ST. LOUIS – Seniors living in St. Louis City could soon see a freeze on their property taxes. Supporters of the bill say it will help seniors on a fixed income stay in their homes.
Mayor Tishaura Jones joined Alderwomen Anne Schweitzer (Ward 1) and Laura Keys (Ward 11) at a roundtable, alongside City Assessor Michael Dauphin, the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging (SLAAA), and local senior citizens, to discuss legislation to freeze property taxes for seniors in the city.
“While the City of St. Louis invests in long-left-behind neighborhoods, we can take advantage of new opportunities to help seniors stay in their homes and get some relief from rising property values,” Mayor Jones said. “As we work to finalize legislative proposals, I am thankful to our senior citizens for their insight this morning and to city leaders for their work to support our seniors.”
The tax freeze is permissible under legislation passed earlier this year at the state capitol. St. Charles County recently enacted legislation to freeze taxes for seniors.
“I see the conditions many are living in. No one in their winter years should have to live the way that some of our seniors, particularly in the north, are existing,” Alderwoman Keys said.
Ollie Stewart, 90, the director of the Southside Wellness Center, hopes the bill passes with flying colors.
“It means a lot. We have paid our taxes many, many years. We are homeowners, and at this time when we retired, we are on a fixed income, and we feel there should be a freeze to the taxes,” she said. “Not that we are going to miss paying our taxes, we are going to pay our taxes every year, we feel they should not go up cause our fixed income don’t go up.”
St. Louis County proposed similar legislation, but it failed.
The legislation must go before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for final approval.
