Raytown C-2 board sets 2025 tax rate at 6.32 after presentation on assessment drop and litigation risk
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Summary
The Raytown C-2 board on Sept. 22 approved a combined tax rate of 6.32 (5.1994 operating; 1.1206 debt service) after staff presented a lower-than-expected assessed valuation, an estimated $62.55 million in property-tax revenue, and a pending Jackson County appeal that could affect prior payments.
The Raytown C-2 board of education approved a combined tax levy of 6.32 for 2025 — 5.1994 for the operating levy and 1.1206 for the debt-service levy — at a special meeting on Sept. 22, 2025, following a staff presentation explaining assessed-value changes and revenue estimates.
Jacqueline Vernon, executive director of business operations, told the board the recommended rates mirror the district’s rates for the past two years and said the operating levy covers daily operations including salaries and benefits while the debt-service levy pays principal and interest on general obligation bonds. "The recommended rate being presented to the board is 5.1994 for the operating levy and 1.1206 for the debt service levy for a total of $6.32 overall levy," Vernon said.
Vernon reported the district’s assessed valuation, as shown in the Jackson County Assessor’s Office notice, is $1,015,088,184 — a reduction of $455,569. "This is a reduction of $455,569, which is unusual in a reassessment year," she said, and attributed the change to an order from the Missouri State Tax Commission directing Jackson County to limit certain assessment increases. Vernon said the county lost a related case in April 2025 and has appealed; "there could be money that we have to pay back or they could reduce payments to us if they lose the appeal," she said.
Despite the lower overall assessed value, Vernon said the district estimates total property-tax revenue of $62,549,734 for 2025 and expects roughly $35,000 more in revenue because of about $2,000,000 in new construction, which the district is able to collect. Using Realtor.com data, she offered an example of homeowner impact: a home valued at $220,000 would see tax liability of about $2,641.76 — about $40 more than last year — but she emphasized that increase was driven by home-price changes rather than a higher tax rate for unchanged assessments.
A board member moved to approve the proposed rates, citing compliance with the notice of assessed valuation, and the motion was seconded. There were no questions from board members during the discussion. The motion passed and the special meeting was adjourned at 5:43 p.m.
The district’s staff cautioned that the county’s ongoing appeal could affect past or future payments and that the precise fiscal impact depends on the appeal’s outcome. The board set the levy now to meet the statutory deadline and to preserve the district’s tax collections pending the legal process.