CLAYTON — It could be months before a senior property tax freeze application is available in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, as staffers work through a tedious roll-out process, according to the county’s revenue director.
The county has yet to hire employees who will enact the freeze, and it still needs to finalize a contract for application software, Director Tony Smee said in an interview Tuesday.
“I just want people to know it’s a very, very involved process,†Smee said. “Our goal is that it gets done, and that it gets done right.â€
Once new staff and software are in place, it could take up to two months to release an application to the public, Smee said.
Councilman Dennis Hancock, a Republican from Fenton, said the county should have already had the program up and running.
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Hancock believes County Executive Sam Page is slow-rolling it because the council cut his budget request last year.
“The official explanation is that it’s bureaucracy,†Hancock said. “In reality, that’s all stuff that could be solved very quickly if the county executive chose to do it.â€
The freeze became law last November.
In December, the council cut $905,000 from the revenue department’s budget, and Page warned enacting the freeze would be impossible without additional staff.
In May, the County Council approved $300,000 for the revenue department to hire eight staffers for $215,000 and buy software for $85,000 — a fraction of what the revenue department wanted.
Nonetheless, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County estimated it would have applications available by July.
Delays in buying software and hiring set that expectation back, Smee said. And it turns out the money for personnel would only pay for six employees because some require more specialized qualifications, he said.
The county had to create new job classifications and comply with rules that apply to hiring, Smee said. Once those are finalized, jobs can be posted. Then it takes weeks to interview and hire candidates.
The county is also working to add software on top of an existing contract with a vendor, Fidlar Technologies. It’s not clear when the county procurement office would finish that contract amendment.
Once software and staffers are in place, the county has to test the application process before releasing a form to the public, Smee said.
On Tuesday, Councilman Ernie Trakas, a Republican from South County, asked his fellow council members to consider an additional $600,000 for the senior property tax program. It was disingenuous to appropriate only a fraction of what the revenue department needed, Trakas said.
“It’s just dysfunction and mishandling on the part of the council in terms of budget oversight,†Trakas said.
Hancock said the county should work on spending the money the council has already allocated before asking for more.
“If it turns out that is not enough, come back and we’ll address it,†Hancock said.
The county is also watching to see if Gov. Mike Parson signs a bill changing the tax freeze law. If the bill becomes law, it would eliminate the county program’s $550,000 cap on the value of eligible homes, and reduce the application age from 67 to 62.
That change would increase the estimated number of eligible ºüÀêÊÓƵ County senior homeowners from 117,000 to as many as 160,000, Smee said.
Once the application is ready, applicants will have until the end of June 2025 to fill it out.