ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Thousands of St. Charles County seniors have applied for a property tax freeze in the days since the program launched earlier this month.
Applications opened at midnight on March 1, and St. Charles County Collector Michelle McBride, said the first application was submitted at 1:41 a.m. that day. By the end of the day, the county had received about 400 applications, most of which were completed online through the .
In all, the county had received about 6,000 as of Friday.
“I was a little surprised to see how quickly the applications are coming,†McBride said.
Applications are open until June 30 for residents who were at least 62 years old as of Jan. 1, 2023, and can provide a copy of a warranty deed for the property and a government-issued photo ID.
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St. Charles County was one of the first in Missouri to pass a property tax freeze program after state legislators passed a law allowing counties to approve such a freeze. County officials passed the freeze in September and touted St. Charles County as a statewide leader in the Republican-led initiative.
The county previously estimated that about 38,000 residents would be eligible to apply for the freeze, which applies only to a person’s primary residence.
Applications will be reviewed starting in mid-May — an intentional delay, county officials said, in case state lawmakers approve changes to the program during this legislative session.
A bill moving through the Statehouse would clarify language in the state law, including whether the tax freezes should apply to Missouri teachers who participate in a state pension plan instead of Social Security and make clear that residents must pay all delinquent taxes and penalties to be eligible.
“So far, everything that is proposed in Jefferson City, our county ordinance complies with. However, I’ve seen the Legislature do things in the last couple weeks of a session that can really throw a wrench in things,†McBride said.
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann agreed. Ehlmann previously described the Legislature’s version of the senior citizen property tax freeze as a “half-baked pie,†and he said last week he anticipates amendments to the program in the next two legislative sessions.
All applications are time-stamped and will be reviewed in the order they are received. The review process will be time-consuming, McBride said, with staff having to spend between 15 to 20 minutes on each application.
McBride said she hopes to send out rejection notices to residents in late May so they have time to resubmit ahead of the June 30 deadline. Her office won’t send out approval notices until after June.
“My gut instinct is that this is going to take us some time,†McBride said.
Meanwhile, St. Charles County Council members have hinted at some changes they’d like to see to the program, too.
“There was a lot of euphoria when we passed this, but now the reality has set in that there are going to be some things that might need to be tweaked,†said County Council Chair Terry Hollander said at a council meeting this month.
County Councilman Dave Hammond questioned why it was the resident’s responsibility to provide a copy of a warranty deed. Hammond said when he applied for the freeze, there was a line of people waiting at the office of the St. Charles County Recorder of Deeds to print off a copy of their warranty deeds.
But McBride said without a warranty deed, the review process would take much longer for county officials.
County Councilman Joe Brazil echoed Hammond’s concerns, adding that the requirement could be “too much of a burden for seniors.†He also questioned McBride on why residents will have to reapply for the program every year.
“This is an awful lot of paperwork for people to fill out,†Brazil said.
McBride countered that the 10-question application was not strenuous and that there “are certain dates that you know as an adult, as a citizen of a state, of a county or of a country, that you have to do.â€
“People know they have to fill out their personal property assessment form by March 1. You file your income taxes by April 15. You pay your property taxes by Dec. 31,†she said. “And now they’ll know to file for the senior property tax relief, if they want it, by June 30.â€