October 19, 2022
General Meeting
Plexpod, Community Room 1K,
300 E. 39th Street
Kansas City, Missouri
6:30 pm – 7:50 pm
Board Members Present: Nadja Karpilow, Matthew Browning, Dianna Atkinson, Angie Phillips, Deb Robinson
Other Neighbors Present: Jacob Ambrose, Betsy Ambrose, Patty Craft, Aaron Fightmaster, June Holte, Chris Jones, Nirmal Khalsa, Marie Martin, Jack Phillips, Barbara Rues, Paul Zehr
Special Guest: Stacy Lake,
Introductions were made. Nadja announced that she was the new president of Old Hyde Park Historic District.
It appeared the minutes were incomplete, so the approval was tabled until the following general meeting in February.
Guest Stacy Lake, a midtown resident and lawyer, and candidate for the democratic seat for Jackson County Executive, shared information and her story about the Jackson County Property Tax Assessment. A few highlights include:
· By statue, Jackson County must release the assessments by June 15.
· Appeals must be filed before the second Monday in July.
· Recommends that you do both the formal and informal appeals
· If the assessment is over 15%, the county must do a personal visit.
They are not required to see the inside.
Steps to Appeal
o Appeal to civil action
o Appeal to the Board of Equalizers (?)
o If still not satisfied, appeal to the State Tax Commission – the right to sue letter
o File a lawsuit.
· Litigation can be a lengthy process of 4-6 years.
· Burden of Proof – must show evidence of over-valuation
· The projected average for increases in 2023 is 45%
· In 2019 there were 30,000 appeals
· The BOE is expecting 60,000 appeals in 2023
· The sunshine law allows you to request the info used to valued your property.
· Having pictures of the house and estimated repairs are crucial.
Elections
Nadja called the elections to order and turned the meeting over to the nominating committee. Matthew announced the candidates for the positions of Vice President; Angie Phillips, Treasurer, Dianna Atkinson; Director, Aaron Fightmaster; and Director, Tabitha Judson, Matthew asked if there were any nominations from the floor. Angie Phillips nominated Betsy Ambrose for Secretary. Betsy accepted the nomination. The ballot tickets were distributed, and the vote took place. All the candidates were elected for their positions. Jacob Ambrose was a write-in for Director and he accepted the position. Matthew read the board oath for board members and the newly elected members were sworn in.
Updates:
3600 Walnut was not approved by the Landmarks Commission as presented. The commission had concerns about the front of the property and that it did not fit in appropriately. They suggested front porches and front lawns and issued a continuance until the next meeting on October 28 {now November 18}.
3722 Central is mostly built however the design elements are not appropriate. The Preservation staff requested a continuance so that staff could work with the building officials and developer on how to meet appropriate standards, specifically on the siding.
The meeting adjourned at 7:50.
The next meeting is December 14, 2022. There will be a potluck to celebrate the holidays.