Property Taxes

County Executive Sam Page said he has issues with the state law that allows for such measures but elected to not veto the property tax freeze on some seniors’ homes.

The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday approved $5 million for cybersecurity improvements and advanced a bill that would freeze property taxes for seniors.

As the St. Louis Board of Aldermen considers a proposal to provide property tax relief for seniors, the St. Louis County Council will again debate the issue after rejecting an earlier bill. The discussions come as the Missouri House continues to examine personal property taxes and the earnings tax.

The proposal would only apply to the city portion of property taxes and would have limits based on income or total property value. But supporters say every little bit helps.

Illinois quit collecting property taxes from disabled veterans in 2015, but that has cost Metro East school districts and other taxing bodies near Scott Air Force Base hundreds of thousands — or sometimes millions of dollars.

Proponents of the measure could still gather signatures to put the property tax freeze for seniors on the ballot next year.

The $500,000 means the Real Estate Tax Assistance Fund has met its initial fundraising goal. Eligible homeowners can get up to $3,500 to stop their houses from being sold at a tax auction.

The St. Louis Real Estate Tax Assistance Fund aims to intervene before properties go up for a tax sale, preventing St. Louis residents from losing their homes to foreclosure.

The $28 million increase in the budget is meant to cover some “one-time costs” the county will incur this year, plus wage increases and county projects that were postponed due to the pandemic.

More money will go toward early childhood education and services if St. Louis voters approve a property tax increase in November.This month, the St. Louis…