JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Representative Ben Keathley, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, has scheduled a hearing to examine the Missouri State Tax Commission’s recent order regarding property valuations. The hearing will take place at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 9, in Joint Hearing Room 117 at the Missouri State Capitol.
The Commission has ordered counties to bring property values in line with 90–110 percent of market rates and is requiring a Memo of Understanding from counties not in compliance. To enforce its order, the Commission has threatened to withhold state funding from counties that fail to comply.
Many local assessors and taxpayers have expressed concern that the mandated increases do not reflect actual market conditions in their communities, resulting in significant property tax hikes.
Last week, Audrain, DeKalb, Pike, Polk, and Reynolds counties filed a lawsuit in Polk County challenging the Commission’s authority to impose these valuation increases and to withhold state funding as a penalty. The lawsuit seeks to block enforcement of the order.
“Missourians are being blindsided by dramatic tax hikes that don’t match what their property would actually sell for,” Keathley, R-Chesterfield, said. “The State Tax Commission is using a heavy-handed approach that threatens local control and punishes counties by withholding state funds. Taxpayers deserve answers and accountability, and this committee is going to get them.”
State Representative Ben Keathley, a Republican, represents part of St. Louis County (District 101) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2022.