How to pay your Jackson County property taxes under protest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Attorney General announced he’s suing Jackson County, calling the assessment data the county collected earlier this year illegal.
County Executive Frank White said the lawsuit is politically motivated, and Assessor Gail McCann Beatty argued “any claims of wrongdoing are … baseless.”
The suit comes just a day after the state’s auditor was in Kansas City, calling the process illegal as well.
Both AG Andrew Bailey and Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick have advised residents should pay their taxes under protest and then pursue other remedies available by law.
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But how does that work?
Attorney Sherry DeJanes said paying your property taxes under protest simply means you’re paying your taxes, but you’re protesting the amount that you owe.
“You can’t just write, ‘Paid Under Protest’ on your check,” she said in an interview with FOX4 Tuesday. “By statute, there’s a certain way to do it.”
DeJanes told FOX4 there are two different templated letters for this. One is for people who pay their taxes at the end of the year. Those people would include that letter along with their property tax check inside a stamped envelope.
The other template is for people who pay their property taxes through escrow.
“The difference between these two templates is, for the mortgage holder, it says, ‘Payment submitted by,’ and that’s where you put your mortgage holder’s name,” she continued.
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Within three months of submitting that letter to the county, you also have to file a lawsuit against them. DeJanes says you can contact her, and she’ll file the lawsuit for you for free.
Jackson County resident George Dunning says the process for getting your taxes lowered is too difficult for older residents.
“Well, I’ve worked all my life teaching school, and I don’t have any kids, but I feel like I’ve put a lot of effort out on this place,” he said in an interview with FOX4 Tuesday at his home that increased in assessed value by nearly 42%.
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DeJanes and White’s spokesperson Marshanna Smith both said you should pay your taxes by Dec. 31.
In October, Smith told FOX4 you do not need to pay under protest to receive a refund that you get from an appeal, even if a taxpayer pays their bill while they’re waiting for their hearing.
“Refunds resulting from a value reduction are automatically generated,” Smith said in that October 26 statement. “If someone pays under protest, it could delay their refund.”
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If you’d still like to pay under protest, though, DeJanes says you should reach out to her via email to get your correct template and to let her know you want to file a lawsuit. Her email address is ladylawyerkc@gmail.com.
