Question 1 on the April 7 ballot will ask voters to approve a new property tax credit, like one already available for homeowners 62 years or older in the county, called the Senior Real Property Tax Credit.
The ballot language reads: “Shall Jefferson County, Missouri, grant a property tax credit to eligible taxpayers residing in Jefferson County, Missouri, in an amount equal to each eligible taxpayer’s eligible credit amount, to which the real property tax liability on an eligible taxpayer’s homestead shall not be increased above the liability incurred during the initial credit year pursuant to Section 137.1055 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, beginning with the property taxes levied for the 2028 tax year?”
Missouri lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3 in June 2025. The bill was created in part to put property tax credits, also called “freezes,” in 97 of 114 counties in Missouri.
SB3 identifies 22 counties, including Jefferson County, where residents will be asked to freeze property tax payments at the 2024 rate.
In 75 counties, residents will be asked to vote on a property tax cap of no more than 5 percent or the rate of inflation. This includes Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Washington and Cape Girardeau counties.
SB3 identifies 17 counties where a freeze or a cap on property taxes will not be available. These counties have large economic hubs, such as St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia.
If the measure is approved in the April election, eligible Jefferson County homeowners would receive an annual credit equal to the difference between 2024 and the current tax year. Some call the tax credit a “freeze,” because what they pay in taxes will largely stay unchanged once it’s in effect.
