Senior Tax Bill Update: Taney County Commission Passes Ordinance

The efforts to get Senior’s in the State of Missouri a break on Real Estate Taxes have taken a new turn over the last several days. 

It started on Friday when in the last hours of the 2024 Missouri Legislative Session, Senate Bill 756 passed the House which clarifies the original Bill 190 passed and signed into law last year to give state residents of a certain age a break on Real Estate Taxes by freezing them at a certain level though the bill left it to each individual county to decide on whether to enact the freeze. Though many groups began to push for passage, even some advocates thought the law had some items that needed to be cleaned up, which happened with the passage of Bill 756 last week. 

Josh Smith has been advocating for the Senior Tax Freeze in Taney County. During an interview last Friday on the “Ozarks Now” Facebook page, Smith said that his discussions with the Taney County Commission about getting the measure on the ballot had hit a roadblock with one of the reasons given being the waiting to see if the new bill would pass. Smith said during the “Ozarks Now” interview that he might continue efforts to get the issue on the ballot even if the commission eventually passed an ordinance. 

That is exactly what happened on Monday as according to a KY-3 Report, Commissioners did vote to enact an ordinance the Presiding Commissioner Nick Plummer tells KY-3 the commission intends to keep in place. Smith, during both the Ozark Now and KY-3 interviews, says he may continue to push for a ballot vote on the issue to prevent a future commission from repealing it. 

The new law, which would allow any property owner Age 62 or older to get a freeze on Real Estate Taxes, is expected to be signed by Governor Mike Parson in August.

The original story on the passage of Senate Bill 756 can be found here.