The Warren County Commission continues to discuss a property tax free for senior citizens and may be ready to adopt a new ordinance next month.

During their meeting on July 11 the Warren County Commissioners met with County Collector Julie Schaumberg and County Assessor Kathryn Smith to discuss their implementation of SB 190. The bill was passed by the state legislature last year and provides counties with a vehicle to freeze property tax increases on their senior citizens. 

Early last week Missouri Governor Mike Parsons signed a bill, SB 756, into law which clarifies some of the confusion that had surrounded the language of the previous bill, allowing more counties to move forward with their ordinances. 

SB 756 narrowed the specificity of the bill’s line items making it more easily enforceable and also enumerated that the minimum age for the program at 62, as opposed to simply a taxpayer eligible for social security benefits. 

The Record had previously reported on a commissioners meeting in October of last year that saw discussion between the commissioners and local taxing entities on how the law would be implemented here in Warren County. 

According to previous Record reporting, the bill allows senior citizens and counties to do two things to lighten their tax burden. The bill allows residents to deduct 100 percent of certain retirement and Social Security benefits from their adjusted gross income when filing income taxes. 

It also allows counties to grant property tax credits to those who are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. 

The commissioners discussed how several other counties have already chosen to implement the law, noting that there has been significant variety in how the law has been interpreted including in the minimum eligible age for the tax freeze. 

Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus said he had spoken with other commissioners in the state and that he was partial to the plans enacted in Boone County and hoped that the Warren County laws could mirror some of those provisions. 

While there were no official ordinances passed during the meeting it was discussed that they would look to pass an ordinance similar to Boone County’s later this summer. 

Gildehaus said that while the law in Warren County will be different to that in Boone, there will be similarities. 

County Collector Julie Schaumberg said she expected the program to start in early 2025 with applications opening as early as March. 

“I just have to implement it once it’s in place,” said Schaumberg. 

According to the Boone County Commission website, their tax freeze ordinance carries three conditions for applicants. Boone County requires that applying residents are at least 62 years old by January 1 of the initial credit year, have written proof of ownership or equitable interest in a homestead within the county and that they are liable for property taxes on that property. 

“(Boone County’s) is a lot of what we did have, but one thing I do like on Boone’s, it says very, very clearly, the credit authorized here on shall not extend to the following levies: state line pension fund and levies related to any and all voter approved bond indebtedness, so I think that covers us,” said Gildehaus. 

While the Warren County ordinance has not been finalized and may appear in a slightly different form compared to other counties, the commissioners were optimistic that the long process of enacting the ordinance into law was nearing an end. 

Gildehaus said he expected the ordinance to be passed some time in early August.