Interim Jackson County Executive says Manny Abarca's removal was consequence of 'dysfunction'
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What is the overall focus of the Up To Date episode with Interim Executive Phil LeVota?
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From KCUR, this is UpToDate with Steve Kraske and producer Elizabeth Ruiz. In a historic step, Jackson County residents voted to recall now former county executive Frank White Jr. One motive behind the ousting The 2023 property assessment that resulted in over 200,000 residents receiving highly inflated property tax assessments. In what could be another historic step in the drawn out property tax saga? The county could pay back two hundred and fifty million to residents in a class action lawsuit. Today, Steve is joined by interim county executive Phil Lavota to learn more.
Sounds like Jackson County could be on the hook to return two hundred and fifty million dollars to property owners as a result of this settlement that's just waiting on a judge to sign off on it. What do you make of the Sutomics? I I think you're all for it.
Yeah, well the specifics, it's not two hundred and fifty million dollars from Jackson County. It's two hundred and fifty million dollars of taxes that are paid. So that's could come from the taxing jurisdiction, school districts, fire library library, all that. So but it could total up to two hundred and fifty million dollars. That's the class action lawyers numbers. I don't have the numbers yet, but I tell you what we are gonna do. We are gonna get taxpayers' money and we're gonna do it by tax credits. So Jackson County and the tax indicator will be on the hook, and we've already put them on the hook. hook. So what what we've done already is we've implemented this three year tax credit program. Um I issue issued it by executive order.
The legislator came behind me. Legislature came behind me and codified it into tax ordinance to county law.
Yeah.
And then we had that done. And then we sat down with the class action lawyers. They brought this class action Three years ago, when the former administration was not listening and people were mad and they were over being taxed out of their houses, people were losing their homes. And they brought this to to force the county to lower the assessments and give some relief. So now we find ourselves in a different world than the former administration. I'm doing everything the state tax commission ordered us to do and lowering that. So uh instead of us fighting with each other, we sat down and had a mediation, a 13-hour mediation. mediation where we sat down to figure out what's the best for Jackson County.
Yeah. My clients are the people of Jackson County. The class action people clients are the people of Jackson County. We're on the same page. We just had to get there. And what they were ordering or wanting in their class action lawsuit was immediate refunds. And I just said, We can't do that. We will do it.
How will Jackson County reimburse residents for the inflated 2023 property‑tax assessments?
You didn't have the money to do that, right? Don't
have the money and you can't go back to the school districts and it would decimate their budgets and the tax injuries just the libraries. So I I believe that tax credits is the appropriate thing. And when
you say tax credits, Phil, what are you talking about? What does that mean? Translate.
I and I be I speak to this so much I thank you for bringing back down out of the weeds. Tax credit means simply we're gonna find out in twenty-three and twenty-four what you overpaid, Mr. Taxpayer. And that amount, for example, let's say you overpaid six hundred dollars. What we're gonna do is on your tax bill for the next three years in twenty-six, twenty-seven, and twenty-eight, we're gonna break that into a third.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the overall focus of the Up To Date episode with Interim Executive Phil LeVota?
0:00–3:08
2
How will Jackson County reimburse residents for the inflated 2023 property‑tax assessments?
3:08–7:22
3
What are the details of the three‑year tax‑credit plan that will offset over‑payments?
7:22–11:04
4
How will the tax‑credit settlement affect the county’s budget and essential services?
11:04–13:31
5
What lawsuits are the independent and Fort Osage school districts filing over the settlement?
13:31–16:26
6
Why was Legislative Chair Manny Abarca removed and what’s the status of the bribery allegations?
16:26–19:53
7
What progress has the twelve‑person task force made on the future of the Truman Sports Complex?
19:53–20:53
8
What are Phil LeVota’s thoughts on the upcoming county‑executive election and endorsements?
20:53–20:54
Speakers
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