When Clay County Assessor Tracy Baldwin mailed annual personal property tax assessment letters earlier this month, he explained that the values of many vehicles were increasing due to the supply and demand of used vehicles. He intended to freeze those values for the 2022 tax year to help ease the tax burden of increasing property values.

I took an oath as the Clay County Assessor to fight for fair and equitable values, but I also swore to follow and uphold the state guidelines as set forth by the State of Missouri - Clay County Assessor Tracy Baldwin

That effort to freeze property values was thwarted by the Missouri State Tax Commission. The Commission notified Baldwin that this procedure was inconsistent with a state law requirement to assess all property at its true value in money.

The law the Commission is referring to requires that the Assessor use the National Automobile Dealers’ Association Official Used Car Guide (NADA) as the basis for the value of new and used motor vehicles(Section 137.115.9 R.S.Mo).

Baldwin explained in a press release that while “the valuation and assessment of personal property generally is within an Assessor’s discretion, the current version of the section requires that the Assessor only use the methodologies described in the statute for valuing motor vehicles.”

Due to this section of the state statute, Baldwin is not able to freeze personal property values.

“I took an oath as the Clay County Assessor to fight for fair and equitable values, but I also swore to follow and uphold the state guidelines as set forth by the State of Missouri,” he wrote. “This means that unfortunately, I will not be able to freeze values for the current year. I sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused and I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for the taxpayers of Clay County.”

Taxpayers should ensure that their Personal Property Tax Assessments are submitted properly by March 1st, declaring all property owned on January 1st to the county where they resided at that time. If taxpayers have questions or concerns, they can contact the County Assessor’s Office at 816-407-3510, assessor@claycountymo.gov, or the State Tax Commission at 573-751-2414, stc@stc.mo.gov.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story