Two Platte County Republicans are asking a judge to order the county’s elected collector to apply a newly approved homestead property tax credit to eligible homeowners’ 2026 tax bills.

Jason Maki of Parkville and James Bosch of Edgerton filed a petition this week in Platte County Circuit Court seeking an order requiring the Platte County Collector of Revenue to apply the credit and include the amount on this year’s tax statements.

The homestead property tax credit was authorized by the Missouri General Assembly in 2025. Platte County voters approved the program 79.4% to 20.6% in the April 7, 2026 election. 

Under the program, eligible homeowners in Platte County can have increases in their property tax liability capped at 5% per year or the rate of inflation, whichever is greater. The county says its eligible parcels were automatically enrolled Sept. 21. 

The dispute centers on when the credit will be applied.

Missouri law says a county granting the credit “shall apply such credit” when calculating an eligible taxpayer’s property tax liability and that the amount must be noted on the statement of tax due sent by the county collector. 

According to the petition, the Platte County Commission identified eligible homes and voted to implement the credit for the 2026 tax year. On Sept. 23, the commission reminded Collector of Revenue Sheila Palmer that the credit was required to be applied this year, according to the plaintiffs.

The petition says the collector’s office responded that it planned “to start the process in 2027.”

Maki, the Republican nominee for presiding commissioner, is now suing an elected official from his own party.

“The Collector is a Republican. So am I. That doesn’t change anything,” Maki said. “When an elected official won’t follow the law, somebody has to hold them to it. I’m not going to look the other way because we share a party.”

Maki said the issue is ultimately about implementing a program approved by both lawmakers and Platte County voters.

“The state legislature passed this into law in 2025. Platte County voters voted to put it in place here in April. The County Commission issued the order to implement it this year. The law says it SHALL be implemented. This is not optional.”

Bosch, the Republican nominee for collector, is also a plaintiff in the case and said homeowners should not have to wait another year for the relief.

“The only thing standing between Platte County homeowners and the relief the law promises is the Collector’s office,” Bosch said. “They knew this was coming for a year and continue to sandbag the implementation for reasons I cannot understand.”

Bosch also pointed to the county’s separate senior property tax credit, arguing that delays in implementing or returning tax relief could create additional problems for taxpayers.

“Taxpayers deserve the relief the state gave them,” Bosch said.

The petition asks the court to order the collector to apply the credit when calculating 2026 property tax liability for every eligible taxpayer and to print the credit amount on the 2026 tax statements, which are expected to go out this fall.

The county’s own website says the Commission approved the homestead credit through Commission Order 2026-CO-110 on July 20 and that eligible parcels were automatically enrolled in September. 

For Maki, the lawsuit is about whether the county follows through on a program approved by voters.

“This lawsuit isn’t personal. It’s about whether the people who run the courthouse follow the law the voters put in place,” Maki said. “I’m taking on an officeholder in my own party because that’s what accountability looks like.”

The lawsuit now puts the question of the 2026 credit before the Platte County Circuit Court. Maki and Bosch are asking the court to require the Collector’s office to apply the credit to eligible homeowners’ 2026 tax bills before the statements are sent this fall.

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