New Jackson County app to help with appointments, long property tax lines
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County services were fully up-and-running Monday, following a ransomware attack that knocked out some services for the past three weeks.
Even before the shut-down—issues like pre-sunrise long lines—plagued residents trying to deal with personal property tax issues.
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The main change is that Jackson County is now using an app to let people make appointments. It’s called QLess, with residents able to download it and sign-up for a spot instead of having to show-up at the courthouse early.
Inside the building, a screen shows names scrolling in order with an automated voice reading phone numbers, calling people to the service desk.
Kansas City resident Amanda Riley said she was trying to get a car off her personal property list, saying it was there in error. It was not her first time there.
“I took the day off thinking it was going to be that experience. So it seems to be going a lot differently this time,” Riley said.
Compare Monday to the experience in March, with people huddled in cold weather trying to take care of business. A text-to-wait system was no longer operating at the Truman Courthouse, the only place in Jackson County where residents can handle personal property tax issues face-to-face.
“We came in fairly early in the morning. There were about 300 people in line. And they told us we’d be better off coming at 4:30 or 5 in the morning,” Pete Daigle, who lives in Kansas City, said.”
Here’s the difference-maker: the QLess app.
“Did you download this, this morning or over the weekend…?” FOX4’s Jacob Kittilstad asked one woman.
“I sure did. This morning. At 5 o’clock this morning, I was able to make an appointment for 11:20 today,” she said.
Marshanna Smith, a spokesperson for the county, said Jackson County officials appreciate the continued patience, understanding of residents now getting themselves familiar with new office hours and operating procedures.
“We’ve used this opportunity to improve our customer service. And so, from that, you’re seeing new office hours, a new app for people to make their own appointments. And so, the ransomware event was unfortunate. It shut us down for a couple of weeks. But I think from that we’ve been able to come back better, stronger,” Smith said.
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Walk-ins are still accepted but availability is limited, with staff on Monday scheduling appointments with iPads when approached by people coming in the front door.
Jackson County is hosting Saturday office hours the first three weeks of May, from 8 a.m. to noon.
But again, officials are urging residents to download the QLess app to schedule appointments because a walk-in appointment is first come, first serve and based on availability.
