Cole County readies online application, in-person intake and three-month pilot for senior property tax freeze

Cole County staff and officials reviewed a draft website, online application and office workflow for the county's Senior Real Estate Property Tax Freeze program and agreed on key steps for intake and verification, including required documents, digital signature handling and a tentative May 1 start that would run through July 31.

Melissa, a Cole County staff member who drafted the application flowchart and website copy, presented the online form and a proposed public-facing page. She said the web form will ask applicants to upload identity and ownership documents, display a partial-identification example from the tax bill, and include links to the county tax search and GIS parcel lookup. "I'm trying to keep it simple and clear," Melissa said while walking the group through the draft pages and the planned frequently asked questions and downloadable PDF.

Staff discussed how the form will save progress, validate required fields and integrate with digital signature software. "As you're going through each step, it's saving that page...it should just don't clear your cache while you're doing it for them," Melissa said, describing the browser-based save behavior. The group demonstrated a DocuSign signature step; Melissa said the sign-and-attach sequence should populate the submitted package and that the county will coordinate with DevNet to push records into the county's case-management workflow.

County staff identified the documents applicants will need to supply: a photo ID (driver's license), a copy of the real property tax bill or paid receipt, and ownership documentation (trust agreement or operating agreement when ownership is an entity). The form will allow up to five attachments. Staff agreed to add explicit language that current taxes must be paid in full as part of the eligibility checklist and to emphasize that in the web page and application.

The group discussed special-signing cases (attorney-in-fact, personal representative or guardian). Melissa said the county will include multiple signature fields so a representative can sign and attach the legal authority document. "If somebody is going to be signing as the attorney-in-fact or personal representative for the applicant, do we need two separate signature lines?" she asked; the committee agreed to keep both signature fields and require the supporting document upload.

On renewals and timing, staff noted that applicants must reapply each year under current county practice but discussed simplifying renewals in later years with a mailed card that requires only a checkbox and signature. The group cited Boone County's approach as an example. For 2025, the county agreed that the first intake should be treated as the initial application period (the base tax year is 2025, which affects 2026 taxes), and the committee tentatively adopted a three-month intake window of May 1'July 31 so staff can process applications and evaluate volumes. The window was described as tentative and subject to extension if demand is high.

Operational decisions included in-person assistance and logistics: staff will provide counter-based intake Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a single drop-off location (collector's office) and sealed-envelope drop boxes if used. The county will provide scanners at intake stations and create printed information sheets and signage (e.g., second-floor directional signs and an easel near the elevator). Staff volunteered to produce a half-sheet with a QR code linking to the web application and FAQs.

On back-office processing, staff discussed DevNet features such as required-field checks, a list of denial reasons, approval and denial letter templates, and an audit trail that logs data-entry events. Melissa and others said raising the county's DevNet license tier may be necessary to enable a guided "wizard" workflow and automated checks. The committee decided that routine over-the-counter applications that include all required documents should be able to be approved on the spot by designated county approvers; paper or drop-box submissions lacking information will be set aside for later review.

The committee discussed data checks for applicants who die or otherwise become ineligible mid-year. Staff suggested cross-referencing the voter-registration deletions due to death and the state Health and Senior Services death reports to catch cases that require follow-up. The group agreed the office will do due diligence but acknowledged some cases (for example, a death that is not timely reported to county systems) may not be caught until the next renewal.

Staff flagged public-records and privacy considerations: the county will respond to public (Sunshine) records requests for application counts and approvals/denials, and staff noted local media interest was likely. The committee asked DevNet to ensure the system can produce simple statistics (approved, denied, pending) for reporting.

The group set a near-term schedule for final testing and implementation work and asked staff to reconvene if issues arise. Several staff members offered to help finalize the website copy, the PDF info sheet and the flowchart before the intake date. The county did not take a formal vote on ordinance or policy changes in this meeting; the session focused on implementation of the program and operational procedures.

Ending: Staff will finalize the website and form, add the tax-current requirement, clarify joint-ownership and signature rules on the application, confirm DevNet and DocuSign integrations, prepare signage and staff schedules, and pilot the intake period beginning May 1 (tentatively running through July 31).