School districts in Jackson County saw home property assessments leap by nearly a third — and add more heft to their tax bases.
They set their property tax rates lower to reflect the beefier assessments — amid a furor from homeowners and politicians contending the numbers inflated the real value of properties in the county.
That tossed Jackson County into the center of a court challenge from the state that could test who can challenge assessments and how.
School districts in the county claimed in court this week that a win for the homeowners would prove “catastrophic,” costing school districts nearly $1,500 per student.