ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – On a hot Saturday morning, hundreds of people stood in line outside the North County Government Center, many waiting hours, to submit their applications for the senior property tax freeze.
It’s the second-to-last day to apply for the program, which offers qualifying seniors the ability to freeze their property taxes at current rates.
For John Jost, it was an overnight adventure.
“I got here at 12:30 last night,” he said. “A little bit of a hassle, but I guess you gotta do what you got to do.”
Some seniors told First Alert 4 they thought applying online would be easier, but instead ran into technical difficulties uploading documents or never receiving clear conformation that their applications were submitted successfully.
“Most of us out here tried to go online to do this, and it hasn’t worked,” one applicant said.
Many in line hoped there would be an extension, but on Thursday that request was denied. The director for the department of revenue said they don’t have the staff, resources or time to extend the program.
Despite the wait and frustrations, some people took personal responsibility.
“I’ve been here since 6:30 a.m.,” said Kathy Lehr. “And the reason I am out here is because I waited forever to get it done, and it needs to be done.”
Monday, June 30, is the last day you can submit an application. All four county offices will be open Monday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you are applying online and run into an issue when submitting, officials said to wait a few minutes as it takes time to process before you receive the confirmation on the screen.
For more information on the property tax freeze, visit the county’s
website
.
