Auditor Fitzpatrick takes legal action to obtain data for audit of Jackson County Assessment Department
Fitzpatrick filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Jackson County to enforce two subpoenas he issued on Feb. 24, 2025, to the Jackson County Assessor and to Data Cloud Solutions (DCS) – which is the vendor used by the department to house data that will help determine if drive-by assessments were performed in violation of state law.
Woman says former firefighter sexually abused her, fears he will avoid punishment
'From the beginning we knew this data was critical to the audit and mandatory to answer the questions of Jackson County residents who have serious concerns about their rights being violated during the physical assessment process,' Auditor Fitzpatrick said in a news release.
'We began requesting this data in the very early stages of our work and have been given the run around the entire time.'
He said the Jackson County Assessment Department claims they are unable to access the Mobile Assessor data created during the assessment of Jackson County property – and has placed the blame on Data Cloud Solutions, a third-party vendor.
'Data Cloud Solutions has been unwilling to provide the data to a client paying for their services, and has already ignored two subpoenas from our office,' Fitzpatrick said. 'Unfortunately for Data Cloud Solutions, we will fight until we have the truth for the people of Jackson County.'
Fitzpatrick said that he and the State Auditor's Office initially requested data from Tyler Technologies in November 2023. After three requests to Tyler Technologies were ignored, he said the State Auditor's Office requested the data from the Jackson County Assessment Department in January 2024—only to receive a response that the department would need to reach out to Tyler Technologies about the data.
After months passed and no data was provided, he said the State Auditor's Office issued a subpoena to the department on May 28, 2024, and again on Oct. 8, 2024.
A representative from Tyler Technologies indicated the company gave Data Cloud Solutions the necessary permission to share the data with the Jackson County Assessment Department. However, after the department's request to obtain the data directly from Data Cloud Solutions failed, Fitzpatrick said he issued a third subpoena to the department on Feb. 24, 2025.
From February 2024 through January 2025, he said Data Cloud Solutions ignored these requests.
According to Fitzpatrick, the State Auditor's Office also issued subpoenas to Data Cloud Solutions in December 2024 and February 2025 – both of which were ignored.
The audit of the Jackson County Assessment Department has been ongoing since Oct. 23, 2023. The audit was initiated at the request of the Jackson County Legislature, which passed a formal resolution authorizing the audit on Aug. 21, 2023.
Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV
Auditor Fitzpatrick released preliminary results to the people of Jackson County in December 2023 after his office discovered up to 200,000 homeowners in Jackson County were the victims of a flawed and inadequate assessment process that failed to comply with state law.
He said his office 'continues to work to complete the audit of the department in spite of continued efforts made by the auditee to delay the process.'Jackson County likely to comply with latest order on assessments
Three Jackson County legislators call on AG to investigate Frank White
Missouri Tax Commission orders Jackson County to roll back 2023 assessments
The latest in tug of war over Jackson County property tax assessments
Jackson County leaders stand by 2023 property assessments despite state order
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business Insider
Analysts Are Bullish on Top Materials Stocks: Calumet Specialty Products (CLMT), First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF)
There's a lot to be optimistic about in the Materials sector as 2 analysts just weighed in on Calumet Specialty Products (CLMT – Research Report) and First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF – Research Report) with bullish sentiments. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Calumet Specialty Products (CLMT) Bank of America Securities analyst Conor Fitzpatrick reiterated a Buy rating on Calumet Specialty Products on August 8 and set a price target of $20.00. The company's shares closed last Friday at $14.37. According to Fitzpatrick is ranked #7287 out of 9949 analysts. Calumet Specialty Products has an analyst consensus of Moderate Buy, with a price target consensus of $20.80. First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF) Barclays analyst Ian Rossouw CFA maintained a Buy rating on First Quantum Minerals on August 8 and set a price target of C$27.30. The company's shares closed last Friday at $17.28. CFA has an average return of 31.3% when recommending First Quantum Minerals. According to CFA is ranked #4423 out of 9949 analysts. Currently, the analyst consensus on First Quantum Minerals is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $18.01, which is a 6.1% upside from current levels. In a report issued on July 24, BMO Capital also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a C$27.00 price target.
Chicago Tribune
08-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Remembering the Dave Matthews Band bus incident, 21 years later
The first time the Dave Matthews Band swung through the Chicago area during the summer of 2004, the group played a sold-out, 2½-hour set at the Tweeter Center (now Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre) in Tinley Park. 'Although his whiny high notes often sounded like air seeping from a leaky mattress, Matthews punctuated his springy vocals with scat phrases and mumbles that had female fans shrieking,' Bob Gendron wrote about the performance. The band's return visit on Aug. 8, 2004, would also elicit shrieking — but not for its music. What happened on — and under — the Kinzie Street Bridge on the North Branch of the Chicago River two decades ago is now local lore. Here's how the Tribune reported the infamous 'bus incident.' People enjoying one of the city's top tourist attractions, the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river cruise aboard Chicago's Little Lady, took a direct hit when a luxury coach stopped on the Kinzie Street Bridge and expelled 800 pounds of liquid lavatory waste just as the tour boat passed below it. The substance oozed through the bridge's metal grating, dousing two-thirds of the vessel's 120 passengers with a foul-smelling, brownish-yellow slurry that ruined their clothes and made several of them sick. Five people were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for testing. All 120 passengers were given refunds on their $25 tickets. Witnesses told police they saw a long black tour bus dump the liquid waste. One witness gave Chicago police an Oregon license plate number that belonged to the 2003 Monaco Royale Coach driven by Jerry Fitzpatrick, who had been Matthews' tour bus driver for three years at the time. Fitzpatrick confirmed he was in Chicago with Matthews, whose band played the second of two shows at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin later that night. But the driver said he was parked in front of The Peninsula, 108 E. Superior St., when the waste rained down from the bridge several blocks away. 'There is no way I could be responsible for that. I haven't emptied the tank for days. Besides, we are very cautious about how we do that sort of thing,' Fitzpatrick told the Tribune from downstate Effingham. 'This band is very environmentally conscious.' To bolster his case, Fitzpatrick coaxed Sgt. Paul Gardner of the Effingham Police Department to inspect the bus. He then gave Gardner his cell phone to tell a reporter that the tank was nearly full. 'One of the strangest requests I've ever had, that's for sure,' Gardner said. A publicist for the band issued a statement the next night saying the group's management had 'determined that all of the buses on our tour were parked at the time of this incident.' Chicago police, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago all began investigations. After a two-week investigation into the incident that prompted outrage from Chicago's mayor and snickering from late-night television hosts, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan accused the band and driver Stefan A. Wohl of illegally dumping the foul-smelling muck into the river and creating a public nuisance. A three-count civil complaint, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, sought $70,000 in fines and an evaluation of the band's waste disposal practices. Surveillance cameras at neighborhood businesses helped Madigan's investigators and Chicago police detectives trace the bus to Wohl, a Texas man who was identified in the complaint as one of five drivers for the Dave Matthews Band, authorities said. Wohl was driving to pick up a band member at a Michigan Avenue hotel when the bus crossed the Kinzie Street bridge, according to the three-count civil complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court. 'This incident may be unique, but that does not lessen the environmental or public health risks posed by the release of at least 800 pounds of liquid human waste into a busy waterway and onto a crowded tour boat,' Madigan said in a statement. 'This situation clearly demonstrates the environmental and public health problems that can occur when laws are ignored. This act was not only offensive, it was illegal.' Nancy Todor, an Elmhurst resident whose 43rd birthday was ruined when she got caught in the rain of waste, said a $70,000 fine seemed like an inadequate punishment for the band. In November 2004, Todor became the first boat passenger to file a lawsuit against the band. Perhaps, she said, Matthews should perform a concert for the sullied boat customers. Holly Agra, co-owner of the tour boat, said the incident was an abrupt departure from the usual glowing media coverage of one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. 'We can't afford to have our image damaged,' Agra said recently. 'We don't want this sticking on us for the rest of our careers.' Chicago police shared video captured by a security camera at the East Bank Club, the time-stamped image shows a black and silver bus crossing the Kinzie Street bridge at 1:18 p.m. Aug. 8, 2004. The camera did not record the soaking. But the videotape showed that no other bus crossed the bridge for 15 minutes before or after, Belmont Area Cmdr. Michael Chasen said during the news conference. 'Clearly, this is the bus that discharged that fluid,' Chasen said. Mayor Richard M. Daley said city officials also could file criminal charges, though the offense likely would be considered a misdemeanor. 'The action of illegally dumping in the Chicago River is absolutely unacceptable,' said Daley, who nonetheless described the rock group as a 'very good band.' Days later, the band responded to the allegations by stating it had cooperated fully with Chicago authorities, providing access to drivers and tour management, license plate numbers for the five tour buses and photographs, and offering to supply DNA evidence to determine if the group is responsible. Two months after that, the band donated $50,000 each to Friends of the Chicago River and the Chicago Park District. Two months after he was charged with reckless conduct and discharge of contaminants to cause water pollution, Wohl pleaded guilty to emptying his bus's septic tank over the Chicago River. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, 150 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine, which would be donated to the Friends of the Chicago River. Speaking after the hearing, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Robert Egan, who negotiated the plea deal, said he was satisfied with Wohl's punishment even though it did not include jail time. 'I have been in touch with many of the people who were on the boat, and none of them suffered any lasting health effects,' Egan said, though many threw out the clothing they were wearing that day and said their cars became soiled on their drive home. About a month before the band performed in Chicago again, the Dave Matthews Band agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a state lawsuit. The fine would go into a fund for environmental education projects. The group also agreed to keep records for the next five years detailing where and when the waste tanks on its tour buses are emptied while in Illinois. In return, the band was allowed to avoid admitting guilt in court. And it won a provision intended to make it more difficult for the tour boat operator and at least one passenger on the ill-fated cruise to use the settlement in their own lawsuits against the band. 'This settlement is reasonable and appropriate given the public and environmental health threats caused by this foul incident,' Madigan said in a statement. A new Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice cream featured packaging encouraging fans to 'lick global warming.' Thanks for reading!
The Hill
04-08-2025
- The Hill
The CIRCLE Act: A blueprint for revitalizing American manufacturing through recycling
As Congress prioritizes American manufacturing and global trade, it is time to recognize one of our most overlooked resources: the valuable materials sitting at the end of every driveway. Each year, 37 million tons of recyclable household materials in the United States are landfilled or incinerated. That loss weakens our supply chains, drives up costs for American manufacturers and wastes taxpayer-funded resources. If we are serious about revitalizing domestic production, keeping dollars in local economies and strengthening U.S. competitiveness, we must modernize our recycling system and scale access for every household. Recycling already delivers for American industry. Recycled content makes up 40 percent of U.S. manufacturing inputs. People across the country are doing their part: setting out blue carts, dropping off batteries, returning pallets. But the system supporting them is uneven. More than 41percent of Americans still lack access to basic recycling services, and billions in raw material value is lost each year as a result. Congress has a clear opportunity to lead. The bipartisan CIRCLE Act, introduced by Reps. Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), is a targeted, practical solution. It would create a 30 percent investment tax credit for businesses, nonprofits and individuals building or upgrading recycling infrastructure — from curbside collection to sortation and processing. The model is proven. Like the tax credits that fueled growth in solar and semiconductors, this approach will drive innovation, reduce risk for private investors, and build a stronger, more resilient domestic supply chain. We already know this investment pays off. According to The Recycling Partnership, a $17 billion commitment to universal recycling access would create more than 200,000 U.S. jobs, return $8.8 billion in materials to the economy and save taxpayers nearly $10 billion in five years. Few investments can match that return. Global momentum is also building. As nations convene to negotiate a global treaty on plastic pollution, the U.S. has a chance to lead from a position of strength. Investing in domestic recycling infrastructure is not just good policy, it is essential to showing global leadership on waste, sustainability and economic development. We cannot afford to waste valuable glass, metals, plastics and paper. Nor can we ignore the growing need for extended producer responsibility policies that require producers to fund better systems, as already seen in seven U.S. states and across the globe. The EPA's Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant program offers a strong foundation. First passed with bipartisan support during the Trump administration, it has already attracted more than 450 applications. These investments are popular, cost-effective and widely supported by both Republicans and Democrats. As the EPA turns its focus to the Great American Comeback, continued funding for the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant program is a smart and strategic move. But policy must go further. As more recycled plastic moves through our economy, Health and Human Services should ensure materials are safe for use in food, health and household products. Regulatory clarity is critical as manufacturers increase their use of recycled content. Protecting public health should go hand-in-hand with accelerating circularity. Recycling is one of the rare areas that unites rural, suburban and urban interests. It creates jobs, reduces waste, lowers costs for businesses and delivers environmental returns. At a time when Americans expect real solutions, this is one Congress and the administration can act on now. Passing the CIRCLE Act would send a clear message: the U.S. is ready to lead the world in smart, sustainable manufacturing. Recycling is a proven path to jobs, resilience and economic strength. Let's stop wasting potential and start investing in it.
