Platte County commissioners have reached an agreement with the Missouri State Tax Commission regarding property tax increases for 2025.
According to a press release issued late Tuesday, a negotiated agreement that requires the County to raise all residential
property values 6.835% over the 2024 assessed values was reached.
Commissioners say this increase aligns more closely with actual home price increases, which were roughly 7.75% per year from 2019 through 2024 and represents a significant reduction from the STC’s original order on July 30, which mandated a 15% across-the-board increase.
“This agreement is a clear victory for Platte County taxpayers, as it substantially reduces the financial impact of the STC’s initial directive,” Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker said. “With very little leverage and very little time, we were able to secure a better deal for Platte County taxpayers that reflects more realistic property value increases.”
However, the press release continues, the imposed valuation increase circumvents the traditional data-driven assessment process used by Missouri assessors for decades, replacing it with arbitrary valuations dictated by the STC that impact all property owners regardless of the actual increase in individual property values.
Fricker said the commission, with support from other county officials and the BOE, engaged outside counsel and led negotiations with the STC to arrive at this agreement. Their efforts secured a compromise that protects taxpayers from a more difficult financial burden.
“While we’re pleased with this outcome, we’re deeply troubled by the way property tax assessment oversight is handled at the state level,” Fricker said. “We believe voters should have the authority to judge whether elected officials are serving the community effectively and then make their opinions known at the ballot box. So we now turn our attention to working with the Governor and our state legislators to enact meaningful reforms to the property tax assessment and oversight process, ensuring a fairer and more transparent framework for all Missourians. At the end of the day, Missouri needs a consistent, predictable property tax system that doesn’t price people out of their homes.”