There will be no extension for St. Louis County seniors looking to freeze their property tax rates.
Council members on Thursday failed to advance a measure that would have extended the application deadline until late July. That means applications must be submitted by Monday to be considered.
“I’m disappointed,” said 3rd Ward Councilman Dennis Hancock, R-Fenton, the legislation’s sponsor. “I know I’ve heard from a lot of people over the last several weeks who have been trying to get online into the system and are unsuccessful in doing so. They try to make an appointment, there are no appointments available. They try to stand in line in 98-degree heat — these are seniors we’re talking about.”
Opponents said a longer application period would make it harder for the Department of Revenue to meet other deadlines.
“There’s a lot of dominoes that need to fall between now and October when the bills start going out,” said 7th Ward Councilman Mark Harder, R-Ballwin.
The Department of Revenue will review applications and follow up by Sept. 15. More than 70,000 seniors have applied for the freeze, which applies only to the county’s portion of a real estate tax bill.
