A legal battle is underway between the Missouri Tax Commission and five counties over the state’s demand to increase property valuations.

DeKalb County Presiding Commissioner Kyle Carroll said county leaders saw no other recourse than to block the commission’s demand to hike commercial property assessments by 15%.

Carroll told Missourinet affiliate KFEQ that the timing of the commission’s order is the problem. He said the order leaves no time for appeal and comes after taxing entities in the county are well into setting their levies for next year.

“We weren’t saying to the state Tax Commission, ‘Hey, we’re not going to do this,’” said Carroll. “We’re saying, ‘We can’t do this this year without creating all kinds of chaos.’”

The counties contend the commission has exceeded its authority

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