Senior tax credit applications are backlogged, so Greene County is hiring extra help

With the first year of the new senior tax credit applications in full swing, Greene County Collector's Office is dealing with a backlog and in need of additional help to process the applications.

After the legislature passed Senate Bill 190 in 2023, counties around the state were left to adopt a process and interpret how it should be applied on their own. Greene County was the first in the state to adopt a process for applying the credits , but due to the lack of clarity the county initially only applied it to those who qualified for Social Security, leaving out retirees in certain professions, such as some teachers, public servants and others. The amount of tax credit to be received is the difference between a given year's property tax and the tax on the property from the year in which the owner became eligible — effectively "freezing" seniors' property taxes.

With the anticipation of the new Senate Bill 756 going into effect Wednesday, Greene County expanded its process to allow all seniors 62 or older, regardless of Social Security eligibility, to take advantage of the tax credit ahead of the Sept. 30 application deadline.

Clearing the backlog

During a Greene County Commission meeting Thursday morning, the Collector's Office obtained approval to hire two full-time temporary positions through the end of October to help clear the backlog.

Greene County Collector Allen Icet said the office has received roughly 7,000 applications so far and has been able to sift through about 1,000. With the deadline approaching on Sept. 30, he told the commission he does not believe the office, as is currently, is on the trajectory to be successful because of the sheer volume of applications.

The root of the problem lies in being able to communicate with applicants, whether to share their approval status or to request further information that may be missing.

Icet said he does not foresee any issues hiring for the positions. The temporary positions, likely paid the county's current lowest wage of $15.72 per hour , will be funded from existing Collector's Office revenues, possibly a 1% fee that the office retains in order to run the office and from which money is often left over. While the positions were approved, an official budget adjustment will still have to be filed and approved.

The office already has two temporary workers who have been helping for several months and will likely stay on until next year. This was already a welcome change to what was initially handled by one person in the County Clerk's office, Icet said.

He told the News-Leader he is expecting next year for the application process to not be so demanding on the staff as the applicant pool will be much smaller, with only those newly eligible needing to apply.

"We still are in uncharted water, because this year, we're taking applications from anyone who turned 62 this year or 62 in any year prior, whereas next year .... it will not be nearly as many people as what we're dealing with this year," Icet said.

More: Greene County Commission adjusts, expands senior tax credit process

In bringing the issue to the commission, he also offered an alternative to the new positions — instead approving overtime for existing staff to help processing the applications. However, he said it likely would be more efficient if the office had dedicated staff for the applications.

More information about the tax credits and applications can be found online on the Greene County website or picked up in person at the Greene County Clerk's Office.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Senior tax credit applications are backlogged, so Greene County is hiring extra help