Property Taxes

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen will soon discuss a bill to make more people eligible for a displaced-tenants fund and a measure that would lower property tax bills on buildings made uninhabitable by the tornado.

In an effort to let people stay in their homes in the aftermath of a natural disaster, St. Louis tax collectors will pause sales of seized properties for four months. The city will also hold off until August before filing new suits against property owners with back taxes.

More than 1,000 homeowners have already applied for the credit, which freezes the property tax a homeowner must pay at a certain level until they move out.

Applications for the freeze opened Oct. 1. It takes effect for the 2025 tax bill and applies to the primary residence of homeowners 62 and older.

Updates to the state law made more people eligible for the freeze. Applications in St. Louis County will only be accepted online.

A ban on eviction moratoriums was also among the bills signed.

Lawmakers approved the original law last session. The fix widens who would be eligible for a property tax freeze.

Proposition W will allow the Metropolitan Sewer District to sell bonds to fund federally mandated sewer improvements, while Proposition S will raise property taxes to fund more than 500 sewer improvement projects over the next 20 years.

The Platte County Republican has sponsored legislation the last couple of sessions that would legalize sports betting.

Under the law, Missouri counties can decide whether to enact a property tax freeze for seniors. St. Louis and St. Charles counties, along with the City of St. Louis, have already taken advantage of the law.