St. Louis Assessor explains two‑year assessment cycle, senior‑freeze workload and limits on mid‑year value changes after storm

Sean Ordway, deputy assessor and acting interim assessor, told the Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 19 that the assessor’s office follows a two‑year assessment plan approved by the State Tax Commission and that valuations are set to reflect property condition as of Jan. 1 each assessment cycle.

Ordway said the office manages about 110,000 personal property accounts and sees roughly 120–150 in‑person customers a day for filings and questions. He described the senior property tax freeze passed last year as a major new administrative responsibility that has increased staff workload and could require additional resources to sustain if participation remains high.

On storm damage, Ordway said the assessor’s office can help with damage estimates and site examinations but generally cannot change assessed values mid‑year: “In the city of St. Louis, we assess property based on what it was on January 1. And then whatever happens after that doesn’t get [changed] until the next January,” he said. He noted the office will inspect properties and make adjustments for subsequent tax years where warranted, and that the office will comply with any lawful direction from the mayor’s office, the Board of Aldermen or the state that changes reporting or relief authorities.

Why it matters: Homeowners and small landlords affected by the weekend storm may find their property tax bills reflect pre‑storm values. Ordway said the law and the office’s process limit mid‑year valuation changes absent a change in authorizing law or an extraordinary procedure.

Ordway reviewed the assessor’s revenue model: the office receives a per‑parcel reimbursement from the state and about five‑eighths of a percent of tax withholdings as its major funding sources; the city supplements the remainder as needed. He said appeals declined in recent reassessment cycles but that appeals commonly increase when reassessment activity rises and that the office expects more appeals in the current reassessment cycle.

Ending: Ordway said the office will continue to assist with damage assessments and to work through reassessment and appeals processes; he offered to coordinate with the mayor’s office and the Board of Aldermen if lawmakers seek extraordinary, legally permissible relief for storm‑damaged properties.