Jackson County Tax Fighter Preston Smith Argues Against School Lawsuit

Two things in this post . . .

About KC's foremost tax fighter and a local leader who has given countless hours to helping locals recover funds and stand up against unjust tax burdens . . .  

His son was recently sworn in as a federal judge. 

Even more importantly . . .

In a post this morning . . .

Mr. Smith offers EXCEPTIONAL PERSPECTIVE on a legal fight over Jackson County Property Taxes.

Here's the word . . .  

Preston Smith: Jackson County, MO school districts sue to stop taxpayer credits 

Last week, the Independence and Fort Osage School Districts decided to sue Jackson County to stop County Executive Phil LeVota from providing more than 200,000 taxpayers credits. The plan was to provide credits to everybody who had more than a 15 percent increase in their 2023 assessment, resulting in overpayment because of an illegal assessment.

The school districts are saying the credits will cost them $22,583,860, and that the only legal way for taxpayers to receive either credits or refunds is to file a written application with the County Collector. Under the state law, the application would have to be filed by December 31, 2026 or the refund would be void. (I have a form you can download at FightJacksonCountyTaxes.com. But the school districts know that the odds of 200,000 people filling out a form to request the refund is low, so they think they can kill the refunds in court.)

Here we go again—another government entity using our taxpayer funds to fight against us to prevent us getting those refunds that we are entitled to. When will it stop?

Much of this lawsuit sounds like the same broiler plate that the County attorneys have filed time after time during the last seven years. It is the same tired arguments that the Attorney General and non-Jackson County courts have found so repugnant.

Thank goodness that 10 other school districts in Jackson County didn’t join this lawsuit of fools. They had the good common sense to realize that even if they were to win, they will lose. Independence and Fort Osage School Districts are going to create at least 20 years of taxpayer hatred because of this greedy action, and they are not going to get another bond or levy issue passed for a generation. All because they have to have more.

This lawsuit is, I predict, going to make it more difficult for all school districts in the county to get bond or levy issues passed.

To add even more salt to this wound, Independence and Fort Osage School Districts are going to reap millions and millions from the Nebius data center, which an overwhelming majority of their residents didn’t want. A leader for the Independence District estimated that the district would receive “nearly half a billion dollars” from the project.

Yet, they want more. Shame on them. The greed of these two districts is going to come back and haunt them. They will rue the day they ever decided to bite the hands that fed them. Withdraw this lawsuit as fast as you can, Dr. Grant and Dr. Murillo. If you win this battle, you will lose the war, I promise you.
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