Abarca acknowledged Friday that schools with budgets based on the previous 2025 property tax estimations "need to prepare themselves."
What's next: LeVota said that the county legislators will introduce a resolution Monday that would codify the commercial cap into law.