ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Senior citizens in St. Charles County can apply for a property tax freeze beginning next March, and they’ll need to submit a form each year to keep the freeze in place.
The application period is slated to remain open until June 30, 2024. Residents will need to provide proof of property ownership and proof that the property is their primary residence, and they’ll need to provide documentation that shows they are at least 62 years old. It is still being determined if applications will be available online or only in-person.
St. Charles County on Monday became the third county in Missouri to pass a property tax freeze after a unanimous vote by the County Council. A bill signed into law earlier this year by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson gave counties the power to pass such a freeze.
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann still needed to sign the bill as of Tuesday evening, but he has said he will.
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According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 55,000 St. Charles County residents will be eligible for the tax freeze, accounting for about 14% of the county’s population.
Ehlmann has previously described the state law as a “half-baked pie,” but the county’s interpretation is that the freeze can be applied to all taxing districts in the county, including school districts, fire districts, the ambulance district, and the library district.
Ehlmann has said that only 2% of residents’ property taxes are issued by the county government, so freezing them for all taxing districts is necessary in order to have any real effect on property tax bills.
“To give the kind of relief that people are hoping for, then we need to interpret this bill broadly,” Ehlmann said.
In June, the county said freezing property taxes would result in in the first year it’s implemented, and revenue loss would increase after that.
Officials in St. Charles County have said they expect several of those districts to try to block the freeze in court because of concerns over lost revenue. A lawsuit could potentially upend the county’s application schedule and result in the property tax freeze being discontinued.
“This language (in state law) really allows you to do what we are doing. We are going to argue like heck for as long as it takes to get a judge to accept, but in the event that they don’t, then we will go back to square one,” Ehlmann said.
A rundown of what property tax is and how it's handled in the state of Missouri. Edited by Jenna Jones.
