BONDED DEBT LEVIES NOW FROZEN
After receiving questions and complaints, Platte County has made a few changes to its senior citizen property tax credit program.
The changes primarily focus on the matter of bonded indebtedness levies, which under the county’s previous senior tax program were not frozen.
At a meeting on Monday, the county commission unanimously agreed to make the following changes to the program.
*Increases in bonded indebtedness will no longer be excluded from the program.
*All property taxes paid on increased bonded indebtedness in 2025 by seniors approved for the program will be credited back to those taxpayers in future years.
*Annual senior tax credit program renewals will no longer be required beginning in 2026.
The commission agreed to make these updates after State Rep. Mike Jones of District 12 in southern Platte County had urged Platte County commissioners to make the change.
Platte County Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker and Jones had recently engaged in an online back and forth over the topic of whether freezing the bonded indebtedness levies is legal. Jones argued that the state legislation allows it, while Fricker had previously said attorneys the county had consulted with had advised freezing bonded debt levies could open the county up to legal action.
“Mike is just wrong on this one,” Fricker wrote at one point online when Jones was pushing the county to make the change.
Fricker eventually changed his stance, and this week he thanked Jones “for urging us to take this action.”
“Our plan all along was to design a program that would provide seniors with the maximum property tax relief allowed by law. But as it turns out, the program that we implemented did not accomplish that goal,” Fricker said on Monday.
In September of 2024 the county commission had issued a press release about the senior tax program, for 2025 and in that release used the word “freeze” to describe the impact for seniors on taxes. Use of that word led many seniors to be confused as to why their total tax bill went up when bills went out recently.
County officials now emphasize the program is not a ‘freeze’ on total taxes paid.
“Keep in mind this program should never be considered a ‘freeze. If you improve your property by building a new deck, or adding a room, your property value will go up and so will your taxes,” Fricker said Monday.
The tax refund mentioned in the changes will work this way.
“If you’re a senior who was approved for the tax relief program this year and your tax payment includes an amount for increased bonded indebtedness, then you’re going to get that money back on your 2025 property tax bill as an additional credit. But first you must pay your tax bill this year and you need to still live in your home next year,” Fricker said.
Ending the renewal requirement is a step to make the process easier for those qualified, county officials said.
“Because we’re concerned that too many approved seniors will not go through the approval process and get kicked out of the program, we’re doing away with the entire annual renewal process. We ask that you notify us if you move, and we’ll conduct annual program audits, but there’s nothing else for you to do,” Fricker remarked.
