Missouri session leaves Jackson County priorities unresolved; delegation warns special session possible

Fred Dreiling, representing Fred Dreiling and Associates, briefed the Jackson County Legislature on the 2025 Missouri legislative session, telling members that several measures with direct effects on Jackson County passed or stalled and that a governor-called special session in early June is possible.

"Jackson County is currently the only charter county and only county with an appointed assessor, so we're the only outlier in the state," Dreiling said, describing HR 23, which passed both chambers unanimously and would put the county assessor on the November 2026 statewide ballot. He said the measure passed in part because of public discontent with 2023 assessments.

The update outlined why other high-profile measures did not clear the finish line and what that means locally. The delegation emphasized that property-tax reform proposals and a capital improvements package that included more than $500 million in statewide projects failed late in session and could resurface in a special session the delegation expects in early June. Dreiling said House Bill 999 — a bill that would have strengthened the Missouri State Tax Commission's authority to intervene in noncompliant counties — did not pass; he said it was on recent final-day lists but was skipped to allow lawmakers to address abortion-related measures.

Why it matters: The measures flagged this week — from assessor selection to capital projects and stadium financing — would affect Jackson County's tax administration and local capital investments. Dreiling described several county-specific and regional projects that were in the capital bill or other proposals and said some of those items could be included in any special session call.

Most significant local items mentioned included a proposed mental-health facility in Kansas City that had $50,000,000 in proposed funding, $4,000,000 for behavioral health in Lee's Summit, and money tied to World Cup preparations. "Out of the 500,000,000 dollars, 50,000,000 was for that project in Kansas City," Dreiling said.

Dreiling also summarized the stadium financing debate tied to Senate Bill 80: the legislation would have allowed state bonds covering up to 50% of project costs, provided tax credits of up to 10% of team investment capped at $50,000,000, and included clawback provisions if a team relocated. He said the bill passed the House but failed in the Senate, where some senators — he suggested — were reluctant to prioritize stadiums after House Bill 19 failed.

Delegation staff told the Legislature that Kansas was offering up to 70% of stadium funding on its side of the state line, which increased urgency for a Missouri response. The briefing also noted several constitutional and ballot measures that will appear in 2026, including HDR 73 and other items referenced as "Prop A," and flagged the possibility that property-tax and capital-improvement items could be part of a gubernatorial call.

County legislators asked for follow-up detail on the capital bill’s county-specific projects and for links to the legislation. Dreiling told the Legislature he would provide a detailed report. He also said he would provide a list of projects that had been included for Jackson County in the bills that failed.

No formal county actions were taken during the briefing; the presentation was informational. The delegation said they would return with a written summary and links to the bills cited if the Legislature requested them.

Ending: Delegation staff said they will provide the Legislature a written report with links to the statutes and bills referenced and that they expect some combination of the stalled capital improvements, property-tax reform and stadium provisions could be included if the governor calls a special session in early June.