The Howard County Commission last week reaffirmed that it will not create an ordinance to freeze property taxes for seniors citizens, citing the expected cost to the county. But, commissioners said would not block the measure should voters approve such an ordinance an a future election.

The Missouri Senate has passed a pair of bills in the past two years to establish a program that allows taxpayers aged 62 and older to receive a credit that essentially freezes their property taxes on their primary residences. The bill defines eligible taxpayers as residents who are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, are the owners of record of or have a legal or equitable interest in a homestead, and are liable for the payment of real property taxes on such homestead.

However, those don’t include teachers, firefighters, and other public employees who don’t collect Social Security benefits but receive pensions.

The commission’s stance on the matter is unchanged from a year ago. 

“It should be a public vote,” said Mat Freese, Western District Commissioner. “It should not be something that we decide. Because this is not going to hurt just certain people, it’s going to hurt everybody in the county.”

Freese said it would not only cost the county by way of a loss in future revenues, it would hurt other entities such as the fire departments, and ambulance and 911 services.

“We feel that this county can’t really afford to be losing money for these entities.”

Presiding Commissioner Jerimiah Johnmeyer echoed those concerns, saying costs for the county and all other entities are going to continue to rise. “That’s where we have the scare of the freeze,” he said.

Johnmeyer said that individual savings for those who qualify for the freeze might only amount to $100 a year. But with 1,961 (19.3%) of Howard County’s total population of 10,151 aged 65 or higher, according to the US Census Bureau, the hit to the county could be substantial.  

“The main downfall we see is the ambulance, fire departments, and 911. Most of our rural fire departments are all volunteer,” Johnmeyer said. “Is it worth jeopardizing the potential loss of services? That’s why we fell like it’d be better for a petition and go to the voters, countywide. Let the voters decide if it’s worth that risk.”

There is no estimate on how much such a measure would cost the county over the next few years. If enacted, the ordinance would freeze property taxes at the current rates for qualifying seniors, making those properties immune to future hikes based on higher assessed values.

In July, the Cooper County Commission approved such an ordinance to take effect in 2025.

While the intention of the law seems reasonable, it would likely force the county to hire more employees just to enforce it. In September 2023, Howard County Collector Jinger Felten said she expects implementing such an ordinance would cost the county around $179,000, not including lost property tax revenue.

In order for such an ordinance to make it before voters, a petition with five percent of the total ballots cast in the most recent gubernatorial election, which took place in November 2020, would have to be presented to Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell, who would then have to vet the signatures. The deadline to submit a petition for the proposal to be placed on the November 5 general election has passed.