County executive promises three-year tax credits after 2023–24 assessment rollback

Jackson County’s county executive told the Legislature on April 13 that the state tax commission ordered rollbacks of 2023–24 property assessments and that the county will return money to affected taxpayers via a three-year tax-credit plan rather than immediate one-time refunds.

“As you know, we found out that the assessment department uses a certain type of software, and the collection department uses a certain type of software,” the county executive said, explaining mismatches between systems and manual work to recalibrate accounts. He estimated corrected tax bills and refunds would be issued by early May: “By the hopefully, by the end of by the start of May.”

The executive said a one-time refund is not feasible because the funds previously flowed to school districts, fire districts and library districts. “I looked in our bank account, and we've spent that money,” he said. To address the overpayments without disrupting taxing jurisdictions, he said he will implement tax credits spread over three years as the least invasive option for budgets.

The announcement followed a letter from local school superintendents urging the county not to return credits and not to cap commercial-property assessments; the county executive said he disagrees with their direction and defended his authority to provide credits. “I'm not gonna do it,” he said of the superintendents' demand. “And by god, we're gonna give tax credits to people in Jackson County for the way they're treated.”

Chair remarks and subsequent questions centered on ensuring the corrections reach taxpayers and on the broader revenue impacts to overlapping taxing jurisdictions. The county executive said staff will return with a detailed numeric breakdown at the next legislature meeting and that the office is reviewing each affected account to avoid wrongful tax-auction placements.