CLAYTON 鈥 The 狐狸视频 County Council on Tuesday narrowly defeated a property tax freeze for seniors after more than a month of discussion, leaving it up to county voters to decide if they want to implement the plan through a ballot initiative.
Controversy over the bill before the 狐狸视频 County Council centered around how the plan would impact county finances and the idea of wealthy senior homeowners getting a tax break, but advocates argued seniors desperately need tax relief.
鈥淪eniors need help now,鈥 said Dennis Ganahl, managing director of advocacy group Missouri Tax Relief Now. 鈥淰oting no on this is a vote to do nothing for seniors now.鈥
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Four of the seven councilmembers voted against the bill. Democrats Shalonda Webb of unincorporated north 狐狸视频 County, Lisa Clancy of Maplewood, Kelli Dunaway of Chesterfield and Rita Heard Days of Bel-Nor opposed the bill because of unanswered questions about how it would be enacted, and over concerns about its financial impact on school and fire districts, among other taxing bodies.
The bill鈥檚 sponsor, Republican Councilman Mark Harder of Ballwin, said he was disappointed the bill failed.
鈥淩ight now, seniors won鈥檛 have any help,鈥 Harder said. 鈥淚 hope the citizens of 狐狸视频 County and especially senior citizens are paying attention to what happened tonight.鈥
County voters could enact the plan through a ballot measure. Advocates would have to collect signatures from at least 5% of the number of people who voted in the 2020 gubernatorial election. A majority vote would put it in place.
In early July, Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 190, which allows counties to freeze property tax increases for seniors who are eligible for Social Security, own a home and are required to make tax payments on that home.
Councilmembers heard from opponents to the bill during a committee meeting Tuesday ahead of their regular meeting. Scott Lakin, director of the county鈥檚 revenue department, said the legislation would cost school districts and other taxing bodies.
狐狸视频 County, which collects revenue and distributes it to taxing bodies such as schools, estimates its taxing districts would have missed out on nearly $34 million in revenue over the past four years if the plan had been in place, according to a memo from Lakin and other county leaders. The county estimates it could cost the county $125,000 a year in personnel, too.
And, under SB 190, taxing bodies couldn鈥檛 roll up their levies to make up for the lost revenue without voter approval, according to by the state Legislature鈥檚 research division.
鈥淭here is a cost to the county to implement this bill. There is a cost to the taxpayer,鈥 Lakin said. 鈥淏ut most of all there鈥檚 a cost to those that receive the fund distributions.鈥
Last week, representatives from Missouri Tax Relief Now questioned how the county came up with those numbers. Lakin said they used U.S. Census information as best they could to come up with estimates based on data that doesn鈥檛 exist 鈥 the number of people who meet the law鈥檚 eligibility requirements.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the ability to tell whether a taxpayer is 25 years old or 85 years old,鈥 Lakin said.
Despite questions about how it would be implemented, several Missouri counties are already considering enacting the plan, said Steve Hobbs, executive director of the Missouri Association of Counties.
鈥淎 lot of counties are already being approached by taxpayers saying, 鈥楬ey, when are you going to do this?鈥欌 Hobbs said.
Officials from St. Charles, Taney, Miller, Christian and Jackson counties have already reached out to Missouri Tax Relief Now for information, Ganahl has said.
Nearly two dozen 狐狸视频 County school districts signed a letter opposing the bill from Paul Ziegler, CEO of EducationPlus, a nonprofit coalition of school districts in the metro region. Ziegler sent the letter Monday to Page and councilmembers, urging them to reject the county legislation, .
鈥淪chool districts and other entities that depend largely on local tax revenue will be forced to make difficult decisions on how to meet budget needs,鈥 Ziegler wrote. 鈥淪chool districts will have two options 鈥 either cut needed services for students or ask for a tax increase from other citizens.鈥
Ganahl said his organization is already working on gathering signatures to get the measure on a ballot.