Jackson County Property Tax Appeal Extended

Property owners in Jackson County now have until Sept. 3 to appeal the assessments of their properties’ value calculated earlier this year by the county.

The county’s Board of Equalization voted today for the extension, which comes after a public outcry that the assessed values are too high. Some properties were assessed at three times their prior-year value.

This is the second extension of the appeal; the prior deadline was July 29.

Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr., faces strong criticism as a result of the assessments.  It was reported that the county failed to pay $2,000 to renew its MLS subscription, which is a widely-used reassessment tool before calculating valuations, as one of the reasons for the major value jumps.

In a statement released by the county today, White stressed that the assessments were not tax bills.

“The County understands the Board of Equalization’s decision to extend the formal appeal deadline,” he said. “We will continue to work with the Board through this process to ensure that all property owners are heard. Under the leadership of Gail McCann Beatty, our assessment department diligently continues its efforts to process informal reviews and will recommend any adjustments to property values, where appropriate, to ensure accuracy, fairness and equity.”

More than 22,000 residents have already filed appeals with the county.