CLAYTON — The ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Council approved a property tax break for senior homeowners Tuesday, paving the way for tax relief as soon as 2025 as long as County Executive Sam Page approves.
The plan includes a $550,000 cap on the value of eligible homes, a requirement council Democrats made clear was essential to gain their support. The plan now goes to Page for his signature.
“He will review the bill and make a decision over the next two weeks,†said Doug Moore, a spokesman for Page.
Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, said passing the bill was a win for seniors.
“It will give people a chance to try to stay in their homes,†Harder said.
But some speakers at the Tuesday night council meeting were opposed to the tax break. David Stokes, a policy analyst with the libertarian Show-Me Institute think tank, said the plan is unfair to young people struggling to afford their first home.
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“You’re going to give one segment of the population a special tax deal,†Stokes said.
Rhonda Linders, 69, of Spanish Lake, said she needs the break. Her estimated tax bill went up by about $200 this year, according to property records.
“We’re afraid of being taxed out of our homes,†Linders said.
If Page signs it into law, residents older than 67 would have to apply for the tax break by submitting a form to the county Collector of Revenue annually. They’d still pay taxes on their home’s existing value, but they could be exempt from paying taxes on value increases.
The plan wouldn’t change the way the assessor values or calculates real estate, according to Sarah Siegel of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County assessor’s office. It would only freeze the amount the homeowner owes, she said. The county assessor would still assess the value according to Missouri law, and taxpayers would still receive the same assessment notices.
The collector’s office would factor in the freeze, and calculate the amount of taxes an eligible homeowner must pay.
The original bill failed in July because of Democratic opposition due to the lack of a cap on property values, among other things.
The revised plan passed 4-2 at the regular council meeting Tuesday night, with Democratic Councilwoman Rita Heard Days of Bel-Nor flipping to vote with three Republicans.
Days said she changed her mind because Hancock promised her he would move to reverse the tax break if the $550,000 cap is deemed unlawful. The state law that enables counties to enact the measure did not specifically allow a cap.
Democratic Councilwoman Lisa Clancy of Maplewood was absent, and Democratic Councilwomen Shalonda Webb of unincorporated North County and Kelli Dunaway of Chesterfield voted no.
Too many questions remained about the bill, Webb said. She said even with Hancock’s compromises, she couldn’t support the plan because of concerns over how much it might impact school districts and other taxing bodies.
Dunaway has said the cap was too high.
Hancock’s proposal includes a clause that would allow the county to cut the cap from the bill if it is deemed unlawful. It also includes a sunset clause, requiring the council to reconsider the plan after five years.
Jackson County, which includes Kansas City, put a cap in its senior property tax break bill, which passed last month.
In ºüÀêÊÓƵ, policymakers are considering a break that would restrict the eligibility of people with certain incomes or property values.
Other counties, including St. Charles County, have passed the bill without restrictions.