Raytown C-2, along with ten other Jackson County districts who filed a petition alleging unfair county assessment practices, have been denied their request for a temporary restraining order to hold assessment amounts at their 2008 rate.
The districts' petition maintained that Jackson County failed to use certificates of value when assessing properties, assessed properties en masse rather than on an individual basis, and that the county was not following recommendations made to them by the State Tax Commission.
The projected losses of revenue based on assessed valuation notices which went to taxpayers for the districts are approximately $35 million combined for the upcoming school year. In Raytown , the second hardest hit district, the average decline of assessed valuation was 10.59%.
Also of concern among districts was the need to set a tax levy by September 1 based on what they considered flawed numbers. Two of the districts in the suit are unable to raise their levy and several others are nearing their levy ceiling, and so will be unable to generate an equal amount of revenue to balance the projected losses.
Judge Michael Manners heard from attorneys and witnesses on August 13, and set down his judgment on August 14. In denying the temporary restraining order request, Means cited Missouri Supreme Court rulings which have not previously allowed districts to seek legal relief or remedy for the alleged underassessment of property.
The defendants argued that the districts had not exhausted all legal means of appeal prior to filing the petition. However, the districts alleged they had several meetings with Jackson County officials both as individual districts and as a group to ask to review property taxes and review comparative numbers from previous assessment cycles before resorting to legal action.
“The judge encouraged districts to seek legal relief through legislative platforms, and that is what we will try to do. We have to have standard, consistent assessments in all counties,” Superintendent Dr. Allan Markley said. Revenue losses will affect districts' operating budgets, and Raytown will be no exception.
“We will have to take a hard look at programs, staffing, and services,” Markley said. Districts listed on the petition showed evidence of current budget cuts and projected cuts based on the revenue losses.
The other districts included in the filing and subsequent ruling were Blue Springs, Center, Fort Osage, Grain Valley, Grandview, Hickman Mills, Independence, Lee's Summit, and Oak Grove.
