A new measure has been passed for the April 2026 ballot. The senior Property Tax Cut program, also known as Bill 5413, takes the current principle and applies it to all residential owners within Saint Charles County. The current program allows senior citizens to apply for a property tax freeze and receive an annual credit check. If the new bill is passed, the limitations will expand to all homeowners within the county.
“For us, it potentially represents a loss of annual revenue, as the years go on, should there not be a change, that amount would continue to grow,” FHSD Superintendent Mark Delaney said. “Something you buy today isn’t going to cost the same in three years. Salaries continue to rise; that’s what I think is a potential challenge for the district.”
For Bill 5413 to be implemented, a much larger cut from publicly funded buildings would be required. FHSD alone would lose a projected $4 million within the first year and another estimated amount of $20 million over the next five years. In addition to public schools, the Saint Charles City-County Libraries would face a little over $310,000 being cut from the program.
“Many people don’t know the work we do; we welcome 1.2 million visitors, we host 5,000 programs for children, teens, and senior adults,” CEO of Saint Charles City-County Libraries John Greifzu, said. “We reach out to our local daycare, childcare, and early learning centers, we visit senior homes, we have a supportive early literacy program along with the senior program, and we even were able to offer 1,600 meals last year to kids during the summer programs. So what are we going to do with such a change to our budget?”
Though in defense of the cut, those receiving freezes would only be property owners. Various lawmakers advocated strongly to make sure the bill would be on the ballot this April. According to an interview conducted by First Alert 4, GOP lawmaker Joe Nicola argued for the right of pure home ownership as a supporter of the bill.
“Our home ownership is the American dream,” Nicola said.
Along with Nicola, Saint Charles County Executive Steve Ehlman is also in favor of the new bill and its possibility of enactment, going as far as shutting down lawsuits that multiple districts have come together and voted upon. Ehlman says the people of this county deserve, and have demanded, a tax break, according to First Alert 4.
