JEFFERSON CITY — Elderly Cole County residents will begin receiving a tax freeze starting with the 2025 tax assessment.

The Cole County Commission approved a tax freeze order for seniors 2-1 at a meeting Tuesday morning. The decision follows Boone and Callaway County previously approving a tax freeze.

To be eligible, Cole County residents must be 62 years or older, own their home and live full-time in their primary residence. The specific details of the tax freeze are still unknown, but the commission is awaiting additional criteria.

Eligible seniors will need to complete a free application each year if they want to benefit from the tax freeze, as the process is not automatic.

“We’re going to be one of the test counties that other counties are going to look at and see how we did it, what we did and see how well it works,” said Sam Bushman, the presiding commissioner.

The petitioners collected more than 2,600 signatures in favor of freezing senior taxes.

“I collected signatures for 9 months to put it on the ballot and basically what they did was pass the ordinance, so it didn’t even need to be be put on the ballot,” said Cole County and Jefferson City resident Doug Mueller. . “So we won.”

But those who oppose the tax freeze say it’s not the solution.

“If they really wanted to help seniors, they should have updated the old Senior Citizens Property Tax Credit, which has been around for almost 50 years,” said Harry Otto, County District Commissioner. West.

The commission said Tuesday it saved about $2,500 in election expenses by passing the tax freeze by ordinance instead of putting it on the April 2025 ballot for citizens to vote on.